I’ve kept a handwritten list of six lessons from Joe Torre over my desk for the past decades. I want to keep them front and center and top of mind.
Here are the 6 Lessons From Joe Torre
- Ditch the motivational speeches–more 1 on 1, short informational, philosophy daily
- Be intense, not tense–passionate about teaching, focus on the competitive nature, relaxed on game day
- Each person must feel useful –clearly defined roles, speak often to all players, everybody is important
- Don’t punish failure–hold to standard, but don’t yell or sub out on error, celebrate success
- Manage against the cycle–hard on team when succeeding
- Manage your boss
I can’t remember where I got these lessons from Joe Torre. Whether someone else put out a list or I distilled them from an article. I wish I could remember in order to give credit.
I do know that when I get too far from following these rules that I am not as good a coach. They seem simple, but all are hard to do regularly, which explains his tremendous success and longevity.