Say What You Need to Say

Rob Naddelman: Through a Parent’s Eyes

The contemporary rock singer and song writer John Mayer has a popular song entitled “Say” where he encourages people to “Say What You Need to Say.” The lyrics are in reference to eliminating words unsaid or unfinished conversations. As the song continues, John Mayer professes “you know that in the end, it’s better to say too much, then never to say what you need to say.”

I think this is good advice for families in terms of their communication with one another, and especially in their feelings about the college search process. Over the last 13 years, many of our Baseball Factory players have told me that they really didn’t want to attend a college that their mom or dad wanted them to attend, but they did not feel comfortable saying anything at the time. In the end, many of these players wound up transferring. I also have heard parents say that they didn’t have a good gut feeling about a certain school, but they hid their doubts and uncertainties because they didn’t want to disappoint their son.

As painful as it might be to have these types of discussions, I always think it is better to talk it through then to leave these thoughts unsaid. It also is better to be open, direct, and thoughtful with your communication instead of being passive aggressive and elusive. In the end, it may create some interesting discussion around the dinner table, but you will be happy that you effectively got what you needed to say off your chest.

Rob Naddelman is the President of Baseball Factory. Naddelman is a former two-time All Ivy League Third Baseman at the University of Pennsylvania, where he competed in a College World Series Regional. He has served as the President of Baseball Factory for the past 13 years, and also is the Executive Director of Baseball Factory's charitable arm The B.A.S.E. - H.I.T. Foundation. Naddelman and Steve Sclafani (CEO) have been featured in Business Week and CNN for their work in building Baseball Factory into the nation's leader in player development and college placement.