Honor, Stewardship, Trust

"A President must grace and honor the office, the highest and most powerful office in the world. Our President must honor not just the office, but the people that office serves. 

The President must serve this country steadfastly and laudably.  

In the end the presidency is more than a simple catalog of policies pursued, crises weathered, battles lost or won.  

It's a stewardship and a sacred trust. It’s a commitment to sacrifice every fiber of your being, every thought, every moment, and everything in service to your nation. 

Despite the political and philosophical differences in our country, the President who does this well, deserves nothing less than our humble appreciation and heartfelt gratitude.

  

Our President must strive to be worthy of the example of the great men who have gone before.  Presidents walk in the giant footsteps of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and more.  They have magnificent legacies to uphold.  I pray that our President aspires to their example, and will daily make that sacrifice."

Arnie Vinick - Fictional Character and Presidential Candidate on the West Wing

Think Small

In YMCA circles, most discussions center around size. We constantly measure ourselves versus some ambiguous goal of what and how other people are doing.

·         How big is your budget?

·         How much money did you raise?

·         What do you do annually in sales?

·         How much do you make?

In my situation they usually are asking, “Why do you still have an iPhone 5?”

There is this underlying culture that only the work from the largest Y’s is the greatest or most important work. If an idea didn’t originate in Los Angeles, New York, Houston, Charlotte, etc. it really is not worthy of discussion.

Culturally we are obsessed with bigger or more prestige. Our dreams and sometimes our excuses get stuck in the “If Only” mode.

We find ourselves looking at what we think are bigger and greener pastures. Lifeguards say, “If only I was the Aquatics Director, I would make a difference.” The Aquatics Director says, “If only I was the Sr Program Director, I would make a difference.” The Sr. Program Director says, “If only I was the Executive of the branch, I would make a difference.” And the Executive says, “If only I was the CEO, I’d make a difference.”

We wallow around in what we don’t have because our town is poor; Our budgets are small; Someone else has the authority.

“If only I worked for one of those rich Y’s”

We live in a world of deficit thinking.

But experience has proven to me that bigger is not better and greener is not always greener!

I love this poem by Meade McGuire.

Father, where shall I work today? And my love flowed warm and free. 
Then He pointed out a tiny spot And said, “Tend that for me.” 
I answered quickly, “Oh no; not that! Why, no one would ever see, 
No matter how well my work was done; Not that little place for me.” 
And the word He spoke, it was not stern; He answered me tenderly: 
“Ah, little one, search that heart of thine. Art thou working for them or for me? 
Nazareth was a little place, And so was Galilee.” 

John Maxwell says, “the importance of your work is not about size, prestige or power. The importance is based on How you do your job and Why you do your job.” He shares three points:

1.   If you give your best in obscurity, God will recognize it. Others may not but God will.

2.   If you give your best in small things, God will give you bigger things.

3.   If you give your best with consistency, God will give you courage.

“THINK SMALL – REMEMBER the Mustard Seed”

Ruby

Ruby was country ham and warm biscuits. She was fresh cut flowers and sweet corn. She was thick tomato sandwiches that you had to eat over the sink. She was crowded and loud kitchens that were filled with smiles and laughter. She was family, she was friends and she was faith.

I think that is the culture of the YMCA Branch named in her honor. A branch where everyone is welcome and everyone is treated like family. We celebrate the simple things in life which bring us so much joy. The Ruby, as we affectionately call the branch, has no hallways or walls. The open floor plan creates a constant hum of talking, balls bouncing, and treadmills running.

Kind of like her kitchen. All of this energy and activity grounded on a commitment to our faith and the charge to “Love Our Neighbors As Ourselves.”

Yesterday as I watched her wonderful family and how proud they are and how strong they are all trying to be, I thought about how the best gift that we can give to Ruby is to acknowledge that our hearts are breaking and to lean on each other and let our hearts break together. 

Then we need to get back into that kitchen and out in that garden and spend the rest of our lives sharing the peace, the love and the joy that she shared daily.

Next Time - A Note to Graduates

I recently had someone say, “Let’s have a windshield relationship, not a rear-view mirror relationship.” And that is my advice to every graduating high school senior.

