Monday, March 25, 2013

BEING ALL IN!

 




As I sit in the Chicago airport looking out the window at the skyline of the city on another wintry day, my mind goes to a conversation I heard, behind me, on a recent business trip.
Let me set the scene for you. Two openly "out there" gay men, were discussing the terrible company they work for, and the need for more union protection of their "rights".
 

Being the nice guy I am, I did not impose my "unsolicited" opinion in their private conversation. But believe me, I have opinions as it relates to "alternative lifestyles" union thugs and the damage unions have inflicted, in recent years on organizations ability to compete in a global market.
 

Thinking of my voluntary withdrawal to the topics I endured being discussed between these two guys, I wondered if I had been having a private discussion with someone (loud enough for
everyone on the plane to hear) about my strongly held beliefs on gun control, the gay community, the governments NLRB and justice departments liberal agenda or my faith, if I would have received the same type of consideration or restraint from those who might disagree with me?
 

Then I began to compare the "squeaky" wheels of society and the pain they are willing to endure for the causes they believe in. At first, I considered only the most liberal, radicals among us. Abortion rights, socialized medicine, environmental issues and the plight of discriminated people, (pick your group.) Upon further reflection, I thought of the Gandhi's, the apostle Paul, pro-life advocates, the NRA, or students standing against tanks in Tiananmen Square who have paid a price for standing firm for their own personal beliefs. I also thought of the few athletes and even entrepreneurs who are willing to risk the pain for the possibility of gain they consider worthy of their devotion.
 

As a business guy who has studied human behavior, leadership and organizational development for many years, my mind naturally moved to the "all in" mentality, versus the "go along to get along" prevailing attitude in business today. I wondered, why it is that some people are willing to take a stand, while others are satisfied to just follow the trends? Why is it that people will not get their financial house in order, lose weight, REALLY take care of their employees' and make the hard choices necessary for organizational or personal growth?

 
The following are just a few possible answers. You may have more.



> First and foremost, the cost is too high.
For me personally, it cost me friends and business when I took an uncompromising stand to follow God and His principles for living. I'm not an "in your face" kind of guy, and I'm not trying to punch my ticket or be a do gooder. It won't gain me anything anyway! However, the misinformed or threatened individuals have labeled me as "religious" which is the farthest thing from the truth. But these labels provide my former acquaintances "cover" for disavowing or marginalizing me. Whether it's spiritual, financial, or physical, the road is narrow, because few will pay the price for total commitment.

 


> People REALLY are not sure what they believe in.
We live in a clueless society and a 24 hour 7 day a week news cycle which offer many opinions. As result many people have "checked out" in the thinking process and have become intellectual pygmies and posses no morale thought process of their own.
 

> Compromise is easier and more acceptable than tenacious commitment to the process.
The world is full of followers. Discussions with my grandchildren during the recent election in the U.S.A. exposed why so many college students voted the "party line." It had nothing to do with their understanding of issues. It was just what "everyone else" was doing. We have many political representatives who behave in the same way. Today, it seems that "acceptance" has higher value than personal substance.

 


> Fear of criticism from others.
This will include family members, board members and society in general. I know a few CEO's who pretend to kind of "like people" but are not compassion driven enough to engage their people or look out for their well being. Oh, they play the games and put in "programs" which they hope will be good enough substitutes. They don't understand the true partnership relationships with their people. They never will understand that as long as they have "employees/associates" rather than people who have skin in the game beyond a pay check, they may never experience the growth possible for their organization. But that is not what drives them. Many top executives will never be honest enough to admit that their focus is this quarters earnings and how it will affects their personal bonus program.
 

> Fear of failure.
For many, the best way to make sure nothing goes wrong is to do nothing. Not making a decision is a decision. As I sit in the Admirals Club and watch the many obese people walk down the aisles, I know they are not all that happy with themselves, and deep down must desire a healthier life style. But they have succumbed to the latest fads time and time again only to discover it's programs they have spent money on, and not a life to live by.
 

> Phonies.

There are great pretenders. The sad thing is they think family, employees', society, voters etc. are so stupid that we don't know the difference. We do! Some get away with it, most don't.

As a friend once said about people and their lack of commitment "many people have a burst of exuberance followed by chronic inertia. "



 
At this point in the blog, I would normally issue a challenge and ask how do you stand. Are you all in or do you fall into one of the above categories?




But today, I'll do something different and start with myself and ask "am I a pretender or am I willing to do what it takes to be "ALL in" in the areas of my business, personal and spiritual life? 

 

 



Because I truly desire to make a difference in all of these areas, I will make a critical and personal evaluation, which is another activity most people are unwilling to do, i.e. look in the mirror and honestly judge that person looking back at them!