Mention New York and baseball in the same breath, and almost anyone you are talking to will think Yankees. But if Omar Minaya continues to stir things up, that could soon change.

Last Tuesday evening while on business trip to New York, I took in a Mets game where I had the opportunity to spend a few minutes with Mr. Minaya, the team's General Manager. Although the reason for my visit was to ask him to present for a professional speakers' convention I am chairing, I was instantly captivated by his charisma and engaged by his stories and the way he interacted with those around him. I learned more about leadership in twenty minutes with Omar Minaya than I did from all the leadership books I've read this year.

Omar is an intense leader possessing great wit and candor, and his record-setting attendance for home games is no accident. In a city where friendly, courteous service is in short supply, it's overflowing at Shea Stadium. The ticket-takers smile and welcome you to the game as you enter the gates, and the ushers don't just point you in the direction of your seats--they walk you to them and wipe them off with a towel before you sit down. Everywhere you look, you spot orange-shirted employees who appear as proud of their job as they are of their team.

When I mentioned my observations to Omar, he wasn't surprised in the slightest. "The two most important positions in my organization are my ushers and my clubhouse attendants, Eric," he said. "One takes care of my customers and the other looks after my investment."

With pride he talked about his frequent wine and cheese functions in his private office where he rolls out the red carpet to both players and his behind-the-scenes administration and support personnel. As Omar walked me around the stadium, I got the distinct impression that there is absolutely no difference in the way he treats his hot dog vendors and his short stop, and each produces for him like they are on million-dollar contracts.

What's also important to note is that the 2007 New York Mets have five players on their roster over the age of forty making them the oldest team in the history of Major League Baseball. Led by future hall-of-famers Tom Glavine and Moises Alou, both 41, the Mets are MLB's poster of ethnic and generational diversity. Professional sports teams usually experience internal conflict when their rosters are loaded with multi-national players on both extreme ends of the age spectrum, but not this year's Mets. According to Glavine, these guys are always joking around with each other, having fun, and they are playing-and winning--like one big happy family.

"How do you get your young Gen Why players to conform to the high standards of these seasoned professionals?" I asked.

"We simply create an environment where the veterans mentor the rookies," Omar replied. "My older guys know that I rely on them to work with the younger guys and teach them how to be winners and be at their very best every single day." Obviously, the veteran leadership in the locker room is also no accident.

It truly is about creating the perfect environment for winning with no stone left unturned. And Omar isn't thinking about this year's team. With an eye to the future, Minaya is making certain his Latino prospects are taught English, and that his Anglo prospects are taught Spanish.

I'm a Colorado native and a loyal Rockies fan. But after last Tuesday's back stage tour of the goings-on at Shea Stadium, there's a part of me that's going to be pulling for the '07 Mets. I'm not alone. In fact, if Omar doesn't stop this highly unconventional style of management, before long, people who hear the words New York and baseball in the same sentence might conjure up a totally different image.

Click here for the June 18, 2007 Sports Illustrated 11-page cover story on Omar entitled The Story of O.

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Bring Your A Game...To Work! Update

The workplace values training and certification program for teenagers Eric has been working on for more than three years is currently in the 'PreLaunch' (beta test) phase. To become certified as workplace ready and prove to perspective employers they know how to bring their A Game to the job, teen participants must read a book, watch two 16-minute videos, and then pass an exam. (The book is complete, but only currently available to prelaunch partners). If you'd like a sneak peek at this new online tool, visit TheAGame.com and register using your email address and the passcode 'sneakpeak'.

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