To Ryanne and Her/Our Notre Dame Friends/Family

The hardest part of this season of graduation is not the exams. It is obviously the anxiety of that day when you pile everything in your car and drive away toward the next life stage. 30 years after that day for me and I can remember it vividly. Just wait until next spring when all of your “still in college friends” head off to tropical spring break destinations and you have to go to work!

I hope you and your friends will take 120 seconds and read a few of my thoughts.

I recently read a devotion which made me think of you. It shared that the primary way the gospels present Jesus with his disciples is as people on a journey. Jesus is always moving quickly from place to place, with his poor, sometimes dazed and confused disciples stumbling along after Him. He calls disciples, not to sit down and rest with Him, not to build great stone buildings where they can settle down with Him; rather He calls disciples to move with Him.

Our commitment to each of you, as your parents, is that we are still here and will continue to help you along your way. You are beginning a new journey and as adults know, college was just one small beginning not the destination.

We pray that you are able to discern God’s promptings in your life. We hope that at age 22 you are more aware of your spiritual gifts than we were and you realize God’s blessings on you as you continue to grow in Christ, as you continue to live out your new life. We are confident that you will not simply survive, but you will triumph and have a life over flowing with joy.

We hope what makes you special and what gives us all hope is that when you hear Jesus say, “Follow Me” you know he means you and you dare to follow!

Same Old Same Old - Every Day

One of my favorite preachers is Mike Breaux, and he describes the “same old life” this way.

“You get up at the same old time, shut off the same old alarm clock, walk in the same old bathroom, look at the same old face in the same old mirror, get in the same old shower, dry off with the same old towel and put on the same old clothes.

Then you walk down to the same old kitchen, get out the same old bowl, pour the same old cereal and eat it with the same old spoon, drink the same old coffee, read the same old paper and kiss the same old wife. After that you get in the same old car, drive the same old way to the same old job, sit at the same old desk and laugh at the same old jokes the same old boss tells the same old way.

You clock out at the same old time, get back in the same old car, drive down the same old street, pull into the same old garage, hug the same old kids, walk back into the same old kitchen and sit down and eat that same old dinner.

Finally, you walk to the same old family room, sit in the same old recliner, watch that same old TV show, fall asleep in that same old chair, get up and go to the same old bed, ask that same old wife that same old question, get that same old answer, then roll over and set that same old alarm clock and get up the next morning and do the same old thing all over again.”

That story makes me laugh but also hits too close home. The “same old same old” mentality is driving me crazy, especially at the Y. We keep doing the same old programs the same old way expecting different results. Isn’t that the definition of insanity?

IBM once surveyed over 1500 CEOs. In the interviews, CEOs said that creativity was the leadership quality they valued most. Creativity offers new risks, new ideas, new ways of influencing and communicating. Creative leaders invite innovation and encourage others to move past outdated approaches and take balanced risks. They are open-minded in expanding their management and communication styles, particularly to engage with a new generation of employees, volunteers and members. 

The IBM study asks: 

• How will you develop the critical capabilities to enhance creativity among your leadership team?

• In what ways can you explore, reward and integrate diverse and unconventional thinking?

• What is your approach to challenge your current business model to get the most from currently untapped opportunities?

• How will you leverage new communication styles, technologies and tools, both to lead a new generation of talent and encourage breakthrough thinking?

After you read this, will you respond the same old way?

On Boarding for Staff

I think I found a new way to do the on boarding for new staff at the YMCA; I am going to give them a year of Netflix with the instructions to watch the entire series of The West Wing. My wife will say that my infatuation with the show is just a crazy desire to have everyone stand whenever I enter a room. There may be some truth to that because every time I enter a room I always say, “Stay seated” even though everyone is already seated and very few even acknowledge my presence.

It’s probably not a good idea to ask employees that already work long hours to use 150 plus hours of their free time to watch an old TV show. Maybe I could just give them a couple of episodes from each season to watch and then we could meet periodically and debrief over the lessons.

