The Sweet Spot

So, my favorite part of the year is coming up real soon. While the rest of the world has their sights set on the Super Bowl, I can almost smell the blades of fresh cut grass of major league baseball spring training. There's something about that sport that is always made me feel a little bit different about life in general. And just the other day I was talking to Cobb about leadership stuff, when he used one of the simplest metaphors that I've ever heard. He likened leadership to the “sweet spot” in baseball. For those of you who are unfamiliar, the sweet spot is the part on the bat that every player longs to find. When the pitcher throws the ball and the batter connects the sweet spot of the bat to the ball, the feeling is incredible. Not only that, but everyone in the stadium, or in whatever venue they are at, can feel that connection. That is what effective leadership should feel like.

Sometimes I get frustrated because I feel like I am out of my gift zone; you know, like I'm swinging in the air but there's nothing to hit. When I talk to my mentor, and those who are closest to me, they help me find the sweet spot regarding my leadership ability. It's that place where you connect with people in a way that they know they can trust you because you are in that zone. I guess my question is, how do you know when you have hit the sweet spot in your leadership endeavors? If you can't really put your finger on it, ask someone who knows you pretty well. I can almost guarantee that those closest to you will be able to tell you when you are in that zone. As leaders, it is our responsibility and obligation to those we lead to find that sweet spot. And just like a batter must do, we have to keep taking more cuts in practice until we can do it over and over again the right way.