Weekly Thought – October 4, 2016
Fred and Bill Glass (All-American, All-Pro from Baylor and the Cleveland Browns) met at Baylor University in the 1950s. Bill’s friendship with Fred never ended. In the last days, Bill sat at Fred’s side in the hospital. Of course, he had his notebook with him because he always took notes when sitting with Fred. Bill knew about receiving a blessing.
Leading with Meaning
When I saw the old wrangler on whose life The Horse Whisperer was based, I felt he was a kindred spirit. He used empathy rather than dominance to achieve his goals. He transformed both the role of the wrangler and the horse’s experience. It was no longer a hierarchical, tyrannical system, but one which was a team-based, mutual interest program. He no longer depended on the horse’s fear, but on its friendship. His orders became friendly suggestions that he knew would be accepted.
The famed “winningest coach,” John Wooden of UCLA basketball used his own nondictatorial system. Reportedly, he never mentioned the word “win” to any of his teams. He simply emphasized the concept of doing one’s best. This was an entirely different emphasis from the usual pre-game pep talk in locker rooms of his day.
Wooden’s philosophy excluded using dirty tricks, bending the rules, violating recruiting rules, and falsifying grades – all of which were common practices in other programs. Wooden’s teams won because he recruited great talent, helped them grow in an environment that demanded their best, and built men of honor and character.
We lead to accomplish the vision of our calling. We optimize our associates’ gifts and passions as we work to attain what we genuinely believe is the will of God – for the glory of God. We work to find the uniqueness in others and then to develop, encourage, and reward it. We work to find our own reward, desiring to hear one day: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Catching a vision and then creating an atmosphere in which talented men and women thrive is the role (and reward) of a leader. Working together in tandem, not working for a tyrant, is the sign of a healthy organization.
This week think about: 1) What do I contribute to a healthy atmosphere? 2) How well do I encourage a winning team? 3) Who models positive leadership for me?
Words of Wisdom: “We lead to accomplish the vision of our calling.”
Wisdom from the Word: “Give instruction to a wise person, and he will become wiser still; teach a righteous person and he will add to his learning.” (Proverbs 9:9 NET Bible)