Be Careful What You Say About Yourself
“The whale that spouts first gets harpooned first” was one of the first things I learned in 1984 as I started in the management training program at Steelcase, Inc. A quote attributed to its then CEO and chairman, Bob Pew.
The message was clear – we shouldn’t talk about how good we are as a company. We just needed to demonstrate it through our superior products, service and value. The need to “spout” indicated more serious issues, issues that would eventually lead to being “harpooned”.
Being understated was a strong value of Steelcase’s and it permeated the entire company’s culture. It’s a value that continues to influence my career and as a result influences SpringHill.
It’s so integrated into my own values that I hadn’t thought much about the quote until one day, late in July, I drove by this sports bar in a small town near Marion, Indiana.
The sign on the side of the building read “Best Damn Sportsbar Period”.
As I went by the front of the bar I said to myself “it doesn’t look like the best one – period” and then noticed the “for sale” sign in the window which confirmed my assessment of the place.
The owners surely hadn’t gone through Steelcase’s management training program. Because if they had, they’d had known not to spend money spouting off on signs. But instead they would have invested that money and energy into the service and experience they provided their customers with the result being that they wouldn’t have needed that final sign I saw in the window.
Creating Space
I just completed a regularly planned ritual I began after my first year at SpringHill when I experienced the seasonality of both SpringHill’s work and my job. Now before the end of any given 4 month “season” I lay out my calendar for the next season.
I literally create space by blocking off days for planning, administrative work, meeting with staff and supporters and yes – days off, all based on my goals for the season and the year.
I learned in that first year that if I didn’t take a proactive approach to my schedule it would be filled by others. And if my calendar became filled by others that meant there would be very little time left for many of the other things I needed to do for SpringHill, my family, and myself.
Now don’t get me wrong I work hard to make myself available to our staff, board and supporters as I create space by planning my calendar.
Being available and approachable is a high value of mine.
But without a thoughtful plan I actually become less available and can seem more unapproachable because of the frantic pace I end up running.
So after that first year I learned this fundamental truth – only I can be responsible for my time, my days, and my calendar.
I can’t entrust it to others.
And it’s not fair to do so, because they’re not in a position to manage my time. They’re only in a position to use it.
Only I’m in a position to manage my time, and create the space needed to do the things that only I can do for SpringHill, for my family, and for myself.
To read more on related topics see my posts:
On Having the Best Summer Yet
Dave and one of his two fish he caught It has taken five summers for Dave Lynema, our Michigan Food Service Director, and I to find a day to do some fishing together. But we finally accomplished our goal this past week. I’ve looked forward to fishing with Dave because he’s an excellent fisherman and I appreciate him as a person and as a friend.
Because it turned out to be a slow fishing day we ended up talking “shop” while trying to figure out what we needed to do to catch some fish. At one point I asked Dave, “How did your summer go?”
He replied (as I heard a number of times in the past couple of weeks), “It was the best summer I’ve had at SpringHill.”
Of course I couldn’t let it go at that so I asked, “What made it your best summer?”
Dave provided two reasons that I could have anticipated, if I had only taken time to think about it.
First he said, “We did a better job in our pre-summer planning.” Then he explained, “We also had great people working on the food service team.”
Good planning, preparation and great people working together as a team? Not necessarily a “high level strategy”. But as in any great day of fishing, it’s an absolutely necessary formula for a team, or a leader, who wants to have their “best summer” ever.
I didn't catch a fish but it didn't matter because of good conversation and this sunrise What’s been the “formula” for your best work experience yet?
“Evart (and Hawaii) has the Best Sunsets”
I was sitting with friends at the Evart High School football stadium watching the sun set while waiting for the start of the 4th of July fireworks.It was an incredible sunset which led to my friend Don Myers to comment “Evart has the best sunsets.” I thought to myself “that’s a pretty bold statement to make about a small town in northern Michigan”. But truth was I couldn’t argue with beauty of the western sky and I wouldn’t dare step on Don’s pride in his home town by disagreeing.
One evening three weeks later I sat on the porch of SpringHill’s Founders’ House talking with friends who were picking up their kids from camp the next day. As we talked I noticed the sky begin to turn orange and pink and I suggested we move around to the other side of the porch to watch the sun go down.
