Every Company Needs a Captain

During Team Venezuela’s victory over Team USA in the 2026 World Baseball Classic championship game, something important happened that will never show up in the box score or be mentioned by ESPN anchors. But without that late-inning event, I believe the game may have swung in USA’s favor, so it may actually have been one of the most important factors in the outcome.

It’s something restoration leaders can do for their teams, and it makes all the difference.

Late in the game, with Venezuela up in a close, low-scoring contest, Team USA built some momentum and started putting runners on base. Venezuela’s pitcher was rattled and appeared to lose his mental edge. 

Salvador Perez, who wore the letter “C” on his uniform—not because he was their catcher, but because he was their captain—saw his teammate in trouble.

He called time out, walked to the mound on his own, and had a conversation with the pitcher. No one knows what was said and it doesn’t matter. What matters is that Perez, the experienced catcher and captain, met his teammate where he was, and through support and encouragement, guided him to where he needed to be. 

The pitcher went back to the mound, made key pitches, and got out of the jam. Momentum swung back to Venezuela, and they went on to win the championship 3–2 over heavily favored Team USA. 

People will remember USA’s two-run homer in the eighth to tie up the game and Venezuela’s go-ahead hit in the ninth to win. But it was Perez doing something as simple as providing support to a teammate in his time of need that won the game.

That’s what makes someone a captain. 

All great teams have one. Your company needs one. So I’ll ask: Is that person you?

I’ve never seen an organizational chart with someone having the title of captain. A company captain is not assigned the role. They are someone who makes the decision every day to steady and help others. Someone who chooses to protect.

Robyn Benincasa is credited with the quote, “You don’t inspire your teammates by showing them how amazing you are. You inspire them by showing them how amazing they are.” This is the best definition of a captain I’ve ever heard.

Instead of through title, company captains lead through personal responsibility. They inspire others to be the best version of themselves, and there is something really beautiful in that. That’s why they are so critical. 

Company captains tend to show up in a few consistent ways.

Be a Relief Valve

When team captain Salvador Perez walked out to the mound, he most likely didn’t tell the pitcher how to throw a baseball. Instead, he probably reminded him that he is among the best in their entire country and that he could handle the situation. He calmed the storm. He took pressure off the moment. He invested in a teammate through his trust and support.

Remind Steel That It’s Steel

Everyone has moments where doubt creeps in and emotions take over. Technicians, estimators, sales reps, and office staff don’t suddenly forget how to do their job; they get overwhelmed. That’s when a captain steps in to remind them of their strengths and of who they are. To let them know they’re trusted, capable, and valued. In baseball, they call this “trusting your stuff.” In restoration, it’s no different. Sometimes people don’t need instruction, they need to be reminded that they are steel.

Narrow the Divide

Most restoration companies are small businesses, which means limited resources and everyone does a little bit of everything. The reality is, companies have problems that may not fall within a single person’s responsibility to fix. But someone on the team is carrying the weight of them. Captains don’t ignore that. They ask, “How can I help?” Whether through support or solutions, they step in. The divide between “my job” and “our problem” is where teams break down. Captains who close that gap become the glue that holds everything together.

Praise Publicly, Privately, and Passionately

Weak praise is easy to spot. The impact of simply saying “Great job” lasts about as long as it takes to say it. Praise that expresses how what was done made someone feel hits deeper. Be specific: what they did, why it mattered, and how it affected others. It’s the effort they made that matters. Company captains can’t control the outcome, but if they catch someone trying to make a difference and recognize them for it, then praise done right is often the difference that was needed.

Stay Humble

There’s an old saying: “The older I get, the less I know.” And the truth is, it only becomes more real over time. When someone on the team does something meaningful, captains don’t just thank them, they tell them what they learned. That’s humility in action. It shows their effort mattered. And it gives them something everyone wants: to feel like they have made a difference. Everyone wants to be the hero of their own story. Let them be. Because sometimes the best way to lead is to learn.

Inspire Through Teaching

Many people teach by overloading others with information and focusing on mistakes. Captains take a different approach. They first make the other person feel heard and capable. They allow them to envision not just the who and what of the lesson but also the why. Then they let them own the process. This allows the student to adapt in the future under different circumstances, not just parrot what worked in the past.

Final Thought

At the end of the year, companies can look back at their highlights, almost like watching a SportsCenter segment. Instead of strikeouts, runs scored, and diving catches, they can recite key sales growth, margin-enhancing improvements to operational procedures, and valuable capital improvements. These show up not in the box score data but on the balance sheet.

What doesn’t appear as a line item is the company captain. The person who chose to take the coworker aside on their worst day and remind them why they are good at what they do. The person who, whether through support or solutions, steps in. A guide who sees a new employee struggling and, instead of ignoring it or making snide comments to others, spends time making them feel welcomed and valued. The person who discovers a potential pitfall outside of their job description and quietly goes about filling in the gap. Not because they had to, but because they wanted to. 

In restoration, we don’t have anyone who wears the “C” of a captain, but we all need the person in our company who assumes that responsibility. So I’ll ask again: Is that person you?

Published in C&R Magazine