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Leadership topic - Vision

As you move into this New Year, reflect on the power of Vision to guide you and others to greatness…and also simply making a difference for our world… like MLK Jr.

I obviously knew about Martin Luther King Jr, who we celebrated Monday. And, there was so much of his story as a young man that I didn’t know. Like his name not actually being that at least until he was 5.  Not until his Father confronted Nazi’s in person in Germany, reminding him of the power of the first Luther to stand up for his beliefs.

My own story had many parallels to his growing up – with the huge exception that he faced unbelievable hatred and fear almost every day. And, he would be damned if he let that be seen by others, let alone dissuade him from his Vision – once he caught it…

… and realized it had to be positive to make a difference. And that it laid in front him down the path his Father, Grandfather, and Great-Grandfather had blazed. So as much as he wanted to set his own path, that Vision eventually became the one that has changed all of us… if we stay true to it, and our own.  Each of us has the ability down there – it is just a matter of having the courage to dig for it.

What Vision engaged MLK?

What Vision engaged MLK?

Standing in front of my 4th-grade class, I was wearing what we now would romantically call a Toga. It was more like a big white sheet wrapped around my small body which was not much to look at. And, I was stammering as I tried my best to engage in showing how a similarly clad frail man changed the world with his demonstration of non-violence in a far-off country – India. Now both are common knowledge, but in Dallas, in the 1960s it was very different than others had dressed up as their “role model”.

managing the Vision of MLK

managing the Vision of MLK

“The bullet stopped just half-an-inch before the backbone, and if it had stopped a half-an-inch earlier, it would have lodged in a major artery. Either way, this dog is lucky to be alive”… and with that, the lights went out. I awakened a few minutes later in another room on a soft couch with a cold rag on my forehead… I had no idea how I managed to get there…

partners in your Vision

partners in your Vision

“You could come back with me!” the young 14-year-old “Tom Hanks” exclaimed towards the end of Big.  Having found that his child-like spirit was a major gift in business, he missed his friends and partners… and being able to really be a kid.  The response from his ‘girlfriend’ is timeless: “No, one time being in junior high is plenty”.  And I am eternally grateful that the actual movies of my era are on media that are very hard for anyone to find and post anywhere…

Visions observed are Visions…

Visions observed are Visions…

“He will make a fine judge”. I was probably 2 years old, and old wise woman from West Texas had pronounced this after feeling the lumps on my head – and there are plenty you can see these days without hair. 😉 That simple sentence put me on the path to learning what to do with the deep bass voice I had at 14 in the body of a 4’10” pre-teen still in boy’s shirts. I stepped up to deliver my first speech…

wonderful Vision

wonderful Vision

I was the last speaker in the last round of this debate tournament, at least for our team. It was the one tournament I had invited my parents to come and see me perform in my new VIsion: Debate. I had been tearing it up on the trail across Texas, winning many rounds and tournaments, with “hardware” (trophies) becoming a natural thing to bring back home to Tyler late almost every Saturday night.  This was not that wonderful experience.

executing Vision

executing Vision

I wasn’t Valedictorian… because of my mouth. I called a teacher Stupid – and let me plead my case… no don’t. I earned an “Unsatisfactory” in conduct, and my father got me out of being suspended, but nonetheless, I was barred from his Senior Honors Class. No worries – I had my pick of colleges, although every one of my family went to Texas Tech – including my Grandfather, who taught there. And again if you read these articles often, you know that was out of the question.

Vision that renews

Vision that renews

Standing in the middle of the SMU Basketball court at barely 17, I was surrounded by tables labeled “Dedman College”, “Fondren”, and “Cox” which at least had “School of Business” in the name. It was the last day for “Registration” and I had a deck of computer cards, which at least I was very familiar with – what to DO with them, I was not. I had the college catalog that showed what a “Freshman Engineer” should take… but how did I get that to happen?