When you think about it, CHANGE is one of the few constants in our lives. The reality of life is that we are in a constant state of flux and motion. From our first words spoken to the date where we glance out at the audience with diploma in hand, our lives have been an ebb and flow “Good-Bye” and “Hello.”

Good-Bye is often the first words taught to a child as they learn to waive at a parent going to work or a grand-parent leaving after a visit. But soon after, Hello became part of the new vocabulary. Thank goodness Hello often follows Good Bye. Good Bye Elementary School – Hello Middle School. Good Bye Middle School - Hello High School. Good Bye High School and Hello…Life.

This is where I think the wind shield metaphor resonates with me. If I could give the graduates some advice I would say this – Don’t use the words “If only.” “If only I would have studied harder. If only I would have asked her out. If only I would have listened to my parents. If only I would have said no to my friends.” When you get stuck into a world of “If Only,” that means you are stuck in the rear-view mirror. Then you allow for excuses and negativity to dictate your future success and failure.

Instead I would use the word “Next Time.” Next time I will study harder. Next time I will make sure I ask her out. Next time I will listen to my parents. Next time I will say no to my friends. Focusing on what to do next time is deciding to clear a path for a different future.

Every exit is also an entrance. You never walk out of one thing without walking into something else. You will walk away from high school saying goodbye to great friends, wonderful teachers and a special time in your life. But tomorrow awaits you, full of possibilities and hope. Hello future, next time is going to be awesome.

5 Things

When did I become the “OLD GUY” in the room? It wasn’t long ago that I was the young guy, but I blinked and suddenly I feel like I am one of the two old guys on the Muppet Show constantly making snarky comments.

A few weeks ago, a couple of us old guys were talking about the absence of Young YMCA Superstars. Don’t get me wrong, there are a few out there, just not as many knocking on the doors. As we compared notes, I came away with 5 Things That Young Super Stars have that Sets Them Apart.

1.       They Smile and Laugh: Work is fun to them and when they are at work, people gravitate to them because they give off such great energy.

2.       They Put Mission First: They know the mission of the Y and it matches clearly with their personal values. They take pride in helping people meet their goals and just making our community better.

3.       They Constantly Learn: I notice that in staff meetings, staff retreats, learning environments and at trainings, they take great notes and always return trying to implement something new and improved.

4.       They Build Trust: Trust is built by being accountable to everyone. Their work is completed on time, they are present at work and go beyond all expectations and they look for more responsibility.

5.       They Over Communicate: “It ain’t bragging if you back it up.” They are diligent about letting you know their successes and are not scared away from acknowledging failures.

If you are looking for the next leader or if you are wanting to be the next leader - I would take a look at these 5 Things. 

7 Qualities of the Best Staff

Several years ago, I circled up all the Executives and had them list their best staff. I asked them, “If you graded all of your staff on a scale of 1-10, who would you give a 9 or a 10?”

Out of 300 staff, we had about 15% that we would give a 9 or a 10. If you research, that is fairly standard. Statistically, 15% of your team are the high performers and 15% of your team should probably be shown the door. The other 70% are at varying degrees of average.

I brought our 9's and 10's together in several focus groups and we talked about why they were better. I was hoping that we could “bottle up” their spirit and hopefully move our number to 20% or 25%.

A funny thing evolved from the focus groups. They all said the same thing. It was uncanny how the traits of a “10 Lifeguard” were the same traits of a “10 Welcome Center Staff.” These 45 staff came up with the 7 Qualities of the Best Staff.

1.       Serve Others First: Their job was all about the members and participants. They help members, their peers, their bosses, etc. They are overly excited about people hitting goals and are innately aware of when members are absent.

2.       Act with Integrity: They go out of their way to make sure that every transaction is clean and transparent. When they say they will follow up, they follow up. They show up for work on time and are somewhat OCD about their timeclock management.

3.       Be a Part of the Team: The best staff know the importance of staff meetings, changing shifts with their peers, and helping in other departments on special events. These are the staff that take extraordinary pride in recognizing others for great work.

4.       Create New Ideas: When they visit other Y’s they always bring back ideas. The best staff suggest new and innovative ways to do their jobs.

