Since August 26, 1992, almost 19 years, I have had the privilege of serving pastors and church leaders for INJOY Stewardship Solutions. It has been a complete honor to have such a high calling. During this time, I have had the opportunity to build a number of lasting relationships. In particular, four with my co-workers stand out.
Two I have worked with the entire time. Another I co-labored with for approximately 15 years and the other for about a dozen years. We have been through a lot together to say the very least.
But more on that later…..
I am currently reading Buster Olney’s book The Last Night Of The Yankee Dynasty: The Game, The Team, And The Cost Of Greatness. For fans of the Yankees during the Joe Torre era, this is a must-have for your library. You can purchase a copy by clicking HERE or on the image provided.
On page 264, Olney writes the following words. These have significant influence for all leaders.
“It was shortly after (manager Joe) Torre had surgery for prostate cancer, in the spring of 1999, that (pitching coach Mel) Stottlemyre told him of his own condition (multiple myeloma – cancer of the bone marrow), which would be monitored for a year before he required more extensive treatment. Darryl Strawberry’s cancer was diagnosed five months before Torre’s, and less than three years after Torre’s brother, Rocco had died; another brother, Frank, had required a heart transplant in the midst of the 1996 World Series.”
Olney continues…
“The fathers of four Yankees veterans passed away during the championship run: Maury Brosius, Chick O’Neal, Ambrosio Sojo, and Bernabe Williams. Real life constantly invaded the Yankees’ baseball world,”
And then Olney concludes with this thought. Make sure you pay attention to the highlighted words.
“and after Mike Stanton left the team, he concluded that the reason this group of teammates had become so close was that they had needed one another so often.”
This leads me back to my four co-workers I mentioned earlier. We have gone through a lot together as well. The following is just a small sampling:
- We’ve been there for each other when we’ve buried parents, close friends, and in one case a son.
- Two had weddings I attended for their daughters.
- One of the four got married and now has a wonderful family.
- We walked through the 2008 financial crisis and the 2020 pandemic together.
- We’ve been through the sale of the company on two separate occasions.
- We’ve watched our children grow up and become successful adults.
- We’ve all gotten some gray hair together.
- We’ve put off the aging process as much as we can.
- And I could go on and on….
So what does my band of brothers at INJOY Stewardship and the New York Yankees of the 1990’s have in common?
It goes back to Mike Stanton’s words. We’ve needed each other on countless occasions.
The glue no one talks about that truly creates unity and holds teams together is lasting relationships and shared experiences.
It’s the equity of weathering a series of storms together. It’s laughing at conferences and on the road so hard your sides hurt… and bearing one another’s burdens… and celebrating during times of success.
It is highly unlikely teams with high turnover rates will have the time to develop the glue needed to have unity during the most stressful and challenging times.
It takes some time… and having each others’ backs time and time again while you build trust… and unity. You’ve got to go through some stuff together and live to tell about it.
And you must show each other a lot of grace along the way.
In conclusion, hire good people who are talented. Be willing to then play the long game. Celebrate the good times and build each other up during the bad ones. You’ll win some, you’ll lose some. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
And if you’re lucky, after 5-to-10 years, you’ll be glad you did because there will be a unique glue that holds your whole team, perhaps your whole company, together. If you’re lucky, you’ll have lasting relationships and shared experiences.
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