I Miss The Military

“All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten” (a book by Robert Fulghum) isn’t quite true for me…but if I substitute “the military” for “Kindergarten” I’d be a lot closer to the truth. While it irks me when I hear the “well, at my last job we did it like this…” refrain, I must say, after 20 years in the military that it’s worth citing those experiences from time to time. Here are some of the things I’ve learned (Jeff, who recently joined the Navy and is on active duty may help me expound on the list…)

I learned:

• The difference between followership and leadership


• The difference between managing and leading


• How to march


• The deeply intrinsic joy of comradeship


• How to follow orders


• How to give orders


• How to train


• How to educate


• How to mentor, guide and coach


• The value of tradition


• The worth of discipline


• The benefits of rules


• The meanings of more acronyms than I can ever need, but also some really good ones! (SNAFU and FUBAR for example)


• The joy of moving, in step, in sync, smoothly and with precision - (with one other Airman, with a flight, or with an entire squadron)


• The meaning of a salute


• Determination


• That “officers compete”


• Love of my country, my family, our flag


• Respect for others – all others, and especially those who gave their limbs and/or lives for me


• How to stand and sit erect (vs. slouching)


• How to ask for forgiveness (and not permission)


• How and when to take risks


• When to disobey orders


• When to stand out, when to step up, and when to sit down


• How to say nothing often (not that I do this much)


• How to make things happen


• How to be a team
  
  

So, what brought on this recall? Was it a lesson I taught? Was it an opportunity to lead an activity? Was it a challenge to take charge of an event? Nope. I was walking down the hall. I caught up to a coworker (I walk NY fast), and decided to do a half-step and get into stride with him. We “marched” down the hall. It felt GREAT! I hadn’t even realized that I missed it. I mean, marching was always a chore in the service. It’s hard to describe. Probably synchronized swimmers or ball room dancers would easily understand – but the rest of us, I’m not sure it translates. Being lockstep with someone else, moving together, separate but one. Individual but a team. It feels great.

I miss it.

The Man In The Mirror

Perception is Reality

A common saying in the Air Force.

Our self-perceptions may be the best example of this. It doesn’t matter what others think of us, not in the long run. The only thing that matters (and perhaps it should be this way) is how we see ourselves. Oh, trust me, I know we give a lot of weight to the perceptions of others. Way too much in most cases. In fact, many times we are haunted by the words or actions of those we love. But even in the case of acquaintances and even enemies – we give too much power to the perceptions of others. We let their critique of us cause pain. We let it drive us to drastic measures. Peer pressure, bullying, teasing, and public humiliation are powerful weapons – weapons borne of the level of importance we put on what others say and do!

So, I don’t mean to make light of the power of perceptions of others. But, I’m here to tell you – those perceptions only bite, hurt, rend, and tear because we give them the power to do so. Because we lack a healthy and strong set of self-perceptions, we bow to the inputs from others. Others who have no advanced degree in psychology, no true understanding of the experiences we’ve lived, and no better grasp on their own lives than we have on ours. Even Jesus seemed to care - when confronted with the opinions of others, he asked Peter, "Who do you say I am?" The key though is that He wasn't asking so that He'd know, He was asking as a precursor to a lesson...as a means of seeing if His followers were paying attention. If THEIR perceptions were right, not to find out who He was! He knew, and only He knew for sure (well Him and His father and mother...).

It is NOT others' perceptions which matter – it’s only our own. Unfortunately, we allow their perceptions to taint our own. We listen, believe, and accept their assessment of us although they are poorly equipped to evaluate our lives.

I remember a movie (not the title) in which creatures lamented the poor design of the human body – frail, unprotected, nerve endings close to the soft and unarmored surface. Besides these vulnerabilities, God also gave us a mind and soul very susceptible to pain and damage. It’s almost as if God made us highly vulnerable so that we would have to become strong to survive. We have had to cultivate our physiques, our minds, and our souls to defeat the plethora of threats – natural and man-made to our own survival.

So, it is our self-perceptions which matter. How we judge ourselves. The only one who knows us as well as we know ourselves is God. He is the only one who can share the grief, joy, needs, and wants we have. He is the only one that TRULY knows us…other than ourselves. So, only our own assessment ultimately matters. We have to take responsibility for our actions, our words, even our thoughts. We have to take full responsibility for who we are and who we are to become.

