Terry Linhart's Blog, page 28

How You Can Make the Biggest ‘Splash’ With Your Life

I shouldn’t be surprised that so many leaders want to have more impact on others lives.  But I am taken aback at times when people ask me how to get published, become a seminar speaker at a conference, or get ‘known’ within a particular world, a world that is much smaller than it seems at first and few outside of it know of it.

At the same time, I understand the drive.  Leaders are a gifted group of forward-thinking people wired for maximum impact.  Often driven to not waste their days, we want to make as big of a splash as possible. We want to do something that matters.  The problem is that we don’t know what makes the biggest splash.

I recently wrote that a person’s platform isn’t that valuable in the end. We’re in an age where authors and speakers are taught, and rightly so most of the time, that they need to have a ‘platform.’  A platform is what Literary Agent Rachelle Gardner describes as, “It’s the way you, the author, will get your name and your book in front of potential consumers.”  And, if you have a message that you want to deliver in multiple ‘worlds,’ you need to be diligent to do that.

The problem with platform thinking is that leaders confuse the marketing-oriented splash of ‘fame’ as the one that is the biggest.  If we aren’t careful, we’ll begin to think that the bigger splash, or long-term impact, is made from writing, speaking, and being recognized, of having a platform. I mean, sure, it looks like a big splash.  A lot of people see and talk about us and our work.

Here’s the secret:  The ‘platform’ splash isn’t as big as it seems.  Those ripples fade fast.  It’s like a cannonball that makes people go ‘wow’ and then 3 minutes later they’re looking for the next person to jump and do it again.  The platform has a celebrity aspect to it, just like the ‘look what I can do’ aspect of performing a cannonball off the diving board.  Just like Hollywood (which moves quickly to the next star for major roles), a new person will come along to write the next book, lead the next organization, and be the ‘thought leader’ in a particular field. Again, for many of us this is our work, but it’s not our identity, it’s not what will last the longest from our life well spent.

Here’s how you can make the biggest splash, one with ripples that will shake the waters for decades and beyond:  

Minister well with others.


Invest in their lives.


Be diligent to listen.
Pray with them.
Model how to be faithful, vibrant, others-focused.
Life your life as you let them share it with you.
Be humble and real.
Lead and encourage those around you.

I am sure you can add others, but you’ll make the biggest ‘splash’ with your life through ripples of mentored influence that will extend for generations.

It will be like a person hanging on the side, kicking the pool water for hours.  And, as others join you in that, the waves of the pool get more vigorous.  As others join their cause, soon you find a small group extending their work beyond what splash one person can do (who is still getting out of the pool, running up to the board, and shouting ‘look at me’ before they jump).  All the while the waves of the pool are still churning by those who have carried on the cause and ‘life’ (purpose) of the one who taught them how to keep kicking the water each day.

Platforms aren’t necessarily bad, in my opinion, but (as I stated elsewhere), they have to have a purpose (a mission or message) beyond … gaining us just a bigger platform.  And, ironically, this blog where I talk of this is part of mine.  I get that.  But this blog or much of my ‘upfront’ work (speaking, writing) won’t be part of the conversation/evaluation at the end of my life. People will reflect on my evident faithfulness to and love for Jesus Christ.  They will talk of how I loved and cherished those in my family.  A chief element is how diligently I shared my vocational calling with colleagues at Bethel College (and other organizations) and how well I taught those students who chose to learn with me.   They’ll look back over my three plus decades in youth ministry and think of lives touched, changed, and the day-in and day-out way fruitful work from those years.

Family, colleagues, and those we lead/teach/mentor/disciple … that’s the splash that is the biggest.  Look at them.   Jump in!

 

Why Your Platform is Worth Very Little in the End

When people stand by our grave sites (and there will be far fewer in attendance than we think will be there) people will reflect on an discuss our lives. And they’ll be engaged a bit of an evaluation:  Was ours a live well lived?  Did our life matter in some way?  And, crazy thing, all of the evaluation tools at the end of life of what it means to be ‘great’ are not in the least connected to work.

