Anyone who follows baseball with even a passing interest knows about Satchel Paige and his many memorable quotes, the most famous of which was, “Don’t look back—someone might be gaining on you.”
After 24 years in the Negro Leagues, Satchel made his big league debut with the Cleveland Indians in 1948. He was rumored to be 43 years old at the time —but no one, including Satchel, knew his exact birth date. I suppose it was this fact that eventually led to my personal favorite among Satchel’s quotes: “How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?”
This line resonates with me for a couple of reasons. First, as a baby boomer, I find myself trying to age gradually and gracefully, if not reluctantly. If you let it get to you, the aging process really sucks.
Second, I don’t feel that much different than I did 10 or even 20 years ago. And finally, why should my age define or categorize me – old Satchel really nailed it for me here.
What I also like about Satchel’s line of thinking applies to all aspects of our personal and professional lives.We should never be bound by the status quo or conventional thinking. Nor should we accept the recently minted line of thought that explains a current state of affairs as “it is what it is.” If a subordinate or manager ever uses that line on you, your immediate response has to be, “If that’s the case, then why do we need you?”
It’s now October, and this time of year signals the beginning of the 2008 planning and budgeting seasons. Your club is likely in the early stages of the process right now. More than a few clubs and resorts are likely to dial up a budget that addresses immediate concerns and needs, and tweaks the numbers in a way that doesn’t look too much different from the 2007 budget.
Maybe that’s where your club needs to be, at least for the time being. But to borrow on Satchel’s line of thinking (and as pointed out in this month’s Today’s Manager feature on budgeting by Don Vance, on page 34), a new budgeting cycle can also be the perfect time to meet with your management team, Board, or owner group (and third-party consultants, if needed) to take a wider-angle view of things and ask, “What type of club would we be if we didn’t know what we are?”
If you don’t challenge the status quo, the mentality of “it is what it is” will settle in. And if that happens, you may look back—and see that something is gaining on you!
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