Fortune magazine on Thursday published its fourth annual ranking of the “World’s Greatest Leaders,” and it features some usual suspects: Pope Francis, Melinda Gates, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, etc.
But none of those luminaries earned the No. 1 spot. That honor instead belonged to Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein.
That’s right: A baseball executive beat out high-ranking CEOs, presidents of foreign countries and the leader of Catholic Church.
To Epstein’s credit, he accomplished a lot in 2016. The former Boston Red Sox general manager completed his incredible rebuild of the Cubs, bringing a World Series title to Chicago’s North Side for the first time since 1908.
But apparently Epstein was as surprised as everyone else at earning the distinction. When asked about being named the “World’s Greatest Leader,” the 43-year-old executive gave an answer for the ages.
“Um, I can’t even get my dog to stop peeing in the house, ” Epstein wrote in a text to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney. “That is ridiculous. The whole thing is patently ridiculous. It’s baseball — a pastime involving a lot of chance. If (Cubs outfielder Ben) Zobrist’s ball is three inches farther off the line, I’m on the hot seat for a failed five-year plan. And I’m not even the best leader in our organization; our players are.”
Spoken like a true leader.
Epstein wasn’t the only sports figure to make Fortune’s list, as Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James came in at No. 11. Alabama coach Nick Saban and Golden State Warriors point guard-coach tandem Stephen Curry and Steve Kerr cracked Fortune’s list last year, too, so the sports world isn’t new to the magazine’s rankings.
But Epstein’s No. 1 ranking literally can’t be topped — and neither can his reaction to the news.
Thumbnail photo via Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports Images
