You can't sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the clock. You've got to throw the ball over the damn plate and five the other man his chance. That's why baseball is the greatest game of them all.
Earl WeaverRead
What else does a manager do but push buttons? He doesn't hit, he doesn't run, he doesn't throw, and he doesn't catch the ball. A manager has twenty-five players, or twenty-five buttons, and he selects which one he'll use, or push, that day. The manager who presses the right buttons most often is the one who wins the most games.
Interpretation
What this quote means
A manager's role is to make strategic decisions regarding which players to use in order to achieve success.
This quote emphasizes the essential function of a manager in a team setting, likening their decision-making process to 'pushing buttons'—selecting players to optimize performance. It highlights that while a manager may not physically engage in the game, their ability to choose the right players at the right time is crucial to winning, paralleling the idea that leadership is about making strategic choices rather than direct action.
Themes
ManagerLeadershipDecision-MakingStrategyTeamwork
In practice
Example use cases
In a management seminar, to illustrate the importance of strategic decision-making.
More from Earl Weaver
All quotes →A manager gets in the Hall of Fame by what his players have done for him.
Earl WeaverRead
Similar quotes
Simply giving employees a sense of agency- a feeling that they are in control, that they have genuine decision-making authority - can radically increase how much energy and focus they bring to their jobs.
Charles DuhiggRead
Hold firm to your vision but don't be a tyrant on set.
Werner HerzogRead
You want people who choose to follow because they genuinely believe in ideas, not because they're afraid to be punished if they don't. For startups, there's so much pivoting that's required that if you have a bunch of sheep, you're in bad shape.
Adam GrantRead
As more women 'lean in' and we collectively continue to fight sexism, there's another barrier to progress that hasn't been addressed: Many men who would like to see more women leaders are afraid to speak up about it.
Adam GrantRead
I never had a policy; I have just tried to do my very best each and every day.
Abraham LincolnRead
For me, I've learned that the best thing is to focus on the team you play for and yourself and what you need to do.
Sidney CrosbyRead