The other day, I was listening to the General Manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ baseball team. He was describing the club’s philosophy as it related to player development.
This guy was mostly talking about his Minor League organization, not the “Big Club” that resides right here in Pittsburgh. “We really don’t care much about winning,” he said, “We really only care about seeing improvements at all levels of our Minor League operations.”
Up until I heard that, I was only casually listening. But when I heard the phrase, “We don’t care about winning,” my head immediately jerked in the direction of the radio. Could he really have said what I just heard?
This GM went on to explain, “the organization’s philosophy was essentially to use hard, and measurable criteria to produce an individual pre- and post-assessment of each player, at each Minor League level. (Note: For those not familiar, professional baseball, unlike any other professional sport, has what is known as a “Farm System.” The “levels” in these Farm Systems become increasingly more difficult as you move up from “Class A,” to “Class AA,” and then ultimately up to “Class AAA.”)
“Measurement of hard criteria so that pre- and post-assessments can be performed,” I mumbled to myself. “Not a thing in there about winning,” I mumbled on.
So, when my wife asked what I was mumbling about, I yelled out, “Honey, I just figured out why the Pirates stink. Apparently, they’re measuring everything but the one and only thing that really pays off --- winning.”
I’m a teacher. And, as a teacher, I am obligated to regularly report both progress and lack thereof to parents and students alike.
Over the years, I have probably ruminated over this … the “grading question” … more than any other topic. I have asked myself, “So, do I measure them on absolute knowledge? Or, do I measure them based on what they knew the first night of class, and then compare that knowledge to what they know on the last night of class?”
Furthermore, do I measure them on overall classroom contributions, i.e., “thinking on their feet,” (the one talent that they will need when they become business people/entrepreneurs); or, do I measure them on their answers to written tests? (I’ve been in business almost 40 years … not once has a customer, supplier, or employee asked me to “take a written test” prior to: a.) buying something from me, b.) selling something to me, or, c.) coming to work for me!)
The problem I have is that, and no matter how you cut it, you can only measure hard, quantifiable knowledge. Everything else is just a guess.
But “everything else” is what is important! In the real world, we “pay off” on the winning and losing that only comes as a result of the character make-up of the individual, and not necessarily his or her talent.
So, the problem, Dear Brutus, lies not in knowledge or speed or talent. Instead, it lies in attitude and tenacity and will. All of which are unmeasurable.
And here’s the major disconnect:
In academia, we pay off on activity --- while in the real world, we pay off on results.
So, I take you back to Neil Huntington. (Who is Neil Huntington, you ask?) Neil Huntington is the previously unnamed manager of your Pittsburgh Pirates.
Neil Huntington is also the dude who said, “It’s not important that they win, it’s only important that they demonstrate progress in hard, quantifiable areas.” (Sound familiar?)
I have built many businesses in my lifetime. One of them is this radio station that right now is practically driving me crazy. Over the past two weeks, I, and along with other selected people in the company, have been working on a forty-page (complete with appendices) proposal to a large, international organization. This proposal means everything to Pittsburgh Business Radio. If we succeed in selling this deal, we are off to the races. If we fail, well … we will gather ourselves and dust each other off and try again.
You learn about your people when you are doing projects such as this. I believe it was five consecutive nights that only a few of us got to bed much before 4:00 in the morning. There were times, I’m sure, that epitaphs were uttered under the breath of people who simply could not even bring themselves to re-read and then re-do that which we had previously written even just one more time.
And yet, we soldiered on.
Thinking back, almost none of what we did to conceptualize, write, edit, re-write, proof, re-write, edit, re-write, and finally approve this proposal related to any specific and “measurable skills.” (Unless, of course, one of those measurables is “insanity.”)
As already mentioned, what “wins” in business is heart. And desire. And the absolute unwillingness to give up. Get enough of these people in your organization, and you can actually run small countries.
I’ve had many employees in my day. I’ve hired people who can, and before 6:00 am: run the forty in 4.2, bench-press 500 pounds, and still show up smelling like a rose at breakfast. But, more often than not, these people with these terrific “measureables” still fail to win.
I really think it comes down to this: the students you see with the 4.0 averages have learned how to play the “school game.” The “school game” essentially being “figuring out better than anyone else what, exactly, will be on the tests, and then memorizing the answers to those questions to ensure success on the test.
Now perhaps this is a skill? I don’t think so, but maybe it is.
But one thing I do know is that this is pretty much how we’re teaching. We’re teaching people how to anticipate the questions that will ultimately be on the test. And to some degree, this is a skill. But what aggravates me is the ways that these same students pre-determine the test questions. I won’t get into this here, but it really bothers me.
But I’m sure of this … we’re not teaching “heart.” We just have no way to teach people who get knocked down how to get back up, dust themselves off, and then take another run at the problem.
Maybe the real problem is the fact that the stakes in all academic environments simply aren’t high enough. Frankly, how can they be? It’s only a piece of paper.
