Whether it’s baseball or softball, things don’t always go according to plan. Sometimes it’s the game strategy or pitching plan. But often, it’s the small mistakes that test a player the most. Today, I want to focus on what we do when those smaller moments don’t go our way.
Maybe you throw a pitch that gets driven into the gap. Maybe you bobble a routine ground ball you’ve fielded hundreds of times. You can’t take either one back. But you can decide how you respond.
One bad pitch or one defensive mistake doesn’t have to define your game. And even if it happens on the final play, there’s usually another game ahead. The most important pitch or play is the next one you have an opportunity to influence.
That’s the “next pitch” mindset.
It sounds simple. It isn’t always easy. Players care about their performance and their teammates. They get frustrated when they make mistakes. As coaches, telling them to “forget about it” doesn’t always help. Sometimes they need a way to reset: take a breath, step away, and remind themselves of their next responsibility.
Because if you’re still thinking about the ground ball you missed, you may not be ready for the one coming your way.
The same thing happens at work.
A customer conversation goes poorly. Someone misses a deadline. A decision doesn’t deliver the result we expected. As leaders, how we respond helps determine whether our team learns from that moment or carries it into the next one.
Accountability matters in both places. A next pitch mindset doesn’t mean ignoring mistakes or pretending they don’t matter. It means owning what happened, making the necessary correction, and getting ready to contribute again.
If a customer had a bad experience, apologize and address it. If you missed a deadline, take responsibility and communicate your plan. Then put your attention on what you can do next.
We also need to look at our own behavior. We can’t ask people to move forward while we keep bringing up the same mistake.
On the field and at work, mistakes will happen. Learn from them. Make the adjustment. Give yourself—and your team—a chance to succeed on the next opportunity.
You can’t change the last pitch. You can be ready for the next one.
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