Today is one of my favorite days of the year – it’s Easter! It’s not about chocolate and jellybeans, but about the meaning of the day. And tomorrow is opening day for the Cincinnati Reds – two momentous days, one right after the other on the cusp of a new month. Now, I’m not minimizing Easter, but there’s a connection here, and it’s JOY!

Ah, The Sports Section!

Last month I was reading an article about the Reds in the Sports section of the paper. Me reading the sports page is not completely unheard of, but I’m much more likely to go for the business section to see who’s doing what, and how our great city is advancing.

Regardless, I found myself in the Sports section drawn to an article about leadership. In the article, coach Dusty Baker said pitcher Sean Marshall was going to be one of the real leaders of the team this year. He noted that it wasn’t he who chose the leaders, but the team themselves.

Pitching In

Later on in the article, Marshall had his say. He talked about being a senior (in the world of baseball!) member of the team, and about his role on the team. Marshall spoke of how he felt when he was able to help other players, and about being able to contribute as a pitcher.

He said these jobs gave him a real sense of joy!

Yes, professional baseball is a game, but it’s a job with a lot of pressure, and I was surprised to see this 30-year-old describe his role as leader and pitcher as joyful. 

Leading With Joy

This has stayed with me as I coach business owners and leaders who are trying to lead from who they truly are, and who they know they can be. They’re responsible to coach and develop teams, and to run their businesses productively under a lot of pressure. They manage multitudes of conflict, and quickly respond when things don’t go as planned.

The Journey

Sean Marshall has been playing baseball since he was a kid. It’s taken a lot of hard work for him to get where he is now – a chosen leader, joyful in his outstanding contributions towards his own and his team’s success.

Just like the gift of Easter or the Reds opener, we have a chance to rise up every day to lead meaningfully and effectively through all of the challenges, and to lead with joy!

What change might you need to introduce into your life as a business leader, to help you lead more joyfully?