Cy Young Winners Teach Employment Lessons

Tim Lincecum, whose small stature has caused him to be mistaken for a bat boy or called Tiny Tim (according to the New York Times), is the National League’s Cy Young Award winner for 2008. He’s an unlikely recipient of the treasured pitching award.

It doesn’t seem that long ago that his team, the San Francisco Giants, were trying to trade him. When he was in college, pro scouts doubted that someone with such a slight build would be durable. And this year, the Giants had one of the worst records in baseball.

But Lincecum led the majors with 265 strikeouts, posted an 18-5 record, and had a 2.62 earned run average. Most pitchers would be more than satisfied with either of those three statistics.

The American League Cy Young award went to Cleveland Indians left-hander Cliff Lee. He too is an unlikely recipient of the award.

As noted by the Washington Post, Lee was demoted to the minor leagues last year after a miserable season and was excluded from the Indians’ 2007 playoff roster. The Indians tried to trade Lee over the winter, and he had to compete with a number of other pitchers at the beginning of the ’08 season for the team’s fifth-starter position. And the Indians only had a .500 season this year.

But Lee had a 22-3 record and a 2.54 earned run average. No one was even close to him in the voting of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

Even when you’re dealing with talented people, you have to give them time. Even when they have a bad year, you cut off your nose to spite your face if you let them go. Even if the organization isn’t doing all that well, some employees can rise above it and become a bright spot of encouragement for everybody else.

With the desire for instant gratification that pervades every aspect of society these days, it’s increasingly difficult for organizations to take the long view. Sometimes, it seems that the only thing that matters is short-term success. This year’s two Cy Young winners show the fallacy of this thinking.

As all businesses and organizations struggle mightily right now, look for your stars, your leaders. Give them time. Give them a chance. They just might lead you out of a bad season.