But learn to use both hands...
ONE OF A KIND
Greg (A.) Harris enjoyed a 14-year baseball career in the
major leagues playing for 9 different teams beginning with the New York Mets in
1981 and throwing his last pitch in a Montreal Expo uniform. To date, there is
no other major league pitcher on record who was a 'switch pitcher.' For the
uninitiated, that means he could throw a baseball with either arm just about as
effectively with either.
Game rules during his stint didn't allow for him to utilize
this unique skill but as he was closing out his final season with the Expo's,
he was allowed to do so. On September 28, 1995 and in the ninth inning against
the Cincinnati Reds Harris retired Reggie
Sanders pitching right-handed, then switched to his left hand for the next two
hitters, Hall Morris and Ed Taubensee, who both batted lefty. Harris walked
Morris but got Taubensee to ground out. He then went back to his right hand to
retire Bret Boone to end the inning.
As spectacular a
feat this is, my guess is that you have forgotten of or had never heard of Greg
Allen Harris. Beyond that, it may matter little to you that he had this unusual
athletic ability. (For the record, Pat
Vindette, a kid from Omaha is now playing in the minor leagues that can 'switch-throw'
with either arm at 90 mph.)
 |
| Pat Vindette |
Had Harris even been allowed to 'switch-throw' during games
while in the league, my guess is that he would still naturally favor his
stronger right arm. Opponents eventually would figure out how to deal with the 'switch-pitching.'
USE WHAT WORKS
Business leaders also tend to "throw' with their strong
arm or manage to their perceived and or recognized strengths. While that may
seem the natural thing to do, a bigger problem is that most leaders rely on
that strength far too often. Staying with the baseball analogy, it could be
likened to a pitcher who has a great fastball or 'slider' but little else. Simply
put, a pitcher with a versatile array of pitches outlasts and outsmarts his
opponents more often than not.
Robert Kaplan and Robert Kaiser, in their recent release, Fear
Your Strengths, do a masterful job of helping leaders understand what a
lack of management versatility can mean and the impact it can have on
organizations.
"Strategically
oriented leaders are lauded for their aggressiveness and vision, but often
criticized for not being sufficiently grounded in reality. Operationally
oriented leaders are admired for their focus and their ability to
systematically drive the organization toward its goals, but they are frequently
faulted for having tunnel vision and a lack of strategic boldness. Although it
may seem that that these are inherently different and mutually exclusive kinds
of leaders, they are in truth prime examples of lopsided leadership. They are
leaders who overuse one set of strengths at the expense of under-using others."[1]
Most leaders will resist the notion that their approach to
leading and management is, well, lopsided. As a result of depending solely on
their strengths, they, more often than not, approach the thorniest of
challenges with the same mind and skill-set. They tend to 'over power' the opponent,
challenge or issue in a way that is satisfactory in the short run but detrimental
to the long-term objectives of the company.
Kaplan and Kaiser found that there is a distinct difference in
results between companies whose leaders lack versatility and those whose
leaders have developed a diversified 'portfolio' of skills with which they
effectively lead.
"Versatility
defined as striking a balance on both the forceful-enabling and
strategic-operational dimensions accounts for about half of what separates the
most effective leaders from the least effective leaders."[2]
LEADERSHIP PERFECTION DOESN'T
EXIST
Kaplan and Kaiser have compiled a
database of executives that numbers close to 7,000 and they admit there are few
leaders among them that have developed a complete repertoire of operational,
strategic and visionary skills. Understandably, those that rise closer to the
top of the list have long-lasting success that wears well over time.
As they see it, there are three
primary steps that leaders in pursuit of versatile excellence must take.
1.) Accept Yourself
"You must unflinchingly reconcile yourself to
the reality of who you are and how you lead."[3]
2.) Test Yourself
"The stimulus of new experience outside your comfort zone can slowly but
surely redefine and shore up the structure
of your self."[4]
3.) Offset Yourself
"
There is great good in working on yourself. In addition to the practical
benefits, it’s a way of retaining your youthful
energy. The moment you stop growing is the moment you grow old."[5]
When I first came across Fear Your Strengths, it was the
following line that convinced me of the need to discuss this thought process at
all;
“A whiff of brutal clarity, if it’s based on reality, is an essential
component of leadership.”[6]
There's no time like the present.
Get going!
Jim Naleid is a Life-long Entrepreneur, Change-Agent and Thought Leader,
Managing Director of Naleid & Associates and Regional
TEC (“The Executive Committee”) Chair leading a group of executives to become
Better Leaders, Making Better Decisions with Better Results. http://www.linkedin.com/in/jimnaleid
[1] Kaplan, Robert E.; Kaiser, Robert B. (2013-04-01).
Fear Your Strengths (BK Business) (pp. 27-28). Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
[2] Kaplan, Robert E.; Kaiser, Robert B.; Fear Your
Strengths (p. 35).
[3] Kaplan, Robert E.; Kaiser, Robert B.; Fear Your
Strengths (p. 86).
[4] Kaplan, Robert E.; Kaiser, Robert B.; Fear Your
Strengths (p. 89).
[5] Kaplan, Robert E.; Kaiser, Robert B.; Fear Your
Strengths (p. 92).
[6] Kaplan, Robert E.; Kaiser, Robert B.; Fear Your
Strengths (p. 25).