5.       Be an Expert at the Job: It is critical to stay up on the latest skills and techniques of their job. You can see them practice and/or hungry to learn.

6.       Build Relationships: They know everyone’s name, birthday and special life event. They give these over the top welcomes. They are the staff that get the hugs. These are the staff that you see cornered up listening to a member’s story.

7.       Take Initiative: They don’t wait for a boss to say do something. They just do it.

How do you stack up?

GREAT LOVE SONGS

Three signs that I am getting old. First, a few weeks back I saw someone messing with my neighbor’s car while he was gone so I called the police. It turned out to be his friend playing a joke on him. My daughter Ryanne just laughed and said “Old Man!” Second, Saturday mornings are spent with a cup of coffee and watching my bird feeders and yelling at the squirrels. And third, when I drive I listen to talk radio.

I am not quite bad enough to be yelling at the kids to get out of my yard yet, but I may be getting close.

While driving recently, the talk radio show had a discussion on the best love songs. That is a hard question. Some songs remind you of that slow dance in middle school when you wanted the world to stop spinning and time stand still because it couldn’t get any more perfect. Kind of the Winnie Cooper and Kevin Arnold moment.

Then there is one of those dates in high school when the song comes on while you sit in her drive way and try and think of how you’re going to kiss her good night. When it happens and you get back to your car, and you really aren’t sure how you actually drive home.

Some songs bring back the memory of rewinding the cassette and playing that song over and over. You would just take roads and detours so you could play the song one more time.

And the songs that are some remote song on an album that elicit a sweet memory with your wife and only mean something to you and your bride. When it pops up on your play list the kids wonder why you start holding hands.

With all that, I wanted to list my top five (impossible) and then top ten (too difficult). So I settled on a top 40 (Too Many)…… but today I will share my top 20. Do you have any of the same?

20.   My Funny Valentine – Frank Sinatra

19.   One Hundred Ways – James Ingram

18.   The Closer I Get To You – Roberta Flack

17.   All of Me – John Legend

16.   Too Hot – Kool and the Gang

15.   After the Love is Gone – Earth Wind and Fire

14.   The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face – Roberta Flack

13.   God Only Knows – The Beach Boys

12.   You’re the First, The Last, My Everything – Barry White

11.   Back at One – Brian McKnight

10.   Let’s Get It On – Marvin Gaye

9.       Just Once – James Ingram

8.       The Way You Look Tonight – Tony Bennett

7.       You Don’t Know Me – Michael McDonald

6.       Your Song – Elton John

5.       Here and Now – Luther Vandross

4.       Endless Love – Luther Vandross / Lionel Ritchie

3.       Have I told You Lately – Van Morrison

2.       Always and Forever – Heatwave

1.       Our Love – Michael McDonald

Mr. Poole

Mr. Poole died this week. For the past 30-years he’s told me to call him Bill, but he will forever be Mr. Poole.

Between the ages of 14 and 20, the Poole house was my home away from home. I probably spent the night there at least 30 times a year. I am thankful he never charged me and the entire crew for eating and drinking him out of house and home!

One weekend, he confronted our group about some missing Chivas Regal. I told him I didn’t “Know Nothing About No Buick Regal.” It took a while for him to let me live it down.

I also had a Bassett Hound who would wander the neighborhood and knock over trash cans. One morning early he found my dog with her collar stuck on the post that rolls the cans out to the road. He gently helped my dog loose and then kicked over the trash can for her and said, “Have at it!”

One thing I am so thankful to Bill Poole for is my love of Jazz music and Frank Sinatra. I guess I was about 15 years old when I walked in the house and he was playing Frank Sinatra and his Concert for the Americas. I may have been the only 16-year-old driving around with cassettes of Frank Sinatra, Earl Klugh, Grover Washington, Jr., Stanley Clark and George Duke. Now that I think of it, that may explain my dating history or lack thereof.

When I look back on my teenage years I am thankful for a wonderful neighborhood (Holly Tree), back yard football, hide and seek, riding my bike everywhere, learning to drive, dozens of friends, first kisses, broken hearts, big apologies, too many of William’s car accidents to count and being raised by a group of adults that weren’t my parents but then again were! Know what I mean?

Thanks Mr. Poole! ……..Bill.