The Servant Leader
With the 44th selection in the 2002 Major League Baseball draft, the Cincinnati Reds selected a left-handed hitting first baseman out of Richview Collegiate Institute in Toronto, Ontario. The second round pick was committed to attend Coastal Carolina University before agreeing to head into professional baseball in the Cincinnati Reds organization.
After five years in the minor league system, Joey Votto made his debut on September 4, 2007, against the New York Mets. He finished the 2007 season with the major league club before fully joining the team in the following season as he split time with a journeyman first-basemen named Scott Hatteberg. In his first full season as a major league baseball player in 2008, Votto finished second in the National League in the Rookie of the Year voting. His career started fast and furious. He quickly emerged as one of the most advanced hitters in the game while playing great defense for the Reds at first base.
In 2010, he turned in his best season of his long, prosperous career. He led the league in many offensive categories and helped the Reds advance to the postseason for the first time in fifteen years. He was named the National League Most Valuable player nearly unanimously. Joey Votto firmly established himself as one of the best hitters in all of baseball at that time.
Votto’s 2010 campaign proved to be so influential on the field that in 2012, with his contract expiring in just two years, the Cincinnati Reds offered him a contract extension of 10 years worth $225 million dollars. The total value of his contract would be 12 years and $251.5 million dollars. The small market, Cincinnati Reds are rarely associated with luxurious, long-term contracts for their top players. In most cases, a player of Joey Votto’s caliber would exit Cincinnati via trade or free-agency as their contract neared the conclusion.
In the case of Joey Votto, the Reds went counter to their typical model. They elected to invest heavily in the 6’2” first baseman from the north. The investment at the time seemed beyond reasonable. For one, Votto was a great defender at first base. Another positive, what Votto was especially known as a hitter who could work quality at-bats and manage the strike zone. Votto was highly skilled in finding a way on base - a quality many believed would be maintained later in his career. Unlike players who built their game on just power or speed, Votto brought a unique skill many scouts and baseball associates felt would still provide value on the field well into his later years of his career. He seemed to be the perfect strategic investment for the Reds for a prosperous future.
At the age of 37 years old at the time of this writing, Joey Votto still has a few years remaining on his contract. With a few years left in his playing career, Votto has already done enough to be considered as one of the greatest of all time. He will be in consideration for the Baseball Hall of Fame when he retires. He won an MVP award once in 2010, while also finishing runner-up in 2017. He has been named an MLB all-star six times in his career and has won a gold-glove for above standard defense once in his career. He is a recipient of the Hank Aaron Award given to just one hitter in the league each year. For the duration of his time in Cincinnati he has been a player fans flocked to see.
It would be a fair assumption to believe out of all his accolades, Joey Votto is most proud of his Most Valuable Player award in 2010. It is an award bestowed upon, just one player in each respective league. It is an award that cements a player’s legacy. However, in a recent interview, Votto explained the MVP player award is not in a category of it’s own in terms of honors valued.
There is another object soon to join Votto’s trophy case alongside his MVP award. It is a Reds Clubhouse staff shirt. A shirt only given to two players, the first being former Red Bronson Arroyo, the second belongs to Joey Votto. One could argue it’s more rare than an MVP award, those are given out every year. The Reds Clubhouse staff shirt has only been given out to two players ever.
The criteria is strict. You have to be on the Reds roster for 10 or more years. But most importantly, you have to do the work of a clubhouse attendant to get the shirt. In a recent interview clip that can be found HERE, Votto reveals that for the duration of his career, on every Sunday home game he has joined the Reds clubhouse staff in cleaning the cleats of every Reds player. Without meaning to, Votto also reveals he may be one of the greatest leaders the sport has ever seen.
Servant Leadership
Being a great athlete does not make Joey Votto a great leader. There may be some transferable skills from being a great hitter that help Joey Votto in his leadership, but the reality is leading and hitting are entirely separate pursuits. Leading is a separate endeavor on it’s own. A sales background doesn’t make some a great sales leader. A medical background doesn’t make someone a great leader. A PhD doesn’t make someone a great leader. Books on the shelf mean nothing in leadership acumen. A great playing career doesn’t make someone a great leader. We often spend the bulk of our days pursuing mastery over our craft, but rarely pursue mastery over leadership. The evidence of leadership mastery is a servant’s heart.
A Leader’s Ego
Baseball cleats get dirty. It is grunt work to clean baseball shoes to say the least. Cleaning the shoes of athletes is not typically the type of work assigned to the MVP of the league. But for over a decade, Votto has chased the work. It’s not something he was asked to do. It’s something he asked if he could do. He is a superstar in the league, and undoubtedly the most revered player in the Reds organization for over a decade, yet he could be found cleaning the shoes of his teammates once a week. Votto displays the humility needed to be a transformational leader. He has his ego fully in check, operating in an airspace of leadership, few superstars are able to get to. He understands this basic leadership truth - if you are too big to serve, you are too small to lead. A big ego will never lead with longevity.
Leadership Economy
Joey Votto is one of the greatest players in the game, yet once a week he serves his teammates. He has earned over $250 million in his career as a professional baseball player, yet once a week he grabs a brush and a bucket of soapy water alongside hourly workers. Votto demonstrates a powerful understanding of what makes someone a leader. If you want to generate leadership capital, then take on the posture of a servant. To be wealthy in leadership capital, it takes serving rather than being served. A leader who fully understands leadership economy rushes to serve instead of rushing to be served. They rush to provide value instead of rushing to just be viewed as valuable. An authentic leader doesn't get wrapped up in accolades, they get wrapped up in serving their team.
Stay The Course,
JB
Book of the week: Circle Maker by Mark Batterson
Podcast episode of the week: How To Add Value Wherever You Are - Jack Easterby on the Jon Gordon Podcast
Article of the week: The World Record Servant - Claus Henning Schulke
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