Indispensable in Pinstripes

Baseball star Derek Jeter is an icon.  Yankee fans revere him—not just for his talent, but also for his persona as the consummate Yankee and teammate.

And Jeter’s popularity extends beyond his fan base; in the final year of his contract, the Yankees organization will retain him at any cost.

In a league where players are traded faster than S&P 500 stocks, Jeter has remained a Yankee his entire career.  The corporate workplace has evolved in stride with professional sports.  Rarely will a professional stay with the same company for his entire career.  In fact, people are changing jobs more than ever, even if they are very skilled.

Besides his obvious skills on the field, what is Jeter’s secret? How has he remained indispensable and irreplaceable to the most successful sports franchise ever?

Conscientiousness.  Jeter embodies the term character.  Always a class act, he provides a face for the organization’s relationship with the public.  An important facet of it’s image and marketing success. He has also been the team’s captain for a number of years, and as the core of the franchise, helps maintain chemistry between the Yankee’s players who come and go rapidly.

1-On the field-Even the least knowledgeable fans of baseball notice Jeter dive, dig, slide and scrap for hits and outs like it’s his last play every play.  His effort reflects his commitment to winning, even if it involves sacrificing his body.

Stoic and unflappable during rough stretches, calmly charismatic when things are flush—his demeanor keeps the ship afloat and on course.

2-Off the field-Well-dressed but never overstated, he presents himself as a confident professional.  He puts wins first, and his ego second.  This is especially important in his circumstances as a Yankee, because there are so many high-profile teammates and they play under great scrutiny in New York City.

His character is what makes him uniquely special.  Firms looking to acquire and manage talent should look to find and promote conscientiousness—which along with intelligence, is the most important predictor of a productive employee.

This notion is of course a two-way street–professionals who want a long, fruitful career should not rely on their talent alone, but should develop their personal character and reputation to make themselves indispensable to their organization.

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