Successful Teams

By Tyler Van Surksum

The success of a manager can be measured on multiple metrics. It also takes several skills to be an excellent manager including communication, availability, integrity, and accountability are just a few of the skills that good managers use daily. However, one of the most important metrics to measure the success of a manager is the success of their team.

Rocco Baldelli became the manager of the Minnesota Twins on October 25, 2018, after the Twins disappointing 2018 season. They had gone 78-84 and missed the postseason. They had also lost their veteran star catcher, Joe Mauer. At 37 years old, Baldelli was the youngest manager in the MLB. He had experience as a player, but this was his first head manager position.

Before the 2019 season, Baldelli wanted to personally get to know every player on the Twins roster before the season began. This created a culture where the players knew they were important to their manager, and it got the season off on the right foot for Minnesota. Baldelli has always stressed the importance of creating a comfortable place for his coaching staff and his players so they can be themselves and just relax.

Baldelli also knew the importance of surrounding himself with managers that have different skill sets than him that are just as effective. His coaching method is more of a democracy than a monarchy, as he relied on other managers on the coaching staff to utilize their skills as well. Twins players knew that talking to one coach on the coaching staff meant talking to all of them, as the coaching staff had exceptional communication skills.

As we saw in 2019, the Baldelli’s management style definitely worked. They won 101 games in the 2019 season, which was one win short of a franchise record set in 1965. They also hit a major-league record 307 homeruns during the season. Rocco Baldelli was even awarded AL Manager of the Year for the 2019 season. While the Twins did not go far in the playoffs, they certainly had a successful season, and they owe a lot of that to their manager.

A good manager also understands the different roles that their employees can play in the workplace, and they also have a deep understanding of the abilities of their employees. Only then can managers assign people to the right jobs. Similar to Rocco Baldelli and his coaching staff, the management team at MHCS has also created a great culture. Managers know their employees different skill sets and talents, and they trust that the employees are capable of accomplishing different jobs and tasks well. The management team also has a diverse knowledge of all things accounting, and they’re able to rely on utilizing other manager’s knowledge and skill sets as well. MHCS also had a successful ‘2019 season’, and the future looks very bright for both teams!

Tyler Van Surksum | Staff Accountant
TVanSurksum@MHCScpa.com