As a lifelong fan of the New York Mets, I am as surprised as anyone to look to them for exemplary leadership advice. The Mets are the perennial underdogs, even with the second-highest payroll in MLB. And, sure, they are in first place now, but Mets fans are conditioned to wait for that other shoe — and their place in the standings — to drop.
But last year, something happened to change the script. The Mets had an abysmal April and May in 2024. The first half of June was not much better for the team, which was in fourth place in their division. However, from that midpoint in June, the team jelled and wound up crushing the rest of the season, finishing just one game shy of getting into the World Series.
They picked up in 2025 right where they left off and have been playing well so far this season (yes, I am knocking on wood while throwing salt over my shoulder as I type this). [Editor’s note: After this was published, the Mets hit a rough patch that I naturally believe was due to this story seeing print.]
While there are plenty of reasons the team was able to turn it around, much of the credit is being given to the team’s all-star shortstop, Francisco Lindor. Lindor has been with the team since 2021 and has a long-term contract. At the lowest point last season, he and a few other teammates held a post-game meeting, and from then on, they were off to the races.
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The New York Times sports section, The Athletic, recently ran a story about how, after every three- or four-game series the team plays, Lindor walks around the locker room and speaks to every team member. Some conversations are brief, some are longer — whatever the teammate needs. It could be a simple “nice job,” or advice on how to better handle what happened on the field that day.
The article interviewed several of Lindor’s teammates, who were all more than willing to talk about their conversations. It also covered how surprised they were when he first started doing it because no one else ever had — not on the Mets or on any of their previous teams.
“It goes a long way in making people feel welcome,” [Mets pitcher Sean] Manaea said. “I’ve never seen it before. I can’t think of anyone I’ve played with that would do something like that. It’s very unique, special.”
Mets reliever Ryne Stanek’s quote spelled out the impact of Lindor’s post-game visits. “You can’t fake that over the course of time,” Stanek said. “There are some leaders out there, or people who are considered leaders, who may do something on occasion.
“Leadership is consistency. It’s the day-to-day of it. Whether he had a good day or a bad day, it’s the same s— every day. That, to me, is genuine. Because at some point, it would get exhausting to fake that. It would feel forced. It’s like, there’s no way you’re doing this unless it wasn’t in you. There has to be realness.”
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Lindor has not been named Captain of the team — the Mets do not have one currently — so this isn’t necessarily part of his job description. It is something he took on himself.
Of course, this is only one portion of the Mets’ success (so far) this season, but, clearly, it has been effective. Would a post-project meeting with each team member have the same effect on your organization?
Only one way to find out…
