Business Lessons from Spring Training

When March rolls around each and every year, Major League Baseball’s teams start their annual Spring Training. Rookies and veterans alike take to the diamond to get back into the swing of things. Last year is forgotten, a distant memory, and the focus is on making it to The Show.

Even the World Series champs will be watching video, stretching and hitting the gym. All in preparation for a new season. There are a number of lessons any business can take from baseball’s spring session. Here are three we want to highlight:

Practice, Practice, Practice
No matter who you talk to on the ball team, from management and coaches to veterans and rookies, not one of them would tell you that practice isn’t important. No veteran comes into spring training thinking they don’t have to brush up on their skills and no coach comes in feeling like they have every single detail ironed out for the upcoming season.

Brushing up on skills, looking out at the business landscape and taking stock are essential elements of a successful business. Every business needs to make sure all team members are honing skills, keeping them in ship shape and not letting any “summer rust” creep into daily lives.

Learn From the Past
Whether you suffered a setback last quarter or experienced amazing growth last year, you have to leave the past behind you. The only thing you want to bring from last season are lessons. Setbacks never mean give up and wins never mean take it easy. Find out what worked and improve it, find out what didn’t and change it.

The trades and free agents signed last season all come to Spring Training vying for a spot on the roster. Each MLB team looks to spring training as a new beginning. Adjustments are made based on last years results, strategies are tweaked, weaker areas of the teams defense and offense are addressed so that when the season begins, everyone’s ready.

Look to the Future
For each of Major League Baseball’s 30 teams, Spring Training is the beginning of a new season where story lines have yet to be written and anyone can win the World Series. The scoreboards and standings are wiped clean, and everyone starts with 0 points. What you learn from the past, you project into the future. What do the markets look like? What are opponents in your industry doing? Anticipating the future, and keeping an open mind for the big picture will serve every business well as their season progresses.

While baseball’s training month happens in the spring, MLB teams practice and adjust throughout the season. To be successful, all businesses must do the same. Don’t sit back and be content with where you are. Always be willing to practice, take lessons from the past and carry them in to the future.

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