Business Game Time

How leveraged buy-outs work, why some many people hate private equity investors and why every opportunity needs a risk.

Filed under: baseball by Johannes
No Comments » Tagged with: bank • bankrupt • baseball • borrowing • bud selig • business model • cash • control • debt • dodgers • financial engineering • franchsie • frank mccourt • greece • homeowners • investment fund • l.a. dodgers • lbo • leverage • leveraged buy-out • leveraged deal • loan • los angeles • major league baseball • management buy-out • mlb • news corp. • opportunity • portugal • private equity investment • private equity investor • return • risk • squeeze • venture capital

Why Charlie Sheen showed in “Major League” that Industry Experience is a fallacy, how good job postings should look like and how companies can avoid narrowing their recruiting scope.

Filed under: baseball by Johannes
No Comments » Tagged with: aim • baseball • charlie sheen • cinderella • competitiveness • creativity • flexibility • industry experience • job posting • limitation • major league • mlb • movie • result orientation • sports comedy • strengths

Here’s the idea for a new business model, the “player agent” for those that compete in the office, not on a court or field – and why it’s a win-win-win.

Filed under: (american) football, soccer (football) by Johannes
No Comments » Tagged with: (american) football • baseball • basketball • bosman • career planning • cba • christiano ronaldo • collective bargaining agreement • consultant • consulting • cricket • fifa • filing taxes • financial management • golf • head hunters • headhunters • horse racing • intermediary • investment management • job opening • matching • nfl • player agents • profile • project assignments • public relations • soccer (football) • tennis • tom brady • uefa

With the San Francisco Giants, a team of “castoffs or misfits”, as their manager Bruce Bochy described them, won the World Series. Here’s why building a team of “castoffs or misfits” can help in your company, too.

Filed under: baseball by Johannes
No Comments » Tagged with: acceptnace • baseball • beard • brian wilson • bruce bochy • buster posey • characters • cody ross • differences • dirty dozen • diversity • environment • experiment • florida marlins • freak group • fresno grizzlies • madison bumgartner • major league baseball • manager • matt cain • mlb • pat burrell • peter drucker • productivity • rodeo • san diego padres • san francisco giants • structures • the freak • tim lincecum • world series

Bobby Cox, the most rejected MLB manager of all time, just retired. His leadership lesson: Show unequivocal support to your team, protect them and create a work environment that enables the team to deliver their best.

Filed under: baseball by Johannes
1 Comment » Tagged with: atlanta braves • baseball • bobby cox • decisions • divisional series • emotions • jeff francoeur • leadership • manager • mlb • national league • nlds • playoffs • protection • referee • regular season • responsibility • san francisco giants • support • umpire • work environment • world series

When you go to a MLB or NFL game, it is obvious that the franchises do all they can to earn more money. So do we in our jobs, but apparently we do all we can to hide this fact in our customer relationships. Here’s why we should change that approach.

Filed under: (american) football, baseball by Johannes
No Comments » Tagged with: baseball • Bronx • commitment • cowboys stadium • customer relationship • customers • dallas cowboys • deal • earn money • entertainment • honesty • major league baseball • mlb • new yankee stadium • new york city • new york yankees • nfl • playoffs • pricing • simplify • straight forward • team marketing report • tickets

In sports there are three kinds of people: Those competing with others, those competing with themselves and those not competing at all, just doing it because they enjoy it. In companies, we find a bias towards hiring those competing with others. Here’s why the other two groups are necessary as well.

Filed under: swimming by Johannes
No Comments » Tagged with: (american) football • (ice) hockey • 4x200m men's relay • aiming at perfection • baseball • bias • bruce hayes • communications • competing • competing with others • competing with yourself • competition • competitive advantage • competitive environment • consulting • contradiction • degree of freedom • emotional level • end of career • enjoyment • favorite • germany • incremental innovation • life after sports • los angeles • michael groß • michael gross • non competers • non-competitive environment • olympic gold medal • perfect race • performance • radical innovation • recruiting • running • second life • soccer (football) • stanley cup • success • super bowl • superbowl • swimming • the albatross • track & field • track and field • types of competition • usa • walking • world cup final • world series • yoga • yoga exercises

What to do when you’re trailing late in the game, knowing that you will lose? Gretchen Rubin, author of “The Happiness Project”, recommends not letting yourself off the hook when you’re down. It’s all about dignity, self-confidence and momentum – in sports and in business.

Filed under: (american) football, baseball, soccer (football) by Johannes
No Comments » Tagged with: (american) football • bad mood • baseball • batter's box • chicago white sox • comfort • complain • concentrate • cope • deficit • deliver • determination • detroit tigers • dignity • down • express negative emotions • get yourself together • gretchen rubin • happiness • happiness mistakes • happy • let yourself off the hook • miracle • momentum • motivation • new york times bestseller • pajama • self-confidence • soccer (football) • sofa • the happiness project • treat • work load

If you’re a good pitcher but a weak batter, should you practice batting or become pitcher instead? This article discusses management coach Marcus Buckingham’s advise to “build on your strengths and manage around your weaknesses” and how to put it into practice.

Filed under: (american) football, baseball, basketball, soccer (football) by Johannes
No Comments » Tagged with: (american) football • 4th down • american league • baseball • basketball • build on your strengths • coach • continuous • defense • due diligence • first baseman • generalist • identify • marcus buckingham • national league • negotiation • offensive • personal strengths • pitch • pitcher • preference • preferences • soccer (football) • speaker • special team • specialist • tension • totaalvoetbal • twitter • usa • weakness

The Cleveland Indians offer “Lunch and 3 Innings”: Watch a game for $15 and get a $10 voucher on top. Is this a good strategy? What the Indians miss: Rebates may be important part of your pricing strategy, but how can you expect your customers to show belief in your product if you don’t?

Filed under: baseball by Johannes
No Comments » Tagged with: activating new customers • albert belle • attendance • baseball • belief in the product • charles nagy • chicago white sox • cleveland • cleveland indians • community • convenience • creativity • critical mass • demand • facebook • giffen goods • identification • jacobs field • jim thome • kenny lofton • lunch and 3 innings • lunch and three innings • manny ramirez • marketing • merchandising • metcalfe's law • mlb • offer • omar vizquel • orel hershiser • playoffs • price • price reduction • price sensitivity • pricing • progressive field • purchasing decision • rebate • rebuilding • roberto alomar • sandy alomar jr. • self-esteem • social event • tribe • value perceived • voucher • world series