Environmentalists
It is good to be in a place where we feel valued. Recent research by Dale Carnegie Training suggests that “feeling” valued leads to an increased likelihood of “creating” value – in the marketplace, at home, or at school. And yet, the research also shows that these places, where we feel valued, are rare. Some leaders tirelessly create these places. My Dad calls these leaders “Environmentalists”.
Last week, at the North American Pond Hockey Championship, in the men’s locker room tent on the lake, my son looked at me while I laced his skates and said, “Dad, I love this place. I want to stay here until it’s time to go to bed.” I felt the same way. And it wasn’t because I love to play hockey. I haven’t played competitive hockey since the seventh grade.
This place made us feel valued. And it was, for me, because of three environmentalists who each teach us something about creating “places”. These lessons not only apply to pond hockey, but to leading in all places:
- Dedicate Yourself to the Details. The organizer of the event, amidst raising six kids and running a business, stepped in this year to orchestrate all of the details. He poured his heart into producing the event in a tribute to his friend who played in last year’s tournament but died this past year. While others were dancing in the music tent at 10pm, he was in the cold, dark night, flooding rinks for the next morning.
- Make it About Others. Our team captain invited and paid the way for seven men who likely never would have thought to play. And he cheered us on during every game, celebrating every accomplishment. His text to the team the night of the first day of the tournament was, “Being on this team is a lot like God’s love. It chose u and u can’t earn it. Just accept it.”
- Realize the Value of Your Role. This place was this way, for me and my boys, because of my wife, who is the ceaseless environmentalist in my life. Her life is to make others feel valued through support. She often isn’t aware of her value because her most significant contributions come in the mundane cadence of life. From standing in the cold with a camera, to managing the kids, to her words of encouragement. It’s nothing glamorous; it’s just love in action.
How about your places and the Environmentalists who create them?
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