Jim Thome signed with the MLB’s Philadelphia Phillies this off season.  I felt sad.  When he played with my local team, the Minnesota Twins, he was my favorite player.

Why?  Let me explain.

When Thome signed with the Twins before the 2010 season, the phone of (then) Twins general manager Bill Smith rang.

Smith recalled, “I got a call from someone with Philadelphia, telling me what a great guy we were getting…And then I got calls from the White Sox. And the Dodgers, even though he hadn’t been there a long time. And from Cleveland. They’d all say the same thing, about what a good guy he is.” 1

As Major League Baseball’s Spring Training ended each team made decisions about problem players.  They asked and answered:
“Do his assets exceed the sum total of his deficits?” 
“Do his strengths outweigh his weaknesses?” 

Your workplace has the same challenges.  Building a team of competent employees is a challenge.

You can’t change someone’s personality, but you can implement strategies to help them perform professionally and more competently while on the job.

Most Common Types Of Problem People And Strategies To Help Them Succeed: 1

The non-communicative person.
Ask open questions that force her to explain what she thinks.

Jamie Moyer is 49 years old, like me.  Like me Jamie Moyer is the oldest active “player” doing his job at his workplace.

On the other hand, Moyer is a Major Leagues Baseball pitcher.  In fact, his next win will be the oldest victory for a pitcher in MLB history. 1

Moyer and wife Karen live with their eight children in Florida.  There the Moyers promote the nonprofit Moyer Foundation.  Their mission is “to empower children in distress by providing education and support – helping them to live healthy and inspired lives.” 1

“Of all the four-letter words that are taboo, nothing damages the reputation of an athlete like the word quit.” 1

Mike Schmidt

I am a life-long Chicago Cubs fan.

Throughout his career Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Mike Schmidt was called a “Cubbie Killer” because of his success against the Cubs.

So when Mike Schmidt retired abruptly a few years ago many Cubs fans felt relief. I felt sad.  He was a great adversary.

Injuries to Schmidt’s rotator cuff added to his collection of aches and pains. Then after a poor start to the season, Schmidt suddenly chose to announce his retirement.

As the MLB season begins, so does this series on priorities entitled “Winning Runs.”

Steve Garvey is a hall of fame baseball player. And, it seemed in many people’s eyes he was a hall of fame person. “He believed in doing the Right Thing. His parents smoked, but he never did. His teammates swore, but he never did.”

Rick Reilly explained in an article entitled, America’s Sweetheart that “For most of his nearly 41 years Garvey lived at the corner of Straight and Narrow.”

Then everything changed. Garvey explained, “Some people have a mid-life crisis,” he says. “I had a midlife disaster.”

I’m forty-nine years old. I don’t feel old, but I don’t feel young either.

I spend my life encouraging others to live their life well.  Mysilentscream.com exists — through stories, some tips, and some Scriptures — to inspire you to live well. 

As I’m nearing fifty I’m looking for “older” people to inspire me to live the rest of my life well too.  Billy Graham’s book Nearing Home: Life, Faith, and Finishing Well seemed like a good fit.

Billy Graham’s book is honest, vulnerable, and inspiring.

Ask most any child, teen, adult or senior citizen, “What is love?” and their answers will vary. They might not vary so much in the quaity of their experience, but the quantity of their experiences.

Sure, love involves feelings — romanticized by music, literature, and other media, but it’s also so much more.

We all yearn to create and — when we feel like we’re losing it — recreate the “love” what we feel we have lost.

Why do marriage fall apart?
Why do dating relationships between people who “love” one another fail?

They feel like the “love” is lost.

I heard a story I’ll never forget.

My three year old son had a lot of problems with potty training; and I was on him constantly. One day we stopped at Taco Bell for a quick lunch between errands. It was very busy, with a full dining room.

While enjoying my taco I smelled something funny, so of course I checked my seven month old daughter. And she was clean. Then I realized that Matt had not asked to go potty in a while, so I asked, and he said, “No.”

Tuesday, yeah, that’s when things didn’t go so well!

I’ve led hundreds and hundreds of support groups. They’re a regular part of my schedule and one of the joys of my week. Most nights are great.

That night something was weird at TreeHouse!

It Started Bad

Several teens were mad at me. Why?  My responsibility was to create a safe, supportive atmosphere.  Support groups with eight teens are common.  That night teens split up into a group of eight, a group of twelve, and a group of five.  

I’ve been confronted by several people that I respect recently. Whether I want it to or not, confrontation can tear at, or even trample, my self-identity.

One person suggested that I sounded like I thought that I knew more than other people and “if only they knew what I knew then they would be okay.”  I hate when I’ve been condescending. 

I’ve also been confronted that I seem intimidated around people who are wealthier than me; and they are right.

Self-Doubt Sunday