Joe Torre reached the Hall of Fame in his field the same way you can get to the top in yours.

He did it by knowing the biggest problem he had to solve. In Torre’s case it was George Steinbrenner, who hired him to manage the New York Yankees but who had a habit of firing managers on a whim.

No one could successfully manage the Yankees without managing Steinbrenner. Torre made it look easy. He just said — and lived by — the obvious: that he worked for Steinbrenner, and that the owner could do whatever he wanted.

With Steinbrenner safely managed, Torre led the Yankees to four World Series titles from 1996-2000. That’s why he’s now in the Hall of Fame with fellow managers Tony LaRussa and Bobby Cox.

“You didn’t work with him. You worked for him,” Torre said upon learning of Steinbrenner’s death in 2010. “I don’t think there was any question George liked being the boss. And you certainly didn’t resent that.

“You certainly had to be ready to give answers and make an accounting of yourself.”

Torre always made sure to add that Steinbrenner had provided good players, and that working in the pressure of New York was something to welcome.

“I thought it was stimulating,” Torre said. “I was there for 12 years and eventually managing in New york stressed me out. But it certainly wasn’t George Steinbrenner who stressed me out.”

That didn’t mean Torre would be weak and roll over. Surely there were disagreements. But those took place behind closed doors. Torre didn’t make things worse by criticizing the owner in public.

“Again, he’s a tough man to work for, but the only reason never hesitated in accepting the job was that he wanted to win so badly, and having never been to a World Series myself I knew it was my best shot at it.”

Torre’s formula can become yours: Identify the biggest problem to be solved, and make sure you solve it.

This isn’t easy to do. You have lots of responsibilities. So did Torre. He had to manage personalities, make field decisions, communicate, handle the media, etc. But he knew that none of those things would matter unless he managed the boss.

What’s the one thing you must do right now?

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