 The Power StruggleVictim is a noun, defined as a person harmed, injured, or killed as a result of a crime, accident, or other event or action. For the sake of this message, we’ll accept and acknowledge the reality of being a victim in a crime or accident. It’s the ‘other event or action’ I would like to explore.
Our mind is quite the fence jumper. In one instant we are drawn to pounding our chests and proclaiming our dominance over the world, and in the next we find ourselves retreating into the shadows hoping to not be noticed. This doesn’t change for leaders. If anything, it’s magnified. The draw to show our power lives in worlds of survival - only the strong survive … control - my way or the highway … or glory - ‘if you ain’t first, you’re last’ (to quote the great Ricky Bobby). What we fail to realize is that all of these stems of power grow from the same root. Comparison. Why Should We Care? We are all powerful beyond our comprehension. Not in our physical attributes - everyone knows your mind gives way long before your muscles do. No, our greatest power lies simply in our choice. Do we hold it tight or give it away? Both provide opportunities for us to wield our power. And, the excellent leader knows exactly which tool to use at just the right time. They realize their power is simply that, a tool. An example of a time to hold your power tight is:
An example of a time to give your power away is:
REAL TALK - Action Steps Here are a few ideas I hope can help you place your power in just the right spots to maximize your team.
My son grew up playing AAU basketball with LeBron James’ son, Bronny James. In the four years they were teammates, there are obviously thousands of pretty crazy stories our family experienced. One of the questions I get regularly is, how was LeBron to be around? Observing and interacting with LeBron during that time taught me a valuable lesson in leadership. LeBron was always fully aware of his power, and I mean that in the best way possible. Our son, Gabe, was a major beneficiary of Lebron’s willingness to empower others. An encouraging word, a playing tip, a high five, or even a Skittle before a game … are examples of LeBron dispersing his power to each member of Bronny’s team. Interestingly, he received a lot of criticism for joining lay-up lines or celebrating a made shot on the sidelines. LeBron never allowed that criticism to curb his intent. He was fully aware of the impact, and power, he was distributing. The choice was his and he owned it completely. For more information on building excellence in your teams, visit us at www.bluecollargrit.com. We would love to know how we could help!
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 Busy Being LazyWe all have twenty-four hours in the day, right?
Some people just seem to get a lot more done during that time than others. I’m sure you’ve heard this story before. I once thought the people that get the most done are the ones running around like chickens with their heads cut off going from one thing to the next without taking a breath. It made sense. The faster they moved, the more things they could get to in a day, and the more things they could check off their list. I certainly followed suit. I know the feeling of empty pride that comes from rushing to and from activity after activity, only to look back and realize you were never really at any of them. I mean, you were there physically, but sometimes not even in the same time zone mentally. I would love to say I can speak about this in only the past tense, but the reality is I get pulled back into this mindset often and need constant reminders that being busy doesn’t equal being productive. Why Should We Care? How’s this for a paradox - busy is a sign of lazy. That’s right. Busy typically doesn’t translate to hardworking, dedicated, or committed as much as it translates to comfortable, indifferent, and wasteful. Busyness is a sign of a lack of commitment to the important things in our life. We try to do everything at the expense of doing something. Knocking out menial tasks and moving to our next To-Do item does little towards fulfilling our impact and purpose in life. Our busy ways only truly expose the laziness of our thoughts. The thoughts that avoid the important and uncomfortable are lazy. They lead us to the quick answer, or task, but rarely the right one. REAL TALK - Action Steps Nothing has to be because it always was. We choose to make it so. Change requires a conscious decision. We must DO something different in order to get something different. Rest assured, if we aren’t intentional about directing our time to the things that are most important to us, we will continue to seek comfort and do what we’ve always done. Here are a few idea for focusing on what matters:
Certainty gives birth to speed. When we know what matters to us, the things that aren’t important become clear and can be discarded. By eliminating the distractions of the unnecessary we are freed to commit fully to the important things in our life. For more information on building excellence in your teams, visit us at www.bluecollargrit.com. We would love to know how we could help!  The Other Side of FearI clearly remember learning to ride a bike.
