Last week I had the pleasure of attending the Conversations with… Speaker Series at Concordia University in Austin, Texas. This event featured a conversation with three Major League Baseball pitchers including: Huston Street, Scott Linebrink, and Chad Qualls. I jumped at the opportunity to attend this event because I love sports. I learned a lot from these three men and wanted to share some of my biggest takeaways.

All three men were extremely smart. I could tell that there was much more to them than baseball. Sometimes I think we lump athletes into one category and never let them out. I probably related to Huston Street the most because he spoke very highly of his father, who he called the greatest coach he has ever had. I also have a special relationship with my father.

Billy Moyer (middle) with Huston Steet (left) and Scott Linebrink (right).

Huston said a couple things that really stuck with me. He said, “Everyday you either get a little better or a little worse.” You can either choose to grow or decline. If you stay the same you are declining. Truly effective leaders understand they must continue to grow.

He also said, “The good ones learn from their own mistakes. The great ones learn from other people’s mistakes.” I loved this statement. We so often talk about learning from our mistakes and that those mistakes are our greatest opportunities for growth, but we should learn from the mistakes of others. Why do people have to learn to not drink and drive after getting a DWI or worse? Plenty of other people have made that mistake so we should know better. What mistakes have you made that you did not have to make? What have you learned from the mistakes of others?

Scott Linebrink also had a couple points that really hit me. Scott just retired so it was interesting to hear his perspective. He said, “Attitude is something we all can control.” There are so many things we cannot control in our lives, but we can control our attitude. But why do so many people choose a negative attitude? I am often guilty of this. It is important to remember that you cannot be a truly effective leader without a positive attitude.

He also said, “When the game is over, it is all about relationships.” People are both the obstacle and solution to every goal you will ever have. You cannot accomplish anything without relationships. Scott was looking back on  a career in baseball, but this is true in our lives. When it is all over, people will be your legacy, not things.

I really enjoyed the Conversations with… Speaker Series at Concordia. I even had the opportunity to have lunch with two of the three speakers after the event, thanks to Don Christian, the Dean of the College of Business at Concordia. I learned a lot from my time with these Major League Baseball pitchers. I learn that they are not unlike me (just a lot taller!). All three men are great examples of leaders. All three have had success in baseball, but all three will have even more success after baseball. That says a lot about each of them.