A Lesson in Leadership from the Movie Moneyball
Laura Alexander
LEAD 520 – Leadership Coaching
October 7, 2012
Wes Sullivan
Southwestern College Professional Studies
Abstract
The willingness to learn from others reveals a humble approach to life with rewards for the open-minded learner. There are opportunities to experience wisdom in unexpected places if one remains flexible and refrains from the tendency to prejudge a situation through the lens of personal experience and anticipation of that situation playing out as it has in the past. We tend to become attached and invested in our comfort zone. Attempting to function beyond one’s depth can look and feel like a negative thing to everyone involved. Moving beyond the discomfort of new behaviors has the potential to bring about remarkable results.
Lessons in Leadership from the Movie Moneyball
Tradition, routine and fear of the unknown often prevent the full potential of a person or situation to ever come to fruition. We disregard opportunities that are foreign to us because the path of least resistance and that which is familiar creates a sense of safety that may not serve us as well as a calculated risk grounded in logic.
Challenges to the Status Quo
Perhaps the most significant take away from the movie Moneyball is the remarkable example set forth by the General Manager Billy Beane in the arena of change. He does so unapologetically and without the usual feeling of pressure to explain his actions. Peter Brand, the Yale educated mind behind the unorthodox method of picking players encourages Billy to retain some of the big name players because trading them would be hard to explain. Despite this recommendation, Billy is able to remain resolute in his actions because he has determined that the method of predicting performance using statistical intelligence is sound and will eventually result in winning...