There has been a lot of talk about ‘platform’ lately among Christian leaders, prompted by Michael Hyatt’s book, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World.  (Michael’s book is a helpful read on how to communicate better, with a stronger message, to a larger audience.  For those of us who are authors and hear from publishing companies, “Uh, we don’t have any marketing money for your project”, it’s a helpful piece.) This post is not about his book.

Many type-A leaders push, strive, and slog along to be more known and have more impact.  But, those goals aren’t what will matter in the end.  If we get close enough to inspect the relationships around them, we’ll discover there whether a person was a ‘great’ man or woman – because greatness has little to do with platform.  Greatness, as defined in Scripture, is about character, nurture, and discipleship.  Those are revealed in relationship with others.

The strongest persons aren’t the ones who stand on stages in front of hundreds or thousands, we are often the most insecure. No, I’m convinced the strongest people are those who can nurture those around them day-in and day-out. They’re like monster trucks in first gear – no mud or deep pit will slow them down. They’re like tractor beams who can lock onto others’ lives and help them find victory over all sorts of issues, problems, and addictions.  They are like “a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.” (Psalm 1:3 NIV).

Seeking a bigger ‘platform’ is just part of work. It’s not who we are, nor does a platform mean we have more value.
Our platform needs to have a purpose … beyond getting a bigger platform.
The platform’s message has to point somewhere.  For the Christian leader, that ultimately is toward Jesus Christ.
Someone else will be standing on whatever platform we build, and sooner than we think.  And they’ll do it better.  Just like we did.

In a chapter for a forthcoming book, I talked about attending a large international conference where 10’s of thousands of people attended. And it was the night of the ‘lifetime achievement award’, the most prestigious award given by this organization. The winner was a legend in the field – author of 16 major books, sought-after speaker, you name it – at 81 years of age, well-deserved.

His name was called, he ascended the stage, received a plaque, gave his acceptance speech, and then came off the platform.  All that the platform will give you, if it’s all you live for, is one more applause and then a plaque when you done.  And then someone else will come up the stairs.

What matters forever, are the ripples made in the lives of those with whom you share life.   So, if you’re desiring something bigger, better, or more well-known, be careful.  When you have the ‘platform’ taken away, like I had once before, you are faced with your naked self and all of its imperfections. You see the relationships with those around you and understand where thethirstfor the platform diverted you from living life well.

And, when you stand next to the graveside of a truly great person, as I did recently, you see that the legacy and long-term impact isn’t related to fame (the platform looks a lot like the old push for high school popularity if we aren’t mission or message focused) but rather to the lives of others with whom you’ve lived up close.

Love to pray

Love to pray.  Feel often during the day the need for prayer, and take the trouble to pray. Prayer enlarges the heart until it is capable of containing God’s gift of himself.  Ask and seek, and your heart will grow big enough to receive him and keep him as your own.

- From A Gift for God by Mother Teresa

I appreciate the phrase “take the trouble to pray” because that can often be what it takes.  I also am reminded that prayer is not as much we asking God to do things (as we usually make it to be), but rather prayer is a time where our heart is aligned and shaped by God’s Spirit.

Love to pray.

Many American Christians can’t tithe, even if they wanted to give.

I was prompted recently by a speaker and pastor Dave Engbrecht to consider our appetites in life.  Not just eating, of course, but ones where we say “I want more _____” and then we fill in the blank with all sorts of desires.   In a country that already has so much more than most, we Americans still crave the bigger, better, and best.  Our economy is crafted to create these appetites through constant marketing.  And consumerism is shaping our faith practices too.   And we can’t always see that, like eating, the appetite for more is never satisfied forever.  We want more … beyond the more.

When I teach youth about this topic, I sometimes begin by having them fill in the blanks of this phrase with as many options as they can:

“If I can have ____, then I’ll be happy.”

