Major League Baseball is known for some pretty standard-issue uniforms, but last weekend the players got the go-ahead to express themselves on the field in colorful, personalized gear. If the MLB can allow players to let loose creatively, then even the most straight-laced associations can do the same for their members.

During its first-ever Players Weekend, players got decked out in “Little League-like” jerseys featuring their nicknames, neon cleats, personalized shoulder patches, and custom bats and mitts, reports ESPN.

Players told The New York Times that they appreciated the league relaxing its strict uniform rules for a couple of days. “At the end of the day, we’re playing a kid’s game,” said Dominic Smith, a Mets rookie first baseman. “It’s a great feeling to get that little kid out of you for a weekend and really remember that this is a kid’s game and not just a business.”

Many players had so much fun that they showed off their custom cleats and colorful bats on Instagram.

What can your association do for your staff or members to boost morale, build excitement, and let creativity fly?

Analyzing Metadata

https://twitter.com/HarvardBiz/status/902150069889232896

Have you considered examining your organization’s internal email and calendar data to get a deeper understanding of how your team works? Professional services company Ernst & Young is analyzing this type of data to help its clients find trouble spots and develop employee retention strategies.

“Using email and calendar data, we can identify patterns around who is engaging with whom, which parts of the organization are under stress, and which individuals are most active in reaching across company boundaries,” according to a recent Harvard Business Review post.

This type of analytics could revolutionize how leaders work with their employees. “What these data science tools can do is make our responses faster and more targeted and tell us what worked in a faster, more reliable, and less invasive way than was previously achievable,” says the post.

Other Links of Note

Does your nonprofit’s tagline include abstract language? Future Fundraising Now explains why that’s a mistake.

Facebook is changing what you can boost. Marketing Land reveals the types of posts you’ll soon no longer be able to convert to ads.

Are you thinking about starting a mentorship program? The Walsworth blog reveals how to get started.

Colorful Cleveland Indians star Edwin Encarnacion shows off on Sunday. (Erik Drost/Flickr)