Billy Horton has spent decades chasing excellence in baseball. He’s been cut as a freshman, gone undrafted, slept on dugouts while chasing his dream, coached in the San Francisco Giants organization, won multiple Manager of the Year awards, and helped develop players at every level of the game. But if you ask Billy what defines his life, it isn’t baseball. It’s following Jesus wherever God has called him. Billy brings something unique to this conversation: decades inside one of the most competitive environments in the world while refusing to let his identity be shaped by wins, losses, or championships. Instead, he shares how failure, faith, perseverance, and purpose have shaped the leader, and the man, he has become. His perspective on calling, overcoming fear, parenting through adversity, leading young men, and living out your faith in the workplace is practical, deeply biblical, and refreshingly honest. In this conversation, I challenge Billy on why so many people spend years working jobs they don’t love, why fear keeps us from pursuing God’s calling, and how failure often becomes the very tool God uses to prepare us for our greatest influence. We also dive into parenting, coaching, identity, and what it really looks like to be a Christian leader in a culture that desperately needs authentic examples of faith. Every conversation on Linch with a Leader is about helping you lead with your faith out front. Here are a few leadership principles you’ll take away from this one: Your Profession Can Become Your Calling: Why God doesn’t reserve purpose for pastors and missionaries, and how every workplace can become a platform for ministry. Failure Isn’t the End of Your Story: Billy shares how getting cut, going undrafted, financial hardship, and countless disappointments became God’s preparation for future influence. Take Action Before You Feel Ready: Fear keeps more people from their calling than lack of ability. Billy explains why faithful action almost always comes before confidence. Your Identity Must Be Bigger Than Your Career: The lesson Billy learned after professional baseball that every leader eventually has to face: if your identity is rooted in your success, you’ll eventually lose both. Lead So People See Jesus Before You Tell Them About Him: Billy explains why he wants people to describe him as “a Christian who coaches baseball,” not “a baseball coach who happens to be a Christian.” This conversation reminded me that leadership isn’t ultimately about position, platform, or profession, it’s about faithfully stewarding wherever God has placed you. I think every leader, regardless of what they do for a living, will walk away challenged and encouraged by this one.
