Small and medium sized business owners understand that running a business involves teamwork, strategy, achievement and competition, much like the game of baseball. There are several terms (or phrases) used in baseball that are often used in the business world as well. Below are some of the more common baseball terms that are often used to associate events that happen in daily business activities as well.
Home run- In baseball, a home run is the act of hitting the ball out of the ballpark. In business, there are several instances where you “hit a home run,” whether that be closing a deal, acquiring a new customer, hiring a new employee who ends up generating significantly more sales for the company, or launching a new product line that is a huge success, all of which would be considered “home runs” in the business world. In terms of securing business financing, a home run would be when you secure financing with favorable terms and you are able to use those funds to make improvements to the business.
Sacrifice- When a batter hits the ball and it is caught by the fielder, but the baserunner is able to score a run or advance to the next base. In business, a sacrifice can be when an employee has to do something to help the company at the expense of doing something else (i.e. covering for somebody that is sick, that person filling in is sacrificing their time to help the company), or putting their own money into the business in order to cover expenses. Another example of a sacrifice is missing quality time with family or other events and spending that time working instead.
If a business owner needs to secure financing for their company, the sacrifice they make is adding a periodic payment (commonly daily, weekly or monthly) to the company’s expenses in order to take out the funds, but ideally the funds will be utilized to make improvements to the company (i.e. hiring new employees, buying new equipment, etc.), and thus, helping generate more revenue for the business.
Relief pitcher-A relief pitcher is one who comes into the game after the starting pitcher, to “relieve” them and help get the final outs of the inning/game. Sometimes business owners need help and should not be afraid to either use their assets or call in a “reliever” (i.e. website developer, consultant, additional employees, or even applying for additional working capital) in order to finish the job or improve operations to reach company goals/objectives.
Strategy-Believe it or not but there is actually quite a bit of strategy in baseball (such as setting the lineup to have the best possible hitters bat against the other team’s pitcher, in-game moves including having the base runner steal a base, having the batter bunt, or deciding which pitcher should be put into the game. Business is the same way as business owners typically have their own strategies for not only how to operate their business as a whole but some often have strategies for how each day is going to go. For example, say the hardware store owner is having a bag sale, the strategy for that day would be that they will have more workers working to assist the additional customers. Or say a trucking company has a truck break down (which will likely hurt productivity and profitability as they wont be able to handle as much work without the truck), the business owner’s “in-game strategy” could be to try to get it repaired as quickly as possible, or they could purchase another one.
Go to bat: In baseball, a pinch hitter is someone who goes to bat for another player. Going to bat for someone in business means that they have voiced or shown their support for that person. For example, if someone is being considered for an assignment and you think they should be assigned to it, voicing your opinion (or giving a recommendation) that they should get it is an example of going to bat for that person.
Step Up to the Plate: In baseball, a hitter steps up to the plate to take their at-bat. In business, stepping up to the plate means taking on an opportunity to contribute. Being assigned to an important project, for example, means that this is your time to step up to the plate and complete the project.
Stolen base-In baseball, when a baserunner advances from one base to another after the pitcher has delivered the pitch, that is called a steal. In business, you hear it all the time, “Oh, you got a steal.” In this light, a steal is when somebody got a really good deal on something.
Strike-out-When a batter swings and misses on three attempts (or does not get on base and is called out on strikes). In business, an example would be having three opportunities to close a sale and then not being able to close any of them, it could be said that the person struck out on those deals.
Rundown-When a base runner attempts to advance from one base to another, while the fielders try to tag them before the baserunner reaches the next base. This creates a motion where the runner runs back and fourth in between the bases while the fielders either run toward the runner or throw the ball back and fourth in order to tag the runner out before they reach the base. The definition of a rundown in business could be an analysis or summary of something (either information about a client, meeting or product offering).
All-Star- A player having a great season is usually named as an all-star. This player has either gone above expectations, is producing league leading statistics, and (arguably) is popular amongst the fans/players. In business, this is similar to being named as employee of the week/month for doing a fantastic job or going above and beyond what is asked of them. An all star employee can also be one that is just exceptional at what they do.
MVP-Similar to an all-star, this player had a great season, gone above expectations, produced league leading statistics and is recognized by the commissioner of baseball. It is common for businesses to recognize outstanding individual performance at the end of the year, and an MVP (or some variation) is commonly awarded to a top-performing individual (or individuals) within the company.
Balk- In baseball, a balk refers to when a pitcher pretends to pitch the ball but they actually do not do so. When a business owner balks, this commonly means that after considering making an action or move, they decide not to make the move or take the opportunity presented to them, or they “balk at the chance” to do it.
A baseball organization also utilizes official titles for employees that are commonly used in business including president, vice president, general manager, manager, assistant manager, and the like. So as it may seem like business and baseball have nothing in common, there are a plethora of terms related to the game that are commonly used throughout the course of daily business operations.
