I know, a few of you may remember this title as a song by the 1990’s group, the Kottonmouth Kings, who are describing stoned friends passing around a marijuana joint. For sure, that’s not at all related to this post. Over the last days, I’ve been highlighting six life proverbs from “The Janitor,” a short impactful book by Todd Hopkins and Ray Hilbert.
Bob (the Janitor) shares with Roger (the CEO) that a key to successful leadership is to pass on what you have learned. The best way to learn is to teach. The best way to empower is to give away. Benjamin Franklin said, “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”
Roger discovered that when he passed on what he learned from Bob to his neighbor Andrew, a budding entrepreneur, he became aware that he rose above his own problems and actually discovered new answers to his own questions.
I’ve learned in my leadership journey that passing it around is a source of great joy. Even more than getting credit for what I do, seeing those I’ve mentored get acknowledged in their success is deeply gratifying. Pass it on. Give it away. Invest in others. It’s the most rewarding kind of leadership.
QUESTION: What is the greatest joy you’ve had in passing “it” around? Please share in the comment section below.
I’ll never forget the day I was in Selma, Alabama on the 39th remembrance of “Bloody Sunday.” It was March 2005. It was a sobering time for me. I was the lightest-skinned person in a crowd that mingled at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge where state and local lawmen drove back civil rights marchers with billy clubs and tear gas when they attempted to march to the capitol in Montgomery to seek voting rights for African Americans.
I had just spent four days in nearby Montgomery attending a conference. On the plane ride to Alabama, I read my friend Arnold Gibbs‘ gripping fiction, The Ties That Blind, of his own near-to-real-life journey through bigotry and racism. During open times in the conference schedule, I drove to the significant sites of the Civil Rights movement led by Martin Luther King, Jr. I was poingnantly moved by the epic bygone happenings at each location. History reveals, those risk-taking demonstrations eventually shook the conscience of our nation and President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
I grew up in rural Oregon, attending a 3-room K-8 grade school. Our family didn’t have a television. I was surrounded entirely by white people except for a few seasonal farm-laborers from Mexico. I didn’t know any African Americans until after I graduated high school. From the northwest area of the United States, I knew very little about what was going on in the opposite corner.
I met my wife during our first year in college and learned her experience was the reverse of mine. She grew up as the minority white girl in inner-city Youngstown, Ohio. Most of her classmates and friends were African-American. She remembers the schools shutting down due to racial tension. In our early years of dating, I was on the fast-track of learning our nation’s embarrassing history as I visited her community and met her friends. For the first time, I realized just how sheltered I had been from the nauseating evils that had occurred in our nation’s journey to freedom for all people.
So on this Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and the day of the second inauguration of our African-American President, I’m grateful for leaders who paid a huge price to pave the way for the generations behind them. While the journey has been long and grueling and we still have a distance to travel, we have made progress. And, this is a memorable day.
QUESTION: Any reflections you care to share? Use the comment section below.
Things don’t always turn out as we plan. Health, finances, relationships, careers and our kids don’t always follow the script we’ve written for them. We always have choices. We can complain to anyone who will listen. We can point fingers of blame toward everyone around us. We can get angry at God. We can mope. We can pout.
Are there other options? Of course! Alice’s third directive to her husband Bob who passed it on to Roger was simply, Pray; don’t pout. In case you didn’t know, I’m referring back to the recent winner of a book I read, The Janitor, by Todd Hopkins and Ray Hilbert. Bob (the Janitor) regularly passed on to Roger (the CEO) in their weekly evening interactions, six axioms or directives that his late wife Alice shared with him during the time he used to lead a company during his younger years. The first principle was about Recharge vs. Discharge and the second was about Family—Blessing or Responsibility? This one is about choosing either to pray or to default to pouting.
Maybe you don’t know what to pray or how to pray when things start to unravel. The beauty of prayer is that God already knows your situation. He even knows what tomorrow holds. He is just waiting for you to let Him help you. So, you can just talk to Him and ask Him to give you clear insight into the challenges you are having at work, at home, in your relationships, or in your personal life.
