LM1167 Whitey Herzog for Management Monday

LM1167 Whitey Herzog for Management Monday

LM, Episode 1167, 2/27/23, (Remaster Episode 87, 2/10/20), Whitey Herzog for Management Monday

Last week spring training started and for Manage Monday I wanted to talk about my favorite St. Louis Cardinals manager, Whitey Herzog.  When asked what a manager needs for success, Whitey responds, “A sense of humor and a good bullpen.” And Whitey certainly had the sense of humor part.

When he managed the Royals and they were in a slump, Whitey told the team, “If we’re going to lose, lose quickly.”

Whitey had only four rules for his team

Be on time.

Bust your butt.

Play Smart.

And have some laughs while you’re at it.

I believe these should be applied to every organization.  Too many American businesses don’t want to waste time and money training employees they may lay off in six months, so they have replaced training with a plethora of rules they believe cover every situation employees will encounter.  The problem is no one can anticipate every situation employees will experience and when an untrained employee is presented with a situation not covered by the rules, they will be afraid to think and act and your customer’s needs will go unmet.  

Today I encourage you to eliminate unnecessary rules at your organization and follow Whitey’s example.  Be on time, work hard, work smart, and have some laughs along the way.  I hope you have a great week and always remember laughter matters.