The Dodgers Win
Nov. 27, 2025
By Mark David
If you were lucky enough to watch the seven games of the World Series between the Dodgers and the Blue Jays, you were treated to great baseball and excellent leadership in action.
The thrilling game seven resembled a heavyweight fight. Each team delivered massive blows, and finally, the Dodgers delivered the knockout punch.
During the post-game wrap-up with the Dodgers’ manager, Dave Roberts, was asked how he was able to win this game and series. (Also, for folks who don’t follow baseball, the Dodgers won last year by beating the mighty Yankees.) Roberts answered the question with such ease and intense knowledge, I was moved by his answers. For this reason, I want to share them with all of you. The three reasons he stated were:
- I trust my players. In that, they know why they are in the game. Their focus is to execute on their talents and skills.
- Each player is placed in a position where I know they will succeed.
- When the team had to dig deep within themselves, they found the Dodgers’ Culture of Winning. This gave them the strength, energy, and stamina to use this tangible reality to win the series.
What makes me smile about these three reasons is that any leader can build these structured traits into their culture/people. It just takes deliberate, focused attention of the leader and their company.
Here are a few ways I recommend to build these muscles:
Trust
● To build greater trust with the player, the leader must trust themselves
● Each player is informed of their role and how to execute it, and how their individual role connects to the success of the team
● They practice, practice, practice, and practice, so on game day, they don’t have to think; they just react correctly
Positioning
● The leader creates the vision, strategy, and execution so the team will succeed
● The leader knows their players’ strengths and supports them by leading them through the game
● The leader welcomes feedback from their players in order to create a winning culture and make proper adjustments to the team
● Time to think, be reflective, practice is revered
● The coaching staff is 100% involved in growing and developing each player
● The players are open to being coached. They welcome it, and in fact, they demand it
A Winning Culture
● The message of “we are a winning culture” is demonstrated by the leader and the company
● These actions are:
○ The company invests resources into each player
○ Everyone is treated equally with confluency
○ The leader and the company’s words align with their actions. When they say something, they do it- they never lie
○ The players and their families are always considered when decisions are made
I trust these three leadership disciplines support your players/team and culture today. I know these words lit a fire inside me.
In my closing, when I heard Dave Roberts share his remarks, It reminded me that, if a leader wants to know who they are, all they have to do is look at their people. Their people are a mirrored reflection of the leader.
Summar, Alex, and I want to wish all of you, your families, and your companies a wonderful holiday season. Enjoy the last two months of 2025. The next thing you know, you will look up and it will be March 2026.
Life is what we make it.
Mark David
President – The Mark David Corporation
Education That Works
Appreciate the Day,
