“If you’re going to play together as a team, you’ve got to care for one another. You’ve got to love each other. The difference between mediocrity and greatness is the feeling these guys have for one another.”
Vince Lombardi
I’ve Been Thinking . . . about what it takes to create a high performing, World Class team. Strangely enough I gained a bit of insight in a most unusual place.
I read about a college that offers a course called Environmental Science, a sophisticated title for a class about the outdoors. The class syllabus includes a number of field trips including a long hike in the mountains navigating a number of steep trails.
One year, to prepare the students for the hike, the professor used a rather unconventional training exercise.
He gathered all the students in a wide open area and announced these instructions: “I want you to mingle around and grab each others’ butts.” You can imagine the reaction. Hesitancy. Nervousness. Curiosity. But, they made the best of the situation and followed the professor’s request.
Once the students had a ‘feel’ (pardon the poor pun) for the experience, the professor shared his rationale for this unusual exercise.
“We are going to be walking up a steep, narrow, slippery slope,” he explained. “Because of this, we will have to hike single file, hunched over, using our hands and feet. If the person in front of you should slip, the first thing you will encounter is his or her butt. If that happens, you will need to reach up with both hands, grab on to both cheeks, and stop him or her from falling. If you’re uneasy touching someone’s butt, you might be tempted to step aside and let the person slide. This would put him or her in immediate risk of severe injury, as well as those behind you.”
There’s a marvelous team building principle embedded in this story. We don’t grab butts, but every team member is well advised to get close to their co-workers so we are better able to help in time of need. Team members who don’t practice butt-grabbing by really getting to know their co-workers are by-passing a critical team building opportunity.
Howard Hendricks said, “You can impress people from a distance, but you can only impact them close up.”
In vibrant organizations there is a unified spirit, a sense of camaraderie. It’s all about family and a mutual interest in each other’s success and well-being. Every team member’s ultimate task is to see that this common bond is sustained.
Our Teamwork value says: “Our relationships are built on mutual trust and respect. We recognize the value and worth of each person we are privileged to encounter, work with, and serve. We seek to understand what is important to others and let people know they are appreciated for who they are and what they do.”
Our value is another way of practicing the “Butt Grabbing” example. What can you do to get more comfortable with your co-workers? Take time to get to know people. Discover what’s important to them. Seek to understand their ideas, feelings, opinions, beliefs and values. Get inside of their world. Let others know how much you value them and appreciate all they do to help the team succeed.
In addition, let people see who you are. Be genuine. Be vulnerable. Be real. Listen to people’s hearts. Share yours. Take time to connect with people. The more transparent you are; the less people have to guess who you are or how you’ll respond to situations. Express what’s in your heart.
Be willing to give of yourself without expecting anything in return. Whatever you want most for your team, be willing to give it. Speak positively about each other, your efforts and your achievements. Help each other win and take pride in each other’s accomplishments. Go to great lengths to help each other be right – not wrong.
The news headlines read: “The Miracle at Quecreek.” Nine miners, trapped for three days 240 feet underground in a water-filled mine shaft, “decided early on they were either going to live or die as a group.”
The fifty-five-degree water was the perfect formula for death by hypothermia. One news report recounted the miner’s experience: “When one would get cold, the other eight would huddle around the person and warm that person, and when another person got cold, the favor was returned.”
Everybody had strong moments,” miner Harry B. Mayhugh told reporters after being released from Somerset Hospital in Somerset, Pennsylvania. “But any certain time maybe one guy got down, and then the rest pulled together. And then that guy would get back up, and maybe someone else would feel a little weaker, but it was a team effort. That’s the only way it could have been.”[1]
Miracle of miracles. . . they all came out alive - together.
Huddling together, butt-grabbing, supporting, trusting, sacrificing, unselfishness. . . all part of building a World Class Team.
“The difference between an average player and a great player is your willingness to sacrifice for your teammates.”
Charles Garfield
[1] From Brian Palmer, Jeff Flock, and Jeff Goodell, “Quecreek Miner Miracle: Teamwork Helped Miners Survive Underground,” 28 July 2002. Found at www.CNN.com /2002/US/07?28 mine-accident.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
Crossing the Border
“Whatever you do for others -- you’ve done it to me.”
Jesus
Sunday – 6:23a.m. - I spent last night in the sand dune, junk yard community of San Luis Mexico…
Let me explain.