Mirrors.

Lately I’m fascinated in mirrors. I can’t remember the last time I looked in one? I mean, I know I look at one when I brush my teeth, when I shave. But, I don’t really look. When I do (like when I run past a mirrored store front window – see previous post), I’m usually unhappily shocked at what I see. I see an older guy…a near-50 year old. I see a bigger, heavier, older person. Who is this? The image does NOT match my self-perception, my self-picture. The same thing happens with my voice. The rare occasion when I hear my taped voice played back, I wonder – who is that? I know the physiological and physical reasons for my voice sounding different, but what is the reason for me not recognizing the man in the mirror? Why do I think I’m younger? Slimmer? Less wrinkled? Why do I have such misconceptions of how I look (and sound) to others? I get tons of critiques – too aggressive, too loud, too sure, too pushy, too this and too that. It’s nice that with all my flaws, people feel comfortable sharing their opinions of me!

So, if I’m right, and only our self-perception really matters in the end (of course that perception is flavored by inputs from our environment – including others’ opinions) – then what does that say about the obvious disconnect between what I see in the mirror and what I perceive to be true?

Hmmm.

In any case, I believe. I believe in the power of our self-perception. I believe in the power of having a Vision. I believe any ONE of us can change the world. I believe that “no one can make you feel inferior without your consent” (Eleanor Roosevelt). I believe “if you wanna make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and then make a change” (Michael Jackson).

So, who do you say that you are?

One-A-Days

OK, so I am flawed. In many ways. One glaring flaw I am trying to combat is a lack of self-discipline when it comes to doing things that are good for me, but are not fun. Like eating proper meals. Or eating vegetables. Or NOT eating candy, sweets, or ice cream. The one that bothers me the most though is my natural ability to avoid exercise.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m active. For a 49 year old, I’m even spry! I play sports (fun), I’ll take on a challenge in a heartbeat (fun). I coach volleyball (fun). But, to lift weights, do push-ups, or go for a run is akin to pulling teeth.

Now the paradox (which I believe most of us non-exercise junkies share) is that when I DO exercise, I like it! I like the results. I feel like I’ve accomplished something. I feel healthier. But, for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why, with all of these positive reinforcements, I still couldn’t keep to an exercise program!

One day, a little bit ago, I happened upon the answer.

While exercise has positive effects and makes me feel good (and glad I did it), it’s still NOT FUN. So, simple…but the answer eluded me for years. And, to be honest, I can’t think of a way to make it fun! I’ve subconsciously tried. I found a coworker who suffers from the same aversion to regular workouts, and challenged him to a competition. That worked for a few months until one of us won (yes, one of us simultaneously lost). And then, it was over.

So, with my goals (which include maintaining an exercise program) flush in my face, I have decided to find a way! My latest plan of attack is One-A-Days.

In “Fit for Eternal Life” by Kevin Vost (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1933184310/), I learned about a quick, easy, and impressive weight lifting regimen. The core of the program is the use of weight machines (to ensure good form), doing only 5 or so exercises, doing only ONE set, no more than 8-12 reps, and do them to FAILURE. So, the only hard part is learning how much weight to use in each exercise so that you can’t do more than twelve, but can do at least 8. As you get stronger, and can do more than 12 reps, you add weight. With only five exercises, and therefore only five sets, and no more than 12 reps…you can do the full workout in less than 20 minutes. This is also timed because each rep follows a rule for so many seconds for push and the pull parts. It’s actually pretty neat. I recommend it to anyone looking to build body mass, get in shape by using weights, and is on a tight schedule.

I did that one for about 2 months before I lost the rhythm and then stopped.

I actually hope to do it again…but this time I plan to sneak up on it with One-A-Days.

So, here’s my idea. And before you tell me how lame I am, let me give this disclaimer – If you have trouble sticking to (or starting) an exercise program, this may work for you. If you’re an exercise machine, then yes, this will seem lame.

One-A-Days is a simple – EACH day I have to do at least ONE exercise, one set, to FAILURE. That means, any exercise (weights, aerobic, or anaerobic) non-stop until I can’t do even one more. Pushups? You’ll find out how many you can do in one set. Max it out. Sit-ups? To Failure. Bench Press? To Failure. Leg raises? To failure. Squats, curls, triceps pull downs, or Lunges? TO FAILURE. If you choose to lift weights, like Vost teaches, try to find the right amount of weight so you fail between 8 and 12 reps. But, hey, if you end up doing 30…that’s fine. Just do it to FAILURE.

