Why are the San Francisco Giants successful? They adapt to overcome. They let leaders lead. Status Quo is not sufficient. People are your greatest asset.
When you think of the Four Variables of Change that occur in organization: Strategies, Structures, Technologies, and People, it’s not a surprise that the Giants team excels in each department.
What do you do when your iconic legendary player (Barry Bonds) retires? You gear up for a storm and prepare for the worst. The end result, you begin to draft players that fit your new model and focus your attention on developing your squad instead of using your young talent to bring in highly overpriced free agents who could be beyond their years. You’ll suffer through some downtrodden years, but once your draft picks figure out the intricacies of the game, nothing but good can come from it.
The rebuilding message will come from the top down, but you need a manager who can let the veterans lead and at the same time mold your youngsters and teach them how to win at the highest level. Bruce Bochy, whether or not he was in the right place at the right time, has turned out to become a potential Hal of Fame manager because of his management skills. Bochy’s skills and traits read right from a business manual. He uses (hard skills) the endless years of baseball experience, but combines those with (soft skills) his ability to push his players and get the best out of them on a daily basis. Not many people can do that. And when you think of how many managers have been in the game over X amount of years, very few have won a World Series title, let alone three in a span of six years.
It is pretty amazing when you think of how technology has changed the game. Even before their “rebuild” the Giants became the first team to have a Wi-Fi compatible stadium. That is over a decade of implementing technology, thus enabling the fans to get more in to the game than ever before despite not having the World Series calibre squad like they do today. Who would we ever think online access to players would be as open as it is? Honestly, I don’t think we could ever stop imagining how far technology could go. But, if you take the perfecto Matt Cain tossed for the Giants in 2012, there was an estimated one smart device per person in attendance. The Perfect Game that would take days upon days to get out via the newspaper and word of mouth is instantly blasted into the stratosphere within seconds of it happening. Does everyone want to be connected like that? Probably not, but the up to the second access to any information you want can turn a casual observer into a lifelong fan.
When all is said and done, the Giants success comes down to the players. The message from the top down is win, and the players have to follow through on that message. The veterans, whose best years are behind them, are there to pass on the tools to the younger players. Team chemistry is essential and it’s blatantly obvious that the scouting department does their job flawlessly. In a sport where contracts and egos are through the roof, the Giants play as a team day in day out. Without any real superstar, aside from Buster Posey, the team that’s not flashy, managed by people who have one goal in mind, have a plan that works year in and year out.
