Sunday April 03
I watched carefully as the young man in front of me slid the wooden chess piece forward towards my waiting trap. The sacrifice of my bishop would lead to checkmate and victory just 4 moves later. I wonder if the young man saw my lips curl in a smile or heard me quietly sigh in excitement. Probably not — what son expects his father to practice a hammer and anvil move from his father when he’s just 6 years old. I am a teacher — and he needed a lesson. CHECKMATE!
Ironically, my sneaky, over zealous, soul crushing victory not withstanding, the Chess board is a fantastic place to start talking about teamwork.
Alexander the Great used the game to teach his generals military strategy. But truthfully the game is even bigger than strategy. Consider this….
To be a great teammate, you must know your individual strengths in order to be the greatest benefit to those around you. Once you understand yourself, you can begin to work in concert with those around you who might have different gifts. People often overlook the value of the lowly pawn, but when it is used in concert with its brothers on either side it becomes a formidable trap. Those 8 little soldiers are the ultimate defenders. When you understand them, their value grows exponentially.
We are much the same. My skill set by itself is of limited value; but my skill set coupled with the skills of those around me make us a formidable tool that can be used to accomplish the most daunting of tasks.
Tomorrow, take a long look in the mirror. Take a moment to embrace your strength…Then commit to embracing the strength of those around you. Be Amazed!
and if your lips curl in the smile of victory —-you earned it!
ONE TEAM ... OF ONE
April 17 2022
Springtime has arrived in all of its pine pollen, yellow hazed glory; and it brings with it the full softball season. My kids will be playing 2-3 games per week for school and 4-6 games on our travel weekends — it’s A LOT! We do our best to protect them, and to teach them — not just softball, but, as you know by now, life through softball.
BUT
There are those moments when THEY teach Me …………..
I have an incredible young lady who plays right field and first base for us. She is young and, if we’re dealing in complete honesty, among the least naturally gifted athletes on the team; but SHE WORKS. SHE WORKS HARD! She puts in twice the amount of time and practice of her more gifted teammates. Her work ethic got her noticed, earned her a spot on our showcase team, and earned her the right to start — even on our biggest stages.
As you might imagine, she is constantly “trying-out” to be better or to earn the right to start at first — which she has already done. I sat down with her after a recent difficult tournament in which she spent most of the event at right field.
Despite having a fantastic event — she hit well, she played exceptionally well in the field — even gaining the attention of other coaches, she was frustrated to the point of tears, because she thought we felt she wasn’t good enough to play first base. Nothing good be more incorrect.
After hearing her concern and feeling her raw emotion, I offered her the only coaching consolation I could think of — I asked her to tell me who was the best right fielder.
” I am,” she sniffled.
“Who’s the best first baseman?” I asked. She half smiled, taking the bait; “I am.”
Clearly, she can’t play two positions at the same time. So I asked her to consider where she was of greatest value. She has good foot speed, a strong arm, and a deep understanding of the game. With the rest of her teammates playing at a top level, the job at first base becomes, I hope, very pedestrian. When we play a team that hits well and is aggressive on the bases, the right fielder will run to exhaustion making all the required coverages.
“I played you where I could get the maximum value,” I told her. “Who else could we have put there, if I moved you to first?”
There was a moment of silence, as if she thought I had sprung some magic trap on her. Then, there was a nod and a smile. “No one.”
IN THAT MOMENT, that incredible young lady taught me a valuable lesson that I would like to share with you. Take a meaningful look at yourself and celebrate what YOU do well. Allow yourself the privilege of saying, “I am really good at …” And when you are assigned to the position that might be less glamorous, but fits your strengths –CELEBRATE YOUR GREATNESS!
This young lady made her team better, by sacrificing her personal desire and doing the dirty work better than anyone else could that day.
That was a pretty powerful moment.