Now, you may have guessed that it helps to log/track all of this. So, you know what exercises you’ve done, what weights are optimal, and what parts of the body you’ve worked. The good news for me, is that I actually like the part of the exercise program where I collect, track, plot, and analyze the data. What can I say? I’m a metrics geek.

One BIG warning. If you choose to do Free Weights (not on a machine) and you choose an exercise where you can’t drop the weights (like bench press) YOU HAVE TO HAVE A SPOTTER. Since by definition you will NOT be able to put the bar back…since you’re doing it to failure!

Another benefit of One-A-Days is that it’s easy to mix up the exercises and not get bored. If you don’t have access to weights, do pushups. If you don’t have a lot of time…use weights. Just make sure you do at least ONE each day! So far I’ve done 6 days in a row. I plan to maintain it for 90 days! If I can make it a habit (30 days), hopefully I can do it for life.

If I get it to be a habit, and I feel daring, I may move to Two-A-Days! And after that the skies the limit! Well, actually, three is the limit. I figure, every book I’ve read, says that your body needs rest, and they all suggest taking a day off. So, I figure some exercises you can do every day (like core – ab work for example), and I should be able to do Three-A-Days safely.

OR when I get One-A-Days to be a habit, instead of Two-A-Days, perhaps I’ll do the Fit For Eternal Life program for a month at a pop.

Regardless…if I can reach the goal of doing One-A-Days every day, I’ll be better off for it. BTW, I tried this with prayer (as the fulfillment of my wife’s birthday gift wish) and it worked great. I started with five decades of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and I found myself adding people to pray for….and now I say 13 a day. I’ve maintained this for over a year…so I know it’s possible.

Wish me luck!

P.S. Some of you don't have Gmail and therefore can't post comments (or at least that's what I'm told). Feel free to send me a comment for posting via email, and I will post if for you.

Seeking Wisdom

Colleges and Universities are places of advanced learning and thought. Notre Dame is special in that it is also a place where you can discuss religion regularly. I very often find myself in spirited discussions with co-workers and friends on almost any topic. One of the most fascinating things about the discussions (for me) is that my protagonist can be anyone from a fellow information technology worker, to an administrative assistant, to the dean of a college or a tenured senior professor.

While a friend (a professor of science) and I were about to part ways after a short walk– him to his classroom and I to my office, I spied a baby rabbit (yes, a “bunny”).

It was looking for food in the shade of two buildings on campus. After remarking on how well fed this little bunny was, my friend shared his hatred for all rabbits. It seemed that, especially during the spring, his dog (a Beagle) would bark incessantly at rabbits which traversed his yard in search of food.

We entered an honest if not totally sincere argument. My learned colleague argued that he hated the rabbits and blamed them for the headaches caused by the Beagle’s barking.

I argued for the furry creatures – it was the dog my friend should despise not the rabbit.

In the middle of our debate, my boss’ boss’ boss showed up. I enlisted his wise council to settle the argument. Pointing to the bunny, I summarized our discussion. To this modern day Solomon I posed the question – so, who is to blame for the barking? The Dog or the Bunny?

Without pause he adjudicated with wisdom and a smile. Neither. It is the dog’s owner who is to blame.

My friend of course objected, to which our judge simply asked, “did you not know that Beagle’s are high strung dogs, prone to bark at everything and anything?” My friend actually smiled and acquiesced.

I learned that my leader had actually experienced something which profoundly suited him to be our arbiter that day. His son had wanted a dog. Being a teaching parent, my boss told him to do research and determine the right type of dog to get. This lead to excluding Beagles and other breeds because of their temperaments. It also eliminated other breeds. His son found out that mix breeds can be a good choice as in many cases the negative traits many of each independent breed are eschewed in the mix. He not only learned about the different tendencies, personalities and temperaments of the breeds and mixed breeds but he also learned how to perform a “puppy test” to tell if a puppy would be trainable and a good pet. After all of the research, his son chose wisely and they are still happy today with the choice. His son was only 10 at the time.

I was heartened by the story – I realized there was hope for my friend (who is past 50) yet…

“Stay thirsty my friends."

