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The story of David Ross, a mostly a backup catcher for 8 different baseball teams over 15 seasons is an interesting one.
Halfway through his career, he was cut by the Cincinnati Reds because it was said he was a bad teammate who never made others better. He eventually became the catcher for the Chicago Cubs helping them to win a World Series in 2016, and later managing them from 2000-2023.
After the experience of being cut by the Reds, one of the things he learned was how he could make other people better.
He knew if he could learn how to be a better teammate, he might have a greater future in the game of baseball.
Following being let go by the Reds, Ross committed to improving himself. He went to the Atlanta Braves, opened a white board, and started asking everybody who came through the locker room doors about the greatest teammate they ever had. He asked them to give him three words to describe that teammate, and he then proceeded to build a list of what it meant to be a great teammate. And every day he took the field, whether he played or not, he checked the boxes while determining to be the kind of teammate that would make others better. And what he learned was that one can become invaluable without ever being most valuable.
You can become special in any organization if you commit to making others on your team better. Using that checklist every day over the next few years, Ross not only became a better teammate, he became a great teammate and one of the team's most valuable players.
Other teams now wanted him, not so much because of his playing ability for he wasn't the greatest of players, but because he made the locker room better. He made the environment better.
After the Cubs won game 7 in the 2016 World Series against Cleveland, the players carried him off the field on their shoulders and named him the team's most valuable player. Why? Because he made other people better.
What was the leadership quality that David possessed? It was his ability to acknowledge his character blind spot and then do something about it.
He was willing to admit he was a bad teammate and address it. Instead of saying, "It's the coaches fault or the managers fault or it's someone else's fault," he actually owned his character issue. He said, "I know what I need to improve; and it's myself, and I am going to do something about it." He took ownership of his blind spot and addressed it, and in doing so he made a better future for himself.
When was the last time you learned something for the first time and what was it?
It's hard for a leader at the top of his or her game to take time to learn those things about themselves they don't see, but which are so obvious to others.
The reason that most leaders don't see their blind spot(s) is because most leaders don't like to admit they possess them. We all have blind spots, and it takes a strong leader to acknowledge them, and make the necessary changes to address them.
Good leaders are willing to ask others to help reveal to them their blind spot(s) and then do something to address them before they lead to one's downfall. Unfortunately, it sometimes takes a traumatic moment, like losing your job as David did, to realize what needs to be repaired within.
There are many potential blind spots a leader may be unable to recognize-ignoring feedback, communication style, favoritism, micromanaging, neglecting work/life balance, avoiding conflict, anger issues … and only a secure leader is willing to ask others for 'blind spot feedback' like David did, but sometimes doing so can make the difference between success and failure.
 | Tom Crenshaw serves as Connections Pastor of the New Monmouth Baptist Church (non denominational) where he previously served as a three year interim.He has been married to Jean for almost 50 years, and they have four children, all of whom are teachers.Tom loves perennial gardening, umpiring high school baseball, coaching baseball and football, fishing for small mouth bass, rooting for his favorite team, the Cleveland Indians, and listening to ‘real’ country music, the classic kind. Learn More » |
This isn’t just another leadership book—it’s your invitation to discover how Christ-centered questions can transform the way you lead and live. Packed with real stories and timeless wisdom, it shows you how to grow your influence, deepen your faith, and lead with the same life-changing impact Jesus did.
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