#100Books2018
"Who" Matters
3 Take-Aways
1. "Who" influenced #Conversations
Reading #100Books2018 has led to great conversations. I have a friend, Dr. Ric Stranges who is a high-school principal in a Columbus suburb. He and I got to know each other in this capacity and we would occasionally visit each others office when our high schools were playing each other. I found it interesting that he used to have his bag of golf clubs in the office. I inquired about his clubs and his veracity as a golfer. He informed me that he was not a particularly great golfer and did not go routinely (sorry, Ric, I am paraphrasing and hopefully am not oversharing- maybe you've gotten a lot better?!?!).
He shared that the reason he kept the clubs in his office is that they were an automatic conversation starter for all students and parents. Inevitably, a HS principal deals with difficult conversations. The golf clubs represent a tool in creating a conversation that will disarm potentially hostile dialog. The golf clubs also added texture to the conversation in moments that were positive. Whether visitors to Ric's office were golfers or not, the clubs opened the door to conversations which had nothing to do with the intended purpose of the visit.
I have found that books have the same effect. Many professionals have books displayed. These books might be on the corner of a desk, or on a shelf or sometimes, even displayed like a trophy or prize. #100Books2018 expanded the chance that I could immediately engage in dialog with people. Perhaps it is a contemporary author. Perhaps it is even the same book. But ultimately, like Ric’s clubs, engaging in a brief book conversation was a great way to level-set any conversation.
2. #LessonsLearned from the "who"-
There have been numerous biographies and a few auto-biographies around important world figures and historical names like Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Victor Frankl, General Macarthur, General Marshall, General Patton, Albert Einstein, Atticus Finch, Steve Case, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Nick Saban through these #100Books2018. Each subject is obviously remarkable. The point of this blog however is to try and deduce common threads throughout the extraordinary lives.
A definite commonality in each stories is #Passion. Ben Franklin did not set out to be an extraordinary statesman. Albert Einstein did not dream of being a remarkable scientist. And Nick Saban did not set out to be one of the greatest coaches of his generation. Instead, each of these people followed their #Passion and allowed that #Passion to lead them to greatness.
A second common thread is that each of these folks is that no one accomplished anything alone. Every success was built on #Relationships to someone else. As I read the story of each extraordinary person I found that I connected with the supporting players in the stories. Ben Franklin’s brother clearly impacted his trajectory. Jeff Bezos’ grandfather impacted his trajectory. #Relationships mattered in the lives and conditions of each extraordinary person whom I read about. It is critical to recognize those influencers in the individual process.
A final common thread I found is the role #Adversity plays in the success story. #Adversity was obvious and clear in the life of Victor Frankl. As a scholar he tried to evaluate his captors in his concentration camp and was able to frame his life view through that lens. #Adversity was also present at every turn in the success story of Elon Musk. He was close to bankruptcy and ruin at multiple times in his transformational journey. And #Adversity was clearly present in the worlds of the military leaders. There were multiple times in each of their careers where failure was as likely an outcome as success.
Ultimately, #Passion, #Relationships and #Adversity each play a role in the success of each person. We need to seek these qualities in our own lives and celebrate those that help us along the journey.
3. "Who" keeps you #Accountable
I am very confident that friends and family helped keep me on task throughout the year. To be honest, I am not certain I would have finished all #100Books2018 without the positive feedback from friends. Being accountable on #SocialMedia- especially #Twitter- kept me on track. In addition, the vulnerability and openness that the platform provides were key in staying in seeing this task through.