I’ve thought about just showing them special clips but I think the leadership lesson is understanding the characters. These characters exhibit a skill set of unbelievable work ethic, an impassioned belief in the mission of their work, and an unwavering loyalty to each other. The characters have wildly different personalities yet they blend this diversity of thought into debates and arguments that help bring about decisions that are timely and thoughtful. The debates show passion and when employees are passionate about their work, they are also productive.

While the work of the Y is not trying to change America, it is trying to change our community. Change is exhausting and the often thankless work demands that our staff teams be committed to the mission and to each other. I am not sure of the magic needed to create a team that trust each other, is honest with each other, and is accountable for incredibly high standards. That is exactly the kind of stuff that Patrick Lencioni, author and business guru, has been stating for years. I guess my idealistic hope is that in watching it modeled on a TV show, that somehow osmosis will create the same environment. Now how much is the monthly Netflix subscription? And it's leadership from The West Wing, not House of Cards.

5 Traits for Your Team From the West Wing

1.       Passionate about the Mission

2.       Open to creating relationships with their peers

3.       Strong work ethic

4.       Belief in team success over personal success

5.       Really good at their job

Bartenders

Working at the YMCA is a lot like being a bartender. Don’t roll your eyes at that premise because I came to that conclusion while doing some very thorough research. Recently I sat at the bar at a very prestigious hotel and I struck up a conversation with Sam the bar tender. And yes that was his name and no I did not see Cliff, Norm or Carla.

I watched Sam in amazement as he completely and totally overwhelmed the dozen or so patrons in this very upscale hotel bar. I stopped him after observing him for a while and told him I was in the customer service business and I asked him what his secret was. He humbly professed, “I just do what every bar tender does, I try and remember a little bit about every person.” That comment made me smile but his follow up gave me goose bumps. “I just come to work every day and hope everyone that I meet leaves this place going, ‘wow, this is a great place.’ “

Our best staff have that in their DNA. They easily learn the stories of the members that walk through our doors and they connect in a way that makes those members feel like the Y is more than just another gym, they make it feel like home.

Sam commented that a few of the regular patrons often have to be run out of the bar at closing time. “We treat everyone like family by just knowing everyone. This place has become part of their identity,” added Sam. I could tell that Sam has spent decades connecting people; introducing one traveling business man to the next. Often times he says, helping broker a high powered deal.

Sam shared that he regularly interacts with very rich businessmen, influential politicians, athletes and entertainers. “I try and treat everyone the same regardless of who they are. A job well done is making them feel like they are ALL part of my family.”

He is like the stereo typical bar tender in that people share with them their hard luck stories. Even while serving people he can over hear some very private information. He shared one story about serving a couple that was in town because a close family member had died, Sam’s eyes watered as he shared their story. His interest was not just hawking tips. Sam’s secret was he was genuinely investing himself in their lives and in their stories.

I asked Sam, what was the best day on the job. He quickly added that he has had too many to pick a BEST. “This job allows me to do so many favors for people and seeing the joy on their faces is incredible.” He quickly discussed arranging theater tickets for a father and daughter, introducing a patron to a famed college basketball coach for an autograph for his son and also connecting a recently unemployed patron with a business owner who quickly offered a job. “If you keep your eyes and ears open, it becomes fairly easy to connect dots. Life is like a puzzle and I get unbelievable joy in getting the pieces to fit together.”

“The number one thing for a bartender is listening,” Sam laughed. I felt like he could spend all day sharing stories. I wanted to hear the stories of the famous people but the truly heartwarming stories were the interactions with just the every-day traveler. I think being a story teller has to be a trait that bartenders and Y Directors must have!

Watching Sam that night was like watching a conductor handle an orchestra. He easily moves from the group of four businessmen, to the couple having the romantic getaway and back across to the few of us sitting randomly at the bar. Sam is not just a bartender, he’s an ambassador. He and this hotel are linked in mutual service. The affection so many have for this place is due much to the ambassador behind the bar. The man that welcomed me into his family, left me going, “wow, this is an awesome place.”