I think we all can think of ways we’d answer this, right?  Money, new car, fixed garage door (that’s me this week), or better job.  What are the non-material ‘stuff’ we’d put in there?  More status?  Better job title?  More impact? Be respected more?  A bigger platform?  For me, I think of all the ways through the years I had filled in that blank – car, salary of $34,000, sprinkler system, etc.  Still not satisfied.  Contentment is an elusive value, isn’t it?

For Christians, this consumeristic bent is under-discussed. It’s as if we want to ignore any discussion on materialism.   We’re more comfortable discussing all sorts of moral and philosophical, even theological, topics, but we are hesitant to discuss topics where we’d consider sacrificing something.

Pastor Dave mentioned that a financial expert said the typical American family cannot tithe even if they wanted to do so. They have spent to levels where it is financially impossible for them to be obedient to God in giving. He share a Department of Treasury report that in 2002 more people declared for bankruptcy than graduated from colleges. (And it’s true, I looked it up!)

The litmus test in this for me is not to ask if I want more, but rather where I want more, and then why I want more.  Identifying our ‘thirsts’ is a great first step toward a deeper reality in our trust and love for God.

The church has been fascinated with simplicity at various points in its history, but that discussion is mostly absent today. Christians seem equally focused as non-believers on having more with the latest style and keeping pace materially with the people ‘down the street’. There are more than a few scriptural passages that challenge and confront our culture’s consumptive value system.  But that’s too painful, too counter-cultural.

The proverb, “Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to know when to quit” (Proverbs 23:4, NLT) has been running through my meditations lately.  A biblical word study on riches, money, and wealth will reveal how far consumerism wants us to stray from Christian stewardship.  Given the work hours Americans put in (and, hey, college is expensive!), perhaps we need to reconsider our lifestyle and faith practices.  I’ll not dive in too far here, but consider the monthly bills we pay and the reasons why. Consider your latest purchases and for what ‘function’ they were made.  Often we stretch for the newest, latest, or most automated rather than buying something that gets the required job done, but without a UV sterilizing time-controlled, water-sensitive, cool stainless steel ball-bearing studded function.  Or something like that.

What do you think?  What have you recognized in your life when it comes to ‘thirsts’?

 

Remembering Eugene Carpenter (1943-2012)

Yesterday I posted my reactions to hearing that Gene Carpenter, a colleague and mentor, had passed away. I remember the first time I met Gene, it was on my first day to interview for an open faculty position at Bethel College.  As a longtime youth worker, I was terrified of the jump into college teaching and felt overmatched intellectually (I still do). When I met Gene the first time, he spoke to me in Hebrew (one of 7 languages he knew and one of 4 that he could type in with ease).  That didn’t help matters much. I was terrified.

I had known of Gene from a distance, this world-renowned Bible prof who Chaired the Department of Religion and Philosophy.  I was interviewing with him at Bethel College for the new director position for their new youth ministry degree program.  The jump from the practical ministry world to academics is a big one, and the gap is wider than many pastors who want to be profs think it is.  It’s even more intimidating to move into a department that held biblical languages to such a high value when I hadn’t taken any in my schooling.

Nothing ‘happened’ after that greeting that made me feel out of place, and Gene was very encouraging to me and excited for my candidacy.  At the next interview, still intimidated and ready for the ‘killer’ questions about my lack of biblical languages and general ignorance, I found Gene and one of the college’s VP’s watching Rodeo Bloopers 10 Year Anniversary Collector’s Edition Video (2 tape set) on a TV in a break room.  I thought to myself, “Ah, I can work here with real people like this!”  This revelation was confirmed at lunch when Gene took me to Steak and Shake (he even asked for a Green River soda not on the menu) and we listened to Johnny Cash (check out David Urbanski’s book) on the way while talking about Elvis impersonators.