I love King Solomon’s prayer found in the Hebrew Bible. His father David, a legendary king in Israel’s history, had just died and Solomon was feeling totally inadequate to fill his shoes. Here’s some snippets of how Solomon prayed, “Now, O Lord my God, you have made me king instead of my father, David, but I am like a little child who doesn’t know his way around…Give me an understanding heart so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great people of yours?” (1 Kings 3:7-9).
Listen to God’s response to this humble prayer for wisdom: “The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for wisdom. So God replied, ‘Because you have asked for wisdom in governing my people with justice and have not asked for a long life or wealth or the death of your enemies—I will give you what you asked for! I will give you a wise and understanding heart such as no one else has had or ever will have! And I will also give you what you did not ask for—riches and fame! No other king in all the world will be compared to you for the rest of your life!'” (1 Kings 3:7-13).
God still answers that same type of prayer. You will never go wrong asking for wisdom and discernment. When your plate is full and life is overwhelming, God can make all the difference in the world. Whatever you may be facing in your life today—pray; don’t pout.
QUESTION: What is one thing you will pray about today? If you don’t mind, share it with our readers in the Comment section below. Thanks!
I’ve heard plenty of men say, “My family is my responsibility. The main reason I work is to put food on the table and a roof over their heads.” Have you ever heard anyone say that? Have you ever said it? In my recent encounter with Todd Hopkins and Ray Hilbert’s book, The Janitor, I was reminded that my upbringing thankfully helped me to see my family as much more than a responsibility.
In the book, The Janitor, former business leader Bob is now the part-time janitor in the evenings at the company led by Roger, the CEO. Their weekly encounters bring transformation to Roger as Bob shares some poignant axioms that his late wife Alice taught him. The second directive that Roger received through Bob—View family as a blessing, not a responsibility. Roger was in the middle of a disintegrating marriage and a disconnection from his two young children. He paid attention to this advice from his janitor who was fast becoming a mentor.
Very simple. If you view your family as a blessing, not a responsibility, you can experience joy with your family. Then you are able to experience your work in a fresh and free way—free from viewing it as slave work to provide for home. You actually become free to uncover your real purpose for work.
If you view family the other way around, this mind-set leads to several problems. It becomes hard to enjoy work because work becomes a necessary evil to meet the burden of responsibility at home. If the purpose of work is defined as providing for home life, then it becomes hard to enjoy either work or home. So when work is miserable, naturally it is home’s fault.
Now, be honest. Which view most closely resembles your default thinking? Have you viewed your family as a responsibility or a blessing? What is one step you will take today to make needed adjustments?
QUESTION: Did you receive any advice that has helped you to see your family as a blessing? Please pass it on it in the Comment section below. Thanks!
“A burned up brain won’t start.” Pardon? Yep! That’s what Alice told Bob, “A burned up brain won’t start.” You see, Bob is the night-time janitor in a large company that cleans the CEO’s office. Alice was Bob’s late wife. Bob was telling Roger, the CEO of the company, that Alice use to tell him, “a burned up brain won’t start.” What does that mean?
The book I read on the plane ride back from Oregon last week was The Janitor, by Todd Hopkins and Ray Hilbert. It’s a delightful quick read about six directives that Alice passed on to her husband Bob during his career life as a business leader. Now semi-retired, Bob encounters Roger at night in his office, totally stressed, over-worked, exhausted, losing touch with himself and his family. So Bob and the CEO started to meet every Monday night for a few minutes and Bob passed on to Roger the wisdom that Alice had imparted to him before she died. That’s the setting of this enjoyable and helpful book.
Alice’s axiom, “a burned up brain won’t start,” is a simple truth. If you only do things that use up your physical, emotional and spiritual resources, you will be empty and dry. So, the first directive that Bob revealed to Roger was the principle of Recharge vs. Discharge. Are you aware of the things that charge you and the things that discharge you? What energizes you? What de-engergizes you?
Think for a moment of all the things you are involved in. Which ones fill you up and which ones drain you? Can you identify the activities in you job or your daily undertakings that recharge your batteries? Can you name the people that inspire you and the ones who discourage you? Maybe just being around people drains you or fills you—depending on your personality. Do you know which recreational activities make you come alive and which ones exhaust you?