Hmmm. The close to a blog post by my brother, “Stay thirsty my friends,” was an allusion to “Be Like Water” – direction from Bruce Lee…and a goal of my brother (see his Monday, April 26, 2010 post). But his close is interesting. Following his example, before I wax on the statement, perhaps we should break down the meaning of the statement.

As with most words in the English language, there are more than one meaning for the word “thirst.”

This is simultaneously the cause for many problems in our society (dual / confused meanings) and the beauty of our language (see poetry for examples). Thirst can be “the craving of liquids” – the sometimes unrelenting and overpowering need to consume liquids.

In Quantum of Solace, the latest James Bond movie, the 007 gives a can of motor oil to the villain as he abandons him in the middle of a desert. Yes, we learn later that he drank the oil. The power of thirst can be so powerful.

Thirst can be used for the craving of things other than liquids. And the thirst for other things can be as powerful as the need for liquids. The difference is the need for liquids is biological or physiological – while the thirst for power, fame, glory, riches, passion, compassion, love, applause, attention, or knowledge are not. These thirsts stem from a different central point in our beings. But is the craving any less powerful?

When our brains signal our need to drink it is a survival mechanism. Our bodies need fluids (specifically water). Without it we die.

So, when my big brother says, “stay thirsty” what did he mean? Did he mean to work hard so that we are always in need of liquids? Like, “sweat daily?” Or “just do it?”

Or did he mean, in a sly way, that we should not become satisfied. Not be satisfied with who we are, or where we are (station in life), or what we have? That we should continue to thirst for more and continue to strive to always be better? Ow. That would make self-contentment a bad goal. Maslow would be unhappy to hear it. Or would he? Is self-actualization a goal we should seek to attain or is it a road? A journey we should attempt to travel endlessly to our grave? Does contentment lead to complacency and eventually death?

Or did my brother simply mean to keep trying? Keep growing? Keep becoming?

I’ve heard a similar saying, “stay hungry,” used in sports a lot.

Lou Holtz has said that the problem was that his goal was too specific – winning a national championship. Once the team (including himself) achieved the goal…they became complacent. They were no longer thirsty.

He definitely would recommend staying thirsty. Perhaps he’d say “stay hungry.” Perhaps he would say always leave the table a little hungry. By the way, if our bodies tell us we’re hungry – you can safely ignore that to a degree. If you body tells you you’re thirsty…you’d better listen. We need water much more than we need food. No wonder water is the symbol for baptism. Water cleanses. Water heals. Water provides life. So, the old saying, “stay hungry” pales in comparison to “stay thirsty.”

Is it our brains that also signal our need to quench our other thirsts? If we don’t quench those thirsts – will we die? How powerful is the thirst for knowledge? How powerful is our thirst for attention? Are these addictions? No, not all addictions are bad things…you can be addicted to a TV show (24 anyone?), Butter Pecan Ice Cream (mom?), or even a game (chess).

Currently, Wikipedia defines addiction as a negative, “An addiction is a persistent behavioral pattern marked by physical and/or psychological dependency and tolerance that causes significant disruption and negatively impacts the quality of life of an organism.” So what would you call something that doesn’t have a negative impact but meets the other criteria? Whatever you call that (I look forward to your comments) is what I’m talking about. But perhaps I’m reading it wrong. Perhaps the negative impact is a result of not feeding the addiction or quenching the thirst. So, reading further, Wikipedia also says, “It is common in colloquial English usage to extend the use of the term "addiction" to also encompass apparent compulsive behavior and passionate dedication to activities (such as hobbies) by analogy.”

Again, the beauty of our language. So, I guess I’m ok. I’m just colloquial.

So, what is meant by “stay thirsty?” This is when I usually provide my conclusive answer to the questions I’ve posed, making the question rhetorical. And I get very few comments (which could be because I’ve answered the questions so well OR it could be NO ONE IS READING THIS!). So, while the temptation is strong to not provide my “take” on the answer, I’d be cheating if I didn’t. I mean, that’s what a blog is for, right?

I get to quench my thirst for writing, for expounding on my chaotic thoughts. You get to read this. I get to wait expectantly for comments which you get to refrain from adding. But are these thirsts? Or just hungers? What do I actually thirst for?