And this is the way it was:  We young profs learned by watching Gene crank out first-class scholarship while living life well (and with laughter) with those around him.  He loved lifting weights, fishing, movies, eating out, and Tennessee.  And he loved his wife, Joyce.  In fact, at his funeral, it was his love for Joyce that told the story of the greatness of the man more than the countless books, papers, commentaries and Bible translations (like the NLT) that he produced.  And we on the floor experienced Gene’s affection through encouragement. In fact, I can’t remember a single corrective moment from him, but rather a constant push toward the ideal and better way (and he knew we’d figure out what not to do).

Most of us in the department aren’t excited to see that empty office this year. In fact, I mentioned yesterday that it currently looks like he was just there working on a book or commentary.  I hope we can leave it like that for a while.  It can serve as a visual encouragement to keep at my work, giving it my fullest, and to live life with the same care and fervor.

When I think of II Timothy 2:15, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth“, I think of Gene Carpenter’s life and commitment to Scripture.

 

The Captain is now Gone

While on a wilderness camping trip, I received a text message that a dear colleague and mentor had suddenly died while on a fishing trip. Eugene Carpenter (1943-2012) was the Chair of the Religion and Philosophy Department when I was hired at Bethel College, a position that I have now held for seven years when Gene was named Scholar in Residence in recognition of his world-class scholarship in Old Testament studies.

As I looked out over those Boundary Waters of Minnesota, I sat stunned and numb.  I didn’t want to fish any more or camp and experience all of the joy of the wilderness, a trip that Gene and I had discussed a few weeks prior. And that Gene had drowned while on a fishing trip of his own took all of the joy regarding the trip away.

I remember watching the current flow past our Lake Insula campsite, aware that life and time flow along and that death is a constant reminder that we live in a broken world.  I had a fishing rod nearby, the steel leader tied to a 3/4 ounce spoon, a lure that Gene and I had discussed more than once before.  I felt detached from the wilderness, not desiring to cast any more, preferring to just sit and stare while wiping the tears away.

I made it back for the funeral and joined my colleagues in the foyer.  Shocked, we shared stories and talked of the void that will be with us this coming year.  Our captain was now gone.

Gene set the pace for us younger faculty members in our department.  He taught me how to teach and develop book proposals, publish academic papers, and was a constant encouragement to me. Never was he sarcastic with me or negative, but always a cheerleader for my more social science-oriented research.

When I was named Chair, he continued to encourage me and would regularly stop in my office.  Well, ‘pop’ is more like it as he just came in to discuss what was on his mind. It was often an administrative or philosophical matter, but more often than not to talk about fishing.  Here was one of the great Old Testament scholars in the world (the world!) who was as genuine as can be, not detached like many who have reached his level of renown.

There are some great tributes to Gene online. Author and colleague JB Stump continues to amaze me with his writing and he wrote a poignant eulogy that he gave at the funeral.  Author and colleague Chad Meister also posted some great perspectives. And author and adjunct youth ministry professor-to-be Joan McClendon also wrote a touching piece.

It’s been two days now since the funeral. I peeked in Gene’s office window today, the computer power light on, the mouse aglow.  Papers strewn about, the fuel for his latest work-in-progress.  It’s as if he’d just sat there a few minutes prior and stepped out to lift weights, eat a bite, or go see his wife Joyce for a lunch date.

And that’s how we’re going to leave his office for a while. 

 

 

Is office work wasting your time?

Administration is actually an important element to ministry success and productivity, believe it or not. Youth workers are perceived to be poor administrators, but you can’t be productive long in youth ministry these days without the ability to ‘push the pencil’ or organize Dropbox.  In fact, to lead youth ministry well in a local church demands a wide range of skills, and experienced youth ministry leaders are among the most talented leaders I’ve ever met.  They’ve proven over time that they can engage the emerging generations, teach well, organize, counsel, administrate, and give of themselves each week with a schedule that seems 24/7.

