A few years ago author Daniel Pink summarized a year of research on entrepreneurship in his book entitled “Free Agent Nation.”
Pink interviewed business owners around the country to put his finger on the pulse of the next generation of entrepreneurs.His findings were insightful, especially in light of what I’ve described as the “fastball”. Pink determined that a majority of new business ventures consisted of temporary teams, individuals assembled for projects based on their particular skills.The entrepreneur, or project leader, picked team members that he trusted, respected, and admired for the ability they brought to the project.That project leader would in turn be asked to participate with his fastball in another project initiated by one of his former team members.Pink determined that the result of this new trend is a continuous flow of harmonious endeavors built by individuals contributing their “best”.
As we transition from Assessment to Purpose with young men, we can learn from the trends in our Free Agent Nation and help our lads to participate in the Adventure as “serial entrepreneurs”.
I’ve spent the past few posts describing the need and process to identify a young man’s “fastball”.The good news is we all have a heater and should use it whenever possible.The bad news is, once we know we’ve got it we have a tendency to think it’s all we need to participate at full capacity in the Adventure.Not true, not by – as the cowboy says – a gut full.
Young men need “team mates” with other fastballs.In fact, they need to learn how to depend on others so that they can use their strength in the context of team effort to achieve Harmony and create the greatest impact.
In 1996, DC Comics released a story line entitled “The League of Supermen”.
Superman had been killed (he came back later of course) and a group of scientists stepped in to fill his role.They chose to subject themselves to a risky DNA altering therapy that would give each of them one of Superman’s powers.The experiment worked, but with one flaw.With each power came a critical corresponding weakness.Each member of the league carried a nom de guerre that described their strength.Here are some of their names, their strengths and their weaknesses:
Pounder
Strength: profoundly strong, with the ability to hoist an entire building if necessary.Weakness: could not control his strength for normal activities; he had to be spoon fed by a teammate so that he would not break the utensils and plate.
Flyboy
Strength: flight – weakness : he could not control gravity enough to stay on the ground.His teammates had to harness him to earth every night so that he would not float away.
Shield
Strength: invulnerability – weakness: no sense of touch, not even a friend’s embrace.His friends had to constantly encourage him.
See-Through
Strength: x-ray vision – weakness: blind without special glasses his teammate designed.
All young men are created with strengths; they are also created with weaknesses as a constant reminder that they need each other and cannot engage in the Adventure effectively on their own.Face it; they wouldn’t want it any other way – and neither would we.
While temperament drives our motivation and behavior, God given strengths fuel the engine of our participation in the Adventure.
Several years ago the Gallup organization launched a research project that involved assessing the natural strengths of executives.They developed a tool that identified an individual’s five greatest strengths from a list of thirty-four categories.Several years and several hundred thousand execs later, StrengthFinder was available to the public through a book called “Now Discover Your Strengths”.The book became a bestseller and a standard as a staff evaluation tool.Now, StrengthFinder 2.0 is available; more condensed, less expensive and worth every penny of the small investment.
I have given the StrengthFinder assessment to employees, friends, and family.I think it is the best tool on the market for assessing God given, natural strengths.
We’ll use me and Da’ Boys again for illustration.Here’s our breakdown:
Kyle:
·Woo
·Adaptability
·Positivity
·Communication
·Strategic
Kyle is the guy you want selling your idea.He is the ultimate people person who can gain trust and acceptance quickly.He’s rarely discouraged, whether the game score stinks or he’s forced to change plans; in fact he can adapt to unexpected change better than anyone I know.Kyle not only adapts to change, he can find creative ways to address the change.He has excellent verbal skills and has a strong presence in front of crowds.
Christian:
·Achiever
·Strategic
·Learner
·Focus
·Relator
Christian is your man to “get it done”.Christian’s strength mix and his intelligence give him the ability to tackle high tier, complex projects.I’ve never met an individual with his ability to sustain focus until a task is accomplished.Though highly motivated to succeed, he cares deeply for others and takes time to develop deep relationships.
Brent:
·Ideation
·Learner
·Strategic
·Belief
·Activator
Innovation is my “fastball”.I’m an idea guy who’s not satisfied until my ideas are put into practice.I’m constantly listening to books or podcasts, whether I’m in the car or on the treadmill.I’m a fan of House and Sherlock Holmes because of their ability to discern “patterns” of behavior.
Identifying and resonating with God given “stamps” (temperament and strengths) enable a young man to train and focus in preparation to participate harmoniously with others in the Adventure ahead.
You hear often of DNA “stamps” on individuals to describe their innate tendencies, abilities, and predisposition to longevity. I believe we’re stamped – by God. God works through DNA, brain tissue, body and spirit to instill behavior tendencies, motivations and strengths to equip us in the Adventure set before us.
You see three very different individuals in the picture below – guys who love the opportunity to engage in Harmony whenever possible.From left to right: the old man (moi), my youngest son Kyle, and my new son-in-law Christian.
