On any given weekend, you can find me in the stands of baseball fields around Texas, score book in my lap, recording the detailed movements of my son’s youth baseball games. Scoring requires patience, concentration, knowledge, and judgment—and keeps me from being one of those parents who overzealously encourages the team.
Sometimes, I can cram some work between tournament games, which got me thinking, “What does commercial real estate got to do with baseball?” (paraphrased from that great baseball movie, Field of Dreams). As it turns out, we do get a few lessons from the cinematic efforts of America’s favorite pastime. With the recent release of the movie 42, about the life of Jackie Robinson, and as baseball season gets going, thought I’d share five lessons from these movies and how they apply to our professional lives.
1. “This is a simple game: You throw the ball, you catch the ball, you hit the ball. Sometimes you win; sometimes you lose; sometimes it rains. Think about that.”—Nuke LaLoosh (Tim Robbins), Bull Durham, 1988. The lesson? Don’t forget the basics. Never get so caught up in the excitement of the big deal that you forget those basics. But don’t be surprised when the coach signals a bunt. Because when the coach signals a bunt, you’d better bunt.
2. “Do you know what we get to do today, Brooks? We get to play baseball.”—Jim Morris (Dennis Quaid), The Rookie, 2002. Jimmy Morris has been fighting what brokers refer to as “deal fatigue.” Playing in the minors, being away from family—all of it is wearing thin on his nerves, and he considers quitting. Instead, his encounter with a Little League player reminds Jimmy of his desire and passion for the sport. Recognize when fatigue is dragging down your team’s ability to solve problems for your client, then take a team time out for an outing that helps view the problems in a different way.
3. “Pick me out a winner, Bobby.”—Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford), The Natural, 1984. The next big deal for our clients, always on the horizon … the “home run” Roy Hobbs shares two things to consider when we swing for the home run. First, we might need a different bat, because the old bat doesn’t work so great anymore. And second, we can’t do it alone. If we’ve done a good job of developing our team, someone else might be able to pick out the next “Savoy Special.” Make sure you let them.
4. “We want you at first base.”/“I’ve only ever played catcher.”—Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) to Scott Hatteberg (Chris Pratt), Moneyball, 2011. Sometimes, the client asks us to play a new position to stay in the game. Bring in a specialized player or develop someone on the team who has value in other ways? That’s the question. Perhaps one answer is to begin developing someone before the client asks. Be ready for someone on your team to change positions. You will need it sooner than you think.
5. “It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. The hard . . . is what makes it great.”—Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks), A League of Their Own, 1992. We closed a large transaction in Las Colinas last summer. It wasn’t easy; it was hard. In fact, it was incredibly hard. I worked daily with a world class team from Pritchard & Associates to manage the renovation of the common areas, the new parking garage, and the finish out for our new tenants. It was hard work, but it’s supposed to be hard work. That’s what we do, for our clients. Do the hard work … when no one else will.
Cathy Sweeney is a managing partner of Wolverine Interests, where she spends most days calmly negotiating all things financial with bankers, investors, and tenants—when she’s not scoring baseball, of course. Contact her at [email protected].
