“Your assignment is ready, if you want it, in a week.”

That was over a decade ago, when my life hit a crossroads. I could either take a job in a TV newsroom in the director track, or an assignment was waiting for me to become a professional umpire.

Although I chose the media track, with twists and turns, there are indelible lessons that being behind the plate taught me that also make me look at life and my work a little different than everyone else at times.

1) Do it 100%. And with confidence.

When you’re umpiring, like in life, people will constantly question your calls, even if the instant replay says you’re right. Why? They have their own agendas, and many times, criticism isn’t about you but their situation. That’s why it’s also important to “sell” the call. That doesn’t mean overdo it; it means go up, make your call, and stick behind it. Own it. It’s your call, because if you don’t, the whole ballpark will rain down on you.

2) It’s not about you. It’s about the game and everyone else.

A good or great umpire you never hear about. Umpires are, and maybe it’s my biased opinion, intrinsic to the game of baseball. Their calls keep the game moving; their pacing can make the game more fun. But if you’re talked about too much, you’re taking away from the game. That’s a humbling lesson a lot could learn in social media. In this era of “personal brands,” I so often see the “me me me” show across the blogosphere – and the people who are really making it? Actually cashing a paycheck for doing the work instead of the scheme of “here’s my kit to learn how to make zillions in social media?”

You don’t always hear about them. They may not have 25,000 Twitter followers. And if they are really active? They’re lifting others up, unselfishly.

That’s because they’re not always in front. The people who need to know who they are know them. And frankly, over the years, I’ve found companies that actually spend money usually prefer it that way. Much like in baseball, your name is on the lineup card, but if the broadcasters are talking about you after the opening lineup is read, you’ve done something wrong. They need to be talking about the game and the work of the players.

Wanna combat me with the “well such and such athlete has a sponsorship deal..?” Let’s get real. That’s maybe a couple hundred people. Unless you make millions of dollars to throw a football or a shoot a basketball, those rules do not apply to you.

3) Be consistent.

It’s said you can call any strike zone you want, as long as it’s in the same place all game. And that’s how you should be. Deliver, deliver, deliver. Every time in my life I’ve not been consistent is when I’ve gotten into trouble.

4) Make it fun.

I’d have a signature “Foul ball!” call. It made people smile and knew I was paying attention. If you’re having fun with it, in some ways, people know you’re actually involved because you know enough about what’s going on to crack a joke or two.

5) Safe is safe, out is out. Making the right call means some days a whole city hates you, and you will learn who really loves you when you come home that day.

Although the world is full of grey, safe is safe and out is out. It’s part of the allure of the game of baseball. Definition. And that definition is going to get people mad at you.

But it’s also good to remember that when you’re looking at the social graph or anything else; all of your friends may be going in one direction, and it may feel “cool” to be a part of something, but is that REALLY the space you need to be spending your time in, if you’re being a professional about this? Have you looked at the data and seen if maybe you’re leading your clients astray by having them in the “new cool thing” that actually overlaps so much with what you’re already doing it’s not worth the effort?

Are you clear on what you actually will get out of your work? Kudos are great, but don’t always pay the bills. Are you spinning your wheels in a direction that doesn’t line up with what you need to do? Or, do you need to change your model to fit with current conditions?

5.5) You can’t quit until the game is over.

One thing that irks me that I see all too often – people get the equivalent of an inning or two into a project, and then flake out. We’ve all done it at some point. But you gotta finish the game, no matter what. One of the hardest things when I first umpired – the girl I was dating at the time wanted me to go to a movie. Well, extra innings happened – and she kicked and screamed about it. Well, it turns out that my base umpire had a similar situation and left – and it was just me on the ballfield (to add insult to injury, that base umpire ended up going out with her!). I lost that girl (good riddance), because I should of just quit the game in her eyes.. but you can’t. There were 18 players, who knows how many coaches and whoever else counting on finishing the game. You can’t walk off the field. It’s a responsibility you can’t push off. Things happen. Just remember to set aside time when you’re not on the field for the ones you care about.

What did previous careers or hobbies teach you that you bring into your current occupation?

p.s. Thanks to Amber Naslund for pushing me a few weeks ago to do this post.