What do I believe I would die without? What thirst do I have which I find impossible to leave unfulfilled? What thirst, which if I don’t quench, will cause me pain and sorrow? What will result in “significant disruption and negative impact” to my quality of life?

I would surely die (or wish to die) if I could not quench the thirst within me for:

• Love
• Companionship
• Competition
• Mental exercise
• My wife
• My children
• Serving others

Is Mike Golic Right?

Does Football teach us to have a lack of integrity?
Mike Golic would say "definitely not!" On his ESPN morning show, "Mike & Mike" (which I thoroughly enjoy) Greeny and Golic had the argument...Greeny saying there is a problem with a lack of integrity in pro football, and Golic holding up the NFL's side of the argument.

Here's my take:

Golf – high integrity…self-policing.

Volleyball (team sport) – while at some levels self-policing, at the best it is. Even in the high stakes games, you are not allowed to purposefully mislead the refs/judges and you are also not allowed to “distract” your opponent (finding a way to “cheat”).

Tennis – honor is evident (although there are exceptions).

The point? In most sports there is a level of honor and this is appreciated, and applauded. In Football, basketball, and soccer, the opposite is expected. You are expected to do everything you can to win, including confuse or deceive the referees. It reminds me of pro-wrestling where the ref is obviously (and humorously) distracted so that the villain can use a chair to put his opponent out.

So, the argument is, this should all be ok, since we have referees and umpires who are paid to make the call. But, the question isn’t if the refs are there, it’s should it matter if they are there? Why do some sports have an honor code and others don’t? And what’s the harm?

Well, when I learned that HS football (and basketball to a degree) coaches teach their kids how to do what are illegal moves, and to NOT get caught…I was shocked. The argument? Everyone does it. The refs have to call it for it to have happened. It’s part of the game. My simple argument? Should it be?

What does it do to our sport when we ingrain permission (in fact encourage) players to break the rules?

It teaches our youth some sorry stories. I usually champion the idea of sports teaching great things to our kids. But…if organized sports (you can’t get away with basketball “cheating” in a pickup game!) are teaching our kids to break the rules – as long as you don’t get caught or to lie / distract / deceive the refs – they may not have seen the play and you’ll sway them in your opinion, why would I want my kids involved in this environment?

And where does it stop? You have the leagues stepping in (when the risk is that the league will lose income) with enforceable rules to stop the obvious and logical result of teaching cheating. In basketball, intentional fouls, flagrant fouls, and then finally the Hack-a-Shaq rule. Why should the league have to create rules that hurt the teams chances to win – giving two shots AND the ball? In football, the rules are constantly changing to protect the wide receiver (when in the air) and the quarterback…two of the star positions. Why? Because the cheating taught throughout will get them hurt. That’s why clipping and chop blocks HAD to be enforced. Not because it was illegal (it was) but because people (stars) were getting hurt. In 2009, the teams playing against Favre decided to hit him early and often. Well, even late. A few penalties? That’s ok, if it gets him out of his rhythm and makes him play poorly. So basically, since the penalty for breaking (if caught) the rule wasn’t worse than the expected benefits, the coach puts that into his game plan!
So, if Shaq is killing you underneath – foul him on purpose AND do it hard enough and early enough that he can’t score on the play. So where does it stop?

We’ve seen “hard” fouls during the playoffs. Fouls though that are only a small step away from injurious hits. Why not? We’ve seen it in the past. The bench warmer (enforcer) comes in and lays out the other team’s best player so that he gets gun shy. Even if the refs throw the player out…it was worth it to the coach! So, they went to suspensions and then to fines. Wow. Why would the league's office need to do such things to keep players from purposefully trying to hurt another player?

Because they have accepted the little cheating (from claiming the ball went out off the other player to flopping) and actually made it part of the game.

Just because it’s always been that way (which by the way, it hasn’t ALWAYS been that way), doesn’t mean it should continue. And it definitely doesn’t mean we should be teaching it to our kids!




BTW, I’ve played organized sports as an adult (in the military), and at least in volleyball, I can tell you that I demonstrate integrity…I let the ref know when I’ve touched a ball on its way out of bounds. I let the ref know when I touch the net. I let the ref know when I don’t get the pancake, and the ball hit the floor. I do this no matter the score or situation. I’ve done it when it cost my team a game. Why? Because I want to win because I played better – not because the ref missed a call. No, not all volleyball players do this – but the best do. And I don’t mean “best” as in most talented.

