{"id":4581,"date":"2015-04-23T19:26:42","date_gmt":"2015-04-24T00:26:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.scottcochrane.com\/?p=4581"},"modified":"2015-04-23T19:27:11","modified_gmt":"2015-04-24T00:27:11","slug":"4-signs-leaders-should-go-for-a-base-hit-not-a-grand-slam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scottcochrane.com\/index.php\/2015\/04\/23\/4-signs-leaders-should-go-for-a-base-hit-not-a-grand-slam\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Signs Leaders Should Go For a Base Hit, Not a Grand Slam"},"content":{"rendered":"

Updated from August 26, 2013 post<\/em><\/p>\n

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Baseball season is back, and each spring when the first sound of ‘Play Ball!’ is heard, my mind goes back to a leadership lesson I learned years ago.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A wise, older colleague named Jack would watch as several of us young bucks would expend enormous energy to come up with a huge win for our organization.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Then, with a nod to the baseball season, Jack would often remind us that wise leaders know that you don’t always win with a grand slam. Sometimes your best strategy is to play ‘small ball’.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

In baseball, Small Ball is a strategy in which a team strives to win not by making big extra base hits, but merely by methodically, and consistently, getting on base and advancing runners.<\/p>\n

Sometimes leaders need to recognize when it\u2019s time to set aside the grand slam, and to focus on Small Ball; moving forward by regularly and consistently racking up small \u201cwins\u201d.<\/p>\n

It means knowing when to cling to a goal to \u201cPlant 20 new churches by 2020!\u201d (grand slam), versus \u201cGrowing our existing church every year by 10%\u201d (Small Ball).<\/p>\n

It means knowing when to hang on to the plan to \u201cHold a stadium outreach event by next summer\u201d (grand slam), versus \u201cTraining every adult in our church in personal evangelism\u201d (Small Ball)<\/p>\n

When should you consider a Small Ball strategy? There\u2019s no hard rule on this, but you should at least consider a Small Ball approach when:<\/p>\n