There were times when this piece of paper had real value. Those were the days when degrees were in extreme short supply. Believe it or not, and in 1950, about 5 percent of all Americans had college degrees. Today, this number is closer to 25 percent. (Here’s one you’ll like --- in 1950, only about one of three Americans even had a high-school degree --- today, this is very close to 83 percent.)
People excel, people improve mightily when the stakes are highest. People triumph when personal failure equals great personal (and team) loss.
In the real world, you lose your job, and all of a sudden you’re eating a lot more peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. In the real world, you lose your job and in time, you lose the very roof over your heard. (Or at least that roof changes dramatically.)
But if you fail in a training or an academic setting, you find yourself, at worst, being remonstrated for that failure. The better teaching institutions will even go so far as to explain to you how and why you failed and how and why you can minimize your chances of repeating that failure the next time around. But that’s all.
But these training and teaching institutions simply cannot replicate the pressure and intensity related to failing in the real world. By definition, they simply cannot.
Watch somebody in one of those multi-million dollar flight simulators at airline training centers. They crash spectacularly and the worst thing that happens is they spill some coffee on their shoes.
But, in the real world … well, you know.
The answer, and at least in the part of academia that I dwell, is to put the student in a situation where his/her own assets or resources are truly “in play.” (In fact, maybe we should set it up so that the tuition is free if you succeed, and doubled if you fail!)
Then, set things up so that the results of the test are as close as possible to the results you would get in the real world. With this, you’ll see learning. With this, you’ll see the people with heart and dedication slowly begin to separate themselves from the “pack.”
And most importantly, you’ll see people begin to learn the value of teamwork. You’ll see people learn that winning builds winners. Just as losing builds losers.
At least that’s how I see it. I’d love to know your opinion, and if you have one, take a minute to express it below.
See you next time I have another idea.
12 Comments
Jerry Cozewith
Hey Ron,
The core of your concern strkes at the heart of public K-12 education. Think about your own kiddos and how they so ably learn BY DOING in 1st-3rd grade. Everything is new exciting and grounded in real world activities and real time feedback. Though highly nurturing, these teachers use hands-on learning to engage their students (customers) in discovery. Then about 4th grade it morphs into more abstract thinking and teaching with “learning and knowledge” measured by TESTS and if onre cannot keep pace with the entire group…well then that is another challenge as the group’s collective “scores” are the absolute measure of the schools progress .
Entrepreneuring Youth is launching a two year pilot program at Manachester Acdemic Charter School in Pittsburgh. every Saturday. While your show is on, twelve, 7th graders will be immersed in the hands-on experience creating a business and MAKING MONEY until the summer they head off to high school two years hence. Our goal is that this experience sufficiently motivates and prepares them to overcome any adversity that might derail them from graduating from high scool on time. Keep an eye out and stay at at the wheel, because some will show up in your E ship program at Duquesne or start calling your show!
Thanks for the encouragement!
Jerry Cozewith, Entrepreneuring Youth
Joe Barron
Hello Ron,
You have 2 distinct points in your article that I agree with.
1. In the 27 years I was in business I have trained all of my managers. Regardless of there education (college, mba) or former employment ( PNC, teledyne, etc.) they could not think on there own. When a problem came up they wanted to see the rule and the manual on what to do next. If I gave them the rule they would read it back to the customer work for word. It was unbelievable. I had to re educate them and de program them. How they survived in the real world without a rule book is a big question. It goes back to your point they learned how to memorize and take tests not how to think. I actually had to make them give me alternative solutions to a problem.
2. We also had a quarterly bonus for managers and salesman based on the profitability of the company. I would equate that to your team winning philosophy. What good was it if a salesman acquired a new account but the organization did not support and cheer them on.
David Allburn, CEO, National Fingerpirnt Inc.
Wow.
Exceptional writing.
Exceptional thinking.
Exceptional insight.
(Exceptional courage.)
The psych guys call the trait “resiliance,” but Ron peels that layer off to reveal determination (heart)as the foundation.
Can one teach “heart?”
(Will Jerry Cozewith and John Stuart Mill make a winning team?)
A couple of Wikipedia refs:
<Homo Economicus>
<The Little Engine That Could> *
=====================
*Shel Silverstein wrote a poem called “The Little Blue Engine” that referenced this story, except in the end the engine almost reached the top of the hill but then very quickly slid back down and crashed on the rocks below, and the poem ended with the memorable line “If the track is tough and the hill is rough, THINKING you can just ain’t enough!”
Conclusion: Get a smart team, take Ron’s courses, sponsor one of Jerry’s students, and read “Outliers” by Malcom Gladwell to learn how “heart” translates into many hours of devotion birthing a business venture.
Joe Becker
There is no better example of highly educated , but inexperienced people failing by using theory rather than experience , than the President and his ivy league minions currently destoying the US economy .
The educational system in this country is broken . The solution is debatable and too complex for this forum . Good piece Ron .
Maryanne Barnes, Realtor
Thanks again for a valuable collection of insights, like what it takes and what it will never take and who will never have it.
