When was the last time you did something just to, well... just to do it? No reason, really. Just for the heck of it. It wouldn't create revenue, increase profit, create a new product, complete a task/to do item, build a new company...
Would you do this 'something' just for the fun or silliness of it? What if it actually created value that you couldn't measure in terms of dollars or hard numbers? That’s the lesson I learned a few years ago…
The Story
Almost three years ago, I was driving home on a Sunday afternoon after church in my 2002 minivan. My youngest son (he was 13 at the time) was the only one with me. My vehicle was a running joke (pun intended) in my family. But it was a cheap ride and a very trusty steed, and I defended its worth and value with all I had. After all, I planned to hand it over to my my 16-year-old son to “enjoy.”
As we were approaching the road to turn into our small development, my son asks how many miles my van has on it. We both glance at the odometer. It was exactly... 239,999. He immediately says, "Don't turn, let's watch it roll over to 240,000!" Yeah, I know... exciting stuff. The responsible, adult side of me wants to just get home to get some lunch. But, the kid in me also wants to see it flip to 240,000. So I chuckle and drive to the next road and loop back to our house. Still 239,999 on the odometer.
We live on a cul-de-sac so we get to the end and drive around. A neighbor outside waves at us... I'm sure he's wondering how we missed our driveway... It's been in the exact same spot the last 20 years! And the odometer still doesn't turn over. Turns out, a mile is a lot longer than I thought (or quite possibly the odometer decided to break).
We made one more loop, all the time laughing that our neighbors must think we're crazy. It finally turned over and we pulled into the garage with the odometer at exactly 240,000 miles. Mission accomplished!
Silly story? Maybe. Time well spent? Yes. Leadership lesson? Absolutely!
So... What's the Point?
These seemingly small, insignificant, and even silly, events build shared memories. They create stories to tell. (There's now one more story in the collection called "Dad's minivan story book". Maybe, just maybe, some of these stories show up here…)
Creating memories, big or small, build relationships. And if we don't have relationships built on a solid foundation of love and trust, and cemented with shared experiences (silly and serious), we can't be effective leaders. We most certainly can't be servant leaders. And we can't expect to have strong teams, whether it's work teams, volunteer teams, family teams, ministry teams, sport teams, you name it...
Silly, humorous experiences are some of the best ways to create openness, a sense of belonging, and a fun, relaxed environment. This is necessary as much at work as in life. We often experience this in our families and with friends, but do we think about how we can intentionally create this same environment on our teams, in our offices, or in our organizations?
Be mindful that Leadership is relationship. Don't forget to lighten up and let go. The best time to do this is when it's the worst time. That's when we, and those around us, need it most!
Reflection
When was the last time you shared a light moment with an individual or with your entire team?
What keeps us from having these lighthearted, care-free moments more often?
My team has a lot of silly moments...I like this reminder that it's not wasted time. Great story, too!
A small tear and a chuckle, very poignant. Thanks for your beautiful story.