Let's jump right in.
We don’t know shit.
We assume we know it all. But we are all wrong.
Let that seep in.
We don’t know shit.
This self-deprecating statement comes from Theo Epstein, and it’s one of a few beyond-baseball takeaways that has stayed with me after reading it.
It reminds me to rethink what I know.
It challenges my assumptions.
It keeps me humble when I think I’m rolling.
Even at the quarter century mark on my life as a communication coach I readily buy the self-assessment Theo is selling.
It's safe to say Theo knows a thing or two about baseball, even though he says the opposite.
To call him "a data-driven guy” would be something of an understatement - like calling Mount Everest "big" or Antarctica "cold."
Analyzing the data is one thing, and actually using that data to make a decision is another.
In 2002 the legendary Boston Red Sox made him the general manager at the age of 28.
In 2004, Red Sox won their first World Series championship in 86 long years.
In 2007 they won again.
Jaws dropped.
Theo was like Genghis Khan sweeping across the steppes to conquer Asia, using military tactics that his enemies had never seen before - data analytics.
In 2011, the helpless Chicago Cubs hired Theo as president.
In 2016, they won their first World Series championship in 108 years.
That’s miracle No. 2.
This time he was more like Napoleon’s Grande Armée conquering Europe, using the same basic military theories as everyone else, but with more discipline and more skill.
There’s no doubt, Theo has proved to be an expert at turnarounds.
Yet, he still believes he understands less than 5% of how baseball works.
Knowing you don't know can be an asset.
“There are certainly times when baseball is much more than bread and circus, times when baseball resonates deeply and meaningfully with many, many people, and times when a game that is built around overcoming failure can teach us all a few important lessons” -Theo Epstein
I am good at what I do.
But because I want to be as good at my job as Theo is at his, I’m going to work on the premise that I don’t know shit.
And I am going to keep working on that premise until the day I finish with this calling and walk off the stage.
And then I won’t be heard from again.
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