But, back to my point:  Often office work takes more time than it needs to take.  You’re shocked, I know.  But, office work is a skill that has to be developed.  And it’s one that people don’t naturally do well.

Steps toward great productivity with office time

I work with freelance writers who, out of necessity, have (hopefully) learned how to maximize their efficiency.  Rebecca Garland recently discussed office time for freelance writers, which prompted me to think how her points would help the productivity of youth workers and not make office work longer than it needs to be (don’t even get me started about how our office work has squeezed out our study time each week). I’ve taken some of her themes and adjusted them (and even added a bit):

Do you do a bit here and a bit there throughout the day?  Try to focus on a particular task and do just that for a set amount of time.
Recognize the little tasks that eat up your time and be sure to schedule time to accomplish the big tasks (nod to Seth Godin’s post here).
Are you actually working most of the time in the office?  Keep track of your time spent while in the office and you’ll find that you’re doing other things (surfing, Email, putting stuff off) than you realize.  Out of 4 hours in the office, how many of them are actually spent on work?
Touch a paper only once. We still use paper, but I find that I just move a paper around my office from one pile to another… and then back again (it seems that way, at least!).  Try to engage and file/put away/deal with a piece of paper once.  Once.  And done. My version of this one is that I make lists. Lots of lists.  That don’t mean much. I’ve not put a time next to each task on my daily list – the amount of focused time I’m giving to getting that done.  Not just working on it, but working to get it done.  This has actually helped me juggle a variety of responsibilities each week.  And be more productive with less time wasted.  (oh, and turning off Email has helped too).
Keep track of the hours you study each week in total.  This isn’t your devotional time or reading the newspaper headlines, but your intentional pursuit of developing your mind in your field or discipline.

What tips did I miss?  What do you do to maintain a high level of productivity in the office?  How do you define ‘productivity’?

What habits do you need to break and change to be more productive?  I’ve thought of a few for me and I’m getting better this summer at staying on task so I can not have office work seep over into other areas of my life where it doesn’t need to be.

And as I close this post, I realize that I like writing blog posts.  More than I do the 7 items on my To-Do list that must be done today.  So, I wrote this when I should’ve been working on one of those…  whether I felt like it or not.  Ah, back to work.

 

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The Noble Leader?

Prompted by a recent talk from Dave Engbrecht, I came across a short phrase in the early parts of Proverbs 31, a section of Scripture often associated with women, that caught my attention.  King Lemuel is warning his princely son of the common temptations that face kings (and really all men and women) in life.  Lemuel says a few times, “It is not for kings…” as he then exhorts his son on what not to do when in leadership.

In our culture of informality, our eschewing of top/down structures, and our youth-full focus, I think we’ve lost a bit of this language of giving up our rights for the sake of others, of doing the right thing.  In our tolerant age, we don’t often sit around to discuss, “It is not for leaders to …” as we talk of high character.  In an election year, we see this discussion more often as candidates are evaluated on how ‘presidential’ they come across to the country.

I describe that presidential measurement as nobility.   And I’ve been preoccupied a bit with how it ought to connect to leadership.  Merriam-Webster defines nobility as “possessing outstanding qualities” and “characterized by, or arising from superiority of mind or character or of ideals or morals.”

Think of many of our culture’s ‘heroes’ and see how they compare to what you think of regarding nobility.  Think of leaders you know or have seen who do exemplify those traits.  Consider your position of influence.  What does ‘being noble’ look like? What should look like?

Back to Lemuel:  So the King is telling his son (and readers) that some things may be acceptable, but are not best for kings.  He points to various temptations that can lead away from nobility and detract from people’s opinions of character and wisdom.

Now, before you call me old-fashioned and out of touch (and first think about why nobility would be old-fashioned … and if that’s a good thing), I bet you have a list of your own proverbs that would complete “It is not for leaders to ______ .”

