Number 42’s Message for Leaders

My wife, Christine, and I recently saw the movie “42”. It was great and I highly recommend it to all, even you non-baseball enthusiasts. As you may know, it’s the story of Jackie Robinson’s signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers to become the first African-American player to break the baseball color barrier.

In the movie, set during the 1946 and 1947 seasons, Robinson, number 42, focused on his strengths as a baseball player and not what his detractors were saying about him. In doing so, he won the hearts of many people and eventually his influence helped to break the race barrier for other players, too.

The irony here is that Robinson had a temper and was known to want to fight all who disagreed with his viewpoint. Thank goodness he allowed his baseball skills to do the “talking” and the rest is history.

Jackie Robinson’s story reminds us that, as leaders, we should focus the majority of our time developing our strengths. Tasks which accentuate our weakness can and should be delegated to team members who have the expertise to make all of us look good.

Batter up!