Call it leisure, call it “me” time, call it creative time, call it a hobby. The truth is, we each need to have something that recharges us regularly. If you keep pouring out energy you will deplete your battery reserves and eventually burn out. A burned up brain won’t start.
And don’t forget, what someone else considers fun might feel like work to you. You have to find what revitalizes you—physically, emotionally, relationally and spiritually. Certain kinds of devotional activities recharge others spiritually and other kinds recharge me. I meet with a group of local pastors every Monday that energize me in multiple ways. I’ve discovered that photography recharges me. I’ve even found a way to finance my hobby and be a visual inspiration to others through my website.
Life is too short to spend all your time doing things that discharge you. I love the fact that many of the things I get to do in my ministry career recharge me. But, some things do drain me so I’ve learned to divert daily, withdraw weekly and abandon annually to keep my life in balance. How are you doing?
QUESTION: What is one thing that recharges you? Please share it in the Comment section below. Thanks!
More than 25 years ago, I was challenged when I heard Dr. John C. Maxwell say, “leaders are learners.” I never forgot that principle. I’ve spent the last quarter of a century – learning through reading, workshops, classes, seminars and mentors. And, I’ve learned that I can learn through a wide variety of people: teachers, friends, children, teens, interns, my spouse, my kids and my grandchildren. The other day, I read a book that involved a business leader learning—from an unexpected person.
The Janitor by Todd Hopkins and Ray Hilbert, is an exceptional book about learning six key principles that revolutionized the life of the company CEO. The subtitle of the book is: How an Unexpected Friendship Transformed a CEO and His Company.
My next several posts will highlight the principles that company janitor, Bob, taught the leader of the company when he came in to clean the office after hours. What Roger, the CEO, learned from Bob was surprisingly simple but profoundly powerful. It changed his personal life, his marriage, his family, his company and his neighbor.
I was moved by the uncomplicatedness of these half dozen principles and their ability to transform someone who was humbly willing to learn. I think you too will find them instructive and possibly life-altering. Tomorrow we will learn together so each of us can be better leaders in whatever arena God has placed us.
QUESTION: Who are some of the people who have taught you over the years? Thanks for sharing below.
It would be amazing if you actually noticed that my blog didn’t show up the last couple weeks in your email inbox, your Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter timeline. If you did wonder, even for a brief second, why you didn’t see any blog posts, I was on vacation. I was visiting my parents and family in Oregon. One thing that has kept me mostly sane and relatively healthy over the years is that I really do take vacations and breaks from my normal routines. So, I didn’t write any blogs other than a short Happy New Year greeting while on my vacation. I enjoyed relaxing, reflecting, connecting with family and my hobby of photography.
Mt. Hood – Oregon
Linda and Analise
My vacation included my wife and I taking, our 7 year old granddaughter with us from Florida to Oregon to visit her extended family. It was a fun experience — Snow-tubing on Mt. Hood, running from the incoming tide of the Pacific Ocean, giving her a first ice-skating experience, her seeing snow fall from the sky for the first time, riding four-wheelers, showing her where Grandpa grew up and helping her make sense of the familial connections with great uncles, aunts and cousins.
Grand daughter tasting snow for the first time.
After a brief break, I look forward to blogging again! Next week, I’ll be starting a series of blogs inspired by an outstanding book I read on the plane ride from Oregon back to my home in Florida. It’s great stuff. I can’t wait to share it! I know you’ll love it too!
Have a fantabulous weekend!
Grand daughter on the Pacific Ocean Beach
Mt. Hood tubing
Happy New Year! I’m enjoying vacation time with my family in Oregon on this New Year’s Eve so I’m celebrating the beginning of the new year 3 hours later than people in my home area of Southwest Florida. Whereever and however you are celebrating the end of 2012 and the launch of 2013, I wish you a very blessed year ahead.
Here’s my prayer for you in the year ahead. It’s the prayer Apostle Paul prayed for those of the first century who lived in Ephesus. It’s written this way: “For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.“ (Ephesians 3:14-21)
May you discover the unlimited expanse of God’s goodness in 2013!