Once again Evart’s sunset was spectacular.
As we watched I shared the story of the sun setting before the fireworks and I told them Don’s statement “Evart has the best sunsets.”
After a few moments watching the sky my friend Dave Pendley said with a laugh “yep Evart and Hawaii have the best sunsets.”
We all smiled at Dave’s comment but I thought to myself “I’m not quite sure Don Myers would agree. But then again Don’s not from Hawaii.”
Click here to see the rest of my photos of the best sunsets in the world.
Leading by Seeing and Being Seen
Todd Leinberger, our Great Lakes Region VP, "seeing and being seen" while helping Copper Country kids catch fish Why did I spend 30 days of the past 90 on the road visiting SpringHill sites and SpringHill supporters? Because of something I learned back in the day when I was a volunteer Young Life leader. To do effective “contact work”, that is to build relationships with students, you need “to see and to be seen.”
I’ve continued this “to see and be seen” philosophy in my role at SpringHill. It’s what pushes me to visit as many SpringHill Experiences and be with as many staff, campers, parents and supporters as I can especially during the summer season
“To see” simply means to be in places where I can witness our ministry first hand, seeing our work and the people who do it and at the same time see those who also support it.
“To see” gives me the opportunity to provide real-time feedback to our team as well as share in real-time the great things being done across SpringHill with our staff and supporters. When I speak about impact of SpringHill on the lives of campers and staff I do so from personal experience.
“To be seen” provides accessibility to these same groups of people – staff, campers, parents and supporters. By allowing myself “to be seen” I become available. By being available and accessible I’m able to build relationships and through relationships provide support, encouragement and at the same time hear firsthand the necessary feedback they may have.
As we continue to grow I’ll become more stretched in my ability “to see and be seen” as I was this summer. But thankfully SpringHill has fine leaders who now share this responsibility with me and are carrying out this philosophy of leadership in more places and with more people than ever before.
Hydrate or Die
“Hydrate or Die” are simple, direct and memorable words we told our staff this past Sunday in our morning staff meetings. They reminded us all of the importance of assuring that both staff and campers had plenty of water during the incredible heat wave we just experienced.All summer long we remind our staff of the importance of rehydrating themselves and their campers as they go through their active days. But when the temperatures and humidity reach “heat alert” levels then our language becomes stronger and more insistent – we tell our staff “hydrate or die”.
We know it’s a little hyperbole but there’s truth in these words. If you’re exposed to high temperatures for long periods of time without taking in enough water there’s a risk of serious health issues.
So we give our staff a phrase that will stick with them, reminding them of the important job of taking care of themselves and their campers during a heat wave as the one we just had.
Of course there’s more to taking care of staff and campers in a heat wave than just pithy sayings. We made adjustments to the camp schedule to assure campers were in the water as much as possible. Also we made sure drinking water’s available at activity and housing areas so that campers and staff were never far from something to drink. Also small groups met in the shade and in our Indiana overnight camp we made sure campers slept in air conditioning.
But it’s the power of strong and memorable words that stick with us which provide the guidance and motivation to do the right things in any situation. It’s why leaders create, borrow and use such statements while leading others.
So remember “hydrate or die” as you enjoy your summer season.
From “My dad’s the boss of you” to “I don’t want anyone to know you’re my dad”
Mitch back in the "my dad's the boss of you" days Funny thing happened when we brought our son Mitch to camp this past Sunday. He and his buddy Gabe (whose mom also works at SpringHill) told us not to visit their cabin because they didn’t want anyone to know who their parents were.
What’s so funny about this request? Well it’s a long way from Mitch’s first years as a camper when he’d be sure to tell his counselors early in the week that “my Dad’s the boss of you” even though we told him numerous times never to say such things.
Growing up with a dad whose work includes being a public figure has its ups and downs. Think of people you know who grew up as politicians’ kids or the famous “PK’s – preacher’s kids” and how their parent’s notoriety impacted their childhood. It can be a tremendous blessing but also be a painful experience.
My job, in some ways, is a combination of a politician’s and a preacher’s. So Denise and I have worked hard to make sure our kids didn’t carry around unrealistic or burdensome expectations because of their dad’s work. We wanted our kids to have the blessing of a dad who works at a camp without all the extra baggage that could come along with it.
