Thursday, February 12, 2009

If you can out-prepare them, you can outperform them

Ron Shapiro, perhaps best known as Cal Ripken Jr.'s agent, is a consultant and special advisor to team owners, coaches, CEOs, and GMs.

According to this article in the Baltimore Sun, those who know him well "say Shapiro, 65, teaches them about preparing correctly...."

One of Shapiro's clients/friends is Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti, who says Shapiro has helped him refine his decision-making process.

"I always kind of prided myself on making quick decisions," Bisciotti said. "I think what Ron has taught me, really, in our personal meetings is that quick reactions are not always good reactions. I am working hard to learn how to not react to people in as controversial or adversarial a way. It's all about suppression of ego."

Shapiro also happens to be the father-in-law of new Cleveland Browns coach Eric Mangini, who says that Shapiro "has taken preparation - for a football game, a negotiation, a job interview - and turned it into a science."

According to Coach Mangini: "He has a way to prepare to prepare. He's put a process in place to make sure you're systematic."

As Shapiro puts it:

"If you can out-prepare them, you can outperform them."