John Schuerholz at a SABR awards luncheon in 2010 (Wikipedia)

Several years ago, I had the privilege of sitting next to a fellow named Jeff Cox on a flight from Chicago to Phoenix. At the time he was the third base coach for the Chicago White Sox Major League Baseball team. For much of the flight, we traded baseball stories laughed. Then I asked him what it was like to deal with all the large and delicate egos that seem to be so common in professional sports. At this point, he shared a piece of wisdom he received many years earlier from his mentor, John Schuerholz, who is currently the president of the Atlanta Braves. The wisdom is in the form of a poem:

I and me are words oft used,
By people who are themselves confused.
Why can’t these super egos trust,
The use of words like we and us.

Understanding this nugget of wisdom is the key to getting along with just about everyone.