The Red Glasses
I received a coded message from my daughter Jenna this past Saturday morning. In a reply text message, she included the phrase, “I’ll have the Red Glasses on all day”, which was followed by a thumbs up emoji. This message put my mind at ease and I went on about my business, not feeling the need to unnecessarily worry about her.
The issue started the evening before, when the city of Brighton held one of its regular street fairs. Brighton will shut down parts of the downtown area and allow local business to set up shop on the streets to generate excitement, entertainment and to help create a good community and business environment. James, our chief engineer at our TITLE Boxing Club, had done a very good job in arranging, planning and moving equipment and supplies to the site, which is no small task. Heavy bags are called heavy bags for a reason. As the General Manager of our Brighton club, Jenna felt the appropriate weight of responsibility to ensure that the event would make a favorable impression on the passing crowds and ultimately be a successful event, enticing more people to come and experience a great work out at the club. This event went on late into the night, and the next morning she needed to be up early to teach two classes at the club, conduct a personal training appointment, and then to head back downtown to complete the second day of the fair, again being planned into the late evening. I knew this was going to be a very difficult day for her, hence my original text message seeking if she needed backup support to help handle all the difficult work load I knew she had at hand.
This is where things get a bit tricky. On the one hand, as a father, I worry about my children and I do not want them to suffer disappointments or hardship. I did not want to see my youngest daughter stressed mentally and physically for several days on end. As a leadership mentor however, I want to make sure that I am not coddling, or mitigating learning opportunities by being over protective. Like any budding leader, Jenna and James need to understand that all great things take great effort, and that there is a price to be paid by being a leader. I can assure you that Jenna has heard many times over, “The mantel of leadership is heavy, and it is not to be placed on weak shoulders.”
Her response told me that she was in the right leadership place when she assured me that she had her “Red Glasses” on. Red Glasses are a code word Jenna and I use to indicate passion, intensity and a fire in the belly. It is a phrase we picked up from Bill Hybels during his recent talk at the 2016 Global Leadership Summit. Bill spoke of different glasses leaders need to wear, and one of them were the “red glasses of passion”. This passion is an inner desire to accomplish something of significance, something bigger than oneself.
A leader needs to bring a passion to the mission at hand. They need to be able to use that passion to effect and drive toward the goals they have set in order to accomplish their overall mission and achieve their vision. The leader needs to ignite an ember in the soul of their teammates from the fire that burns within themselves. That is a key ingredient to being able to inspire and motivate others to put their shoulders into the wheel of progress and to push in the direction the leader believes to be the wisest path forward. When the leader is passionate about a mission, their teams can but help to be inspired. If the leader lacks passion, it would be a rare day indeed when their teams get excited and inspired to greatness, all on their own. Passion is the fuel that turns the leadership engine.
Our leadership lesson for the day comes down to a simple question, how passionate are you about the work you are leading? If your passion meter is reading low, you need to take some time away and consider the mission. Is it really important? Is it worth our time and energy? IF the answer is no, then perhaps it is time to find another vision. If the answer is yes, do what is necessary to refill your passion batteries and go back at it with renewed energy and vigor. Put your Red Glasses on and take on the challenges come what may. Carpe Diem, seize the day, or more literally translated, pluck the day as it is ripe, or enjoy this moment. Passion is a fundamental and imperative feature of a great leader.
Today let’s put our red glasses on and demonstrate to all the relentless passion we have to make our world better by being the best leaders we can be.
Stay Strong,
Terry
