There are 30 Major League Baseball teams. Bill DeWitt III runs one of the most storied. The St. Louis Cardinals have won 11 World Series championships. Generations of families have grown up wearing the birds on the bat. Bill's office had photos given to him personally by President Obama and President Bush. And for nearly three decades, the DeWitt family has poured its heart and soul into the organization.

You feel that before you ever sit down with Bill.

When I walked into the lobby, a fan walked out after spending over $2,000 on Cardinals merchandise. Courtney at the front desk told me she'd been there three years. D'Amber had been there five. Julie, who assists Cardinals leadership, has been there for 30. Thirty years. Employee tenure doesn't tell you everything about an organization. But it tells you something.

Four things I'll remember from our conversation:

1. People are more than "the guy."

I asked Bill what people misunderstand about him. He corrected the premise. Not a misperception, he said. An incomplete perception. People see the baseball guy. And obviously, he is the baseball guy. But he's also a painter. He plays hockey. He's a father of three. I told him I was realizing, sitting across from him, how unique he actually was. He smiled like someone who doesn't need you to notice, but appreciates it when you do. It's a good reminder — the people around you are always more than the part of them you happen to know.

2. Take the emotion out of the argument.

Bill told me one of his greatest strengths as a leader is being a mediator — getting to the core of a conflict and taking enough emotion out of the argument that the actual problem can be solved. Not a bad skill when you're responsible for 400 people.



3. Respond to people.

I asked him what habit he is actively practicing. Responding to people. Bill makes it a habit — maybe not immediately, but he will respond. In a world where most people disappear into silence after you reach out, that simple commitment to getting back to someone says something about character. I've never understood how people don't respond. Bill laughed and said, "Exactly — even if it's just a no."

4. How do you buy a sports team?

I had to ask. Bill's answer was straightforward: "Make a lot of money."

He also happens to be Catholic. His wife started a candle company — SAINT Candles — beautifully crafted and genuinely worth your time. I walked out of his office with a St. Jude candle. Patron saint of impossible causes.

Seems fitting.

I told Bill before I left — on the days when the work is heavy and the dragons are many — remember that you are one in thirty. There are only thirty people in the world who get to do what you do.