I recently went one-on-one with former Major League Baseball player Ryan Lavarnway. Over his fifteen-year career, Ryan played for eight different teams, including the 2013 World Series Champion Boston Red Sox, and represented Israel internationally in both the World Baseball Classic and the Olympics. Ryan is currently a broadcaster for the Colorado Rockies.

Adam: Thanks again for taking the time to share your advice. First things first, though, I am sure readers would love to learn more about you. How did you get here? What experiences, failures, setbacks, or challenges have been most instrumental to your growth? 

Ryan: When I was 17, my whole path in baseball changed with one three-word question. I had started high school undersized and underdeveloped. Because we had a catcher in my grade who was better than me, I ended up never playing a single game in my main position on the varsity team. In my senior year, when I was feeling unconfident and unsure about my future, our coach asked who was going to hit fourth for us that year. The best hitter on the team normally hits fourth. Instinctively, I knew the answer wasn’t me. It was probably one of the eight players who were varsity carry-overs from the year before who ALL had scholarships to play in college waiting for them. But I was desperate for my coach’s attention so I raised my hand and asked, “Why not me?”

When Matt LaCour crossed his arms, cocked his head to the side, and asked me back very casually “Why not you, Ryan?” He gave me permission to question the realistic expectations I had for myself and my abilities. He allowed me to break through the self-imposed limitations I had set based on my self-doubt. 

For the next months and years of my career whenever I found myself questioning my abilities, comparing myself to others, or nervous about performing under pressure, I heard his voice echo in my head questioning all perceived limitations, “Why not you?”

Adam: What are the best lessons you’ve learned from your time in the minors, in the majors, and playing internationally? 

Ryan: Whether you are put in a position to succeed or in a position to fail, succeed anyway. The back of a baseball card does not lie, and no one asks for context when they see your stat line. 

So much of baseball is rhythm and timing. Oftentimes, I would be playing great in the minor leagues and the starting lineup every day. I was hitting in the middle of the order, comfortable and confident with my role on the team. Then, I would be called up to the Majors and thrust into a different role as a back-up catcher where I played only once or twice a week. Regardless of whether I was feeling comfortable, confident or in rhythm, my results mattered all the same.

There is a lot to be said for “trusting the process”, but in the Major Leagues, there is a sense of urgency and a need to win games right now. It is the best league in the world and most players only get one opportunity to prove they are good enough to be there; whether they are ready when that opportunity comes or not. 

Adam: What is the most surprising thing about life in the majors? What is something that would shock fans?

Ryan: It’s easy to forget as a player that professional baseball is a business. As a player, you are an asset. The team is trying to win games and ultimately championships. If you are not going to help them do that, then you are no longer valuable, and they will discard you. It is not personal, it just is what it is. 

Once I understood that, it was easier to understand and accept some of the moves that were made, and it became an even bigger priority of mine to make sure that I was as valuable of an asset as possible!

Adam: Who is the best teammate you ever had and why? What are the characteristics of a great teammate? 

Ryan: I’ve been lucky enough to have a ton of excellent teammates. I’d like to highlight three guys who took on player leadership in different ways on our World Series-winning Red Sox team in 2013. 

First, Ryan Dempster was a leader because he kept the atmosphere light. He was always joking around and keeping a smile on everybody’s face. He didn’t take himself too seriously, but you knew that when it was his time to perform, he took his job seriously.

Second, Dustin Pedroia was a leader because he shouldered responsibility and held himself and everybody else to an extremely high standard. I’ll never forget a conversation we had in the dugout during my first month in the Majors. He told me not to worry too much about my performance right away. “Me, David, and the other veteran guys are going to win games for us. You just be you. Anything you add is just the cherry on top.”

Last but not least, David Ortiz was a leader because you knew what you could count on him for. He was the best player, detail-oriented in his work, a fierce competitor on the field, and he exuded enough confidence and swagger to be contagious for everyone.

