As Season 1 wraps up, Danny and Pete pull back the curtain and get honest about where they've fallen short as leaders. The theme is accountability — specifically, how both of them have bent their own standards for top performers and what they're committing to fix heading into 2023.
Danny's central admission is that he's been widening the plate. He borrows the analogy from a speech by college baseball coach John Scolinos, who wore an actual home plate around his neck to make one point: the plate is always 17 inches, from little league all the way to the majors. You don't widen it for a pitcher who can't hit the zone — you send them to training. Danny realized he's been doing the equivalent for his best managers: letting late reports slide, overlooking small acts of disrespect, and making excuses based on how hard it is to hire right now. The pandemic normalized a lower standard, and he's been running with it. He closes with a resolution — stop widening the plate, step back to the 5,000-foot view where a DM belongs, and hold everyone to the same level of accountability regardless of results.
Pete's reflection centers on training. He admits he's gotten away from it with his more tenured managers, assuming long-timers don't need refreshers. He also acknowledges the flip side of being so focused on new hires that he's neglected the people already on the bus — the ones who've been there, performing quietly, and rarely getting recognized for it. His goal for the new year is to train his replacement, because if he can't develop someone to fill his shoes, he can't move up himself.
Both close on the same note: it's not failure unless you don't learn from it. As Danny quotes Denzel Washington to end the season — without commitment you'll never start, without consistency you'll never finish.
Mention:
Larry P.
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