Yesterday, in practice 196 with a team I barely know or recognize, we started with a little clip from The Matrix as a reminder of the power of being a believer. We took flight and wrote what we saw here. We’re writing again at 3:13. We walked the line and wrote what we saw at 3:20. We played the sunset and wrote what we saw and why we watched it at 3:28. We watched a titan to remember and wrote why and what we saw. It is now 3:34 and we’ve been watching examples of believers for thirty minutes. I want the team to see what it looks like to become a believer. I want them to see why writing beliefs is only step one. Have you mastered step one, friend? Are you too busy practicing some Jimmy Davis tune to author your own? I wonder if they see the melody line to these clips – The Matrix, Flight, Walk the Line, Mr. Hollands opus, and Remember the Titans. Durp doesn’t think we’re practicing. What the hell does he think we’re doing. I’ll ask. We’re on practice 196 and it feels like we’re on square one…
3:38 I asked the team to speak and listen about the melody line from these five clips. China started us off with the common theme was around the story of building your own leadership. durp said it was a bunch of bullshit around his table. durp thought the clips were about clarity. durp asked Jeff if he knows who he is. He can’t see himself with crystal clarity. I’m hearing bullshit, I guess. Traci heard the universal melody line of belief and opus. Know who you are and where you’re going, she concluded. Nobody seemed to see exactly what I wanted them to see, so, I shared the melody line I wanted them to see.
Leaders are Believers.
Simple. Profound, at least to me. Sarah shot up like someone had shot her out of a canon to share her opus. I want to hear worldview. I want to hear belief to begin. Sam stood. Actually, Sam stood up and kicked some ass. She shared she doesn’t have to respect worldviews that run against her moral code. Sam stood. Stones came. Sam stood. More stones. Sam stood and allowed those throwing stones to move her instead of crush her. Of course her teammates weren’t throwing stones, they were asking good, hard, questions – when you’re standing those feel like stones. Don’t believe me, try it sometime. I want more Sam’s. I want more teammates willing to stand and let the stones come. I wonder if anybody is seeing the growth I’m picking up from Sam. I mean, I’m the outsider here as I am everywhere, but I can’t take my eyes off her growth. Practice is now underway, huh durp…
jmo shared next. He saw a big hole in his worldview. He is a believer but he’s a negative nellie. He shared the Stockdale paradox and what it meant to him. jmo said he should be a super optimist. He got out his learned optimism book long ago. He had taken the learned optimism test a decade ago and when he took it again his score had not changed. He’s seeing himself as he is, a mild pessimist. He is making a decision to change this. He told us he’s going to change this, now. Sam asked what he’s going to do to change him. He is going to work on changing by reading the book and applying his A,B,C,D,E framework. I asked Gurue to kick jmo’s ass with a challenging question. Gurue asked why was he saying no to God on this. Good one. Because it was easier for him to avoid disappointment. He set the bar low enough and didn’t feel he was failing. He told us about the mission trip and how this changed him. He bought the lie in his head and was finally called on it by God, he told his teammates. The place was eerily quiet as jmo opened himself up to all kinda stuff. The missions trip was the most exhilirating and humbling experience he has had. durp asked if it matters what others think of him. jmo answered that it matters that people see him as he is.
jmo wants people to see and know jmo. He wants to be comfortable in his own skin, believe deeply, and behave accordingly. He is past caring what people think. He is focused on being authentic and living in alignment with his faith, at least that’s what I hear. He wants to be seen as a leader. Belief leads to optimism which leads to success. durp sees jmo as an optimist. We’re seeing some kinda discovery today. This is good. jmo is working on being the real jmo. jmo has been wanting to practice on the optimism essential the last few practices and we’ve not taken it there. Today, he and Sam were strong enough to take us wherever they wanted. They took a stand. They stood up and let us throw whatever we wanted at them. It doesn’t much matter what they shared. It matters that they believe it does. You see, leaders are believers. You and I do not have to agree, in fact, the greatest teams only share pieces of belief, vision, purpose, and few of the same principles. A bit is not only enough, it’s the way it is. Our founders were freakin’ magic not because they all agreed but because they came together in spite of their differences. ONE, distinct and deeply connected, remember, is a fine line away from distinct and deeply divided, friend.
Today, take a stand to become the original you already are. Stop fear in its tracks. And, allow your teammates to do the same. Distinctly you. Distinctly me. And, somehow deeply connected. Sam and jmo stood, today. Thanks, you two, for modeling the way…
BUILT TO LEAD 