Adam: Who are the greatest leaders you have played for and with and why? What did you learn from them? 

Ryan: I played for almost a dozen managers in the big leagues, and by far my favorite two were Buck Showalter and Terry Francona. Both of these men made every player feel like they mattered and were an important part of the team. 

One example is when I got called up to the Major Leagues with the Cleveland Indians in 2021. Terry Francona was the manager of that team. I was nearing the end of my career, and I knew it. I wasn’t quite as good as I had been when I made my debut a decade earlier. When I walked into his office on my first day with the team, he shared a vote the coaching staff had had the day before that led to my call-up. He said to me, “Ryan, when we needed a catcher for today, we had the option to either trade for an all-star catcher with the Tigers or call you up. The coaching staff voted unanimously to call you up because of the way you’re playing, leading the team, and handling yourself in AAA.”

He didn’t have to tell me that. The meeting he mentioned happened behind closed doors and would have never been made public, but when he told me that, I felt immediately welcomed and confident. He pointed out my performance, my leadership, and me as a person which made me feel like I was good enough. I believe all good leaders should instill that kind of positivity into their people. Because of it, I have always played my best baseball for him.

Adam: What do you believe are the defining qualities of a great leader? How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the next level? 

Ryan: To me, great leaders remind you about both the big picture and the small details. Great leaders help you see what makes you special and valuable, while also helping you aspire to bigger goals that you might’ve never thought possible. 

In baseball, there is a duality between the marathon of playing 162 games and being able to focus on the 0.4 seconds when the pitch is delivered. You want to keep the goal in mind but only focus on the thing you can control.

Adam: What are your three best tips applicable to leaders at all levels? 

Ryan: Never underestimate the power you have to be influential. I can point to turning point conversations in my career with a two-time State Coach of the Year, with a Volunteer Assistant Hitting Coach, and with a teammate. It didn’t matter their title or experience level, their conversations left a mark on me and my career. The same message delivered through a different person is received differently. Connecting with someone in a unique way is powerful.

Also, don’t underestimate the power of the truth. So far in this interview, I have talked about leadership as a positive force. How I was inspired and made to feel confident. However, when it is appropriate and you have earned trust, the hard truth is just as important. When I was in single-A, I was not playing as much as I wanted to, and I approached our manager on the verge of tears. I felt like my career was stalling before it even really got started and he told me, “You’re not good enough. If I put you in there on certain days you will get exposed.” 

I needed to hear that. He was also willing to put in extra one-on-one work with me every day for the rest of that season to help me get better. 

Adam: What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received? 

Ryan: “Being an honest self-evaluator doesn’t always serve you. Sometimes you have to be just bold enough to think you’re better than you are.” - Terry Francona. He then went on to say “The Major Leagues is the best league in the world. If everybody were honest with themselves, nobody would think they were good enough to be here.”

What you consider to be realistic expectations are actually serving as self-imposed limitations. That’s what I hear when I think back to that conversation. Be bold. Question every limitation you come across. And as a leader, help your people do the same.


Adam Mendler is an entrepreneur, writer, speaker, educator, and nationally-recognized authority on leadership. Adam is the creator and host of the business and leadership podcast Thirty Minute Mentors, where he goes one on one with America's most successful people - Fortune 500 CEOs, founders of household name companies, Hall of Fame and Olympic gold medal-winning athletes, political and military leaders - for intimate half-hour conversations each week. A top leadership speaker, Adam draws upon his insights building and leading businesses and interviewing hundreds of America's top leaders as a top keynote speaker to businesses, universities, and non-profit organizations. Adam has written extensively on leadership and related topics, having authored over 70 articles published in major media outlets including Forbes, Inc. and HuffPost, and has conducted more than 500 one on one interviews with America’s top leaders through his collective media projects. Adam teaches graduate-level courses on leadership at UCLA and is an advisor to numerous companies and leaders. A Los Angeles native, Adam is a lifelong Angels fan and an avid backgammon player.

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