Leadership Charachterstic of Billy Beane
St. Francis Xavier University | MONEYBALL | Leadership and Billy Beane | | Brandon Guenette/200905666 | 3/5/2012 |
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Introduction
Michael Lewis’s Moneyball is a fascinating story about a small group of undervalued professional baseball players and executives who had turned themselves into one of the most successful franchises in Major League Baseball. The underlying question to this story is where the real discussion should begin. That question is: how did one of the poorest teams in baseball, the Oakland Athletics, win so many games? This question can lead into a series of discussions regarding strategy or luck, but the real answers can be found in the leadership of the organization. This leadership is found in the form of Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland A’s. The analysis of Billy Beane will look to explore his underlying values, traits, and visions that may have shaped his leadership style. After gaining an understanding of the leader himself, this analysis will study the situation and the influence tactics used by Billy Beane. Finally, the information gathered will be applied in a business context and compared to alternative styles of leadership. Billy Beane provides an interesting test subject in any discussion of leadership. Through an intensive comparison of Billy Beane, leader centered perspectives, and several other applicable leadership theories, this review hopes to unravel the leadership story being told accompanied by a critical evaluation if the displayed leadership. Leader-centered Perspective: Traits
Jackson and Parry (2011) leads their book off with three questions that are most asked about leaders. The first question is whether leaders are born or made. This is an appropriate start to an evaluation of Billy Beane’s leadership. A direct quote from colleagues described him as a “natural leader”. The literature Jackson and Perry present describes the ‘born’ side of leadership development as 30% of leadership effectiveness.
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Introduction
Michael Lewis’s Moneyball is a fascinating story about a small group of undervalued professional baseball players and executives who had turned themselves into one of the most successful franchises in Major League Baseball. The underlying question to this story is where the real discussion should begin. That question is: how did one of the poorest teams in baseball, the Oakland Athletics, win so many games? This question can lead into a series of discussions regarding strategy or luck, but the real answers can be found in the leadership of the organization. This leadership is found in the form of Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland A’s. The analysis of Billy Beane will look to explore his underlying values, traits, and visions that may have shaped his leadership style. After gaining an understanding of the leader himself, this analysis will study the situation and the influence tactics used by Billy Beane. Finally, the information gathered will be applied in a business context and compared to alternative styles of leadership. Billy Beane provides an interesting test subject in any discussion of leadership. Through an intensive comparison of Billy Beane, leader centered perspectives, and several other applicable leadership theories, this review hopes to unravel the leadership story being told accompanied by a critical evaluation if the displayed leadership. Leader-centered Perspective: Traits
Jackson and Parry (2011) leads their book off with three questions that are most asked about leaders. The first question is whether leaders are born or made. This is an appropriate start to an evaluation of Billy Beane’s leadership. A direct quote from colleagues described him as a “natural leader”. The literature Jackson and Perry present describes the ‘born’ side of leadership development as 30% of leadership effectiveness.
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