I planned a trip to see my brother and sister-in-law in Yuma, Arizona for months. Brother Curt is a missionary serving the poverty in San Luis, Mexico. This would be my first opportunity to cross the border and experience this unique culture.
The much anticipated trip finally arrived. We (a neighbor and I) landed in Yuma around 11:01 on Wednesday determined to play golf in the afternoon. After a little lunch at my brother and sister-in-laws, we quickly made our way to the golf course. It was a little chilly and windy but so great to be playing golf in January. The front nine went pretty well considering the amount of time it had been since I had played. On the 11th hole we began planning our trip to Mexico on Thursday.
I’ve been pumped about this trip for months. I am so proud of what Curt and Kelly are doing and proud to be able to support them. It is easy for me to feel their passion and heart for these seemingly forgotten people.
. . . Back to the golf course. Just before I was ready to tee off, Curt reminded me to take my Passport with me in the morning. The blood immediately drained from my face. Incredible idiotic feelings overcame me. I could hardly get the words out of my mouth ---- “I forgot my Passport!”
I cannot express the degree of disappointment I felt. There is no practical explanation for how I could forget to pack such an important item when planning a trip out of the country. In fact, I never once thought about taking my passport while packing. There must be a reason!
You’re probably waiting for my philosophic lesson. . . . . . I don’t have one!
Thursday morning. . . I wake up with Mexico and my unfortunate mistake on my mind. Maybe, just maybe I can still get my passport and make it to Mexico before going home on Sunday. After a conversation with Jack, the quest is on.
I LOVE America. I love the people, the technology and the speed at which items can be moved across the country.
A trusted friend from work got into my house and located my Passport in a safe where we store important documents. Another team member made arrangements for the Passport to be overnighted to Yuma via UPS. I immediately announced to my brother we were going to Mexico. He rearranged all the plans and we were set to make the trip on Saturday.
These new, encouraging events made our shopping trip to find blankets for the children in San Luis more enjoyable and purposeful. We made a haul at a local store, purchasing 23 blankets for $91.64 and saved $261.00 buying them on sale. I can already sense the need for one of these blankets in a two-year-old’s life!
The Passport arrives and the final plans are in place.
Saturday morning --- 7:32a.m. --- we depart for the border. The trip is finally going to happen. Everything goes smoothly as we literally pray for safety, an opportunity to serve and touch someone’s life, a green light at the border and that Curt will recognize every ALTO sign --- Stop sign in Spanish.
We’re in. Thank you Lord. Deep into San Luis the landscape changes from a commercialized, normal, paved city street in Mexico to blatant poverty.
Thousands of acres of sand are covered in garbage and littered with a few scattered huts, tents, abandoned vehicles and a smattering of a few miniature homes where families dwell. The conditions are virtually impossible to describe let alone embrace as I live in a culture of bountiful blessings.
My first people encounter is a family of four living inside a tent with no electricity, heat, modern convenience or food – yes, food. The father and one of the children are begging for the blankets they saw in our hands. The father begged for more as he indicated it was SO COLD – the temp dropped to 40 the night before inside his tent with zero protection. My brother indicated we would return.
We visited families who had been blessed by the mission’s building of homes. Their gratefulness was immediately evident as they ran to greet my brother Curt with quick vibrant smiles and penetrating brown eyes that sparkled as they reached out for a hug. A 12 x 20 home with a 3’ by 3’ bathroom delivered unmatched happiness and personal pride.
Sunday – 6:23a.m. - I spent last night in the sand dune, junk yard community of San Luis Mexico…
Let me explain.
I planned a trip to see my brother and sister-in-law in Yuma, Arizona for months. Brother Curt is a missionary serving the poverty in San Luis, Mexico. This would be my first opportunity to cross the border and experience this unique culture.
The much anticipated trip finally arrived. We (a neighbor and I) landed in Yuma around 11:01 on Wednesday determined to play golf in the afternoon. After a little lunch at my brother and sister-in-laws, we quickly made our way to the golf course. It was a little chilly and windy but so great to be playing golf in January. The front nine went pretty well considering the amount of time it had been since I had played. On the 11th hole we began planning our trip to Mexico on Thursday.
I’ve been pumped about this trip for months. I am so proud of what Curt and Kelly are doing and proud to be able to support them. It is easy for me to feel their passion and heart for these seemingly forgotten people.
. . . Back to the golf course. Just before I was ready to tee off, Curt reminded me to take my Passport with me in the morning. The blood immediately drained from my face. Incredible idiotic feelings overcame me. I could hardly get the words out of my mouth ---- “I forgot my Passport!”
