Take Accountability
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Optional Excerpt
The following is an excerpt from the book “You Are the Team – 6 Simple Ways Teammates Can Go from Good to Great.” It is a story told of Major League Baseball umpire Jim Joyce who after blowing a call cost a player something that very few have ever done. Joyce tearfully took accountability for the bad call – a powerful lesson in accountability. An ancillary video of this event is attached as well below this excerpt.
On June 2, 2010, Armando Galarraga, a pitcher for the Major League Baseball Detroit Tigers, was one out from pitching a perfect game, something that is rare in Major League Baseball. Pitching a perfect game means that in at least nine innings, not a single opposing player gets on base. However, on the last out, the first base umpire, Jim Joyce, ruled the runner safe and put an end to Galarraga’s quest for a perfect game.
Joyce believed that he made the right call; that is, until he saw the replay for himself after the game. The replay showed that the runner was clearly out and that Galarraga should have gotten credit for a perfect game. The humble umpire tearfully and immediately went to the 28-year-old pitcher from Venezuela and apologized for getting the call wrong.
What happened next is just as great! Galarraga turned around and forgave Joyce for blowing a call that cost him something he may never do in his career again: throw a perfect game. “He probably feels more bad than me,” Galarraga said. “Nobody’s perfect. Everybody’s human. I understand. I give the guy a lot of credit for saying, ‘I need to talk to you.’ You don’t see an umpire tell you that after a game. I gave him a hug.”
It is amazing how taking accountability for your actions can soften hearts, even in what seems to be the most serious of situations. Instead of denying his mistake or just simply shrugging his shoulders and saying, “That’s the way the game goes,” Jim Joyce stepped up in a big way and humbly took complete accountability for his wrong call.
Don’t you love people like this? Jim Joyce demonstrated accountability, and both Joyce and Galarraga showed great humility in how they handled a difficult situation. Practicing accountability on successful teams means that each member is completely responsible for their own actions, as well as any consequences that may follow.
Ancillary Video
The following video is by FOX Sports Films. It demonstrates the power of being humble and accountability.
FOX Sports Films 2019 – A Perfect Game
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