Greetings Golfers,

So, Paul Molitor is the new Twins’ manager. It almost got lost in the election news. But it shouldn’t – this is big deal to Twins’ fans.

Molitor is a supposed expert on the x’s and o’s of baseball. Which I love – I can’t stand boring, cliche managed baseball. And I’m not in love with modern statistical driven baseball either. A good manager has a feel of the game that goes beyond stats.

But Molitor’s real challenge is to change the culture of the Twins. I heard him say that he thought the players were too worried about staying in the Majors, and thus were too concerned about their personal stats. He said that he wants them to be focused on winning as a team – not personal statistics.

All healthy organizations are made up of “team players”. But they usually need a leader who develops that type of culture. Developing a healthy culture has to be done by clearly articulating how and why things are done – not just what the goals are.

Have you seen the new Whole Foods ad? It’s all about the culture of the company – what they believe food is all about. They’re not emphasizing price or convenience – they’re proclaiming a belief system. They sum it up by saying: “Where value is inseparable from values”.

The key to selling or leading is understanding what motivates people. It isn’t all about money. And isn’t always found in stats. It’s about understanding people.

Hopefully Paul Molitor understands people and can motivate them. I like what he’s been saying – I think he gets it. Let’s see if he gets it enough, and has the communication skills to develop a winning culture.

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM and Head Golf Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com