- Alex Rodriguez admitted he uses tactics inspired by the late George Steinbrenner to run A-Rod Corp.
- Rodriguez played seven seasons for Steinbrenner's Yankees before the owner's death in 2010.
- Accountability and team-first thinking are among the tactics Rodriguez borrows from Steinbrenner.
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Former New York Yankees All-Star Alex Rodriguez admitted he borrows leadership tactics to run his investment firm, A-Rod Corp, from the late George Steinbrenner – who owned the Yankees from 1973 until he died in 2010.
During an appearance on CNBC's "Make It," Rodriguez revealed that his company didn't lay off a single employee or reduce pay during the COVID-19 pandemic. He credited Steinbrenner's example for the strategies it took to ensure the company protected its employees despite the economic turbulence.
"The greatest boss I ever had was George Steinbrenner, and he told me the three most important things to winning are a team, team, and team," Rodriguez told CNBC. "He was always there, and he was always visible, and he was always leading by example."
Rodriguez started A-Rod Corp in 1996 – just two years into his playing career. Since 2003, the company has built a diverse investment portfolio in the technology, real estate, wellness, and entertainment industries. The company has helped make Rodriguez the wealthiest baseball player, current or former, with a net worth of $350 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
For Rodriguez, applying Steinbrenner's communication tactics has been vital in achieving that success.
"One of the things that I found from being in New York that is very valuable is accountability. The office and the Steinbrenners always made you be accountable for your actions. That's what I try to do at [A-Rod Corp]," Rodriguez said.
"I think that if you go around the room and verbalize what the goals are, you have a higher probability of actually following through because you're basically putting your neck on the line and saying, 'hey, these are the three things I want to do.' A week from now, we're going to be sitting here. I'm going to ask you, how did you do?"
Former Yankees captain Derek Jeter, who won a World Series with Rodriguez in 2009, is currently the CEO of The Miami Marlins and has also said he tries to mimic Steinbrenner's leadership style. Jeter even noted in 2017 that he wants to be "the next Steinbrenner" as an owner of the Marlins.'
Before buying the Yankees, Steinbrenner was a CEO himself, running a ship-building company in Tampa Bay, Florida called American Ship Building. Steinbrenner applied his business prowess to grow the Yankees from a $10 million investment in 1073 to a $1.6 billion brand by the time of his death in 2010.
"Surround yourself with amazingly intelligent men and women. The people I work with not only are smarter than I am, possessing both intellectual and emotional intelligence, but also share my determination to succeed. I will not make an important decision without them," Steinbrenner said in a radio interview in 1999.
Rodriguez only played for the Yankees from 2004-16, only seeing the latter-half of Steinbrenner's tenure as owner. By that point, Steinbrenner already had six World Series championships under his belt as the owner of the most valuable organization in sports.
That experience has rubbed off on Rodriguez and Jeter in a way now manifesting in industries inside and outside of baseball.