In what’s perhaps most likely just an attempt to spur a conversation and sell some magazines, Forbes named Theo Epstein the World’s Greatest Leader. Epstein ranked higher than some of the other wannabe leaders (losers, the current president of the United States might call them) on the list like Angela Merkel, Pope Francis, and Joe Biden.And really, who can argue? He’s the only man alive to build a Cubs World Series Championship team. Do you know how many living German Chancellors and U.S. Vice Presidents there are? There’s even a living former pope!But there’s only one Theo.So, if he’s the World’s Greatest Leader, then we should just go ahead and make him the world’s most powerful man. Put him in the Oval Office. Wouldn’t we rather have the World’s Greatest Leader running things than a thin-skinned, second-rate reality star with a Twitter addiction?And if we pull some examples from Theo’s career with the Cubs and the Red Sox, we might just get some clues about life in Theo’s America.--We would take climate change seriously. Part of Theo’s success from the beginning has been his heavy reliance on data-driven analysis. He finds ways to measure things and then he uses that data to quantify the value of certain things. So instead of listening to climate change deniers driven by political agendas and the endless pursuit of wealth, Theo would follow the data and implement rigid environmental policies designed to protect the environment and limit the impact of climate change.--We’d have a leaner, more versatile, modern military. Theo became general manager of the Red Sox when he was 28 years old. Then he implemented an approach that moved away from the tired, traditional ways of player evaluation. And it’s no secret that he likes players who can play more than one position.Do we really need 3,476 tactical aircraft? How about 2,831 tanks or 450 intercontinental ballistic missile launchers? I don’t know. But those all sound like ways to win wars we’ve already fought, not wars that we’ll face in the future. No doubt Theo will find weapons that can do more than one thing well, and lock them in at a bargain price, and then cut them loose when they get too old and offer diminishing returns.--He’ll have a competent cabinet. Sorry, Betsy DeVos, Rick Perry, and countless others. In Theo’s administration people running the various government agencies will have a wealth of knowledge about the agency they’re running. And if a better option comes along, Theo’s not afraid to make a change. Just ask Rick Renteria.--He’ll invest heavily in preschool education. Numerous studies have found that the best way to improve education in America is to invest heavily in universal preschool. Start educating when kids are young so they have something to build off of. Just like Theo did with the Cubs minor league system. Kris Bryant, Javy Baez, Kyle Schwarber. They’re all products of the Cubs minor league system version of Head Start.--He’ll put a premium on high-character people. One of the first things he did when he came to the Cubs was to dig into a player’s makeup by talking to just about anyone who knew the player. He wanted to know how he faced adversity, how he acted when no one was looking, and how he treats people who he doesn’t have to treat well. Character is important. Sorry Michael Flynn, Paul Manafort, and Steve Bannon. No room for you in Theo’s White House.--He will repair the country’s crumbling infrastructure. When Theo came to town the Cubs had just put up nets to catch crumbling concrete at Wrigley Field. Half-a-billion dollars later the park has been remade, the players have a new state-of-the-art locker room, there are all sorts of new luxuries around the park. It’ll probably be a good time to be a civil engineer.--He’ll restore hope in America. President Obama came to office on a wave of hope. That seems long gone now, and the current president came into office because so many people lack hope. But who has restored more hope in recent years than Theo Epstein? From losing 101 games in 2012, to winning the World Series in 2016, Theo turned things around, in what just happens to be the length of a presidential term.In Tom Verducci’s book, The Cubs Way, Theo says, “When people do things they weren’t even capable of, I think it comes back to connection .… I think it’s a human need—the need to feel connected. We don’t live in isolation.”What could be more beneficial than restoring the feeling that we’re all in this together, and that we can do things we didn’t think we were capable of?Perhaps Forbes is right.Theo 2020.Wasn't that well-written and fun to read? You should subscribe to my blog and we'll send you an e-mail every time I write a new one. Type your email address in the box and click the "create subscription" button. My list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time.
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