This is an installment of the ongoing “Fatherpreneurship Series”, which is defined here.

I just finished my first season as coach for my son’s baseball team (6-year olds).  As my wife said about the experience, “it’s like a long vacation; it was very fun and fulfilling, but we are ready for it to be over.”

The most challenging part of coaching a team was getting the kids to focus on the drill, lesson or even game.  All the stereotypes of kids staring into space, spinning in circles, playing with the dirt…  all true.  Even my most gung-ho players would lose focus.

I tried to keep the players in check but not let their lapses bother me. 

Leading a company somethings feels like coaching a kids’ baseball team.  How do we stayed focus with all sorts of distractions surrounding us.  Here’s some commonality between coaching and leading a company: 

LONG TERM and SHORT TERM GOALS

For kid’s baseball, the season goal is to keep them interested and learning enough so they want to continue next season.  Weekly goals were focused on things like specific skills (throwing, batting) and game rules and strategies (running through first, covering second). 

In business, I’ve set such long-term goals such as “Making marketing and communications a more accountable department” (Biz360) or “Finding the best content on the web’s most popular subjects” (Boxxet).   Short-term goals would include “Capture 25% of the Fortune 200″ or “Grow web visitors 1% per day every day.”

EXPLAIN | DEMONSTRATE | PRACTICE

The best practice for doing a baseball drill is Explain | Demonstrate | Practice.  I wrote that phrase down on the top of all my practice plans.  It was a not-so-gentle reminder to not rush into drills but to be deliberate. 

The business version of this is probably: EXPLAIN | LEAD | MANAGE.  I posted a while back about Leaders vs Managers, and the best startups have some of both.  Too many times, I hear people not knowing what the goals of the business are.  It is up to the leaders to set the goal and the managers to communicate thoroughly.  In a perfect world, your executive staff have a lot of both leadership and management skills.

Tell them what you’re going to tell them.  Tell them.  Tell them what you’ve told them.

This is the sales and Powerpoint cliche.  SOOOOooooooo true though.  You’re think you’re being boring but repeating yourself.  Nope.  Do it.  True for 6 year olds and 60 year olds.

Until next season…