Welcome to How Leaders Lead where every week you get to listen in while I interview some of the very best leaders in the world.

I break down the key learning so that by the end of the episode, you'll have something simple that you can apply as you develop into a better leader.

That's what this podcast is all about.

Today's guest is Rob Manfred, the commissioner of

Major League Baseball. Have you ever been in one of those situations where you had to make a tough call?

And you know that no matter what you choose, someone's just not going to be happy. What are you

supposed to do in those moments? Well,

Rob Manfred is no stranger to this dilemma. Each and every day, he has to manage relationships

with 30 team owners, the players, the fans, the union. What you're going to hear in this conversation

is how Rob finds common ground to keep

moving forward. Finding common ground is not always easy, but it's a skill that I've found in so

many of the leaders I respect. Baseball fan or not, I know there's a lot for you to learn about

leadership from today's conversation. So let's get right to it.

Here's my conversation with my friend and soon to be yours, Rob Manfred.

Rob, I got to tell you, I'm blown away.

You know, as a commissioner, your signature is on every baseball. What was it like the first

time you saw your signature on the ball? I was elected in Baltimore. In the summer 2014, I came back,

and the very first thing that happened that morning was someone from our licensing group showed up

with a bunch of index cards telling me I had to sign these

cards, pick a signature, and get it to Rawling so they could start making baseballs.

And it was kind of the moment when it hit me that, you know, I actually did get elected.

You know, it was a very strange thing. And then, you know, you get prototypes. They send you an example of what's going to look like. It was kind of neat. I had a chance to give that very first baseball to my father before he passed away. So the signature thing means a lot to me. Oh, absolutely. That's a great story. And I'm glad you were able to do that. I'm sure your dad was so proud of you.

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