Hidden Potential (and Aaron Boone)

by Paul Semendinger

November 4, 2024

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A few weeks ago, a friend recommended the book Hidden Potential by Adam Grant to me.  I love books like this.  I love books that discuss the ways in which we learn, grow, acquire new skills, and how we can seek and attain excellence.  This book is a winner. 

As I read the book, I came across a paragraph that ties exactly to a flaw in the way the Yankees operate - specifically Aaron Boone's approach to leadership and managing in-game situations.  

I have often stated that Boone is reactive rather than proactive.  (I have also criticized the organization for this, as the Yankees seem to make moves only when problems arise rather than looking ahead, seeing where problems might be, and addressing those situations before they become problems.  But for this article, I just want to discuss the manager's approcah.)

But, before I share a passage from the book, I need to make two other quick points.  First, when we watch games, especially close games, it seems that good managers almost always out-manage Aaron Boone.  Boone seems to see the game in situations that take place in real time.  He manages pirch-by-pitch. Other managers seem to see the game and plan for situations that are likely to occur innings later.  Boone is reactive.  He makes decisions based on what is happening.  Other managers are proactive.  Those managers plan for circumstances and situations that they can see coming (or potentially coming) innings later.  (We have a reader here who believes that Aaron Boone makes no decisions, that Boone only does what Brian Cashman or his stats people tell him to do.  I do not believe that is the case, but if it is so, that could explain Boone's managerial style.  If each situation is carefully planned in advance, one must wait for the situation to arrive before following the script as to what will be done to address it.  This would be a totally reactive approach. Again, I don't believe there is a script. I simply do not believe Boone plans that far ahead.)

Secondly, I have shared that I get frustrated with the Yankees' talking points.  It is rare to hear the manager say, "I made a mistake."  Instead we hear things like, "It's right in front of us.  We're doing the right things and good things will happen as a result."  When moves backfire, we hear comments such as, "His stuff looked good in the bullpen," and "Yes, he grounded into a game-ending double play, but he was right on the pitch and... that's baseball."  I have always believed that we grow by recognizing and admitting our mistakes.  I wrote a long passage about that for my book Impossible is an Illusion years ago.  We don't grow when we cannot admit to ourselves, or others, when we make mistakes.  Aaron Boone seems reluctant, at best, to ever admit a mistake.  No matter what happens, there is always an excuse - there is always a comment about how it almost worked out.  "He was right on that pitch..."

With that all as a background, the following passage comes from Adam Grant's Hidden Potential:

"Absorptive capacity is the ability to recognize, value, assimilate, and apply new information.  It hinges on two key habits.  The first is how you acquire information: Do you react to what enters your field of vision, or are you proactive in seeking new knowledge, skills, and perspectives?  The second is the goal you're pursuing when you filter information: Do you focus on feeding your ego or fueling your growth?

Being reactive and ego driven is a surefire way to short-circuit learning.  It traps people in a protective bubble.  They limit their access to new information and reject any input that threatens their image.  Their thin skill leaves them with thick skulls."

Interesting.

Very interesting.

How often have we heard the Yankees' manager state that his approach is the right one.  Aaron Boone often gives the sense that he is the smartest person in the room, that his way is what works, and that he knows better than everyone else.  On a podcast a while back, he even said something along the lines of, "I'm the manager.  If you can do better, go try..."

Boone's approach to always protect his decisions, and his players, even when they do a poor job, make bone-headed plays on the baseball field, or don't hustle is not a good way to build a team that succeeds at its highest levels.  This approach doesn't help his players seek avenues for growth, rather he traps himself and his players in the protective bubble discussed in the book.  Growth is very difficult in situations like that.  In fact, I'd argue it's almost impossible. 

When looking at the Yankees the last many years is apparent that player growth is rare.  In fact, most players on the Yankees don't grow, they regress.  Some players might have break-out years, but they haven't been able to sustain that excellence over time.  A logical reason for that is the manager's approach.  The players are trapped in Boone's protective bubble.  "You went 0-for-5, but your swings were so so good."

To quote another of my favorite books (Good to Great), "Good is the enemy of great."  The Yankees have always been good with Boone as the manager, but over seven full seasons under his style of leadership, the Yankees have never been great.  The Yankees have had great players but have never been able to build a great team.  Much of this is due to the fact that the players know, in their hearts, that good is actually good enough.  The players don't really have an incentive to push themselves to do the little things to be greater, they know that they are protected in Boone's bubble.  "It's right there for us." 

This is a good reason why we see the team lacking in fundamentals.  The players just aren't invested in doing what it takes to get to that next step.  And when they do get close to achieving, such as when the reach the postseason, they eventually face a team that's more invested, better prepared, and stronger.  This could be why when the Yankees are able to push to the later rounds of a postseason series, they often get humiliated.  All of a sudden, being good enough isn't good enough.  

The Yankees will always have enough talented players on the roster to be able to win lots of games.  They'll always be in the hunt for a playoff spot.  They'll face off against lesser teams in the early rounds of the playoffs (and even then they haven't always won).  But when they face a better team, they have nothing to fall back on.  All they can do is react.  They haven't planned ahead.  The manager hasn't prepared them for those tough circumstances.  The players aren't held accountable. 

This is Aaron Boone's approach. Year after year he falls into his trap. He has one approach - hope the stars shine and the Yankees overwhelm the opponents.  There is no room for creativity.  Aaron Judge is in a huge slump?  He'll continue to bat third even though most of his at bats aren't even competitive.  Having a plan other than what they're currently doing isn't even in the thought-process.  

It's always "right there, in front," but sometimes it isn't.  And that's when the manager needs to do things to put the team in position to win.  But he doesn't because he doesn't have that skill-set.  Long-term planning isn't part of game strategy or even the strategy for a playoff series.  For the Yankees, the games go by pitch-by-pitch.  If things don't go as hoped, they have no other plan.  Other teams are thinking innings ahead, games ahead, series ahead.  Not the Yankees.  For them it's one approach - hope for the best. But when it doesn't work, they never have an answer and they are all protected in the bubble. 

"We'll get them tomorrow.  It's right there in front of us."  

Except, the Yankees have never reached that goal that they say is right there. They always falls short. This helps to explain why.