Leading Like a Manager: Lessons from Baseball and Business
Managing a baseball team is a lot like running a business. In baseball, players need to perform well all season—pitchers on the mound and batters at the plate. In business, teams also need to meet sales targets and company goals throughout the year. Baseball uses stats to track performance, while companies use financial reports to see how they’re doing. A baseball team’s success is measured by how many games they lead, just like a company’s success is measured by profit margins.
The comparisons don’t stop there. When a team signs a new player, managers look at stats like batting average to see if the player is worth the investment. In business, sales numbers show how much each employee is contributing to the company’s success.
Both baseball managers and business leaders make important decisions that affect the future of their teams. In baseball, managers use strategies during games to score runs or get outs. In business, leaders focus on both short-term finances and long-term growth. In both cases, strong management and leadership are essential.
So, what’s the difference between managing and leading—and where do they overlap?
Management Roles Require Leadership Actions:
People often use the words leadership and management as if they mean the same thing, but they are different. Leaders focus on the big picture: they create a vision, set goals, make plans, understand market needs, and inspire others to follow. Managers, on the other hand, focus more on daily work: they organize teams, create systems, manage budgets, develop people, and make sure quality and productivity are maintained. Good leaders need some management skills, and good managers also need leadership skills.
In baseball, a field manager is like a head coach. They make game strategies, choose the lineup, train players, and guide the team through a long season of 162 games plus playoffs. A baseball season lasts about seven months, so keeping morale high, building team unity, and maintaining focus are key. Field managers have to lead players through ups and downs while making tough choices for the team’s success.
In business, a managing director plays a similar role. They handle daily operations, manage employees, improve processes, and make sure everything runs smoothly. At the same time, they must motivate their teams, build trust, and make decisions with confidence. Both baseball managers and corporate directors show leadership every day, not just management.
The general manager of a baseball team builds the roster and makes player trades, but the field manager works directly with the players and creates the team’s culture. In the same way, top executives in companies design strategies and manage resources, but managing directors are closer to employees and understand their everyday challenges.
Both in baseball and in business, leaders must spot talent, help people grow, and give proper guidance. For example, MLB field managers identify player strengths and put them in the right roles. Former Rockies and Pirates manager Clint Hurdle explains this well in his 2025 book Hurdle-isms. He says leaders should build on strengths, learn from mistakes, set high standards, and appreciate others. Most importantly, they should model the behavior they want to see in their teams.
Many field managers today are strong examples of leadership. Bruce Bochy has managed three different teams to the World Series and has won four championships. He says he comes to the ballpark every day because he loves the game and wants to figure out how to win. Another example is Pat Murphy, who won the 2024 National League Manager of the Year and continues to succeed with the Milwaukee Brewers. His general manager, Matt Arnold, praised him for knowing when to push players and when to encourage them, showing the balance of a true leader.
Dave Roberts, manager of the World Series–winning Los Angeles Dodgers, has the best winning record of all current MLB managers. Many also see him as a strong leader. In a 2024 interview with David Meltzer, co-founder of Sports One Marketing, Roberts stressed how important character is in leadership. He said, “In life, sports, or talent—there will always be challenges, and that’s when your true character shows.”
Leadership Means Making Both Simple and Hard Decisions:
MLB managers often make choices that affect both short-term games and long-term success. Some are simple, like whether to move a runner forward. Others are harder, like tracking pitch counts and planning for later innings. Managers use both data and experience to guide these choices. For example, stats show that hitters usually do better against pitchers who throw with the opposite hand. So, a manager might pull a starting pitcher after five or six innings to bring in a left-handed reliever to face a left-handed batter in the lineup.
But no matter the choice, results are unpredictable. If the reliever strikes out the batter, the decision looks good. If he walks the batter or gives up a home run, the manager takes the blame. Similarly, business managers make simple decisions—like ordering supplies—or very tough ones, such as layoffs. They also face criticism from customers when companies make unpopular or unethical changes.
At the core, both baseball and business are about solving problems, working as a team, managing people, and planning for the future. Good leaders and managers need vision, clear communication, and the ability to think ahead. While leadership and management require different skills, they work best when they support each other.
Also Read:
AI makes contracts simple: Spot risks fast for small business
Smart Strategies for Entrepreneurs Planning to Growth
Why empathy is an important tool for Leaders