Last
weekend during one of our softball games, the atmosphere was a little
tense. We were playing two of the top
teams in our division. We were pumped up
and the coach had different position line-ups in place to maximize our talent on
the field. Game one started great and it
was a close game. We played hard, yet
came up a few runs short.
Game
two started immediately after game one, so we pumped ourselves up again and we were
ready to play. The coin toss was
completed and our team was first to bat.
The game began and we were hot. This
was going to be another close game. You could feel the anxiety in the dugout
and on the field. The game was heading
towards the last inning and we were only a few runs behind. It was our turn to bat once again. Our first few batters had good hits and we
scored some key runs. We were closing in
on the opposing team.
During
this time, I was coaching 3rd base and we had runners on 2nd and 3rd base. I had just
communicated to the 3rd base runner on what to do next. One of the teammates behind me in the dugout
(we will call him Fred) kept screaming various commands for me to communicate
to the runners. I ignored his commands
to focus on the game and the commands continued. I then asked Fred in a very stern voice to
stop shouting these commands. Knowing
the game was close and that we needed these runs, Fred marched out of the
dugout walking towards me to loudly state these commands again. When he approached me, I told him that I had
it under control.
Ignoring my statement,
Fred proceeded to jump in front of me and turn his back to take over the 3rd base coaching. This action prompted me
to immediately grab Fred’s shoulder, turn him around, and state in a very loud
and demanding tone that I had this covered.
I then pushed him towards the dugout. A few of the other players guided
him into the dugout, asked him to remain inside the dugout, and the incident
was over as quick as it began.
I have to say that Fred
is a great guy, a very good player, and his intentions were in the right place.
Fred wanted to ensure that the runners
heard the commands because these runs were very important. The impact of his actions was negative and this
caught him off guard. I really believe
that if Fred thought about his impact on the team by yelling these commands and
jumping out in front of me, he would not have done it.
Very
soon after the incident, I put my arm around Fred and apologized for pushing
him towards the dugout. I explained
again that I had it covered and the coach asked me to coach 3rd base for a
reason. Fred explained that he just
wanted to ensure that the runners were well informed since getting these few
runs were crucial.
What
was the result of the second game? We
tied the score and unfortunately, the other team was able to score one run to
win when they went to bat. This loss stung
us like game one’s loss, because we really could have won both of these close
games. As we know, with every loss comes
great learning and growth.
How many times have you done something with the best intentions and it comes back to bite you in the behind due to the negative impact? I know I can remember a few incidents when my intentions were good but the impact of these actions were negative and vice versa.
What
would the world be like if all of us thought of others more often and the
impact of our actions, rather than on ourselves and the intention of the
actions?
I
would love to hear your thoughts on this.
“Hell isn't merely paved with good
intentions; it's walled and roofed with them. Yes, and furnished too.” ~Aldous Huxley
