Last week one of the greatest baseball players to ever put on a glove and pick up a bat, Pete Rose, passed away (https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/41538454/pete-rose-all-mlb-hits-leader-dies-83). Pete Rose was never the most gifted athlete on the teams he played on as a high school baseball or football player or in his career playing for the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, and Montreal Expos in Major League Baseball. He was a player that others wanted on their team and frequently made their captain, including his teammates on The Big Red Machine (https://www.mlb.com/reds/hall-of-fame/history/great-eight) which won back to back World Series titles in 1975 & 1976.
The following are seven lessons from the life of Pete Rose that are applicable to anyone who wants to be successful as an entrepreneur or in life:
Always Give 100% – In a spring training game prior to his rookie season, Pete Rose and the Cincinnati Reds were playing the New York Yankees. Over the course of the game, Pete was seen sprinting to first base after he walked and banging into the outfield wall chasing a home run from Mickey Mantle that was obviously uncatchable. During that game, Yankees pitcher Whitey Ford sarcastically called Pete Rose “Charlie Hustle”. Pete Rose liked and adopted the nickname. Throughout his career he was always known for superior effort and an “embrace the possible” attitude in every situation. Those who love what they do and consistently give 100% are often destined for success.
Take Advantage of Opportunities – In 1963 the Cincinnati’s Reds starting second baseman, Don Blasingame, had a pulled groin muscle. As his backup, Pete Rose was asked to replace him in the lineup. Pete Rose never relinquished the spot in the starting lineup and went on to be the National League Rookie of the Year. Opportunities are presented almost every day in our lives. It is what we do with those opportunities that separate the great from the average and the average from the substandard.
Perfect Your Craft – One of the books I commonly recommend to people is Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (https://www.amazon.com/Outliers-Story-Success-Malcolm-Gladwell/dp/0316017930). One of the concepts conveyed in the book is it takes 10,000 hours to master and be great at anything. Success rarely comes quick or easy. Pete Rose through practice, study, and game repetition became one of the greatest hitters of all time. 15 times his batting average was .300 or above for a season. In the recently completed MLB season only 7 players in the entire league batted over .300 with enough at bats to qualify for the batting title for their league. In addition, in the eight post-seasons Pete Rose participated in as a player 7 out of 8 of them had his batting average above .300. This consistent performance resulted in him over his career having more hits 4256 than any other player in baseball history. Anyone can have success on a single day when the conditions are right. The impressive people are the ones who do it at a high level over an extended period of time.
Be Versatile, Willing to Fill Team Needs – The best baseball players are ones who can do five things (Field, Throw, Run, Bat for Power, and Bat for Average) at a high level. Seattle Mariners centerfielder, Julio Rodriquez is one of the rare players who excels in all five of these categories as a player. It is the reason he was named the 2022 Rookie of the Year in the American League (https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/35026964/seattle-mariners-julio-rodriguez-named-al-rookie-year). Pete Rose also had these five traits, but took versatility to a level in Major League Baseball that was never seen before and will likely never be seen again. Pete Rose played five positions (First Base, Second Base, Third Base, Right Field, and Left Field) on the baseball diamond well enough to be named an All Star at each of them. In fact, his performance was so consistently good throughout his career, no matter where his manager asked him to play, he was named to the All Star game 17 times.
Demonstrate the Ability to Be the Best – Consistently giving a superior effort and doing your job at a high level is something that should allow a person to sleep good at night. However, the elite among us in business, sports, and life have another gear where when challenged, when the lights are brightest they don’t just show up and put in a strong effort, but take themselves and those on their team to a higher level. Pete Rose was that type of leader, teammate, and competitor. Five times he led teams to the World Series. Three times he ended the journey drinking champagne as a champion. At the end of the day motivation for achievement comes from within, true champions climb a mountain enjoy the view and then lace up their hiking boots seeking to climb a bigger, more challenging peak. I think this “ingredient” found in almost every high achiever in society is conveyed well in this song by Carrie Underwood ( https://youtu.be/HgknAaKNaMM?si=e4x2J8Do4asON-WB).
Share Your Knowledge & Experience Mentoring the Next Generation – One of my common observations to both sellers & buyers when facilitating the sale of a privately held company as a mergers & acquisitions intermediary is that the one item that cannot be sold is the executive management ability of the departing owner. The new owner will be better or worse than the last one, they will not be exactly the same. I like nothing better than to see a succession of leadership at a company and the next generation enhance market share, increase profitability, and take company performance to a higher level. One who did that at the helm of a BIG ship in the Pacific Northwest recently was Satya Nadella (https://fortune.com/2024/09/30/microsoft-ceo-satya-nadella-leadership-success-humility-culture-change/). Pete Rose did not only play the game at a high level, but also did an excellent job teaching it to teammates and players. Pete Rose was Major League Baseball’s last player manager. In 1984, he filled that challenging role for the Cincinnati Reds coaching the team after a late season change in field leadership while also batting .365 at the plate in the twilight of this career. In total, Pete Rose won 412 games as a major league manager. As a reference point, only two Seattle Mariners managers have won more games than Pete Rose at the helm of the ballclub in its history. The experiences and knowledge we gain in life have their longest life if passed on to our kids, family, friends, colleagues, and the community. I think regularly about the wisdom former Washington State Senator, Andy Hill, shared with me when he offered some life guidance conveying in the first chapter of your life you should learn, in the second chapter you should earn, and the third chapter you should serve. Washington unfortunately lost this exceptional leader too young (https://www.sos.wa.gov/about-office/from-our-corner/5547/Remembering%20Sen.%20Andy%20Hill). One negative byproduct of working virtually I am hearing from the business community, is that with people not in the office the mentorship by senior staff of younger members of the team is not happening at the same level. It is my hope that if you have knowledge & experience you can share with someone else that will make their life more fulfilling and successful, that you will take the time to provide it.
Act with Integrity and Obey the Rules – Throughout history hubris and a belief that the rules do not apply to me has been the downfall of more people than anything else. Pete Rose for all his strengths and abilities had his impressive, professional resume negatively colored with rumors of anabolic steroids, corked bats, and worst of all betting on baseball as a manager. The last one resulted in him being banned from baseball and his being the most noticeable absence from the baseball hall of fame. You only get one reputation. Pete Rose largely destroyed his as an iconic member of baseball’s pantheon of greats. Rules are in place for the benefit of all. They level the playing field and protect the public. Business ownership that is not satisfactorily complying with OSHA standards, IRS tax liabilities, or employee work eligibility requirements is creating issues that could come back to bite you in the present or at time of sale. Successful entrepreneurs should hand over the reins of their businesses for strong market values reflective of what they have built. Those who have issues found during due diligence can see the value of their hard work be diminished or go to zero as a result of law, rule, and regulation non compliance.
The achievements of Pete Rose as a player and manager should be recognized. He was truly exceptional in many ways. His fall from favor should serve as a cautionary tale to those who feel they are invincible and above the law. Good interview with former teammate, Johnny Bench, about Pete Rose shortly after his passing: https://youtu.be/Fbv_D8UnJJ4?si=jKZdzUqEsW7PTBdZ
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