What we can learn from Sports Part II

The arguments made in the comments aside, let’s continue the analogy. How much can we learn from coaching a football (basketball, tennis, volleyball, etc.) team? How much can we follow good coaching principles in sports to make our businesses run better?


To recap:

• Leadership Team: Pick top level coaches based on how they fit the Head Coach’s system and find ones that will work as a team. Ones with expertise in getting the most out of the players.


• Recruiting: Don’t think of it as hiring or filling a position. You’re recruiting based on potential and fit. You’re actively seeking the best fit for your program. Stop hiring and start recruiting.


• Professional Development: Stop expecting ANYONE to stay around for extended periods of time. If you develop them well, they’ll move on to bigger and better things. Assistant coaches will become Head Coaches at other programs; players will become better paid players on other teams or assistant coaches themselves. And that’s a good thing.


• Providing Feedback: The coaches works with the players to assess their play and get better. It’s a never-ending (continuous improvement) cycle.
  

Measures

So, how best to assess? In sports, coaches use tons of measures. They have staff who observe, collect, document, store, and report measures (let’s use basketball). Field Goal %, Three-Point-Field-Goal %, Offensive Rebounds, Defensive Rebounds, Assists, Steals, Fouls, Turnovers, Assist-to-Turnover ratios. All of these can be measured against minutes played. Of course there’s also Points Scored, Points Allowed, Free Throws attempted, Shots attempted, etc. per minute, per period, and per game. There are lot’s more! Imagine if the coach followed businesses’ example on using measures?

LeBron, we’re going to have to reprimand you (not give you a raise) because your numbers are down. Worse, businesses don’t look at ALL the data (too much to collect, too expensive to collect) – instead, they’d measure the players on only one, two, or maybe three “key” measures. AAAUGH!

If you’re only going to judge the players on a subset of the available measures, at least make those measures the higher level ones – GAMES WON!

No, in sports, we not only look at all the measures, we also focus on the areas of expertise. So for the Point Guard we look at Assist-to-Turnover ratio. For the defensive specialist, Steals and Blocks. For our scoring threat – we’ll use measures around scoring efficiency. As a team we’ll look at offensive and defensive efficiency. We’ll even breakdown how well our in-bounds plays work. Our effectiveness in the half-court offense. How effective our defense is.

The players will NOT fear the measures – in fact, they’ll clamor for them. Of course we may have the same issues as some selfish ball players – our staff may want to pad their stats at the detriment of the team. But, those people stand out (to fans and coaches and fellow players) and their behavior can be adjusted or they can be let go.

Heroes and Super Heroes

Yes, sports teams at all levels, like businesses, have to deal with heroes. But in sports, especially team sports, we find that the best players actually make those around them better. They don’t horde information (like not calling out a switch or impending pick on a teammate), and they don’t obtain their self-worth by hoping their teammates don’t get better.

Quickly, even the best players, realize that they have to become coaches on the floor. They get the team Captain emblem and work as hard as the coaches to make the team better. Why? Because regardless of the accolades they get for being the best (scorer, shooter, passer, rebounder, etc.) it pales to being part of the reason the TEAM wins! Even the best players (LeBron included) learn that the real goal is to win as a team.

Ask Michael Jordan, arguably the best there ever was. If he didn’t have teammates who helped him to excel, and the team to win, he’d be an almost-was instead of a superstar. We need to find the “team goal” – the vision for the organization. We need to identify measures of success for the organization. We MUST know how to determine that the “team” has won. And we need to all celebrate (not just the heroes and definitely NOT just the Coaches). Look at who ends up holding the trophy the longest. Who hugs it? Who kisses it? Not the coach.

So, all of this post is based on the ability for businesses to identify team goals for the organization. We have to have a way of winning. We need a “prize” at the end – a trophy to compete for. That reminds me of the Air Force saying, “Officers compete.” We knew in the Air Force that competition was NOT a bad thing. Competition is a good, time-tested, American, incentive for behavior. Guaranteed, every business has a competitive element. Even NFPs compete (with other NFPs and with the things they are trying to overcome – poverty, disease, cruelty, etc.). Pick the business or organization and there is an element of competition. There are goals to achieve and battles to win.

It only requires a little creativity.

And a different viewpoint.

A coach’s viewpoint