For my leadership class toward my MA in Government, our assignment was to compare two current leaders. I chose Red Sox skippers Terry Francona and John Farrell. It really doesn't tie to this blog on running unless you could the running players have to do around bases.
“Swing and a ground ball stabbed by
Foulke. He has it. He underhands to first. And the Boston Red Sox are the World
Champions. For the first time in
eighty-six years, the Red Sox have won baseball’s world championship. Can you believe it (Castiglione 2004)?”
“It hasn’t happened at Fenway Park for
ninety-five years! The Red Sox are World
Champions! (Buck 2013)”
The Boston Red Sox have been crowned
champions three times (2004, 2007, 2013) in the last decade after a notorious
drought that lasted eighty-six years.
This success was made possible due to solid leadership, a shared vision,
and the right fits at manager who could communicate the blueprint from
ownership to the players. In 2002, John
Henry led an ownership group, including Tom Werner and Larry Lucchino, that
purchased the franchise from the Yawkey Trust, and the new ownership changed
the culture immediately. Recognizing the
importance of instituting a manager who shared their vision and commitment to
winning, Terry Francona was brought in to manage the team in 2004. Francona won twice but departed after eight years
and Bobby Valentine succeeded him.
Valentine was fired after one season in which the team didn’t win
seventy games in part due to his deficiencies as a leader and inability to
communicate. To replace him, the
ownership recognized the club needed a manager with similar qualities to
Francona and brought in John Farrell.
In baseball circles, many often wonder
what impact a manager can have on his team.
Some believe that a strong manager can make the difference between
winning a title and missing the playoffs.
Others believe that managers would do best to get out of their players’
way to let them just do their thing. Since
these two Red Sox skippers brought these nine (baseball-speak indicting the
ball club) to the top of the sport, it is appropriate to compare Terry Francona
and John Farrell by examining their leadership styles according to Kouzes and
Posner’s Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership: Model the Way, Inspire a
Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, Enable Others to Act, and Encourage the Heart
(2006, 13).
Model
the way: Titles are granted, but exemplary
leaders know they must be models of the behavior they expect of others because
leaders model the way (Kouzes and Posner 2006, 14).
Being named manager bestows a title, but
it is up to the leader to earn respect and influence to wield power
gained. Both Francona and Farrell set
the examples for their charges, and players wanted to play for them and would
go the extra mile. Francona had a
reputation as a player’s manager who would protect his guys and never embarrass
them. While Francona was being
considered for the job, Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein was pursuing Curt
Schilling, a Cy Young winner who formerly played for Francona during his first
MLB managerial stint in Philadelphia.
Originally, Schilling wasn’t considering joining Boston until “word
leaked out that the Red Sox were interviewing Terry Francona as Grady Little’s
possible replacement, Schilling decided he might be willing to go to Boston
after all (Mnookin 2007, 243).”
Schilling became a clubhouse leader and courageous follower of Francona’s. He shared Francona’s goal of bringing a title
to Boston, taking on the challenge and inspiring his teammates, most famously by
pitching and winning in the playoffs with a surgically secured ankle.
The Sox ownership wanted a manager who
would be a partner and not a middle manager.
The right fit would, according to Epstein, “Embrace the exhaustive
preparation that the organization demands, and Francona quickly emerged from
the applicant pool. His experiences gave
him a remarkable understanding of our vision.
His preparation, energy, integrity, and communication skills are
exceptional (Shaughnessy 2005, 39).”
Schilling was also known for thoroughly studying opposing hitters, and because
Francona modeled the way, players prepared seriously and that contributed to
on-field success.
After the collapse of the 2011 team,
which squandered a nine-game lead in September failing to make the postseason,
ownership elected to part ways with Terry Francona. They replaced him with Bobby Valentine, whose
style was very different. Where Francona
would go out of his way to protect his players, Valentine would publicly call
out players, embarrassing them and calling attention to internal discord. Valentine verbally sparred with fan-favorite
Kevin Youkilis, calling him out for poor play at the beginning of the season
causing a rift that he never mended.
Recognizing their mistake that resulted
in a contentious 2012 season under volatile skipper, Bobby Valentine, and
seeking to restore the kind of leadership displayed by Francona, new Red Sox
General Manager Ben Cherington hired John Farrell. “The Farrell regime represented a return to
Francona’s style. It’s only
natural. John Farrell and Terry Francona
were big league teammates with the Indians.