Just wondering what reading this will do to the students that are still trying to figure out what the hell is going on (anywhere). Wonder if a student of yours, still under the age of 21, is trying to figure out which camp he’s in, whether studying is what you are saying really does not count, or what.
If you are “preaching to the choir”, to us that think similarly, great; but what could the group of learners know other than some are born with with good genes.
Hope this makes sense.
Mitch Kozikowski
Ron, I usually agree with you but,
You said “The school game essentially being figuring out better than anyone else what, exactly, will be on the tests, and then memorizing the answers to those questions to ensure success on the test.” Sounds good but isn’t this an insult to the student who have done the job we’ve asked them to do, very well, and they are thus by definition, successful. And many of them learn and will put the material to good use. Isn’t that ‘s the goal?
You are right as to character. What you are really saying is (and I agree with this) that it’s less important what you DO than what you ARE. As in, you DO accounting, you ARE a tiger who doesn’t quit, you are a person of integrity. But hell, that’s not what your student is supposed to learn according to your syllabus, is it?
You who teach need to get CHARACTER into your curricula. It’s tough, but too few profs in higher education want to do it. Perhaps you will start the change.
I work at Cal U, where we preach “Building Character and Careers.” It’s tough, my friend. But we can’t curse the darkness. We are responsible for what the younger set learns. If they ain’t got character, maybe it’s our fault, not that of the fact that there’s no character building metric in a geology course. They aren’t jobbing us. Perhaps we’re failing them.
As usual, a great, provocative article. Thank you.
Mitch Kozikowski
oldschool60
Ron,
In response to your article,
A. “Heart” can’t be taught in a classroom - its examples can be demonstrated by an enthusiastic teacher/professor.
B. “Heart” is lacking in today’s students due to “helicoptor” parents who don’t give their children a chance to think for themselves.
C. “Heart” is developed as a maturational process between the ages of 15 and 35.
D. “Heart” has its roots in spirituality, hard work and confidence in one’s ability.
E. Parents should provide more real world experiences for their children, i.e quit babying them
E. If Neal Huntingdon continues to captain the Pirate’s ship, we’ll have another 18 years of losing!
bruce smith
Another great article. You have hit a home run again. Good thing you do not ply your trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates. You would have been traded by now. The school system does not do a good job at teaching students to think they teach them to be good employees. With the current economy there are not enough jobs saved or created to keep this economy going. What we need is to get to government out of the way, so business can get on with saving this country and get it moving again.
Brent Shiner
Being a fan of Pennsylvania sports, the Phillies, the Penquins, the Steelers, and even the Eagles, have figured out ‘the way’ to create unstoppable miniature dynasties. Mainly admiring the Penquins and the Phillies management decisions the past couple seasons, wouldn’t you think the Pirates would follow suit?
They have one of the best stadiums in the country and potentially one of the best Pittsburgh fan bases (no pun intended) in the world. I would advise the Pirates’ GM to harness the sporting knowledge around him throughout this ‘winning’ sport state, and choose to become the best.
The Pirates have been given enough time to learn from their mistakes and failures. They should be loaded with enough life experiences to develop the next Pennsylvania sporting dynasty.
-Rev
Ernie Romanco
What you do, is not what matters. Why you do what you do is important.
Once one learns… the why… the what changes
Tell me Ron, and all who read. What would you rather do, or be happiest at. Creating a business, and being, someone who makes a “living” profit and makes a difference in the world, or someone who makes a large profit and contributes to keeping in place the world we have of corporate greed and lies. Not that one cannot do good and make a huge profit, it is just harder.
You started, to teach, supposedly to help others become entrepreneurs and be successful, for reasons you are not even fully aware of. Holding on to the feelings, the high, of “the sale” of your ideas and past experience. Grading them on what ? Your past…successes and failures….as you saw them
And now, you and all your people are working so hard on getting the approval and backing to have “ a successful radio station”
Define successful Ron. Is it the ego of getting your own ideas out, and corporate money in so you get to make a huge profit, but in doing so help to keep the world as it is. Where is the winning in that ?
You refer to “heart and dedication”. To what ? Making money. Where has all this so called “heart and dedication” to money gotten us. Bank bailouts. Foreclosures, insurance and health care fraud, and on and on and on.
Of course, this letter may not cause one to think, and then again, it may. The point is. If never written, nothing would change. You have been given a chance to help change the world, one entrepreneur at a time. As soon as
you find out the why of all of your life. Or, you can continue on, changing nothing but the size of your wallet.
“Heart and Dedication” you certainly have that
But for what purpose ??????
Josh Bulloc
Ron,
We are willing to spend a ton of money on an education; why don’t we take that money and go do whatever we had planned to study with the assumption that you would not get the money back. I bet you will learn more, retain more, and maybe have a business on the other end.
Also,on your previous newsletter iteration there was a box to enter my web address for anyone that was interested in what else I have to say.
Josh Bulloc
Kansas City, MO
David Johns
An epitaph is something you put on a tombstone. I don’t think that is the word you wanted to use.