Talking leadership

Luminaries share life lessons with local crowd

Leaders and organizations turned out Friday at Texas High School's Sullivan Performing Arts Center to hear the message of "Leading Yourself," the theme of Leadercast 2018.

Joe Torre, Major League Baseball's chief baseball officer and baseball legend, has racked up a career going back to 1960 as a player, sportscaster and leader in the sport, going from team manager to the heights of Major League Baseball.

"As a kid, I came from an abusive home," he said. "And I didn't have much confidence in myself at all. It took some doing for me to get through all that."

Despite all that, he did manage. And when he did get to the major leagues, it was not his shyness or self-esteem issues that caused him problems.

"If you want all those you lead to be devoted to your cause, you must be devoted to them."

"I was a brat, being youngest of five, and took some of that into the game with me," he said.

However, early on, he quickly took on the traits that would see him in good stead throughout his time in the game.

"I showed up, played hard and did what growing up I had to do while in the game," he said.

Torre played with the Atlanta Braves initially, racking up an impressive record, including his breakout year in 1964, when he hit 12 home runs along with a .312 batting average. Later, injuries and wage disputes would see him traded to the St. Louis Cardinals, but he continued to excel. He then moved on to the New York Mets through the '70s, where he would eventually move into management. When he joined the Atlanta Braves in 1982, he guided that team to greatness.

"From my experiences as team captain, team manager and as a player, it wasn't always great. But even when you are at what seems like a low point, you find out if someone doesn't want you, someone else does. All along, you are learning, about yourself and about your worth and to truly lead, you have to learn to listen," he said.

"Everyone's perception is your reality. If you don't understand everyone else's perceptions, you can't deliver an effective message," said Kurt Andrews, Domtar continuous improvement manager.

Another message passed around that day was listening to one's subordinates as part of "leading yourself," understanding both yourself and how you are perceived. To do that, you have to be humble, which is how you allow yourself to listen and have the capacity for self improvement.

"If you want all those you lead to be devoted to your cause, you must be devoted to them," said Carey Lohrenz, former U.S. Navy fighter pilot. "A fighter pilot is just one piece in a much larger organization and you don't do your job without them doing theirs."

"I enjoyed Cary Lohrenz's presentation especially," said Trent Hanna, Texas High School technical director. "He emphasized remembering you are a part of a larger team as opposed to being self-centered. Or as he said, 'you can't be yourself by yourself.'"

Leadership Texarkana has begun to take reservations for Leadercast 2019. For reservations, go to http://www.leadershiptexarkana.com/leadercast.

Upcoming Events