Bo Porter – Leadership Secrets from Major League Baseball

In this episode, Bo Porter will coach you on Leadership Secrets from Major League Baseball and how they relate to real life issues.

Bo Porter’s Bio

Bo Porter is currently the special assistant to GM and former third base/outfield and baserunning coach for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball. Bo was also the manager of the Huston Astros.

Bo drafted for the Cubs in 1993.

He played for the Cubs, Oakland A’s and the Texas Rangers. He was also a coach for the Miami Marlins, Arizona Diamondbacks, Washington Nationals and the Atlanta Braves.

At the age of 39, Porter was named Manager of the Houston Astros making him the youngest manager in MLB history and was named special assistant general manager of the Atlanta Braves in 2016.

Bo Porter is the founder and chairman of the board for the Stacey and Bo Porter Self Foundation, founding president of Real Excellence inc, CEO of Bo Porter Enterprises and author of two books; Real Life Empowered and The End Game.

Episode Summary

In this episode, you will learn

• [0:03:33] How to handle being ejected from something you are passionate about.
• [0:07:09] How to use your passion to go for it in business.
• [0:10:46]  In the case of leadership, how do you balance between the person’s emotions and they’re dealing with the facts to go out and help them to get better and not really get comfortable with where they are?
• [0:13:57] Self-leadership and self-honesty.
• [ 0:24:44] How important it is to have the right people in conjunction with having the right leaders.
• [0:35:05] How to operate in order to make sure you remain the best you can be.
• [0:56:15] How to handle being laid off and bouncing back from there.
• [1:00:34] How quitting is never an acceptable action.

Some advice from Bo.

• Sport is an institution of higher learning.
• Develop fortitude, be willing to adapt, use your imagination to dream big.
• Discipline in all areas of your life is the common denominator to real excellence.
• Enthusiasm is a choice that should be made daily.

On Getting Ejected From Games

(2:10-5:10) Porter explains how getting ejected from a game relates to getting rejected in life from something you’re passionate about. He explains that passion is his greatest strength and his greatest weakness. He says you have to understand the situation. In this instance, as an MLB manager, a sort of father figure or protector of the 25 men on the team that he has been charged to lead, you have to stand up for your players. You have to make them feel protected. Which means sometimes taking a bullet to show the team and the league that you have to stand up for what’s right.

(5:10-9:25) One of the most important aspects of being a leader is you have to connect with the people you are charged to lead. There will come a time when you have to engage and the engagement can become confrontational but if you take the time to connect, a relationship can form. Having emotional sensitivity, especially in business, can help you get your point across without creating conflict. No matter the setting, at the end of the day, it’s about relationships and interactions with people.

Expanding Your Comfort Zones

(9:25-12:35) Expanding outside of our comfort zone is where growth really happens. Understanding your job as a leader is paramount. Being a great leader is making sure everyone you’ve been charged with reaches their potential. You have to look at skillsets, ability to deal with success and failure and come up with how to collectively best motivate your team. Leadership is not about the title it’s about the actions you take to help people reach their full potential.

(12:35-19:15) As a leader, you have to show your team that you care more about them than you do about yourself. By being a leader you have to set a certain standard. Derek Jeter’s career leadership over the Yankees is used as an example. Enthusiasm and taking care of yourself are ways of showing that you can take care of others.

Leadership Lessons From Bo Porter’s Book

(19:15-20:22) Bo’s book, Real Life Empowered focuses on nine core values of personal leadership development which include education, manners, physical activity, open-mindedness, well-balanced nutrition, expression of positive attitudes, relationships, enrichment of spirit and dedication.

(20:22-24:00) Lead by example – actions speak louder than words. Lead with honesty – false confidence is worse than low confidence.

(24:00-29:20) And every team member needs to give 100%, including the leader. Your job as the leader is to build the people so the people can build the coaches. Having the right team makes the difference. The team embodies the coach and the winning attitude of the coach so much that the coach doesn’t have to direct the players, they can check each other.

(29:20-34:00) Visual aids are important. Showing your team the positive and negative scenarios can help your team grow. Knowing what not to do is just as important as knowing the right thing to do.

(34:00-38:25) There are two types of people; the people who try their hardest every day no matter what and the people who don’t try as hard after they’ve reached their goals. It is paramount to show up every day with the notion that you will be the best and do the best you can do. Application is the true definition of knowing.

(38:25-48:10) Never make exceptions during preparations that matter to your ultimate outcome. That exception could come up down the road and affect your eventual goal. Be forward with your team members, cover all bases, give them options. Exercise compassion while serving discipline. Send a message to the whole team while disciplining. Make teachable moments.

(48:10-53:00) As a leader, you can try your hardest but sometimes you can’t please everyone. A message is only as good as the receiver. Both sides need to be heard in order for a message to come across. Leaders try to help you transform into your better self. Again, it is uncomfortable to be comfortable. We can’t lessen our ability to deliver based on an audience that doesn’t want to receive.

(53:00-56:10) Sports is an institution of higher learning.  The reason people are successful is that they’ve learned how to overcome failure. Essentially you have to fall down to get back up.

Key’s to Bo Porter’s Success

• I developed fortitude.
• I was willing to adapt.
• I use my imagination to dream big.
• I learned from everyone with whom I shared space.
• Enthusiasm was a choice I made daily.
• I realize discipline in all areas of life is a common denominator to real excellence.

(56:10-59:00) You can do everything right in a game and still lose. Perseverance is one of the most important aspects of sports (and life). Some of the characteristics you build from playing sports you can’t find in a classroom. The mental toughness, perseverance, resilience, etc. The best teams are built of the people who are willing to give of themselves for the benefit of the team.

How to Connect with Bo Porter

Connect with Bo with the grow with Bo podcast coming in 2018. Or go to www.BoPorterEnterprise.com to subscribe. The Empowered Summit in Houston in December.

“Quitting is not an acceptable action. The only thing quitting will ever do is make you question whether or not you were good enough to succeed.” – Bo Porter