They were great friends. Their
wives and kids were friends. Francona
brought Farrell to the Red Sox as pitching coach for four seasons (Shaughnessy
November 2013).”
Farrell understood the importance of laying
out clear personal values and setting the tone.
During a spring training interview with the New England Sports Network
(NESN), Farrell explained his views on leadership: “I think the thing that
stands out about a leader is how he goes about his work. It’s not so much what he says. It’s the example that he provides for a
starting pitcher. For instance, what he
does in-between starts to prepare for that fifth day. What is the daily routine for a Shane
Victorino, a David Ross, or a Stephen Drew at shortstop – guys that have been
added to this roster? It’s more about
keeping that game the focal point and every preparation step along the way
that’s needed to put them in a position for success tonight (Farrell 2013).” Farrell understood that the players would
take their cue from him. He needed to
display his dedication to putting the team in a position to win, and the
players would follow.
Inspire
a Shared Vision: To enlist people in a vision, leaders
must know their constituents and speak their language (Kouzes and Posner 2006,
15).
Terry Francona had to display that he
could communicate in an appropriate manner with his players early on in his
tenure. At the beginning of his first
spring training in Boston, there was the annual big meeting to kick off the
season where ownership, the general manager, manager, traveling secretary,
public relations director, equipment manager, and a representative from the Red
Sox Foundation addressed the entire ball club.
This provides the organization with a shared vision for the year while
plotting out strategy and mission. The
meeting was to begin at 9:00 AM, but as time approached, Francona noticed Manny
Ramirez wasn’t there. Ramirez was known
for being absent-minded and acting out at times, giving birth to the phrase,
“Manny being Manny.” If Ramirez missed
this meeting, it had the potential to create a press firestorm and torpedo the
new manager. Francona recruited the
affable and popular designated hitter, David Ortiz, who is affectionately
called Big Papi by teammates and fans and is a friend of Ramirez’s, to go get him. Ortiz recognized the situation and respected
the way Francona wished to handle this, opting to let a player bring another
player to the meeting to avoid making a scene.
The next day, Ramirez approached the manager during spring training
drills, draped his arm around him, and said, “I’ll hit third, I’ll hit fourth,
I don’t care. I’ll do whatever you want.
(Francona and Shaughnessy 2013, 77).”
This reaction showed that Ramirez valued the way the new manager’s
style.
Francona avoided a pitfall by appealing
to Ortiz’s shared aspirations. He let a
friend bring Ramirez rather than potentially embarrass the temperamental All-Star. Farrell also believes in this approach and
has had the chance to display it. A few
players lost focus during Francona’s final season with Boston, creating a press
storm when they were rumored to be eating chicken and drinking beer in the
clubhouse during games. Their
performances suffered, but they were still talented pitchers. Farrell was able to inspire them to return to
a solid workout regimen that produced wins and a low staff ERA. He earned their trust and respect by
appealing to shared aspirations of greatness.
Red Sox Chairman Tom Werner: “John has
demonstrated extraordinary leadership ever since he became our manager last
winter. John has the team focused on
winning, the clubhouse is happy, and the players grind out at-bats. His skills range from his calm nature to his
in-game strategy. Whether communicating
with our core group of stars or the role players coming up and down from
Pawtucket, he has everyone’s trust (Shaughnessy July 2013).”
Challenge
the Process: Leaders venture out and are learners. They learn from mistakes and seek ways to
change, grow, and improve (Kouzes and Posner 2006, 17).
The Red Sox ownership rely on a type of
data-driven statistics known as Sabermetrics, a methodology popularized by Bill
James and expanded upon by the publication Baseball Prospectus. Not all managers subscribe to this
forward-thinking approach; some rely on old-fashioned trusting one’s instincts,
eschewing data. The Red Sox needed to
make sure their managers shared and conveyed their approach to the players. “Francona seemed to intuit the need to combine
a deft interpersonal approach with the utilization of as much information as he
could possibly get his hands on. It was
clear that Francona would never eschew the detailed reports the team put
together (Mnookin 2007, 247).” Francona
and Farrell bought into this innovative approach and succeeded by playing the
percentages, which is the heart of what Sabermetrics is.
