Leadership Lessons from the DugOut

Great leaders—whether on the baseball field or in the business world—needs a trusted voice. This is someone on your team who feels confident enough to tell you the truth, even when it’s not what you want to hear.. In sports, that trusted voice can be the difference between making the right call and missing something important. In business, it can be the key to unlocking better team performance and avoiding costly missteps.

In baseball, that voice helps you uncover what’s happening off the field.. Is a player struggling off the field? Is someone being mistreated or bullied? Are the drills you’re running actually producing results? The answers to these questions don’t always come from formal evaluations or surface-level conversations—they often come from the people who know the team intimately and are paying close attention. I experienced this firsthand during a 16u travel game. One of our players had taken a ball to the head before the game, but I didn’t catch the signs of a concussion right away. In the dugout, a player I trusted came to me and said, “You have to get him out of the game—something’s not right.” Because of the trust we had built, he felt empowered to speak up. That moment potentially prevented a much more serious situation. Without that voice, the outcome could have been harmful for both the player and the team. The workplace is no different. Leaders often operate at a high level, making it easy to miss the day-to-day details that impact performance. If you’ve earned the trust of a team member, they may step in and share a critical insight—perhaps about a struggling employee, a broken process, or a looming conflict. These moments only happen when someone feels safe enough to speak honestly and knows they will value their input. Creating this kind of trust doesn’t happen overnight. It requires leaders to listen with openness, respond without judgment, and demonstrate that feedback—is taken seriously without consequence.. It also means setting a tone where truth is the most important thing. Whether you’re leading a team on the field or in the office, find that trusted voice. Nurture it. Listen to it. Because in the moments that matter most, it’s often that one voice that can help you make the right decision for the people you’re responsible for.