What does baseball have to do with this?
In fiction writing, we have a question: are you a planner or a pantster? Do you have a detailed out line you write to, or do you let your characters guide you? Or are you me, who is a planster in that I have a plan, but still fly by the seat of my pants on how to execute that plan.
In baseball, that question is also relevant. Fans tend to be pantsters. We see decisions as capricious, sometimes even based on whether the manager likes a player or not. We tweet and rage when our favorite gets benched because we are *sure* they are perfect and would win the game.
Managers are planners. They see the long game and every decision they make is for that long game. In March, that long game is the playoffs for every single team. We get to this point, and some teams have changed their long game to next season.
The Phillies have not.
Every decision our coaching staff currently makes is about October, when the playoffs happen and rings are won.
The last handful of games have been so frustrating to watch. Twitter is having proverbial kittens over it. We’re all talking about trade deadline acquisitions we’d make next week, how we’d manage the assets to win it all. The difference between the planners and the pantsters in these conversations is obvious – the planners trust the management (mostly) to keep the big picture in mind and the pantsters are pulling the emergency alarm at every blown save.
Are you a planner or a panster?
Our players, for what it’s worth, constantly tell the media they trust the staff to do what’s right. They trust the front office to acquire the right assets, they trust the staff to manage well, and their job is simply to do their job.
I wonder what your employees think.
Or what your business plans look like?
I wonder how you view this spectrum – planner, pantster, or a combo.
End my wondering, will ya, and sound off below?
