Leadership and Success

I once wrote a paper in graduate school about the role of leaders in determining team success using sports teams as the cases/data. I still believe that coaches, managers and leaders matter, but they are pretty helpless in the face of lousy environments without resources and commitment. Case in point - Lou Pinella.

Piniella won't return to Devil Rays next year-paper - Yahoo! News

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Lou Piniella will not return to manage the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2006, according to a report Wednesday on the Web site of the Tampa Tribune.
....

Piniella, 62, has complained publicly about the team's lack of commitment at the ownership level. The Devil Rays' payroll was just under $30 million at the start of the season, the lowest in the majors.

OK, quick quiz. Name the five best hitting teams in baseball. Name the five teams with the best record in the AL since the All Star break.

Team Avg
Boston .282
Yankees .276
Tampa Bay .274
Cubs .272
Cleveland .272

Team W L PCT
Cleveland 41 21 0.6613
Yankees 40 23 0.6349
Oakland 39 24 0.6190
Boston 38 25 0.6032
Tampa Bay 35 27 0.5645

Pinella is good. Just not good enough to deal with the lousy pitching staff his owners threw together.