We had just finished an incredible night of paintball to celebrate with Christian at his bachelor’s party. The next week he married my beautiful daughter, Katie:
Sounds like the soundtrack to Gladiator, doesn’t it? Not sure how that happened.
I’ll use “Da’ boys” and I to illustrate two categories of “God Stamps” that give us the opportunity to participate uniquely in tasks together; categories that also offer a young man a starting point for self evaluation:Temperament and Strengths.I recommend two tools to begin self assessment: the DISC (temperament – http://www.uniquelyyou.net/teens/index.php) and StrengthFinder (innate strengths – https://www.strengthsfinder.com/).
The DISC reveals natural temperament and behavioral tendencies that motivate an individual to action.
A “D” (not represented in our group) is strong willed, authoritative, and decisive.The D’s natural desire is to be in charge.He can be a “bull in a China shop” at times, but he’s also usually a natural leader.If you’ve read Teknon and the Champion Warriors, you’ll recognize those characteristics in Teknon’s mentor Tharreo, also known as Tor.
When you look in the DISC dictionary under the “I” category, you’ll find a picture of my youngest son, Kyle.Kyle is outgoing, charming, a friend to the masses, and the life of the party.In Teknon, he’s the character called Mataios, or Matty.
I am the “S” of the group.I’m the faithful friend, the relational guy, the Labrador Retriever (probably why I enjoyed growing up with Labs so much).I’m Epios, or Epps in the Teknon story.
Christian – my new, fantastic, son-in-law is high on the “C” scale.He is gifted analytically, he’s meticulous, organized, and an incredibly skilled at multi-tasking.He knows how to make things “right”.He is the mentor Artios, or Artie to Teknon.
Everyone has a primary temperament category, but we are all a mix to some degree.Christian is also an “S”, he’s an incredible friend and thoughtful husband.I’m the weirdo of the group with a secondary “D” temperament; which has earned me the nickname “Velvet Hammer”. And Kyle…well Kyle….the lad’s other categories pale in comparison to his “I”.
Knowing our temperament helps us understand our motivations and what prompts us to respond in various circumstances – whether it’s stress or team participation.
I encourage all young men (and young women) to take the DISC and read the detailed descriptions it offers for particular mixes of the temperament categories.Temperament is one of the God Stamps and the beginning to an essential process commonly referred to as “know thyself”.
“It’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Neil Armstrong
When John F. Kennedy made the comittment to put a man on the moon by the end of the 1960s, not he or any of his closest advisors had any idea of the herculean effort required to fulfill it.The Apollo astronauts own hallowed ground in my childhood memories as I, along with three billion other awed onlookers, watched them accomplish what seemed almost surreal with only six months left in the Kennedy’s window:
Incredible commitment, competency, and courage – all team members participating in “harmonious” synchronization.It was exciting, exhilarating, excruciating, and everlasting.To me, in whatever capacity – here, or on The Dark Side of the Moon – Harmony - where prepared individuals are participating with their fastball in the context of a team pursuing a worthy endeavor – can be the pinnacle of human experience.
In his excellent book, Desiring God, author John Piper uses musical expression as a means to describe three different categories of participation we have in the Adventure set before us:
Solo – singular effort by an individual
Unison – team effort, but all participating in the same capacity regardless of gifts
Harmony – the ultimate experience where each participant offers his/her unique expression (Fastball) to accomplish a worthy cause
As an example, here’s my son Kyle in Solo “fastball” expression:
Here he is in Harmony:
Modern mythology often follows this “Harmony” theme:
Did I mention my affection for Superheroes?
When I observe “harmony” – whether in sports, a business venture, ministry, etc. – I sense I’m watching a brilliant symphony in action.Each “player” has prepared and trained to participate at the peak of his/her ability. Every participant understands their role and relishes the opportunity to offer their best in the context of the performance.
A young man needs to know himself well enough to identify his unique combination of gifts, so that he can prepare to participate at his highest level; or as famous coach John Wooden describes as Competitive Greatness “To offer your best when you best is needed”.
I recommend two categories to help a young man begin his self assessment – Temperament and God given strengths.
Nolan Ryan is considered by many to be the greatest pitcher of all time. Batters braced themselves for almost twenty years when Ryan took the mound because they had no question what was coming – a blazing, 100 mph fastball right down the center of the strike zone.Hall of Famer, Reggie Jackson, said of Ryan’s heater – “It disappeared half way to the plate.”
Nolan Ryan built an incredible career around one thing – something he was passionate about; something he did better than anything else.
Remember Eric Liddell – the famous Olympian who later became a missionary to China?In Chariots of Fire Liddell explains to his sister that he must participate in the games because “…God made me for a purpose, for China…but he also made me fast, and when I run, I feel His pleasure…”
Each of us has a “fastball” – and when we “throw” it, we feel it’s what we were born to do.Jim Collins calls it the “Hedgehog”:
Posted by Teknon 
Posted by Teknon 
Posted by Teknon 
