Have you ever coached your kids’ sports teams? I spent a several years coaching my daughter’s travel softball team while she was young and really serious about the sport. I thought I was doing it because I wanted her to succeed and spend some quality time with her — and I was — but now several years later I realize I was also unknowingly preparing to become Ohio Corn & Wheat’s Executive Director. Granted the knowledge of hair bow styling, diamond scheduling, and practice drills don’t translate perfectly, but the underlying lessons about people apply perfectly to the growers on my boards and my staff.

It all starts with a core need of humans. We all want to be understood, appreciated, and accepted; whether or not we want to admit it. The girls and parents needed to know that I accepted each girl for who she is and wanted each of them to achieve their goals. The growers on my board need to know the same thing. And just like in travel softball, the clock starts ticking as soon as you join the team. We have term limits at Ohio Corn & Wheat. A board member can only serve for a maximum of 9 years on each board. They only have 9 years to accomplish goals that many don’t even know they have yet.

An important part of my job now, and back in the days of composite bats and dugout chants, is to help people see the opportunities they have in front of them and make those opportunities accessible. Being on one of our boards is overwhelming at first for many growers. Depending on the board we introduce them to, and ask them to make decisions on, they are exposed to complex policy issues, research projects, international marketing, leadership expectations, social situations with abstract rules they have never been in, and tons of new acronyms. I help identify what they care most about, point them in the right direction, and support them every step of the way. Then we reassess, because often times goals change.

A grower may join our board with no interest in leadership roles, much like a player may join the team with good, but somewhat average, talent. As they work, learn, and train, they become elite athletes. I watch for when that happens and move them up in the batting order. Board members often progress as a leader and don’t even recognize it until it’s pointed out to them. Then I stand back and let them perform. And when they succeed, I cheer with the rest of the crowd.

Coaching softball also taught me is that people inherently want to play on a winning team. Players would see our team winning championships and having fun and they began to plot how they could join our team. I believe the human desire to be on a winning team is generally true in life, but is most noticeable in our board members and our staff.

At Ohio Corn & Wheat, we have three boards totaling 39 board seats. Keeping them full at all times is often a daunting task. I’m constantly recruiting for who will fill a seat, and don’t take that task lightly. Thankfully this aspect of my job is made a lot easier because our board members are visible leaders in their communities and usually know more great people who can step up. A farmer showing interest in an open board seat parallels with a softball dad at the field asking me when our tryouts are held. Both of those happen because great players attract other great players.

For my staff, I recently tried something new and a little nerve-wracking for me. I was conducting interviews for an open staff position and opened up the interview to my entire team… without me in the room. This is not my normal process, but I did it for a few reasons. It showed my staff that I value their input. It allowed them to see who they connected with, since they will be working together closely. And it showed the candidates my team of elite performers. When I was recruiting for softball I always took some of my current players, so this wasn’t really so different. But the stakes were much higher than a position at first base.

If you get to know the Ohio Corn & Wheat team, you’ll learn we are a drama free zone. Drama kills elite teams on the field or in the office. When you can identify the cause of an issue holding your team back because of drama, it can’t be left to fester. I don’t mean a failing of skill or talent. Those can be trained and taught with the right attitude and work ethic. I mean other nonsense. Personality conflicts that do nothing but make your team weak. When I had to remove the source of drama in softball, it broke my heart, but the results were immediate. I instantly saw the rest of the team relax, focus on the important things, succeed, and enjoy softball again. My goal is to never have to make that call at work, and it’s why I put such a heavy emphasis on our hiring process. I don’t hire just to fill the team, I hire to create an elite team. And elite teams are drama-free. Unfortunately personality conflicts leading to drama is not exclusive to youth sports. It exists in offices across the country both big and small. Strong leaders will deal with it swiftly and see immediate results.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you’ve gotten something out of it. There are a dozen other parallels between coaching and leading Ohio Corn & Wheat, and since you’ve made it this far, I’ll leave you with the main takeaways. People need to know that you care about them as a person; The job of an effective Executive Director is to support the growers and help them achieve their goals; Great players attract other great players; Building a great team is work, but is worth every hard choice.