Recognizing the Team

Our West Michigan Whitecaps Baseball team has been on a roll -- back to back champions in the last two seasons. As a West Michigander and a fan, I'm pretty proud of our home team. I had an opportunity to be a 'fly on the wall' at the presentation of the championship rings earlier this week... only it wasn't the players receiving rings at this particular ceremony- it was the employees of the Whitecaps organization.

The players may be the most visible part of making the team win happen, but they couldn't do it without the support of the rest of the Whitecaps staff. As the team's general manager Jim Jarecki put it, the team's championship win was the product of the contributions of "players both on and off the field". Whether it be administration, public relations, human resources, accounting-- all were celebrated this week for their role in making the team into a championship organization.

This idea applies in all types of organizations. We all want to contribute to a winning team, whether our role is performed in the spotlight or behind the scenes, and to know that our contribution is appreciated and recognized.