An article I read about a year ago came to mind as a result of a situation that occurred at work this week.

Although some of you may already have read this article, I think it sends a powerful message and worth sharing.

"A brand-new Little League baseball coach called a friend for advice. The friend who had coached everything from soccer to track with his kids, told him, "I always started by numbering the bases."

The new coach was surprised. "What do you mean?"

The friend explained that the first year he coached Little League, he laid out the bases and had the kids line up. "To warm up, let's have everybody jog around the base path. The first four kids took off towards third."

"Ever since," he said, "I've numbered the bases and explained that you have to run them in order. You'd be amazed at the number of kids who go from first to third by cutting across the pitcher's mound."

The moral: Never assume people know what's obvious to you. Explain what they need to know.

This concept certainly is not relevant only to baseball, but to all aspects of our lives. It certainly was applicable to the situation at work.