344. How Great Leaders Win By Inches

In leadership, just like in baseball, the difference between winning and losing isn’t the big swings — it’s the tiny, incremental plays in between. It's time to play small-ball leadership.

This is The Best Leadership Newsletter Ever, the most fun you'll have learning life’s leadership lessons. 

---

Disclaimer:

This isn’t an article about baseball. When you start reading it, you may think it’s about baseball, but you’d be wrong. Sure, maybe I talk about baseball a little bit, but that’s beside the point.

You know what, just read it. You’ll understand soon enough.

---

Here’s one thing about baseball you may not understand: it’s a game of increments.

Sure, it’s the big swingers that get the big press. After all, hitting home runs sells tickets and jerseys.

But it’s not the big swings that create the winning teams. It’s all about the small incremental movements in between.

You see, it only takes the difference of an inch on the arc of a pitch to separate a game-winning hit from the ball thwacking into the catcher’s mitt.

In less than a second’s difference on a throw, the runner scores the winning run instead of being tagged out.

The game, the series, heck, the entire season — all of it is hinged on those incremental moments.

The truth is that no matter how good or bad your favorite team may be, every team is still going to win a third of its games, and they’re going to lose a third of them.

It’s what they do in the middle third that makes the difference. It’s the incremental moves in those middle games that separate the championship team from everyone else.

Success is decided by inches.

It turns out that your success as a leader is exactly the same.

The Reason I Started Talking About Baseball

Leadership and baseball are very similar.

A third of your decisions will be right. You’ll feel like the hero.

Another third of your decisions will be wrong. But that’s ok. Leadership is not about being perfect.

It’s the middle third that makes the difference. Those are the moments that separate the successful leaders from the rest. Those are the small moments that make the big differences.

These are the increments of successful leadership.

Playing Small-Ball Leadership

In sports, “playing small ball” is a term used to describe the act of focusing on speed and precision instead of continually betting on power moves.

In baseball, it means getting runners on base and advancing them, one base at a time, instead of swinging for the fences. It means intentionally sacrificing a batter when you have to, in order to benefit the progress of the team.

Most leaders win with a small-ball strategy at work.

I call this small-ball leadership.

What is Small-Ball Leadership

Small-ball leadership is a focus on the tiny strategies that drive incremental growth instead of the bigger, more expensive swings.

It means:

• Spending an extra two minutes clarifying expectations with your team.

• Asking one more question in a tense conversation instead of shutting it down.

• Choosing humility over defensiveness when someone disagrees with you.

• Actively listening to understand instead of listening to win.

Small-ball leadership means hiring smart people with the attitude and ability to win, then intentionally nurturing their skillset to turn them into great leaders.

These aren’t home run swings. Nobody’s putting these tactics on the inspo reel at your year-end company party. They don’t even warrant a bullet point on your resume.

But these are the inches that change the outcome of your game. They are the behaviors that stack up to make you a successful leader.

The Ego Trap of The Home Run Hitter

As a leadership coach, I come across a lot of leaders who think their job is to swing for the fences every day. This looks like:

• Continuously creating big visions for small goals

• Insisting on the perfect strategy

• Demanding flawless execution.

All of those are just the ego talking.
Sometimes the ego needs to jump in the back seat and shut its mind for a moment.

Remember, the people who are always swinging for the fences are the ones who strike out the most.

Reggie Jackson, the perennial home run king - Mr. October - has struck out more times than any other baseball player in history. Sammy Sosa and Alex Rodriguez are also among the top five strikeout leaders.

My point is that great leadership isn’t about getting everything right. It’s not about constantly making big moves and expecting you’ll nail them all.

In the end, it’s not the bold vision or the perfect strategy that makes the winners. It’s the daily moves and everyday decisions that drive the company forward.

Leadership is about showing up consistently in the little moments. It’s about those incremental behaviors that keep your team aligned, motivated, and moving forward.

It’s about playing small-ball.

Championship teams don’t win because of one heroic play. They win because of hundreds of small, unglamorous plays that add up to greatness.

That’s small-ball leadership.

My Small Ball Challenge to You

So here’s my small ball leadership challenge to you.

This week, don’t worry about hitting a home run. Forget perfection. Forget the highlight reel.

Instead, look for the incremental decisions — the eighth-of-an-inch moves that could make things a little clearer, a little kinder, a little better.

What can you do to push those incremental moves incrementally further?

• Maybe you stop multitasking when you’re on a call. Put down the phone and actively listen.

• How about you sit with your employees and ask them how you can make their jobs easier. Then do what they suggest.

• Or maybe you decide to do a little less talking and a little more shutting up and listening this week.

So tell me, what’s your commitment?

Remember, in baseball, the difference between winning and losing is measured in inches. In your career, success is defined by the small moments as well.

It’s time to play some small-ball leadership.
Batter up.

---

If this article resonates with you and you want to take your leadership or team to the next level, upgrade your subscription and get free coaching and office hours

A lot of leaders have challenges, I diagnose yours and tell you how to fix it after just one call.

My name is Jeff Matlow, I’m a 3x entrepreneur, author, speaker and leadership coach to high-performing leaders. 

Let’s talk.

---

If you like this post, please share it on LinkedIn or X🙏🏽👊🏼