Wisdom of the Diamond
The Five Bases of Effective Team Leadership
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
It is hard to believe that I am standing in the grand foyer of The Jefferson Hotel in downtown Richmond, Virginia. The absolute place to stay in Richmond, a perennial five star establishment, it even boasts a five star restaurant. A lot of famous people, to include a great number of U.S. Presidents, have stayed in these rooms over the past one hundred years. I am standing in the shadow of TJ himself in the main lobby, and I can swear that he is nodding encouragement to me. I marvel at the twists and turns in the road that have brought me to this place. Wow, what a year it has been.
In a matter of about ten minutes, I am going to walk down the main staircase that has persistently over the years rumored to have been used in Gone With the Wind, but wasn't, and address several hundred of the top leaders in my company on the subject of leadership. I don't think I was this nervous the day that I got married. I think I am sweating in spots that I have never sweat before.
I don't have any reason to be nervous; all I have to do is to remember to touch all the bases. I don't need notes for this talk. I am going to speak purely from the heart.
Touch all the bases to release leadership achievement drive. I just have to remember to breathe.
"Five minutes Trey,” said the program coordinator, with a smile and a thumb's up gesture, as he adjusted his headset.
Five minutes and I get to go and do what I absolutely love to do. I get to talk about leadership and the five bases that will allow anyone, with the desire to do so, to maximize their potential as a leader. It seems so easy now when I think about the five bases in terms of:
·
Vision Clarity·
Inspire the Heart·
Change Movement·
Model the Commitment·
Empower People
Add to that the values and ethics of the game and the talk will go as smooth as silk. So why am I so nervous? Maybe because I know what it took for me to learn and embrace the finer points of the game, and what it nearly cost me.
It is still hard to believe that everything that has happened began on the first day of last year's little league season…
"You're on Trey,” said the coordinator, and with a grand sweep of his right arm, indicated that I should make my entrance down the grand staircase.
My heart feels like it could pop out of my chest right now, mused Trey. Breathe. And don't let go of the railing. You don't want to make the same kind of entrance that you did during your first sales meeting, he remembered with a smile to himself, recalling how he had tripped going down three steps much to the amusement of those few who had witnessed it. .
"Ladies and gentlemen, colleagues, let me welcome you to the capital of Virginia, the Land of Lee and Davis, of Washington and Jefferson, and the place that my family and I call home: Richmond, Virginia. We are very fortunate to be enjoying both the storied history and wonderful cuisine of the Jefferson Hotel. I hope that all of you will also take the time to see some of this wonderful city and to explore the historic sites.
I have been invited to share with you some thoughts that have filled my heart and soul this past year. Everything that I am going to share with you began, believe it or not, on the little league diamond….about one year ago now and …..”
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About the Book
As timeless as the rules established by Abner Doubleday to govern the play of America's national past time, baseball, the five bases of effective team leadership are presented in a light hearted story with Little League baseball as the backdrop against which these lessons are illustrated and learned. Trey Langston, a regional sales manager for a large national sales organization is struggling to lead his team of sales representatives. Rising costs and competition as well as other challenges have forced him to examine just what kind of manager and leader he has become. A devoted father and little league coach, Trey soon discovers that the answers to all of the challenges that have eluded him at the office can be discovered between the chalk lines of the little league baseball diamond as he leads his team, and he himself receives gently mentoring from a devoted fan of the game.
About the Author
Don Levin
Don earned his JD from The John Marshall Law School, his MPA from the University of Oklahoma, and a BA from the University of Illinois-Chicago. He is also a graduate of the U.S. Army Command & General Staff College and the Defense Strategy Course, U.S. Army War College.
In his spare time, Don enjoys other forms of writing and is the author of the previously released military legal thriller The Code, the legal story Broken Code, as well as the historical fiction novel Knight's Code. His non-fiction works include the companion volumes Eight Points of the Compass and Don't Feed the Bears, as well as the life story of a Holocaust survivor, entitled The Gazebo.
Don is very active with his church where he has worked with hundreds of youth and within the community with the Boy Scouts of America, and resides with his wife Susie, in Richmond, VA. They have five children and eight grandchildren, and two dogs aptly named Barnes and Noble.
Tom Bartosic,
is a former Chief Sales Officer for a Fortune 100 company and has served in Senior VP roles for American Express and General Electric companies for over sixteen years. Tom has facilitated and trained literally thousands of agents, managers, and senior leaders on the science, art and values of selling. He authored the Leadership Development program that has been used for over a decade to elevate the performance of Sales Leaders within GE Financial.Tom served on the National Board of the Alzheimer Association and helped guide the fund raising efforts of the Memory Walk across America. In 2003 he was awarded the Outstanding Corporate Leadership Award.
Tom's favorite Leadership duties involve his two children, Elizabeth and Tommy, who he loves immensely. A native of Northern Virginia, he now resides in Santa Rosa Beach, FL.