Tommy Lasorda was the manager of the World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers

Tommy Lasorda was the manager of the World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers and the 1988 National League Manager of the year. With a total of 40 years as a player, scout, coach, and manager within the same organization, The Dodger organization. When we talk of a real winner on the baseball field, look no further than Tommy who over 12 seasons led the Dodgers to four National League pennants and two World Series championships.What set Tommy apart is his ethical leadership. He loves and respects his teammates (when he was a player) and his players when he started coaching. He is not afraid to let people know how much he respects and appreciates teammates and players around him. He is known to show his players so much respect and affection by listening attentively to their concerns and made a habit of never making anyone feel about any decision that they have made even when they didn’t turn out. There was a scenario during a critical playoff game that was on live television whereby one of his players either missed the signs or chose to do his own thing and struck out and caused his team the game. He didn’t yell or scream or demean the player. When the same player became the hero of the next game, during a live interview he revealed that Tommy didn’t scold him but walked him thru the series of events and told him why he asked him to do whatever he was instructed to do and that the conversation was very respectful and instructive and that helped performed better at the next game. Tommy is famous for repeating the phrase “lead by example”, and that’s truly one of his traits. Tommy once compared his job as a baseball manager to that of any other manager in any organization. He said the goal is to be No 1, to be successful and to make money. He approached this with a different twist, he said “contented people give better performance”. Throughout, his coaching career, he maintained a very clean image worth emulating. He believed his primary job is to lead the right way, live a clean and honest life so that he mentor others. Tommy was known throughout major league baseball as a true leader who lived a One can look in the book of records and see that while he was the Manager of the Dodgers, not a single player of his was involved or suspended for cheating (drug or performance enhancements). He was a true believer in using motivation to improve performance and encouraged team spirit. No wonder he managed a team with no big name talent to win a World Series and won Manager of the Year few times in his careerLate1990, when Daryl Strawberry’s baseball career hit “rock bottom”, Tommy Lasorda and the Dodgers organization picked him up. Daryl Strawberry had just failed yet another drug test, no major team wanted him and his career was basically over. Tommy became an awesome mentor. He didn’t reject Daryl or looked down on him as a drug addict, rather he saw the good in him, respected and nursed Daryl back to an upstanding citizen once again and helped get his career back to a healthy state These are true traits of an ethical leader. Even at time when most people would disrespect and look down on a failed/faulty citizen like Daryl, Tommy became the cheerleader, the encourager and was heard reminding all the players that it wasn’t a time to disrespect or turn backs on Daryl. This is a true leadership ethical trait.