"The Matheny Manifesto" is a very insightful book by St. Louis Cardinal manager Mike Matheny and co-author Jerry B. Jenkins.
If you are interested in good character, or baseball at any level, or young people, or personal growth, you will want to read it for yourself.
Matheny shared his experiences and what he believes, allowing readers to see deeply into what he is about.
Here are some important items that I gleaned from the book:
Matheny believes strongly that we must help young people build good character, leadership and maturity. He wrote, "... they can all become better men and women if we can instill in them values they can apply in the workplace, in their homes and families, and in their communities." His message was not simply theoretical; he put it in to action when he began coaching a youth baseball team in 2008. The youngsters were given responsibilities that extended beyond the field of play. As a team they got involved in service projects with the community and during games, even those on the bench were given jobs to keep them engaged.
He dealt with faith and life, candidly telling of his own Christian experience. For individuals who grew up going to church, Matheny wrote, they have to at some point determine if they simply inherited some beliefs from their parents of if they have accepted beliefs for themselves. He also talked about how life isn't fair and that sometimes in the midst of difficulties we find times to talk about faith. It is at those moments that he will talk with another person about his own relationship with God.
We learn from our failures. Most of us understand we can learn more from failures than from successes, and Matheny said we need to help our children learn how to work their way through adversity as well, letting them do it on their own if necessary. Sometimes, he said, "we need to step aside and let them fail, and then be quick to help redirect their efforts." He later added, "the lessons learned by striving to improve and achieve will be skills they can use the rest of their lives."
It is best to approach life with gratefulness and in an appreciative manner. After Matheny wrote of his own setbacks, he said he wouldn't trade his own journey for anything. "I'm grateful for every obstacle," he wrote, "because everything I've been through has shaped me in some way."
It is important to have a group of friends you can count on for encouragement, support, growth and guidance. He wrote that he keeps in touch with a few friends regularly and that they share ideas and resources on how they can help each other work their way through life. He also wrote that he is glad to pass on what he has learned, whether he is coaching professional players or whether he is counseling a personal friend.
He concluded his book by writing, "All I want to do is keep learning and growing and helping others do the same."
That philosophy is a good one to have, and Matheny's book is a good one to read. I'll be thinking of both this summer, every time I see Matheny work with Cardinal players in the dugout.
David Wilson, EdD, is the associate principal at Jefferson City High School. You may e-mail him at [email protected].