I don’t want to fill in that blank for you. That’s not my job.  But, leadership is more than a title or opportunity to be in charge, but it’s a noble task. Any task you do that shapes others is a noble responsibility and we (like it or not) lead for the sake of others.  And, in that we have a responsibility to consider that “It is not for us to ______”.

 

 

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Give me the wise leader: The need for well-educated Christian leaders, youth workers, and church planters.

Courtesy of @hh5800/@iStockPhoto

The field of youth ministry is one that values real-world skills.  The ability to work well with people, hold teens’ attention, get things done, and be productive are what matters most. So when it comes to encouraging people where to get educated on ministry, the emphasis is often on these type of ‘how’ qualities. When I talk with folks about getting a college degree in youth ministry, I hear phrases like “I want an education that is practical.”  Or, “I don’t want anything that’s theoretical.”  I understand what is meant, but the response heads too far away from the ‘why’ or the ‘what if?’ challenges that the real world will present.  We tend to think of that as technical skill (what the Greeks called poiesis) training versus phronesis – developing practical wisdom.

What will matter most in our digital age where the noise is deafening is wisdom – not information (everything is accessible) or skill (easily learned), but wisdom. Help us interpret the times, to know what to do with all of this information.  Help us find answers to the questions.  Lead and collaborate wisely.

The truth is that whenever we act in a particular way, we have a theory-in-action.  Postmodernity has helped us understand the dichotomy of practice vs. theory doesn’t exist. It’s not theory or practice, but rather practice is theory in action.  So, to just focus on the technical skills may lead people down a road of unhelpful practice and they’d never know it as such. 

I’d like to change the answer regarding ministry education:  You want a degree that matters in practice.  This moves us from the ‘it has to be practical’ limitations and helps us to think about learning.  You don’t want to be in so practical that you’re learning how to run an overhead projector (which a CE course at my college did) and be out of touch in ten years.  However, you can learn how visuals create learning opportunities and how that connects to ministry practices regardless of tools used. You want the wisdom behind the practice, the theory and theology that allows you to see the practice in context.

One more caveat:  I value real life experience.  The 16 years I spent in full-time youth ministry before come to Bethel – in both parachurch and local church, rural and urban – are invaluable to my teaching in college.  And, when we looked to hire a second youth ministry prof, we found Robert Brandt with 15 years full-time experience in large West Coast churches (and working on a PhD from Talbot helped too).  Experience matters, in my opinion.

I want to hire the best potential youth workers, I will look for someone who can think creatively, think critically, and think deeply. Most likely this person will be a learner who has read a lot and excelled to a better-than-average level in college. If they had only learned the ‘how to’, that alone is insufficient for this changing world, the deep questions that are posed, and the foundational skills that make practices matter.

Imagine the church planter who wants to develop a church and his (or her) training was in structural leadership of one sort or another.church attracts a wide range of people from the community, to bring various expectations with them, often latent, and as the church grows they have to decide on a governance structure, a theological statement, and a bunch. Add to that the fact that people will bring with them a variety of theological conundrums and look to the pastor for inserts. Families will bring with them various dynamics that need pastoral counseling and attention.

The allure to plant churches is strong for youth workers who want to be the robots, but the reality is that we are never own boss. The reality is that the world is looking to the church to answer some difficult questions, and we’re attending conferences that focus on leadership and structural management and little to do with reflective theological and philosophical thought. So the perennial problem of the church appearing thinner or irrelevant remains despite our continual in-house reminders that we area relevant and practical via our perpetual conferencing.

When it comes to higher education, it seems that you would want a degree that challenges the mind in the same way that weightlifting challenges your muscles. Even more so with a Masters degree.  You want to produce youth workers who can think – and this demands a program that creates mental disequilibrium. This is a different approach than a content-centered education. Or one that just trains people on the necessary skills, which will be insufficient for effective leadership in the long run.