Both Francona and Farrell had previous
managerial jobs in the majors, and both struggled initially. Francona had four mediocre seasons managing
the Phillies in the late 1990s. But, he
learned from his mistakes and was able to use that to his advantage in
Boston. “Francona’s pliability, a flaw
in Philadelphia, would be an asset in Boston, where it was reframed as a
willingness to learn and grow (Goldman 2005, 29).”
In his first season Philadelphia in 1997,
Francona sought to change the direction of his club which he did midseason in a
closed door meeting: “He blasted his team – and they promptly won thirty-eight
of their last fifty games. Francona was
applauded for his handling of the situation and his ability to motivate a team
that had little viable pitching after Schilling and a mismatched roster
(Goldman 2005, 27).”
Farrell also failed in his first
managerial stint in Toronto. The Blue
Jays were dismayed with his performance after two years and willing to let him go
to the Red Sox. But, he learned from
those seasons and applied the lessons to his leadership approach in Boston. Red Sox second basemen Dustin Pedroia, a
former Rookie of the Year and American League Most Valuable Player: “The thing
with John is he’s so smart. I think it
seems like he learns from every single person he’s around in baseball. John has been unbelievable with all of us,
just the communication (Ulman 2013).”
Also, Farrell showed strong leadership
during the World Series by admitting he made a crucial mistake during Game 3
that possibly cost the Red Sox the game.
In the top of the ninth with the game tied at four runs apiece, Farrell
failed to initiate a double-switch at first base and pitcher electing to allow
the pitcher to hit. The Cardinals won
5-4 in the bottom of the ninth on an obstruction play. After the game, he conceded, “In retrospect,
sure, I would have liked to use a pinch hitter (Ulman 2013).” Down two games to one after the loss, the Red
Sox won three straight to win the World Series.
Enable
others to act: Excellent leaders foster collaboration
because they know that trusting others pays off. They understand that those under them are
expected to produce results and that they must feel a sense of personal power
and ownership (Kouzes and Posner 2006, 18).
Francona established a trust system by
empowering his players and promoting cooperative goals. He treated the players as men, yet made clear
what he expected of them: “I put the rules out there each year to protect
myself. I wasn’t going to check
curfew. No manager does. But if somebody did something stupid at
night, I could say, ‘This is the rule.’
It was all just basic commonsense stuff: be on time, be respectful, play
your ass off (Francona and Shaughnessy 2013, 76).”
An example of how Francona built trust
was how he handled his first game as skipper.
In the 2004 Red Sox season opener, ace pitcher and part-time prima
donna, Pedro Martinez, did not have his best stuff and took the loss in
Baltimore. In a huff, he left the
ballpark before the game was over, infuriating Francona. However, it is not his style to call out players
publicly, especially on his first night on the job. Yet, he managed the situation deftly by
telling the press, “In all fairness to [Martinez], and everybody else, that
[rule about leaving early] wasn’t conveyed correctly on my part, and I take
responsibility for that (Francona and Shaughnessy 2013, 83).”
“Francona made it a point never to
criticize any of his players in public.
If harsh words were uttered behind closed doors, no one heard about it
(Shaughnessy 2005, 81).” That was
Francona’s modus operandi: when Sox players misbehaved, he addressed it inside
the clubhouse and then diminished the indiscretion to the media. This style has earned him the perception as a
player’s manager because they trusted he would make them look good; the team
appreciated his fostering of collaboration by taking the blame.
Farrell operates in a similar manner and
that has helped him build a strong relationship with his coaches. Like Francona, he does not seek attention by
criticizing his players or coaches outside of the clubhouse. An example of how he shared power is on
display with his pitching coach, Juan Nieves.
While Farrell served as pitching coach for Francona, he hired Nieves for
the role and stays out of his way to let him do his job. Some leaders can have a tough time
relinquishing a role they served prior to their promotion, creating a difficult
situation when supervising the new incumbent.
Yet, Farrell respects Nieves and lets him handle the pitchers: his faith
of placing his trust in Nieves has been rewarded through a 3.79 staff earned
run average, nearly a run less than the 2012 Sox and Boston’s best in eleven
years (Ulman 2013).
Encourage
the heart: The climb to the top is often arduous
and long so people can become exhausted, frustrated, and disenchanted. Leaders recognize the temptation to give up
yet encourage the heart of their team and celebrate success through a spirit of
community (Kouzes and Posner 2006, 19).
