4 Lessons From Dusty Baker

Fireworks blasted, players piled on top of each other, and coaches hugged after the Houston Astros won the World Series on Saturday night. 

But the man with perhaps the most to celebrate was actually the most stoic.

Dusty Baker, 73, looked down, grabbed his pencil, and began making note of the flyball out that had secured his elusive first championship as a manager.

For Baker, it was really the crescendo of a remarkable 54-year baseball career in which he's won over 2,000 games, while also being fired three different times. The highs and lows of his journey have four key lessons for any leader:

1. Find personal connections with your team

Baker has managed incredibly diverse groups of players. So how does he relate to White, Black, Latin-American and Asian team members alike? By having a wide range of interests and going out of his way to connect. 

He listens to Van Morrison and Tupac, rode a Harley at one point, buys players banana pudding, collects vintage guitars, and began learning Spanish to more effectively communicate.

Being an impactful leader often requires a degree of relatability with team members and some personal sacrifices. Baker has long recognized this, and it’s these types of gestures and ability to find unique connection points that have made him so popular. 

2. Be open to ideas, but do it your way

Baker has been second-guessed countless times for his lack of postseason success and his apparent skepticism toward some analytics. But whether it was in his early tenure with San Francisco or now with Houston, he's always done things his way and has never tried to be a clone of anyone else.

He’ll embrace new technology and data to a point, but doesn’t compromise his instincts. It’s the seemingly perfect blend of personal conviction and adaptability that we all could do better to balance.

3. Success isn’t always enough

Baker took the San Francisco Giants to Game 7 of the World Series in 2002, then didn't have his contract renewed. He guided the Cincinnati Reds to the playoffs in three out of four seasons, then was let go. He won two straight divisions with Washington, then was fired.

We often think wins, revenue and hitting key metrics should be enough, but there will always be second-guessers who want more. It can be challenging to mentally navigate the ambitions of our superiors and outsiders, but Baker has maintained his identity and exhibited supreme class despite the criticism that has accompanied his career.  

4. Be a good person

Sounds extremely obvious, but one reason Baker has been afforded opportunity after opportunity is that he’s affable to players, executives and reporters alike. Some may question an in-game decision or a lineup choice, but no one doubts his character or integrity. 

No matter the disappointments or the heat he’s taken, he’s never lost his professionalism, which is why he’s often at the top of the list for franchises looking for a new manager.

In the clubhouse after the win, Baker sipped champagne under strobe lights and sung his team's praises to reporters. But there was one last thing to do. 

At his players' urging, Baker agreed to take on a beer luge.

It was a well-deserved drink for the manager who's seen it all and a reminder for all of us that high-characters leaders can still finish first.