The Los Angeles Dodgers entered this year’s National League Championship Series as reigning back-to-back World Series champions. With a stellar roster and reported payroll of roughly $338 million, they were poised to win a historic third consecutive title. The Milwaukee Brewers, with a reported $143.5 million payroll and no titles, swept them in four games.
In Game three, after grinding through an 11-pitch at-bat against Blake Snell, Jake Bauers hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning and flipped a 2–1 Dodgers lead into a 3–2 Brewers advantage, paving the way for a 6-2 win. In Game four, he sparked another comeback going 1-for-3 with a two-run double, a bases-loaded walk, three RBIs, and a strikeout, earning him the series MVP award.
Astonishingly, Bauers only hit .199 in 2024, and he considered quitting baseball. He only stuck with it because his wife was pregnant and he needed the health insurance. In a post-game interview, reporters asked Bauers what changed for him and the team. His answers provide four lessons founders should adopt immediately.
1. Stop flying to your own funeral.
Bauers said the biggest change was belief. On last year’s trip to LA, the team realized they were “flying to their own funeral.” This year, the team knew they could win.
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On The Knowledge Project podcast, Zynga founder Mark Pincus describes a similar distinction for founders. He explains that playing “not to lose” doesn’t cut it. “If you’re starting with what if everything goes wrong, you’re playing defense and you’ve lost before you’re even out of the gates.”
In an interview with the Financial Times, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky explained that “the psychology of the leader often becomes the psychology of the organization.” Genuine, reality-rooted optimism creates the organizational conditions needed to win.
Founders shouldn’t dim belief or lower expectations after a bad quarter, a failed launch, or a punch-to-the-gut competitor’s press release. Even when they were down, the Brewers had unshakeable belief they could win and stayed hungry for victory. Create the conditions that allow your team to feel and do the same.