Project Managers vs. Baseball Players

It’s the bottom of the ninth, two outs and the game is tied. The crowd is on their feet, screaming wildly! The winner will be determined by one person… the next player at bat. The batter steps up to the plate and focuses hard, knowing that everything rides on this one swing. The announcer says, “The tension is so thick you could cut it with a knife. It all comes down to this pitch... and… he's hit it! The ball is soaring high and deep. It's going... going... GONE!”  

Are there times you feel like this baseball player? All eyes are on your project, the future of the company rests on it being successful, and you are at bat! Well, you may have more in common with a baseball player than you would think. Consider the following: 

MLB Players and PMs are what we see when watching “the game”.  Their role is primarily responsible for one game at a time.  Neither has authority over other resources on the team.  Neither has accountability for the organizational success, yet each is viewed as a critical resource for winning games/projects which add up over time leading to org success or failure.  Both Players and PMs motivate and encourage teammates to perform better.  Both create the foundation for which success is built upon.  It is nearly impossible for an MLB team to win the World Series without some star Players, just as it’s nearly impossible for an organization to drive strategic initiatives without some star Project Managers. 

This first layer of the organization is most visible, critical, and works closely with the Manager and Executive layers to bring about overall success.   

What will help make sure you knock your next project, and all projects after that, out of the park? Every month this year, we will publish articles to help you do your job better as a Project Manager. At the end of the year, we’ll compile all of this guidance and insight into an eBook that you can use as a reference, or to train new project managers, or share with your stakeholders on how they can make their projects successful. 

Look for topics such as scope, time, cost, and quality management, along with how to manage stakeholders, project teams, communicate successfully, and track metrics, to name a few. 

We’re excited about this fresh approach to deliver valuable content to you. Share what you feel should be included and we’ll do everything we can to hit a home run for you!