If only more boards listened to Yogi Berra ... a tribute to the management wit and wisdom of this baseball legend.

• Author: Augustine, Norman R.
• Position: END NOTE

On September 22, 2015, the nation lost one of its most extraordinary philosophers, Yogi Berra, who died at the age of 90 in Montclair, N.J.

Almost everyone knows that it was Yogi who famously stated, "I'm not going to buy my kids an encyclopedia. Let 'em walk to work like I did." Some even know that the 5'7" Berra, an 18-time All Star, played in 14 World Series, winning 10 and adding seven more as a manager or coach. As he himself insightfully observed, "I knew the record would stand until it was broken." However, few know that as a 19-year-old kid he was a machine gunner on a boat at Omaha Beach on D-Day. It is no wonder that he shares with "Bear" Bryant the distinction of being one of the few humans to have had an animal named after him.

Among the treasures in my home library is a copy of a book that I authored which is endorsed to me by Mr. Berra. Yes, by Mr. Berra. Why he endorsed a book that I wrote is a mystery lost to history ... yet, somehow, it does seem appropriate. The inscription reads, "To Norm: You quoted Plato twice, Shakespeare three times, and Berra eight times--you're my kind of guy." He must have started at the back of the book and at least read the index, which is more than most people do with my books. He's my kind of guy!

In his extraordinary career Berra not only terrorized opposing pitchers but as the Prince of Malapropisms he tortured the King's English. Yet, somehow, so many of the seemingly nonsensical things he said make uncommon common sense. Indeed, if more corporate board members listened to him the business world would be held in much higher regard today. For example, for Enron he might have offered, "We made too many wrong mistakes." As for Exxon at the time of the Valdez incident, "Half of the lies they told about me weren't true." Or for Volkswagen's board, "I don't mind surprises as long as I know about 'em ahead of time." Or, perhaps even more consequential from Volkswagen's standpoint, "The future ain't what it used to be." For companies that keep missing the introductory date for their latest breakthrough product, Yogi warns, "It gets late early out here." For companies announcing a new succession plan: "We have deep depth." For companies considering entering an established market dominated by others: "No one goes there nowadays, it's too crowded." For the new board member: "You can observe a lot by just watching." Or for boards suffering a string of failed CEOs: "It's like deja vu all over again." And...