Welcome to Unlocking Greatness.  If you are a sports fan, you don’t want to miss this, I had the opportunity to sit down with Joel Mael, Vice Chairman of the Miami Marlins. Joel shares insights on being able to grow a company under the scrutiny of the public eye and staying focused against opposition and criticism. He shares his opinions about the value of natural talent, hard work and being passionate about what you do; and shares insight on what it takes to be a major league athlete and successful franchise.

SHOW NOTES:

• Seeing the world through the eyes of the Vice Chairman of the Miami Marlins (2:20)
• Running a sports team as a business (3:57)
• Knowing when to listen to the public opinion (5:47)
• Experience, statistics and trusting your “Gut” When making decisions (10:14)
• Running a business and making mistakes in public eye (14:43)
• Dealing with bad press on a personal and professional level (21:09)
• Negativity and dealing with haters (24:57)
• The process of finding talent (28:38)
• The value of teamwork (45:05)
• The typical day in the life for baseball players (51:58)
• The importance of good customer service (56:13)

JOEL’S BIO:
Mael was born in Montreal, Canada, and raised in Brookline, Mass. He earned a B.A. in Economics from Yeshiva College and an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1981. Following his graduation from business school in 1981, Mael spent 10 years in Drexel Burnham’s Corporate Finance department, rose to the Managing Director level and was a member of the department’s executive committee. At Drexel, he was involved in over $5 billion of financings and numerous M&A and LBO transactions. Mael co-founded the investment and merchant banking firm Tallwood Associates in 1990. The New York City firm has completed over 100 transactions/investments since its inception. Mael continues to serve as one of the managing members on many of the firm’s investments. The 2015 season marks Joel A. Mael’s 14th as Vice-Chairman of the Miami Marlins, a position he was named to in February of 2002. Prior to joining the Marlins, Mael worked closely for three years with the Montreal Expos organization as a financial advisor. His business relationship with owner Jeffrey Loria dates back over 24 years, and he continues to advise ownership and management on a myriad of issues.

Mael serves on the board of directors of Yeshiva College and other various charitable institutions. Mael, 58, and his wife, Lynn, have four children: Ayelet, Jonathan, Daniella and Aviva.

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