One of the joys of my life is my opportunity to work in athletics. I have the privilege of active participation in the athletic program at my university. Additionally, I have worked with other college athletics programs, as well as some professional sports. I have been involved in athletics since I was a kid. I loved playing a variety of sports through school. I was sad when I finally quit playing basketball because I had to accept that age had done a number on my ability to play defense and offense. After those two, there is not much left in basketball except coaching! That I left to the experts.
I enjoyed watching my two girls play sports through high school and into college. I get a kick of watching one of my daughters, who is a mother and physician, still try to play on a mixed volleyball team. The quality of their play is terrible, but the fun they have makes it all worth it. And that is one of the biggest reasons we play sports and learn to stay active in life. I continue to walk a few miles a day to stay active and have some fun.
As I ponder the world of athletics, one of the key aspects of my involvement is the team aspect. I loved being part of teams. In the spiritual realm, we call it community. I also value my involvement in spiritual communities. There are many benefits from being involved in community life or as a member of a team. I am sure I live better and longer because of it.
One of the ways I stay involved in athletics is to read widely and expose myself to a range of leaders across many industries. I have benefited wonderfully from significant involvement in the business world and the medical world. Of course, I have a range of friends from many disciplines here in the university context. I can participate in wonderful, far-reaching conversations. I can ask questions and try to connect the dots. For example, I am always intrigued how to relate what I learn from watching athletic teams to the spiritual communities of which I am a part.
With this backdrop, I want to share something from James Kerr’s book, Legacy. Kerr is a New Zealand writer who now lives in London. His book is a result of an extended time of being embedded in the elite rugby team, the All Blacks from New Zealand. They are the New York Yankees or New England Patriots and probably even more consistently better than either of these American examples. I was thrilled when I read the following sentence. “The emotional glue of any culture…is its sense of identity and purpose.” (33) Since I think about and write quite a bit about culture, I was intrigued to think about this one-liner and see how it applies to my work.
In my work I talk about culture and leadership being two sides of the same coin. Both are crucial to successful teams and, I would argue, effective meaningful communities. Kerr is quoting Owen Eastwood, who serves as a consultant to the All Blacks. His comment was an attempt to explain their ongoing success. He claims they have this emotional glue, which leads to their phenomenal culture. As I pondered the line, I realized that a culture does need some glue---something that binds together the members of the team or community.
Identity and purpose are highlighted by Eastwood. Identity talks about knowing who we are. This sounds so simple, but I dare say, it is not. Too many of us spend a lifetime trying to be someone we are not. Long ago, a psychologist said we often try to live an “ideal self.” As I look back, I spent too much time as a kid and adolescent trying to be the person my parents wanted me to be. It was not bad; it just was not me! If we are not our real self, then we cannot be authentic and our teammates and community partners cannot relate to us authentically. Good teams help individuals know who they really are.
Secondly, good teams and meaningful communities become clear about their purpose. It sometimes is called a mission, but mission is a little different for me. A purpose is the “why” of our existence. We know who we are and why we are living. Purpose can then talk about goals and our aim in life. When I think of Jesus, for instance, I think he was quite clear about his purpose. He was here to incarnate the love of God.
Jesus was an individual who knew who he was. Knowing this enabled him to interact authentically with an incredible range of people. Because of this, he was centered or grounded. And this freed him up to chase his purpose---to love others and to bring them into a creative, life-giving relationship with God and with each other. This is so much more than stale doctrine or a bunch of dos and don’ts.
He wanted people to be free and to have fun. To do that alone is no fun. We need good teammates and warm communities. If life is a blast and a party, we need to be free and together. Paradoxically, we have this when we a glued together.
Those of us who have read theology or, perhaps, those who are people of faith and are old enough might well recognize this title as a reminder of the late Jewish philosopher and theologian, Martin Buber. I remember reading Buber’s book, I and Thou , when I was in college in the 1960s. It was already a famous book by then. I am not sure I fully understood it, but that would not be the last time I read it. It has been a while since I looked at the book. Buber came up in a conversation with a friend who asked if I had seen the recent article by David Brooks? I had not seen it, but when I was told about it, I knew I would quickly locate and read that piece. I very much like what Brooks decides to write about and what he contributes to societal conversation. I wish more people read him and took him seriously. Brooks’ article focused on the 2016 contentious election. He provocatively suggests, “Read Buber, Not the Polls!” I think Brooks puts
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