And based on Mitch’s desire for what he wants his camp experience to be like we’ve accomplished our goal.
So if you see Mitch in the next two weeks act as if you don’t know who his parents are, let him have his first SpringHill Experience that doesn’t include being the President’s son.
Onward – How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul
If you’re a coffee aficionado, student of leadership or intrigued by the workings of large corporations then I recommend the book Onward by Howard Schultz the Chairman, President and CEO of Starbucks.My interest falls primarily into the first two categories – coffee and leadership – though I’m not a true aficionado I do enjoy a good cup of coffee. But the second category – leadership – is what put the book on top of my summer reading list.
In particular I wanted to understand how Schultz led Starbucks through difficult economic times and organizational change while maintaining and even strengthened their values, culture and brand.
Because Schultz is an articulate and passionate leader the book turned out to be practical. It’s full of quotable statements about business, leadership and of course coffee, making it a great case study and enjoyable read.
In reality Starbucks represents a number of the qualities we envision for SpringHill including having passionate & loyal fans, strong organizational culture built on their values and industry changing innovation that makes a difference in the world.
So reading a firsthand account of Starbuck’s transformation provided some helpful lessons for both SpringHill and my leadership as we continue to reach more kids, more effectively for Christ in a changing world.
By the end of the book I filled four pages with concepts I could adapt to my leadership as well as ideas that we can possibly try at SpringHill – a number of which I’ve already applied to myself and introduced to the organization.
There’s one other change I made as a result of reading Onward – inspired I found our old French press at the back of our cupboard and now use it to brew my morning coffee.
Reflection and Never Running with Scissors
As a child my mom would tell us kids not to run with scissors because it’s risky running around with something that sharp in your hands. You might fall and land on those scissors and hurt yourself.That’s how I feel when I’ve left no time in my life for reflection. It’s as though I’m running through life with scissors.
You see reflection’s the ability to think, review, pray and process specific situations and events occurring in our lives and in the world. Because of the way God’s create me, I need reflective time to respond appropriately, that is to be able to say right words and take the necessary action, in any given situation.
Reflection requires time, even if it’s just a few minutes a day, to create the space needed to reflect. We create space though solitude, mental and if possible physical solitude. Solitude then allows for a break from external distractions and encourages us to focus on Christ as we reflect on our life.
Finally, after creating the right space, reflection requires an understanding of ourselves, the world we live in, the people we relate to and the God who’s created it all. This understanding’s the context in which reflection does its work.
But when it’s busy, as it has been for me over the past three months, I find it extremely challenging to create the quality space needed for reflection. So here’s what I do when life’s causing me to run with scissors.
I pray for God’s protection so I won’t fall and land on those scissors and then, at almost any cost, I stop running. I remind myself that reflection’s as essential to my life as eating and breathing. Then I make the time and create the space so I can reflect on my life running with scissors and how not to let it happen again.
What’s Required to Live a Life that Matters?
Over the course of my life the one fear I’ve consistently carried has been that somehow, at the end of it all, I’ll have lived a life that didn’t matter, that didn’t make a difference in others and in our world. So I’ve continually ask myself “what must I do to live such a life?”Now I’ll admit there’s no single answer or silver bullet, but instead many factors working in concert with that allows one’s life to matter.
Yet I’ve become convinced that there are two inseparable qualities, a glue that holds all other factors together, that we must possess if we’re to live such a life.
The first’s a singular focus on purpose, a vision of what difference we can make. Singular focus combines our giftedness with opportunity bringing them into laser focus in a way that matters. This singular focus is on others, on a cause, on something bigger than our selves. The apostle Paul says in Acts 20:24 “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me…” That’s singular focus.
The second quality’s a lot less appealing than singular focus but without it our focus blurs. It’s simple tenacity. It’s the ability to commit to a destination then set a course towards it and doggedly follow that course, making corrections as necessary, but to follow it to the very end.
My dad always told me anything worthwhile (singular focus) comes at a price and the price I’ve learned is tenacity, the dogged pursuit of a singular focus no matter the cost.
Any life that matters, that makes a difference, has these two inseparable qualities – the glue that binds everything else together – singular focus and tenacity both of which I pray are in abundance in my life.