Theologically I think we need to revisit the biblical notion of wisdom and what that means. I think our Western mindset interprets that and as knowledge or platform (which has become a market-drive fascination for Christian leaders/pastors that still needs good biblical/theological critique) versus the ability to take difficult situations and make wise decisions.

 

 

 

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The Uphill Battle of 20 year old NASCAR driver Johanna Long

Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images North America

Imagine you’re a woman trying to ‘break in’ to the male-dominant sport like NASCAR.  Beyond that, you’re the youngest woman to ever do that … and hold your own in your first season. You would think that the press and major TV networks would be pushing that story to the forefront, especially if you were articulate and considerate (which you are).  But no one says a word.  Instead they focus on another female driver, one who has the financial backing of one of NASCAR’s most significant corporate sponsors.  She gets mentioned in every article, even when she spins or wrecks and you finish first. She gets camera time during the race even when you’ve been racing better and are in front of her.

Such is the plight of Johanna Long, one of NASCAR’s best stories on the Nationwide Series who has received hardly any coverage.  And announcers hardly talk about her.  There are few, if any, mentions by television commentators.  Oh sure, the Washington Post had a little article, but at the Michigan race this past Saturday (where Johanna held her own), you would’ve thought there was only one female driver in the race (in a bright green car).  Compound that with the fact that every time the media talks with you, they talk about your gender (being a woman) and about the other woman driver.  And all you want to do is drive.  And win. [To be fair, Danica Patrick and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. are NASCAR's two most famous drivers, so mentioning them often (even when spinning out or having difficulties) is good business.Also, it seems like Johanna is starting to receive attention as a legitimate top 10 contender in the near future and sponsors are starting to take notice]

I have never followed the Nationwide NASCAR series, nor do I watch their races. But, I do love sport … any sport.  As I travel the world, I find sport and art to be so tied to cultural understanding and awareness. Americans think their form of football is the best while South Africans find it boring when compared to rugby.  Europeans look at NASCAR and find it a bit silly but they’ll watch biathlon competitions on television. Americans love their baseball and its traditional slow pace but think soccer is a bit second rate.

I think if we can move beyond our own bias, we can find the competitive element in all sport.  And Johanna’s Long story represents three classic struggles most of us can identify with.

David vs. Goliath – The first battle is the classic story of a small company, ML Motorsports (from nearby Warsaw, IN), and their super talented 20-year-old driver trying to make a go of it against the multi-sponsored teams that may have drivers with no more talent/ability.
Youth – As a youth worker, this is the one I cheer on the most, a teenager who wants to succeed while others want to look down on her because she’s young.   On the same weekend that 17-year-old Beau Hossler was leading the 2012 US Open (Golf), Johanna was driving in the top 15 of  a major motorsports weekend.  I loved it!
Gender – Johanna wants to be a winner. She’s not there to break gender barriers, receive different/extra attention because she’s a woman.  She focuses on racing cars, what she loves, and you won’t see her on TV as a race car driver being a spokesperson staring at , or wearing, a string bikini to get sponsorships.

As I’ve reflected on this story, I wondered about the people and organizations around me that I’m not paying attention to, who feel like they’ve got to work hard to get respect with the ‘giants’ around them.  I think there are more people like this around organizations that we lead. Second, who are the young people who are crazy-talented, but they just need a break and an advocate?

Finally, and this is probably my big point, when we talk to someone ‘different’ from the norm, do we reduce them to gender, race, or other social category?  Do we men talk about, or to, the youth or women in our organizations differently than we do men?  If we have people from other ethnicities in our organizations, do we talk about that aspect of their lives a lot?  Is it emphasized to a degree more than other ethnicities?

Perhaps all of the people around us want the exact same thing:  They aren’t interested in the social markers that others may find fascinating: They just want to take off in life … and win.  Just like everyone else, yet they feel held back.  Pay attention this week to those around you who may be feeling like they’re a David in a Goliath world, or are young and the old folks are holding them back.

 

 

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