ENDURE: July 25, 2014

RE2PECT? Earned, Not Given.....and Available to Everyone

Spoiler Summary: You don't have to be a Yankee fan....you don't even have to like sports.....because this is not a story about an athletic hero, it's bigger than that, it's a call to look around.

I didn't catch much of this year's Major League Baseball All-Star Game, but I did catch the hype leading up to it.  I saw posts about the Derek Jeter Nike-ad on Facebook prior to the game and read an article from the Washington Post (here) that reiterated-in-print a story that I, along with many, have been watching unfold for the last 20 years....and whether you believe it's only-a-story, too good to be true, or whether you believe it's only-a-story, hoisted by marketers looking to sell stuff, or whether you believe it's only-a-story that will be ruined by some bad-news that breaks in the future....it's a great story.

Maybe it's the optimist in me that wants to buy-in to the idea that great stories can have story-book endings.  Perhaps it's the student of human-achievement in me that wants to see this as proof-positive that individuals who stay true to principles and have the champion's will not only can succeed but do. Maybe it's something more subtle in the back of my brain that makes me believe that it's the real deal, that real achievement, the kind that not only includes impressive moments but is sustained over a career, does indeed deserve much respect.

Although the list of people who have mega-corporations doing something akin to Jeter's ad (famous people tipping their cap to for a career-well-done) is probably pretty short, the story of #2, a most public example of earned-respect is maybe not as uncommon as it is unrecognized. After stopping to look around, I realized Jeter's is definitely not the only story that deserves respect I've encountered.....not even the only one this week:  

• I sat in a meeting earlier in the week where two members were honored for 40 year milestones.....forty years of service - absolutely worthy of a tip of the cap.....and they're not done yet.  

• I got to talk with a group of folks who had made the jump from talking about getting healthy and taking on a challenge (last year) to doing it (last weekend).....not surprisingly, "what's next?" on their journey to the best version of themselves was a big part of the conversation.....and they were looking for ways to share the experience with others...I'll tip my hat to that!

• I heard a scripted, passionate statement made that "safety doesn't stop....that it's an always thing.....it's a critical thing that we can never lose sight of" made in a large meeting of leaders earlier in the week. Safety isn't this person's "job", it was a statement from the heart by a person who simply cares enough to "own it".....I'll tip my cap to that too.

• I got to chat briefly with someone in a leadership position who has quietly played a big role in supporting a culture of health in his workplace. Supporting a small event that merged health & workplace-community involvement a few years ago and helping it to blossom into something several times the size (now a source of local pride) has been very cool for my team, but could never be done without the quiet support of this leader.  I'll tip my cap to that.

• And five minutes ago I got an email from a member of the team who shared news of a pending retirement of someone who we've only known for a couple of years but have grown to strongly respect for his strong commitment to health, safety and prevention.  He doesn't wear a jersey....and I'm not sure he'd choose #2.....but he's earned a tip of the cap for sure.

Although we won't likely see them on primetime TV and we may miss them altogether, if we take a second now and again to look for them, we're surrounded by examples of people who deserve our respect for what they bring to "the game" each day.  They're not packing stadiums and they're not selling merchandise......and they're probably not making millions to do what they do.....rather, they're just rolling up their sleeves and putting in the work - day in and day out, steadily and consistently marching toward a list of lifetime achievements worthy of respect.

To those folks and the many who bring-it every day.....we tip our cap to you.

Have a great week,

Mike E.