The Recipe For Winning Culture

Baseball doesn't have a salary cap like the NFL or the NBA. So you have the Yankees and the Dodgers that are spending way more for their payroll, which you would think would. Would guarantee them winning year in and year out, and they would have a monopoly, but it doesn't. And they have. I mean, the Yankees haven't won a World Series in a while. And so it isn't really just about throwing money at a problem. It's, you know, there's a lot more involved.

Would you.

Would you agree with that, Zach?

Yeah, definitely. And I think one thing that's pretty unique about baseball, I oftentimes compare it to life in general. And the reason why is because they play so many games. You know, you're playing 162 regular season games. You know, you're getting, I don't know what it's at one and a half to two days off a month. So you're going at it like you got to get out of bed every single day and go live life and go play a game. And. And so I think what happens over the course of time, there's so many other factors than just, you know, am I the best player on paper? And it's interesting too, you there's a little more space in baseball, I think, to where you focus on some things like culture. And I think that's one thing that the Atlanta Braves, especially over the past, you know, handful of years, have been so great at, is developing a culture where you get a lot of guys that really enjoy the game, enjoy playing together, pushing for the same scenario and same things. And it just is. It's really meshed well, and it's done well for them in the past several years.

If you were to describe that culture and the recipe for it, how would you explain it?

I think what you have to do, number one, is you got to be selfless. You know, there's no doubt about it. No matter what you're doing, you have to be selfless whenever you're on a team. And, you know, not that that doesn't take place on other teams. That's not fair for me to say, but just the energy, the selflessness, and just the pure enjoyment that these guys have out there day in and day out is pretty special. And then, you know, the other thing that's really hard to describe, we've always tried to do it is there's just really no panic out there with these guys. So if you go watch a game tonight and they get behind by two or three runs, you know, there's just no concern or worry, and they just feel like they have a chance to win any game on. On any given night, regardless of how far behind they are or what their status or situation is.

Yeah, that's great. Was there. Was there a time.

Before winning the World Series during that year that you were like, this team's different. Like, there's something going on here that's kind of special. Was there any moment that sticks out?

I don't know if there's a specific moment necessarily, but just going back to, you know, the guys that are leading the team, and I'm talking players, and I'm also talking staff and player development staff, and all the way through the system. I think, you know, when. When you're looking for an organization to be part of a company, a business, you know, a team, whatever it may be, you just want to surround yourself with people that are going to continually lift you up and make you better. And I think that's one thing that really stands out to me. Everyone has this concern. Everyone's excited to be part of the organization. I mean, heck, you know, the Atlanta Braves have a great following across the country. You know, there's other teams out there that are the same, but. But everyone respects and. And really appreciates the Atlanta Braves. And. And I think because of who they have on their staff and who's leading the team, they just go out there and play the game hard, play the game the right way, and just enjoy it like crazy every single night.

Is there something in the recipe of the players that perform, end up being selfless and kind of part of the culture.

Versus the people or the players that aren't? Like, do you see a player sometimes and just instantly know.

He'S. He. He's not willing to do whatever it takes to. To be what you have to be to succeed?

Yeah. It's an interesting question. And, you know, you got to give credit to our general manager and assistant general managers that have made decisions on what type of players we're looking for. For the Atlanta Braves, you got to give them tons of credit because they're the ones that bring them in. And I think that when they're looking for scenarios and situations to bring players in, they're looking for something like that, like a big piece of this isn't just what looks best on paper. It's how are they going to fit into. To what we're trying to create as a team. How are they going to fit into the camaraderie of who we are and, you know, do their values as a person Individually, and their goals line up with what ours are, you know, and again, I don't ever, you know, having a chance to play up in the big leagues. I don't feel like that there's players out there that don't necessarily fit what I'm talking about, but there are definitely some that mesh better than others. And when you can put that right person on a team, even if it doesn't really make sense to a fan or to something like that, and the mesh and the mold happens and takes place, it's pretty special.

Yeah, that's what I was going to ask is what percent? Because I think that when you get into the big leagues, no one stinks. You know what I mean? Like, it's just. It's a. It's an elevated level. And what percent of it do you think is psychology versus skill?

Yeah, that's interesting. So when I was kind of. When I was done playing the game, you said, no one stinks. I. I didn't play very well. So I might fall into category.

You played professional baseball. I'm pretty sure that you're okay.

There you go. But, but, you know, it's interesting. I was talking to a good friend of mine who's the president of the Toronto Blue Jays right now, and he made a comment that was really interesting to me. He says, the higher up you get in this game, and he says, for. For anything, for that matter, the less important talent is. And I'm like, oh, that's interesting. I feel like I know what you're talking about, but why don't you tell me the answer? And he says, well, everybody has it, right? So it's not as important to us because everybody has it. So now it becomes mastering the. The small things, you know, which. Which we would say the small things are the mental game. But to answer your question, when I go around and speak and I get a chance to talk to coaches all over the place, whether they be high school, college, you know, professional coaches, or even players, I always ask that question, like, what percentage of this game is mental? And the numbers are really high. Like, it's between 80 and 90%, what I get. In fact, you know, the hard 90, that's where the hard 90 comes from, you know, because my next question is, well, what percentage of your day are you training the mental game? And to that they say, well, we're. We're not. And so the hard 90 is the 90% of the game that we. We do or we train less than 10% of the time.

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