"Tribes - We Need You to Lead Us"

A couple of weeks ago the book, “Tribes – We Need You to Lead Us” by Seth Godin (Portfolio) was recommended to me by Silas Mullis of Operation Mobilization’s SportsLink. I strongly recommend reading this book as its insights are most useful. The next few weeks’ articles will relay some of the ideas from the book and applications to ministry with people of sport.

A recurring theme in the book is Leadership and why it is important for people to lead from wherever they are in the organization’s flow chart.

“My thesis:

• For the first time ever, everyone in an organization – not just the boss – is expected to lead.

• The very structure of today’s workplace means that it’s easier than ever to change things and that individuals have more leverage than ever before.

• The marketplace is rewarding organizations and individuals who change things and create remarkable products and services.

• It’s engaging, thrilling, profitable and fun.

• Most of all, there is a tribe of fellow employees or customers or investors or believers or hobbyists or readers just waiting for you to connect them to one another and lead them where they want to go.”

Now for some observations and applications of these ideas.

“For the first time ever, everyone in an organization – not just the boss – is expected to lead.” This is very similar to the Jesuits’ thesis that “We’re all leading and we’re leading all the time, whether well or poorly.” The sport community has known this for a long time as we look for leadership from among the competitors and not just from the coaching staff. While it’s expected, it’s not always at hand among some teams. We who lead sports ministries can be very effective as developers of leadership in both coaches and competitors. Even better, we can model and instruct people in Jesus’ way of servant leadership and thereby greatly transform the lives of everyone involved.

“The very structure of today’s workplace means that it’s easier than ever to change things and that individuals have more leverage than ever before.” Many organizations and even some sports clubs are becoming flatter and more responsive to those at the fringe. Many coaches have begun to purposefully listen to their players and have instituted groups like “team councils” to speak for the team and to help the Head Coach have a finger on the pulse of his team’s attitudes and thoughts. Some even include these team leaders in their decision making on certain matters. Sport Chaplains and Character Coaches are even included in some decision making as those who lead the team or the club seek wisdom and insight. If we’re available, we can strongly shape the organization, even though we have no real “organizational power or authority.”

“The marketplace is rewarding organizations and individuals who change things and create remarkable products and services.” In the sports world this is best seen in the recruiting of talent. Whether collegiate, club or professionals, people want to compete for the organizations and leaders who are doing something remarkable. No one sets out to be pedestrian or mediocre. The sports world is full of people who are achievement oriented and they’re drawn to innovators and dynamic personalities. We who serve Christ in sport may be the most innovative and dynamic people in the culture. We may also be rather bland and unimaginative. It’s up to us. Those in your club, team or community will seek you out if they see something which raises their curiosity, whets their thirst for Christ or engages their hearts with real life. Let’s be risky and remarkable rather than safe and predictable.

“It’s engaging, thrilling, profitable and fun.” Sport, at its best, is engaging, thrilling, profitable and fun. Don’t choke on the word “profitable” by just thinking about money. The profit in sport for most of us in about many things, but certainly not money. I’ve been engaged in sport since I was able to stand up and swing a baseball bat. Over fifty years later, I still find it to be engaging, thrilling, profitable and fun. After seventeen years of serving as a sport chaplain and character coach, I still feel the same and with increasing measure as I learn more about serving well. Greater still is the engagement, thrill, profit and fun which I experience as I have my faith in Christ both poured into and nurtured by the people of sport.

“Most of all, there is a tribe of fellow employees or customers or investors or believers or hobbyists or readers just waiting for you to connect them to one another and lead them where they want to go.” The author defines a tribe as, “a group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea.” Sport teams certainly qualify as tribes. Sports ministries also qualify. The point of his statement is that these tribes are just waiting for someone to lead them well by connecting them to one another and to help them connect with their mission. This is what good team captains, good coaches, good CEOs, good Sport Chaplains, good Character Coaches and other Christ-honoring leaders do. Look around you, there is a tribe just waiting for you to help them connect with one another. Help them do that. In the process, you can communicate the transforming power of life in Christ and thereby lead people into the life-long adventure that follows such a commitment.

We are providentially enabled to be powerfully influential with the people of sport. We need not have the loftiest title nor the most powerful position to lead well, effectively and honorably. From wherever we are in our organization’s structure, we can and must lead people by helping them connect with each other and with their goals. Lead on.