In all of my years working in baseball and coaching, there was one constant question that came across my mind, what is the true definition of a leader? For decades, many people have tried to define leadership and the traits that make an individual a leader. The biggest realization I came to is that leadership comes in various shapes, sizes, traits, etc. It is hard to say that one specific trait makes a leader. A great example of leadership coming in different forms dates back to my days working with the Kansas City Royals. Two players provided different traits of leadership in the clubhouse, Alex Gordon and Salvador Perez.
Alex Gordon – The Quiet Rock
Alex Gordon spent 14 years with the Kansas City Royals organization. The Royals organization was full of potential leaders, but during his career, Gordon remained its quiet rock. Every single day you knew who was manning left field. One of the most resilient players to ever step on a field, Gordon faced every struggle imaginable. Early on in his career, Gordon went up and down between the majors and minors, struggling to develop consistent success in the major leagues. But he never gave up. Originally drafted as a 3B, he switched positions to the OF. He spent 2 months working with Royals coaches to learn the new position and took on the challenge not knowing what the outcome would be.
The result was turning himself into an 8x gold glove left fielder. Even though Gordon was never outspoken or the center of attention, young players gravitated towards Gordon in the clubhouse because of his success, hard work ethic, and ability to just lead by example. He was a constant illustration to younger players that you are here for a reason. Don’t stop believing in yourself. He set an example that if you are disciplined, you stick to the routines that help get you where you are, and you are relentless in your path to achieve your goals, you can accomplish anything. Even later in his career when he struggled with the bat, he never gave up his routines. He won 4 more gold gloves, and just persisted until his offense turned itself around. He is the prime example that actions speak louder than words. Even in leadership. You don’t have to be vocal to lead, you just have to show people you’re a leader by the way you carry yourself day in and day out.
Salvador Perez – The Backbone
Salvador Perez is in his 10th year as a catcher for the Kansas City Royals. He carries some of the same traits in terms of leadership that Alex Gordon does, but he also differs in many ways. He has long been considered the leader, undisputed backbone of the team, and its heart and soul. Not just for his competitiveness and hard work on the field, but how he takes every single young player under his wing. He has a more fun-loving attitude and players gravitate towards him because of his openness and communication with younger players.
His intensity, outgoingness, ability to play every single day and put the team on his back, the time he takes to mold and works with young pitchers is what makes Perez a leader. He brings a presence to the clubhouse every single day that makes you feel like the Royals clubhouse would be lost without him. When it was announced that Salvador Perez had to miss the entire season in 2019 for Tommy John surgery, the entire team felt like they had been punched in the gut. Perez has been the guy who even during the terrible times when the team was struggling, helped his teammates smile and made sure no one was giving up on their hard work ethic even though the results aren’t there. That is what a leader can do, motivate the team to keep pushing forward through positivity and fun and helps the team stay together and support each other.
Leadership in Different Shapes and Sizes
Many traits define a leader, but not every leader is the same. A leader will put the effort in to not only put themselves in a position to win but their team and everyone else around them. They help guide everyone through the good times and the bad times. There isn’t a set definition of how to do this and a leader can bring so many different traits to the table. Figuring out what type of leader you want to be is the first step. Do you want to lead by example and hard work ethic? Do you want to be the one everyone rally’s around? Never feel like your personality doesn’t fit the mold of a leader. You can be a leader in so many different ways.
