The Towing Line

 

I’m a former competitive swimmer.  My older son was a Florida ranked sprinter and an All American Water Polo player in high school; he also played for the University of Florida.  Needless to say, we have a higher than normal percentage of chlorine coursing through our veins.

 

I heard recently that USA Olympic swimmers engage in an interesting training exercise called “The Towing Line”.  Swimmers who are fast but not yet world contenders are fitted with an apparatus that allows them full arm rotation, but pulls them through the pool at world record speed.  It’s like the aquatic version of a fighter pilot simulator.  The Towing Line gives athletes the “feel” of swimming faster than anyone else in the world.  As a result, they are able to visualize more clearly, perform better, and inch closer to achieving their dream. 

 

I have a friend who’s son, David, will soon enter engineering school with a focus on trains.  David is passionate about trains as well as the future of railway travel and commerce.  He is also one of the nation’s experts on model trains – the expensive scale model versions.  Not only does Disney hire David on a regular basis to design, setup, and maintain elaborate landscapes at EPCOT – he also maintains a thriving eBay business buying and selling these model trains. 

 

David’s father, also named David, enabled his son to experience the “Towing Line” over the past decade by taking him on numerous trips to ride and view working trains around the country.  Father and son will venture west this summer to ride some of the tourist locomotives, including the famous Silverton Train in Durango, Colorado.  These trips have expanded David’s dream of becoming an expert on train engineering, and improving rail transport around the world.

 

My younger son, Kyle, also has a dream.  He wants to be a singer/songwriter.  I’m helping him write his own music and filming him (amateur of course) singing at high school talent shows and open mic events. 

Although Kyle is more than capable of creating his own “Tow Line Events” I want to take every opportunity to let him experience what it feels like to move closer to his dream.

 

What is your son’s dream?  Is there a Towing Line you can provide to give him a simulated experience of the home run?

God Stamps 2

 

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.

    www.strengthfinder.com

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.

God Stamps

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.

http://www.championtraining.com/characters/tharreo/index.html

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.

http://www.championtraining.com/characters/mataios/index.html

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.

http://www.championtraining.com/characters/epios/index.html

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.

http://www.championtraining.com/characters/artios/index.html

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”.