Contemplations

Most people see movies, television shows and music as purely a form of entertainment. They find the chance to go see a movie as a few hours to “get away.” It’s a chance to escape from the kids, the stress of the job, the house work or the yard work. Most people listen to music and hear the beat and rhythm and it too serves as pure entertainment. It provides the chance to dance and maybe even get some exercise.

However, for me, going to the movies or watching a television show is more about the lessons being taught than the entertainment. For me, I listen to the story being told through a song more than I listen to the beat and the feel of the rhythm. When I talk to people about a movie or a song, they find it interesting that I gathered so much. They are surprised how I am able to garner so much from something they saw as entertainment. I have found that this is just “the way that I am wired”; so where you may see a funny movie, I see a great lesson. Where you may hear an awesome beat, I find a fascinating lesson.

My challenge to you is... Take A Deeper Look!

I cannot think of a single sport where a team without diversity can beat a team with diversity. If you have all wide receivers and no quarterback… you can’t win; all power forwards and no guards… you can’t win; all midfielders and no strikers… you can’t win. If you have all defense with no offense, at best you are only able to tie. So, it puzzles me that so many organizations and individuals still struggle with the question of “Why is diversity important?”

Organizational Diversity…

The historical rationale for diversity has been… “It’s the right thing to do.” However, today’s rationale goes deeper. Today’s rationale speaks to the business imperative! Most businesses are developed to make a profit, so the importance of diversity to the business is helping to achieve the profit for which the business was established. Diversity brings a better understanding of market places, the ability to better manage costs, the ability to better identify opportunities and the ability to be better positioned to thrive in a global economy. Diversity contributes to an organization’s ability to achieve EXCELLENCE!

Individual Diversity…

On a more personal level, have you considered whether you have diversity or are you a “one trick pony” as they say? Do you have diversity in the people with whom you associate, your professional skills, the organizations with which you associate, the food you eat, and/or the places you go? Diversity is important to an individual for many of the same reasons that diversity is critical to a successful team and a successful organization! Diversity provides different perspectives. Having these different perspectives provides an opportunity to evaluate whether another way is more efficient or effective. Diversity helps you become the best you, you can be.

I recently watched a movie called Trouble with the Curve. When most give the summary of the movie, they say it is about an aging baseball scout who is given one last assignment to prove his worth to the organization, who views him as unable to adapt to changes within the game. There is an ambitious younger protégé, who is gunning to get the aging scout fired and take his job.

The aging scout has been tasked to review a likely top draft pick. With his eyesight failing, the aging scout’s daughter starts to take an active role in her father's work to make up for his shortcoming. They figure out that this likely top draft pick can’t hit a curveball. Hence the title of the movie “Trouble with the Curve.” The young scout has seen the stats on this rookie and convinces the organization to disregard the aging scout’s advice and take this young rookie as their top pick.

Based on what I’ve said thus far, I’m guessing you can figure out the rest of this movie and some of the very obvious messages regarding technology versus experience, trusting your “gut”, etc.

But what I took from the movie was a very perplexing question… Can you hit the curve?

Life throws us curveballs all the time. This curveball could be a new position on the job (a job you don’t want to do or possibly don’t know how to do), a death of a friend or loved one, an unexpected health issue, a financial roadblock, a challenge in a relationship, etc. The big question is…Can you hit the curve?

Our ability to adjust is often challenged! That’s why Chapter 9 of my book, The Recruit: - Life Lessons -, is entitled… See Challenge as Opportunity. This chapter helps you to avoid “Trouble with the Curve.”

As I was watched a TV show last night, a message that I continued to hear was “true love can undo any spell.” There was a character that had fallen in love with the mostly unlikely man in the town. He was mean and hard-hearted; however, he had not always been this way.

As she spent more time with him and as time went by, she fell in love with this hard-hearted man. He thought that she had some ulterior motive for loving him. You see, his life had become a life of deals. People only came to see him when they wanted something. They never genuinely cared about him. It was always about what they could get from him; and in turn he only gave people things in return for something. In doing this, he built this hard heart. Some may call it a wall, a way to protect his feelings; and some may call it a way to cope. Whatever your term, his deals always had a consequence. The lady that loved him could not understand why he was so hard-hearted; and he could not understand how she could possibly love him for who he was.

From this show, I went to sleep thinking… In many cases, those that need our expressions of the love most are often those that we hesitate to give it to. Those that truly need our understanding of their situation are those that we try desperately to avoid. We can all attest that it is easy to love the person that loves you back. It’s easy to help those that have or are in a position to help you. But it is so much harder to give love to someone that you believe, or are certain, is going to throw it away. It’s harder to rationalize helping that person that you believe would never help another. Yet, these are the people that need some love the most. I also began thinking how important it is for leaders to see the potential in our people. We must look beyond the surface and search for the potential.

Take a chance… Give some love! Speak that kind word, do that good deed and show that compassion, even if you are fairly certain that it won’t be reciprocated. Cultivate the buried potential in someone. Do it not because you want something in return, but because it may be that one thing the other person really needs.

Do it because… True Love Can Undo Any Spell.