Surround Yourself with Positive People

I once asked former New York Yankees manager, and now Hall of Famer, Joe Torre what success means to him.

He spoke of how critical it was to think positively and focus on successful strategies.  He also said that putting together a team means placing a group of individuals who work toward a goal together and care as much about those around them as they do themselves.

If anyone knows this, it would be Joe. He told me that prior to his teams’ many World Series runs, he would speak to each one of the team’s starting pitchers individually. He wanted their advice on the pitching rotation and what it should be. Each one said that it was Joe’s decision and that they were confident in his ability to choose the rotation.

He chose the order just as each pitcher agreed for him to do.  In 1999 for example, the order was Hernandez –Cone – Pettitte – Clemens. The Yankees ended up beating the Atlanta Braves in four consecutive games.

By encouraging his players to assist in the decision-making process for the team and all of them being in agreement, Joe made sure they were all on the same page.

A lot of times when that doesn’t happen, people can get devoured by a negative mindset. “Oh, it’s the coach’s fault I didn’t do XYZ…” Separate yourself from pessimistic dream stealers.

Keeping yourself surrounded by those who are positive and in accord with respecting your goals and commitments helps to keep you on track. From there you can focus on your goals and all you are looking to accomplish.