I cannot express the degree of disappointment I felt. There is no practical explanation for how I could forget to pack such an important item when planning a trip out of the country. In fact, I never once thought about taking my passport while packing. There must be a reason!
You’re probably waiting for my philosophic lesson. . . . . . I don’t have one!
Thursday morning. . . I wake up with Mexico and my unfortunate mistake on my mind. Maybe, just maybe I can still get my passport and make it to Mexico before going home on Sunday. After a conversation with Jack, the quest is on.
I LOVE America. I love the people, the technology and the speed at which items can be moved across the country.
A trusted friend from work got into my house and located my Passport in a safe where we store important documents. Another team member made arrangements for the Passport to be overnighted to Yuma via UPS. I immediately announced to my brother we were going to Mexico. He rearranged all the plans and we were set to make the trip on Saturday.
These new, encouraging events made our shopping trip to find blankets for the children in San Luis more enjoyable and purposeful. We made a haul at a local store, purchasing 23 blankets for $91.64 and saved $261.00 buying them on sale. I can already sense the need for one of these blankets in a two-year-old’s life!
The Passport arrives and the final plans are in place.
Saturday morning --- 7:32a.m. --- we depart for the border. The trip is finally going to happen. Everything goes smoothly as we literally pray for safety, an opportunity to serve and touch someone’s life, a green light at the border and that Curt will recognize every ALTO sign --- Stop sign in Spanish.
We’re in. Thank you Lord. Deep into San Luis the landscape changes from a commercialized, normal, paved city street in Mexico to blatant poverty.
Thousands of acres of sand are covered in garbage and littered with a few scattered huts, tents, abandoned vehicles and a smattering of a few miniature homes where families dwell. The conditions are virtually impossible to describe let alone embrace as I live in a culture of bountiful blessings.
My first people encounter is a family of four living inside a tent with no electricity, heat, modern convenience or food – yes, food. The father and one of the children are begging for the blankets they saw in our hands. The father begged for more as he indicated it was SO COLD – the temp dropped to 40 the night before inside his tent with zero protection. My brother indicated we would return.
We visited families who had been blessed by the mission’s building of homes. Their gratefulness was immediately evident as they ran to greet my brother Curt with quick vibrant smiles and penetrating brown eyes that sparkled as they reached out for a hug. A 12 x 20 home with a 3’ by 3’ bathroom delivered unmatched happiness and personal pride.
I confess. Catherine stole my heart. She ran to Curt who hugged and kissed her. This little three-year-old had a smile that would melt the hardest of hearts. She came to me. . . wet pants and all. She wanted gum…hungry. We asked permission to take her to the ‘grocery’ store and mother smiled her approval – wouldn’t find that happening in most American cities.
We purchased a flat of 36 eggs and 24 bananas --- along with a box of Fruit Loops Catherine picked out. The cost: $7.30.
We said goodbye to a tearful Catherine and made our way back to the tent family. Seeing our vehicle, they ran out of the tent. A visibly ill neighbor mysteriously appeared at the vehicle. We distributed food and the father asked for one more blanket as his two-year-old daughter crawled out of the tent and through the rubbished sand to our feet, reaching out to receive the gift of warmth. We obliged. How could we resist?
The stories continue. . .
Our hours inside the invisible walls were an astonishing, mind-boggling, revelation! Dire basic human needs, welcoming hearts, putrid physical and human conditions, engaging smiles and people struggling to live out each day with minimal comfort – it is heart wrenching and the need is absolutely overwhelming. One person, one heart, one need, one soul at a time.
This mission effort is impacting people’s lives at a very fundamental level – survival. It’s all about the relationships, the trust, and the community that is being built. God’s love is being brought to life through food, soccer balls, blankets, water and homes. More profound are the hugs, kisses, hand shakes, smiles and unconditional acceptance.
As we drove away to improving conditions, each block moved us closer to civilization. Was it just a dream we just experienced? Not a chance! It was a mind branding and disheartening reality. It shouldn’t be like THIS!
. . . I didn’t physically spend the night last night in Mexico. The eleven minute walk through customs allowed me to physically re-enter the USA. BUT, my mind and my heart were unable to leave. In my dreams last night, I mentally relived each visual image, re-experienced each person I hugged or child I held and emotionally struggled to understand the inequity of life. . .
I spent the night last night reliving San Luis!
“Do you really love me? -- Take care of my sheep.”
Jesus
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