Mound Visits, 9/7/22
It’s been many years since a coach or manager visited me on the mound to take the ball from my hand and then give it to another pitcher…to clean up my mess, of course. Most of the time, the manager wouldn’t make eye contact with me, mumble a few words and I would leave the mound feeling like I wanted to crawl under the dugout. There was one minor league manager who always made eye contact, always put his hand on my shoulder. Then, I would leave the mound feeling like “as bad as I was today, ‘Skip’ stills believes in me.”
Words are powerful. Body language is powerful. How you affect people matters. You can believe in those under your care and watch them soar. All it takes is a grab of the shoulder, a small smile and eye contact. Or, you can emotionally throw them in the deep end and watch them learn to swim on their own…or drown without a life jacket.
Words can inspire. And words can destroy. Choose yours well.
“A person’s words can be life-giving water; words of true wisdom are as refreshing as a bubbling brook.”
(Proverbs 18:4)
Keith Madison
SCORE International
