The Home Field Advantage is the 10th person on the field in baseball and the 12th person on the field in football. These persons are the roaring home crowds that give the encouragement that induces surges of adrenalin to home team players that push them to play harder. The noise of the home crowd also places the stress on visiting teams that causes mental errors or drowns the essential communication that visiting teams need to execute. It may be the dimensions or design of the stadium that provides advantages to the home team hitters in baseball. I will relate a baseball story to a situation that a friend of mine encountered in his career.
Jim, a friend of mine, and I worked in the same organization in a Fortune 500 company. Jim reached the level of vice president. He was held in high esteem by the head of our organization and his peers. Jim operated very effectively in the culture of the organization. He developed and implemented solutions that improved performance. His relationships with his peers were strong and he had the knack of convincing his peers to support his ideas.
The head of our organization retired and his successor brought a new culture to the organization. The new leader reorganized and replaced some of Jim's peers. Jim's stock and his effectiveness in the organization declined in the new culture. He could no longer get support for his ideas. He no longer had strong relationships with his peers. The head of the organization eventually eliminated Jim's position, leaving Jim with the options of accepting a lower level position in the company or finding a position in another company.
Jim conducted his personal job search and landed a higher level position in another Fortune 500 company. After accepting the job offer, Jim and I discussed his experience of having his position eliminated, conducting a job search (with all the ups and downs) and landing another position. Jim wondered "How could I be offered a lower level position in my old company and then be offered a higher level position with more responsibility and greater compensation in my new company?" I related the following story to Jim's experience.
In baseball, the greatest achievement is hitting baseballs over the outfield fence for home runs. Hitting 40 or more home runs in a baseball season is the threshold to being known as an outstanding baseball hitter. Duke Snider was a player for the Brooklyn Dodgers during the 1950s. For five (5) consecutive years, 1953-57, Duke hit 40 or more home runs each year. Duke was regarded as one of the best hitters in baseball. The Dodgers played their home games at Ebbetts Field in Brooklyn, a baseball stadium where the right field fence was 345 feet from home plate. Ebbetts Field was a great place for left-handed hitters like Duke.
After the 1957 baseball season, the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles and played their home games at the Coliseum. The right field fence at the Coliseum was 445 feet from home plate, 100 feet longer than Ebbetts Field in Brooklyn! Duke hit only 15 home runs in 1958. In fact, he never hit more than 23 home runs in a season after the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles.
I told Jim that his new company may be his Ebbetts Field, a place where he could thrive. The management of the new company would not have offered him the position if they did not see a home run hitter in Jim. We agreed that time would tell.
Jim and I discussed his experience after his first year with his new company. He had implemented several solutions that increased the performance of his organization. He was held in high esteem by the CEO of the company. Jim was bubbling with enthusiasm as he told me of ideas and solutions that he planned to implement in the coming year. And, the senior management of the company was as enthusiastic as Jim. He had become a key member of the senior management team.
Jim had been working at his Coliseum (his old company). He was hitting balls, but the balls were caught in right field for outs, not home runs. By moving to his Ebbetts Field (his new company), Jim was able to thrive in the new culture. He could use his strengths effectively. His style was an excellent fit into the culture. He was hitting baseballs and they were sailing over the fence for home runs!
Do you have a Home Field Advantage?
- Do you fit effortlessly into the culture of your company?
- Do you feel like a part of the organization when you interact with your superiors and peers?
- Are your superiors and peers receptive to your ideas?
- Do you communicate in a style that is easily understood?
- Do your superiors and peers seek your input, ideas and suggestions?
- Do your peers invite you to lunch or other non-work related activities on occasions or do you discover that they excluded you?
If your answers are no, you may not fit into the culture of your organization or company. It may have little or nothing to do with your capabilities and skills. You may just be playing at the Coliseum instead of the field designed for you, your Ebbetts Field.
Our success is defined, not only by what we have (our strengths and personal assets), but also by our playing field (where we chose to use our strengths and assets).
Where we play is as important as what we have.
Fields of Success helps individuals define their Home Field and how they can use it to their advantage. Visit the Fields of Success website to schedule a free introductory coaching session to help you maximize the use of what you have.