In the 2004 American League Championship
Series, the Boston Red Sox found themselves down three games to none to their
hated rivals, the New York Yankees. No
team in baseball history had ever won a best-of-seven series when trailing by
such a deficit; in fact, no team had ever rallied to force a Game 7. Francona kept the team in a positive frame of
mind and only thinking about having to win one game at a time rather than
focusing on the daunting task of taking four straight. He avoided the appearance of panic by ensuring
his players saw that he wasn’t doing anything differently. Although his stomach was churning, he knew
that when things are getting out of control, players take their cue from the
manager. It was important that he
appeared calm and focused: he wasn’t going to give them an excuse to quit. He told the press after dropping Game 3,
“We’re going to show up tomorrow and try to play one pitch at a time, one
inning at a time (Francona and Shaughnessy 2013, 112).”
And the players responded with
optimism. First baseman Kevin Millar
told everyone, “Don’t let us win tonight.
If we win, we’ve got Pedro going tomorrow, then Schilling, and then
anything can happen in Game 7 (Francona and Shaughnessy 2013, 113).” Schilling handed out shirts that read, “Why
Not Us?” referring to their chance to make history. And the Red Sox did make history by winning
the next two at Fenway in extra innings, winning Game 6 in New York with
Schilling pitching on his bad ankle, and blowing away the Yankees in the
clincher in Yankees Stadium en route to the title.
John Farrell was brought in to change the
direction from the disastrous Valentine era.
“Farrell has brought leadership and dignity back to the corner office at
Fenway and the Red Sox at the All-Star break have more wins than any team in
baseball. He has brought back the Tito
style of putting the feelings of the players ahead of everything else. And it is working magically (Shaughnessy July
2013).”
Farrell was able to encourage the team in
the way the veterans still on the team were treated by Francona. Red Sox pitcher Clay Bucholz recalled, “It’s
almost exactly the way it was back then [under Francona]. This is the way our clubhouse used to
be. Players get treated with respect,
like a professional. That’s the way it
should be (Shaughnessy July 2013).”
Farrell showed his appreciation for individual excellence and that
recreated a spirit of community that Francona had built. He acknowledged the role Francona played, “He
taught me a lot. He has a keen intuitive
feel for the game (Shaughnessy November 2013).”
Once restoring that blueprint, Farrell was able to guide the team from
worst to first.
Conclusion:
Terry Francona and John Farrell are very
similar in their leadership styles and personalities, and both accomplished the
ultimate goal of a Major League Baseball manager: to guide their ball club to a
World Series triumph – and they did it in their first seasons in Boston. Professional baseball is a
multimillion-dollar enterprise; so employing the right manager to direct a
clubhouse of twenty-five talented and competitive men is crucial. This season, Francona returned to the dugout
as manager of the Cleveland Indians, his first year back as skipper after his
Red Sox days ended. He guided a club back
to the playoffs for the first time since 2007, and the Baseball Writers of
America selected him as American League Manager of the Year. He beat out John Farrell, who came in second;
but the Red Sox and Farrell can console themselves with their eighth title in
franchise history and the comfort of knowing solid leadership has been restored.
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October 30, 2013.
Castiglione, Joe. Announcer for the World Series. WEEI.
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Leadership.” NESN. March 30, 2013.
Francona, Terry, and Dan
Shaughnessy. Francona: The Red Sox Years. Houghton Mifflin
Harcourt. 2013.
Goldman, Steven, ed. Mind
Game: How the Boston Red Sox Got Smart Won a World Series, and Created a New
BLueprint for Winning. Workman Publishing, 2005.
Kouzes, James M., and Barry
Z. Posner. The leadership challenge. Vol. 3. Wiley. 2006.
Mnookin, Seth. Feeding
the monster: How money, smarts, and nerve took a team to the top. Simon and
Schuster. 2007.
Shaughnessy, Dan. “Indians’ Terry Francona over Red Sox’ John
Farrell for American League Manager of Year a shocker.” The Boston Globe. November 13, 2013.
Shaughnessy, Dan. “John Farrell proves right man for the job in
guiding Red Sox.” The Boston Globe. July 15, 2013.
Shaughnessy, Dan. Reversing
the Curse: Inside the 2004 Boston Red Sox. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 2005.
Ulman, Howard. “Manager John Farrell’s steady leadership
brings Red Sox from last place to World Series.” The Associated Press. October 30, 2013.
