An Up-Close Look at the Legendary Motivator

Tommy Lasorda

By Michael J. Herman

There was a time when heroes walked commonly among us. They were worthy of iconoclastic status. Not just philosophers, politicians, and artists, but everyday folks like… well, like baseball greats. Names like Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, Hank Aaron, Mickey Mantle, and Willie Mays. Through their extraordinary talents they lifted us as individuals and as a community.

What does it take to be a major league motivator today?  Tommy Lasorda shows us through his vitality and passion. His smile is as big as the infield of any major league ballpark. His attitude of ‘get your butt out there and be the best you are supposed to be’ flies in the face of many, but baseball Hall of Famer Lasorda - player, coach, manager, and bon vivant personality - makes no apologies for driving players hard for 60 years. 
As far as motivators go, Lasorda is one of the best. Under his leadership, the Los Angeles Dodgers won three World Series championships and five pennant titles. But what makes Tommy special is the way he inspires excellence from players, employees, and teams. Despite the gruff, loud, in-your-face perception that precedes him, Tommy Lasorda is as kind and caring as a brother watching over the family. He has an innate ability to perceive a player’s potential and motivate them to give everything they have even when they don’t think they have anything more to give.

ON WINNING

“I’m just a regular guy,” announces Lasorda, as he bounces like a kid on a carnival ride. “I’m no better than anyone else. I want to win. That’s what drives me the most. I want to win just like you and everybody else wants to win. My father taught me to work hard, stay focused, and never give up. So far it’s worked out pretty good.”
Tommy nurtures greatness from his players and teams by encouraging them to give 100%, all of the time. He treats every one like a champion even if they’re just an ordinary player, back office employee, or concessionaire.  In Tommy’s opinion, everyone can hit home runs and help the team win the big games. “You have to see what players are lacking. If it’s confidence in pitching, strength in hitting, or figuring out how to psychologically perform at their best, you have to build what’s weak and then continue to strengthen what’s already strongest. It does no good if you don’t strengthen weaknesses.”

ON POTENTIAL

“You have to be sort of a crystal ball gazer. What’s possible in this performer’s future? Do they have the physical talent and can they cope mentally with what it’s going to take to become a champion? I have to figure that out, then find the ways to get it out of them.”
Lasorda insists that potential and talent can not be measured by time investments, but only by depth of character and commitment to results. “It’s a judgment call. You see what’s there and you ask yourself, is there more? Can he go further? Will he keep pushing? Can I push him harder? This goes for girls also.” He’s the purest of optimists. Tommy believes everyone is a champion, pointing out how he has never given up on a player and has never been disappointed in one he believed in.
“It’s not what you see. It’s what you’re gonna see. A player is only as good as he thinks he is. My job is to make him think he’s the best and believe it. If he believes it, he goes out there and he proves it by making it happen. You have to see it in your mind and heart before you can do it. Not everyone can be great, but everyone can make great efforts. And if you do, there’s nothing wrong with that.”

ON MOTIVATING

Tommy innately inspires people because of others like the late, great Al Campanis, the O’Malley family, and his current leader and Dodgers franchise owner Frank McCourt. They have all served to lift Lasorda above the rest. Tommy sees the way great leaders and great men operate and tries to learn from them. “My father inspired me through hard work. That’s all it takes is hard work and commitment. You have to get to someone in a way they can relate to. Not everyone is motivated the same way. Some are easy to motivate and others are very un-coachable. You have to inspire them to achieve and to want to achieve. If they want it, they’ll go get it. It’s harder to push than it is to guide. If players think you’re out for their best interest, they’ll trust you, and that’s all you really need to motivate someone.
“I said it before and I’ll say it again, if you want to win, if you want to be motivated, if you want to be inspired, surround yourself with those kinds of people. Get rid of anyone who brings you down. You become the people you put around you.”

"If you want to win, if you want to be motivated, if you want to be inspired, surround yourself with those kinds of people.”

ON HIGH POINTS AND LOW POINTS

“Sure, the ’88 World Series with Mike Scioscia behind home plate and playing great offense was big,” offers Tommy, “but it’s the little victories that mean the most to me.”
He cannot easily point to the best moment, game, day, or event in his storied career either. “I can’t tell you the best day or the best moment any more than I can remember the best bowl of pasta I ever ate.” After much talking, he admits that one of the greatest successes and highest points of pride was talking to the U.S. Girls Olympic Softball Team.
“They asked me to talk to them like I would my own guys. ‘I said I can’t do that. They said ‘that’s what we want’. So I said, ‘if that’s what you want, that’s what you’ll get’. So I really laid into them. I was ruthless, yelling and carrying on. I was going at ‘em. But you know what? I gave them what they needed and they went on to win big! That’s all that matters. You have to get inside their heads.”
Unafraid to show his human side, Tommy admits that he is a bad loser and takes losing games (losing anything) very personally. When he loses, he takes it with him everywhere he goes. Still, no loss compares with the loss of his son. “My greatest loss is that one.” 

TOMMY’S HEROES

Ted Williams, Sandy Koufax, Duke Snyder, Jackie Robinson, Vin Scully, and of course, Babe Ruth are at the top. It comes down to character. These guys have proven they have what it takes to be great and Tommy asks us all, “Do we?”
Though his outlook is positive, he laments on the rise of drugs in the game. Lasorda openly declares that the advent and rise in popularity of drugs in baseball is the biggest problem in the game. It may affect the game today, but in the long run he asserts, “Baseball will always survive. It’s made it through scandals, strikes, congressional investigations, recessions, and a Depression, and it will survive whatever comes down the road. It’s America’s national pastime for God’s sake!”

THE CERTAIN FUTURE

Currently for the Dodger organization, Lasorda serves as special assistant to the chairman of the board. He also owns and runs Lasorda Winery, which offers full and fruity Rieslings, soft and smooth chardonnays, and robust cabernets. You can read more about Lasorda’s wine venture at www.lasordawines.com.
Indeed, Lasorda has done it all… traveled, started companies (he launched and sold a successful pasta sauce food company), played, coached, and spoken to stadiums filled with fans and critics. He’s even published two books, so what’s next for Lasorda?
He’ll work for the Los Angeles Dodgers until the day he dies. His final wish is to be buried under the pitcher’s mound at Dodger Stadium so that in seasons to come, when players question their own abilities, Tommy can give them that extra Tommy-style encouragement to win the big game.

Michael J. Herman is a best selling author, syndicated columnist, and motivational speaker.