Walk Off Winning

Become a doer. Motivation and strategies from a top figure in sports leadership

There are many books available on the topic of leadership, but none quite like this one. Walk Off Winning: A Game Plan for Leading Your Team and Organization to Success is the work of Steve Trimper—a college baseball coach who shares what he has learned about business through his extensive leadership experience in high-level sports. In addition to reflecting on his own failures and successes, Trimper interviews leadership experts to distill a wealth of wisdom into this valuable book.

Inside, you’ll read about the key principles of team building, culture, and organization building. If you are looking for a way to enhance your leadership, whether you lead a team of one or an entire organization, Walk Off Winning is for you. This book will give you the motivation and strategies to “become a doer.” Anyone involved in leadership, sports management, or the general business world will benefit from the inspirational anecdotes and honest advice in this much sought-after guide for leaders of all kinds.

• Discover the key principles of team building that apply in every organization and setting
• Gain the motivation you need to stop waiting around for success and “become a doer”
• Learn from the real-world successes and failures of a top leader in high-level sports
• Get inspired to take an honest look at your opportunities for leadership growth

From the sports field to the business office, good leadership in any arena shares a single, universal foundation. If you want to achieve your dreams, you’ll have to learn to Walk Off Winning.

Foreword xvii

Introduction xxi

Less Inside Baseball, More Inside Leadership xxii

Learning from Coaches, Mentors, and Other Great Leaders xxiv

Chapter 1 You Need Values, But Keep Them Simple 1

The Flowchart of True Success 2

Be Selective When Establishing Values 3

Improve What You Already Have 5

Chapter 2 Never Underestimate the Power of Giving 11

Create a Foundation for Success 11

A Gift of Giving Might Be Right Under Your Nose 15

Giving Leads to Loyalty 17

Chapter 3 Attitude and the Power of the Handshake 21

Attitude is Highly Contagious 22

Sharing Attitude by Means of a Handshake 23

Change Your Thought Process to One of Positivity 25

You Choose Your Attitude 26

Be a Grinder, and Deal with Setbacks 29

Fight through the “Muck” 29

Chapter 4 The Communicator Wins 33

The First and Best Form of Communication 33

Become Comfortable Communicating in Person 35

We All Love a Good Storyteller 36

Communication Pays Off 38

The Power of a Personality 43

Charisma 44

Don’t Dominate the Conversation 45

Chapter 5 I Always Got Hits Because My Shoelaces Were Tucked In 47

Follow Planned Routines 48

Wasting Time on What You Can’t Influence 49

Control the Controllables 50

It’s Fun to Be a “Little Stitious” 51

Chapter 6 Leaders Lead the Way 55

John and His New Boss 55

Dictator Leadership 61

Servant Leadership 63

Empowerment Leadership 64

Relying on Both Forms of Leadership 66

Chapter 7 Are You a Brick with Mortar? 69

True Toughness 70

Learn to Compete 71

Bricks and Mortar 74

Learn to “Pivot” with Your Mortar 76

Chapter 8 The Value of Real Energy 79

Real versus Fake Energy 80

Don’t Give Up and Don’t Be a Lake 82

Optimistic or Embellishment? 85

Chapter 9 Good Impressions 89

“Surround Yourself with Good People” 90

Be on the Lookout for Values 91

Learn from Communicating 93

30 Seconds 94

“Recruit Ready” 96

You Need a Personality 98

Chapter 10 White-Tailed Deer and Career Progression 103

Ready to Change the World 104

Take Your Time—You Don’t Know It All Just Yet 106

The Beauty and Life of a White-Tailed Deer 107

You Pick, and Mentor, Your Team 112

Chapter 11 Fall Forward When You Fail—and You’re Gonna Fail! 117

In and Out of Your Control 118

People Want You to Fail 120

Fail and Move Forward 121

Be Responsible and Positive in Times of Failure 123

Chapter 12 Keep Chopping Wood: Pressure versus Preparation 127

Relationships Lead to Wins 128

The Alfond Way 129

“Keep Chopping Wood” 131

“Sharpen Your Axe” 134

With the Right Mindset, You are Capable of Anything 138

Tackle Crisis Management Head On 140

Chapter 13 Ego: You Better Have One 143

Crank Up Your Ego—Sometimes 145

Think Big 147

Circle the Wagons 149

Invest in Values 149

Build the Team’s Confidence 153

Tone People Down, Not Up 154

Stubbornness Can Be a Good Trait 155

Chapter 14 The Art of Decompression 159

Recharge Your Batteries 160

You’ve Earned a Break 161

Hone Your Focus Skill 162

Lock In 164

Burn Those Lines in the Grass 166

Find Something You’re Good at and Use It as Your Outlet 167

Chapter 15 Winners versus Losers 169

Team versus Program 170

True Toughness 171

Winners and Losers 173

Compete, Compete, Compete 175

Chapter 16 The 5 Percent Rule 179

Be Better Every Day 180

The Power of a Group 181

Focus on Small Efforts for Long-Term Success 184

Be Great at Little Things 185

Chapter 17 Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda: Get Rid of It 187

Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda and the “Negative Nellie” 188

Move People in the Same Direction 189

Neutralizing the Negative Nellie 194

“There is No ‘I’ in T-E-A-M” 194

Chapter 18 Be a Doer, Not a Talker 199

We “Do” Our Wedding Vows, Not Just “Say” Them 200

Don’t Just Talk the Talk 202

How I Learned to “Do” 202

Invest in Relationships 206

Nike: “Just Do It” 208

Chapter 19 True Success 211

1. Surround Yourself with Good People, and Good Things Happen 213

2. Relationships: Work at It 215

3. Trust 218

4. Loyalty, the Final Path to Success 220

True Success Isn’t About Money, Possessions, or Fame 221

The Puzzle Changes 222

Afterword 225

Acknowledgments 229

About the Author 235

Index 237

STEVE TRIMPER is a college baseball coach and sought-after motivational speaker. He has over 20 years of experience as a Division I college baseball head coach. In 2017, he became the head coach for the Stetson Hatters, a top-25 team in the division. He led the 2018 Hatters to their best season in history, with 18 consecutive wins and a top 10 final ranking. Steve has been selected as Coach of the Year three times.

@Steve_Trimper

www.stevetrimper.com

College baseball coach and leadership guru Steve Trimper has finally collected his sought-after leadership advice into a fun and inspiring book. Walk Off Winning presents Steve's unique insights on how to succeed on the field, in the boardroom, and beyond. This book is not about sports—it's about the core values that make leaders great and push teams to success. For corporate teams, athletic teams, and other groups in pursuit of lofty goals and high performance, this book will be a source of immense motivation.

Unlike other leadership authors, Steve Trimper has the humility to recognize that many of his best ideas came from others. The engaging anecdotes in this book come not only from his own experience in high-level sports, but also from others with whom he has come into contact over the course of his career as a motivational speaker and coach. Steve's special talent is in bringing these nuggets of wisdom together to form a complete set of values that, when put into action, can breathe new life into any organizational culture.

At its heart, Walk Off Winning aims to inspire readers to pass from the stage of simply talking about the successes they would like to achieve and instead become "doers." It's easy enough to dream big, but in the business world the unfortunate reality is that most people overpromise and underdeliver. This gap between saying and doing is often what gets in the way when teams fail to live up to their full potential. Each of the chapters in this book offers concrete ideas for putting values into action—passing from merely saying into really doing. For those who read through each chapter and follow each of the "Coach's Challenges," the rewards could be monumental.

Adopt the attitude you want others to emulate. Don't say over the phone or by e-mail what you could say in person. Stay positive in times of failure. Surround yourself with good people. These are just a few of the simple yet eye-opening messages inside. Taken together, these chapters will guide readers in business, sports, and beyond to true and lasting success.

Inspirational ideas to take your organization to the top

When the bases are loaded and the score is tied, the outcome of the game is up to you. Have you prepared for this moment? In business, the values, attitudes, and culture you've cultivated can make or break your corporate team. And the most important question of all is this: Are you all talk, or are you a doer? In Walk Off Winning, Steve Trimper will inspire you to take action, building an organizational or team culture strong enough to clear away the competition.

Praise for WALK OFF WINNING

"Steve identifies and describes the values that one must possess to build a strong culture. I love his optimistic approach reinforcing the benefits of positive leadership. This book will benefit anyone who has a passion to become a better leader at work and in life!" —Jon Gordon, Bestselling Author of The Energy Bus and The Carpenter

"Coach Trimper is a walking, talking example of leadership—and now he's put his personality on paper with awesome, real-life examples. You will feel his passion, energy, character, and motivation in Walk Off Winning—all must-have traits for leadership and building strong cultures—on and off the field." —John Reed, President and CEO, Maine Savings FCU

"With today's business environment becoming increasingly complex, having a coach has become crucial to an organization's success. I can think of no better resource than Steve Trimper. Steve's book will provide the roadmap to what leadership is truly all about." —Keven A. Ireland, Nutrien Solutions, Eastern US Business Manager

"An excellent read and incredibly useful book for leaders at every level. Coach Trimper shares his lessons on leadership through real-world experiences and powerful examples based on his many years of success, on and off the baseball diamond. A 'must-have' resource for any leader's toolkit!" —Rob Carmichael, Brigadier General of the US ARMY and Chief Strategy Officer at Maine Savings FCU