Nonprofit organizations need a strong leader to be successful, much like a baseball team must have a manager who knows exactly what buttons to push to better run their ball club. In the spirit of the World Series, Entrepreneur magazine outlined tips some of the people at highest positions at nonprofit organizations can learn from managers of a baseball team for how to better run their firms. Who said Major League Baseball was strictly entertainment?

No second guessing
There have been several instances in MLB history where a manager has had to make a tough decision and it hasn't worked out according to plan. This is true of nearly every business owner and nonprofit manager. However, despite past failures, MLB managers will rarely second-guess themselves in the post-game press conference because when they made the decision, they had the utmost confidence it was in the team's best interests. Nonprofit managers should understand that all of the choices they make won't be their best, but no matter what happens at their organizations, they should portray to their staff that they have everything under control.

Follow your gut feeling
The phrase "go with your gut" has been overused throughout the years, but it couldn't ring more true when MLB managers are in a crunch and have to make a choice that could decide the game. Nonprofit managers must do the same when they are leading their staff and making the decisions that shape their organizations. Whether it be investing in business planning software to better run their budgets or purchasing staff smartphones to allow for better communication and collaboration, managers at nonprofits are faced with difficult decisions every day and it's important they always trust their gut.

Maintain a calm demeanor
Nearly every current and former MLB player will say that they rely on their managers to maintain an even keel when things are going well, or when the team could be performing better. A manager who freaks out when the players are faltering could affect the whole team and send it into a tailspin. The same goes for nonprofit managers. There are going to be months when donations and are low and the organization has a tough time staying above water, but remaining calm will help all employees focus on doing their jobs rather than unnecessarily worrying about the state of the firm.

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