QUESTION: Any prayers you have for the new year? Feel free to share them in the Comment section below. Thank you!
The other day my wife and I, our daughter and son in-love visited the Cheeburger Cheeburger restaurant on Sanibel Island near where we live in southwest Florida. It was our first visit to this “Big is Better” inaugural restaurant that has developed into a nation-wide chain since its launch back in 1986. Due to it being the holiday season and heavy with tourists, there was a forty-five minute wait to be seated. Once we were seated, we waited another fifteen minutes or more and still no one came to the table. I was getting just a little bit impatient so I went to the hostess and manager at the entry check-in desk to inquire. They apologized and sprung into action to find our server.
Our server soon arrived at our table to introduce herself and apologize for her delay. Donah (sp?) told us she was helping an elderly lady in the restroom. I felt a little better knowing there might have been a reasonably good excuse for the lack of attention. But to be honest, I was still a bit grumpy on the inside.
A few minutes later, while Donah was taking our order, the manager, Carol, interrupted to announce that the husband of the elderly lady wanted to thank her and recommend that she get the “Employee of the Month” award for her above and beyond assistance in the restroom. I was embarrassed at even my inner impatience. I felt the nudging of God to remember this lesson: there is usually a story behind the story.
The story behind this story was that Donah was being a true servant. While we were very slightly inconvenienced in our fast-food, microwave mentality, she was doing what was most important—going above and beyond waiting on tables to care for an elderly lady who had an authentic need. She was doing what needed to be done at that very moment. Donah lived out the “Big is Better” model in a Jesus-kind of “upside-down” Kingdom way—Do what is right regardless if it seems small and even if no one is watching.
The story behind the story goes back even further to the excellent restaurant leadership. The server obviously knew she had the freedom to do what was right and management would support her decision. Carol, the manager, displayed outstanding leadership in that restaurant encounter. Their motto is “Big is Better.” She publically praised the server boldly in front of our table when she walked up and announced the “Employee of the Month” nomination. A great trait for all leaders!
And finally, great customer service was exemplified. Carol not only took 10% off the check for the inconvenience of waiting on Donah to actually serve a real need, she also gave us a coupon for four free milkshakes. In my opinion, Cheeburger Cheeburger went far above and beyond our expectations! That’s fantabulous customer service. My expectation was fully satisfied when I realized why the server was delayed. To get a discount and free desserts, was an unexpected “Big is Better” action. And, by the way, I made sure Donah was tipped on the full amount! Big is better. That’s the story behind the story!
QUESTION: Do you have a story of a lesson learned when you found out the story behind the story? Share it below in the Comment section.
Thirty-eight years ago today, I married my love, Linda Augsburger. It was a cold, icy evening in Youngstown, Ohio when we shared with each other the vows we had written to each other before God, our family and friends. As much as my heart was bursting with love for this beautiful woman, I can honestly say that on our wedding night, was one of the days I loved her the least. In other words, I love her much more deeply now than I ever dreamed of back then.
As a pastor and police chaplain, I’ve done hundreds of weddings over the decades. I often read the best definition of love that I know of: “Love is patient,love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking,it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” (The Bible -1 Corinthians 13:4-8a NIV).
After reading this unsurpassable definition of love to a couple that I’m uniting in marriage, I frequently share four words that are important in making sure their love will flourish and grow in the years to come:
FLEXIBILTIY – Adjust as needed and be aware of the natural tendency toward being selfish, rigid and self-centered.
FUN – Laugh often. Don’t get bogged down in the routines of everyday living and live boring 
predictable lives.
FORGIVENESS – No one is perfect. Everyone blows it. We all make mistakes. Forgive frequently.
FAITH – Nurture your relationship with God as individuals and as a couple. Marriage was God’s idea from the start, just look at the plumbing. He designed us to be physical, emotional, relational and spiritual beings. He wants to be a part of our marriages.
These four basic practices have kept our marriage developing and prospering into a greater love than I would have ever imagined 38 years ago! I’m looking forward to the future with my incredible wife!
QUESTION: What have you found brings success to a marriage? Please share it in the comment section below.
