Next week, we are pulling together an illustrious collection of Atlanta’s CIOs for one of Tier4’s renowned special events. I will have the privilege of conducting a Fireside Chat with Leo Mazzone. I enjoy the Fireside format and have had the opportunity of interviewing folks like Ted Turner, Arthur Blank, and James Kennedy, all while I served as the TAG CEO.
So, I am going to assume that you know these three giants of industry, but you may be asking who the heck is Leo Mazzone. Answer – he was one of the greatest pitching coaches of all time. Mazzone coached Atlanta Braves’ pitchers for 16 years. Under his tutelage, the Braves produced six Cy Young winners and won several division titles including the 1995 World Series Championship.
The theme of this particular fireside will be “leadership”. CIOs have a plethora of opportunities to hear about the latest technologies so we figured we would throw them a bit of a curve ball (baseball term for those not in the know) and have a sports figure discuss his principles around leadership.
Three of Mazzone’s most awarded pupils were Glavine, Smoltz, and Maddox. Many of us are fortunate to have some superstars work with or for us. It can be difficult to keep them motivated and performing at their best. Then you throw in a John Rocker or two to make things interesting. I have been reading up on Mazzone’s quest to inspire greatness. One thing that stands out is that he said that he coached the same techniques to every pitcher. The big difference, he says, was “in the presentation”. With some “he could be firm” and with others, he had to be more sensitive. The message stuck with me. I have come to learn, over the years, that you have to understand what motivates each individual to secure peak performance. You can have the same goals for each but the “presentation” has to be as unique as they are. The amazing thing about Mazzone is that he made it work for so many years. Most of us have some hits and misses. Keep on swinging folks….that’s what life’s about.
PS…If you are a CIO or a CTO and want to attend the Fireside Chat please contact me and we will find a seat for you.
Tier4 Blog Edition 1: August 16, 2017