My brother, who is seven years older than me, was kind enough to take the time to teach me. He helped me push his worn out bike to the top of our long, gravel driveway. Once there he held the back of the seat to steady the wobbly death trap that I hadn’t learned to balance yet. I clinched the handle bars with both hands and set each foot on its respective pedal before peering straight ahead at what was clearly the equivalent of Evil Kanevil’s most daring jump. I yanked my hat down to my eyebrows to keep it from flying off at the upcoming death defying speeds and nodded to Johnny, as if he was opening the gate for a professional bull rider. Off I went, straight down the hill, swerving back and forth but maintaining balance. My speed was climbing quickly when I realized Johnny had forgotten to share one important aspect of bike riding: stopping. Of course, looking back I should’ve been able to figure that one out but I didn’t. At the bottom of our driveway was our garage. There were two garage doors separated by a single one foot wide post in the middle. Both garage doors were pulled up and wide open, not that it mattered. I managed to direct all of my focus on that one foot middle section of the garage. This became my brake … at full speed. No skid marks for me. Johnny, fearing a full-fledged beating from my mom, hurried down the driveway, scooped me up off the ground, and assured me that I was injury free. Embarrassed that I found a way to hit the only one foot area of our garage available, I did my best to pretend that nothing about the fall hurt. My brother was eager to show me that I was ok and urged me to give it another try. I declined. I was ok, but I tapped out that day. Why Should We Care? As I grew up, one of my favorite things to do was to ride bikes with my friends. We would race, jump mulch piles, and see how fast we could ride down any hill we could find. Riding a bike was the source of many great memories in my childhood. Memories that I would’ve never experienced had I not been willing to check out the other side of fear. I mean, a baby is afraid to try walking at first, but at no point in the falling process does she decide walking isn’t for her. She doesn’t know the other, safe option - stick with crawling. Fear needs to be confronted. Excellence requires it. Overcoming our fears is foundational to the pursuit of excellence. It is our sole access to what might be. Will you go for it? That’s the question that your fear is constantly begging you to answer. Fear will provide excuses and help you rationalize all the reasons you can’t, shouldn’t, or won’t but you are the one that gets to answer the question - not fear. The mere fact that so many others have been in similar situations, facing similar fears, and chosen to go for it is proof that it’s possible. Choosing to give in to those fears only limits our options and our potential. REAL TALK - Action Steps Those that consistently stare fear in the face and choose to continue moving forward have a common mindset and philosophy on life. Here are a few keys to help you become more willing to continue seeking the other side of fear.
The other side of fear is where all the good stuff is. It requires more of us, but provides more also. Choosing to travel through our fear not only propel us for future challenges, it also empowers those we lead to take the same risks. For more information on building excellence in your teams, visit us at www.bluecollargrit.com. We would love to know how we could help!  The Lure of SuccessLet’s begin with the definition of success: the accomplishment of an aim or purpose.
Based on that definition, it’s easy to see why success is the pursuit of so many. I mean, we all want to be successful, right? Successful people have better jobs, make more money, win more games, wear nicer clothes, and have more friends. See, as soon as we start talking about success we immediately begin thinking relatively. The focus quickly moves from truly striving to accomplishing our aim or purpose to comparing our accomplishments to those of others. This comparison becomes our success. Rather than actually our aim or purpose, we call it success by being better than the next person. Our aim or purpose changes. I’m certain most people don’t initially set out in pursuit of winning a comparison war. No, we begin with a dream and a vision of what we might be, but eventually settle for accepting a ‘better than’ reality. Why, you might ask? That’s easy. Success based on comparison provides comfort. And, if there is anything we like, it’s comfort. Why Should We Care? I prefer to differentiate between excellence and success. The difference is slight, yet significant. Those on the path to excellence are able, or willing, to do a few things that those drawn to success are not.
REAL TALK - Action Steps Combating the lure of success is difficult. Social media is one of the biggest challenges we face today. The immediacy of posts and comments drives many people to constant comparison in an effort to appear successful. Here are a few ideas that may help you to focus on excellence over success.
Excellence to me is about maximizing your potential. It’s about becoming all of who you were created to be. That doesn’t involve comparison with anyone besides your previous self. It’s a life-long journey, not a quarterly goal. It doesn’t provide the lure of success because it offers no comfort. However, what it lacks in comfort it provides in fulfillment. For more information on building excellence in your teams, visit us at www.bluecollargrit.com. We would love to know how we could help! |
About bcI'm a teacher, coach, and parent seeking excellence while defining success on my own terms. Archives
March 2025
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