Author Norwin Merens is managing director of NM Communications.
Businesses can learn a lot from the near-perfect baseball game pitched by the Detroit Tigers’ Armando Galarraga on June 2. Even if you’re not a baseball fan, it was hard to miss the coverage of the game against the Cleveland Indians because of its unusual ending.
Perfect games are rare. It’s not just a no hitter, but a game in which no opposing batter reaches base. In more than a century of baseball, there have been only 20 perfect games. Having a perfect game ruined with one out to go is a bitter pill. Having the umpire miss a close call at first base that would have clinched perfection takes the bitterness off the charts.
In today’s era of pampered athletes, media spectacles and crazed fans, I would have expected an explosion on the field after the call. That’s what made the aftermath all the more surprising.
The Tigers made the obligatory argument over the call, a hallowed baseball tradition. But then Galarraga went back to work, got the final out and walked off the mound with the victory. He didn’t smash any water coolers, besmirch the umpire’s reputation or otherwise act like a toddler.
Maybe more surprising, umpire Jim Joyce admitted he blew the call after reviewing videotapes of the play. He explained what he thought he saw, acknowledged his mistake and got ready for the next game.
Both the player and the umpire acted professionally and conducted themselves like adults. They were both good sports, accepted the fact that sometimes mistakes take place and did not overemphasize that single play out of many that occurred during the game. In fact, just two outs before the disputed call, the Tigers’ centerfielder made an incredible over-the-shoulder catch of a ball that probably should have been a hit. Without that catch, there would have been no controversy.
The lesson – both on the field and in the boardroom – is that good and bad breaks happen, and they tend to even out over time. Rather than whining about bad calls, it’s more effective to focus on the task at hand and keep moving forward. Dwelling on supposed injustices will only hurt your business performance and prevent you from achieving success.
In business, that means accepting some of the “calls” made by management. Their judgment may not always be right, but if decision-makers are acting ethically and using the best available data to reach a conclusion, then they deserve your support.
Accepting responsibility is another admirable trait exhibited during the Tigers’ game. Jim Joyce didn’t try to dodge his mistake or its impact on a potential history making achievement. That’s not the case in too many other venues.
If you want proof, just look at British Petroleum’s initial reaction to the Gulf oil rig disaster. Granted, a leak in the deep water oil well is an incredibly complex technological problem fraught with environmental, legal and financial ramifications. There’s little doubt that BP would be facing public scrutiny no matter what they did in the immediate aftermath of the blowout.
However, they certainly didn’t help their predicament by trying to distance themselves from responsibility, blaming the rig operator and not taking quicker control of the situation. They are now making aggressive attempts to communicate how they’re handling the problem, but they face an uphill battle after their initial missteps.
That’s why it’s important to do the right thing the first time. People will notice. If you want proof, just look at the reaction to Galarraga’s sportsmanlike conduct in the face of tremendous disappointment.
General Motors gave him a new Corvette – a clever marketing move that yielded nearly $9 million in exposure for the company, according to Crain’s Detroit Business – the State Department honored the Venezuelan for his good example and he was named the American League Player of the Week.
His performance and conduct also resonated with the average fan. In his next start against the Chicago White Sox at U.S.Cellular Field, the Chicago fans – who are usually tough on opposing players – rose as one to give him a standing ovation as he took the mound. An ovation he truly deserved.