Alex Hoffer

The Power of Positive Reinforcement

Leadership

I was recently driving down a busy street in our city and came up to a light that had turned yellow. Instead of driving through the yellow light, I tapped the brakes and stopped as the light turned red. However, the car next to me went through the yellow light and made it in the nick of time. 

As I sat there waiting, my mind turned to my behavior. Why did I stop? I don’t always stop when the light turns yellow, so why did I stop this time?  I also began to wonder about red light cameras and their effectiveness. The presence of a red light camera influences my behavior as I don’t want to pay for an unnecessary ticket. But I often don’t even realize there’s a red light camera until it is too late. So, how effective are they? 

Like any punitive measure, one has to wonder what the real motive behind red light cameras is. Is it truly safety? Or is it to generate revenue? And would something else be more effective in creating safer driving conditions? What if, for example, instead of a ticket for people who go through red lights, people who slow down were given some kind of reward? 

Imagine a letter coming in the mail: “Congratulations, because you practiced safe driving on April 23rd, you are being entered into a drawing for a $500 Amazon gift card. Thank you for being a safe driver!” Would such a letter be more effective in influencing you to slow down at intersections? 

The more I thought about this, the more my mind turned to what we do at Hoffer Plastics. How many “red light cameras” do we have? How often are we only looking to catch people doing something wrong instead of looking for things they are doing to keep people safe or make things better?

This was a humbling thought.

What if, on the other hand, we started looking for things people were doing well? 

Catch Them Doing Things Well

For example, what if a camera caught someone following a safety procedure? What if we could go up to that person and thank them? 

Or, what if we saw somebody being a good teammate? What if a company leader went to that person and handed them a gift card to treat some of their teammates to lunch? What kind of difference would that make? 

Finally, what if we observed someone picking up a part on the floor or sweeping a mess? What if we smiled and affirmed how valuable this was to our business and the cleanliness of our facility? What difference would that make? 

I’ve come to discover that catching people doing things well and encouraging them changes cultures more deeply than punitive measures. 

And If I’m really honest, getting recognition for stopping at a red light would improve my driving more than the threat of a red light ticket… 

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Love Thy Neighbor

Special Post

*Every year around July 5th (my “Papa’s” birthday) I write him a letter. He passed away in 2005, but he is never far from my mind):

Dear Papa,

We live in interesting times these days. An opinion article in the WSJ recently pointed to one of the differences between our generations and yours: “In 1960, only 5% of Americans had a negative reaction to the idea of marrying somebody from a different political party; now it’s 38%.” 

This statistic encapsulates our current state as a society. Politics is becoming the primary characteristic of our lives, leading to division.

I usually write blog posts about leadership, and I firmly believe that leadership can be taught. This belief stems from a growth mindset rooted in critical thinking. Unfortunately, I often observe that the most fixed-minded among us are those with the strongest political beliefs: Republicans are evil, Democrats are evil, and both are evil. It is no longer “I disagree.” It is, “Those people are evil.” 

Apparently, it is even “you better not marry one of those people.”  

This makes me sad and concerned about where it will lead our country. 

Having said this, I do not long for a return to the 1950s. While some reading this post might long for the good old days, there has been progress that we should be proud of. Our team at Hoffer Plastics is more diverse than ever, which is a blessing. I am co-CEO with my two sisters, which would have been unheard of in the 1950s.  

But I also have to be honest: not everything we call progress is progress. Our culture is both the most individualistic and, by most studies, the most unhappy, perhaps ever. So, we are not only becoming more politically divided, but we are also becoming more sad in the process. 

I am sharing this because you and your generation prioritized three things that are instructive to me in this cultural moment that we are living in: 

Sacrificial Service

We call your generation the greatest generation because of sacrificial service. Later this year, I will once again stand at Omaha Beach and walk every last gravestone at the American cemetery in Normandy. This is the ultimate example of sacrificial service. These soldiers died together regardless of political identity. 

I also know that you embodied this at a personal level. After V-J day, you came home and worked diligently for your family. You set aside your ambition in music to work at your father-in-law’s pharmacy. This was a personal sacrifice. Your sacrificial service helped your family, which eventually led to me. For this, I am thankful. 

Community 

On one hand, our generation tends to prioritize family over everything else. We easily attend more events than your generation did. But at the same time, I fear that our view of family is smaller in scale than it was for your generation. What I mean is that your generation knew your neighbors well, whereas our generation waves as we drive by our neighbors heading to the next Little League game. We are too busy and scheduled to really know them. 

Your generation also tended to live near grandparents and prioritized family gatherings. Our generation tends to use technology like FaceTime and text messaging to stay in touch. On the one hand, I am thankful for how these technologies keep us connected, but I am also sad at how hard it is to make time for extended family. We tend to live lives that are too scheduled for family reunions. So, we are more connected and yet less known. 

This often leads to surface-level relationships. Our distant relatives’ political rants on social media drive us crazy, not to mention the sign of the opposing party that our neighbor puts up. We roll our eyes in disgust as we drive by, but we do not know much about them outside of this sign in their front yard or the rant on social media. So, it is easier to indulge in our anger and judgment because we have failed to prioritize our community and getting to know them.

Getting to know them would open us up to who they are. We might even discover that while they have different political beliefs than we do, they have an interesting perspective. Community regularly leads to growth: It is hard to hate your neighbors when you know them. Conversely, it is easier to be graceful when you know them.  

Unity

Finally, your generation prioritized unity over division. Decades after the fact, I can still remember dinners with some of your friends, many of whom were veterans of World War II. For the life of me, I cannot remember any of their politics. I cannot remember who was for/against Vietnam, who liked Reagan and who did not, nor can I remember political discussion being all that important.  

What I do remember is a lot of laughter, good food, and better memories. In fact, I still get goosebumps when I visit my friend John and go to Evansville Country Club. I can still hear the laughter and feel the memories come back to life. 

My fear is that our generation’s lasting memory won’t be that of unity but of tribe. We are busy bodies with little time for depth. Our surface-level interactions make us easily offended. No wonder some messages are deemed “unsafe.” 

An Invitation 

But what if we got to know each other? What if we spent time getting to know what makes our neighbor tick? Or, what would happen if we got to know why one of the parents at the Little League game wears a political T-shirt of a candidate we disagree with? 

My guess is that we would learn something in the process and become a little less divided.

As I close, let me assure you, and anyone looking in, that I am not a doomsayer. I believe all things can be restored. In fact, I believe that one day Jesus will restore all things! On that day none of these differences will matter whatsoever.

I am also of this generation, and I have to confess that I can fall into my own tribalism when I am at my worst. Simply put, part of my sadness is a recognition that I sometimes bite the apple and believe this “election is the most important election of our country.”

But the news will say the same thing in two years, let alone another four. Their business model relies on us biting this apple. 

What I know is that we would be best off putting others above ourselves, getting to know our community, and prioritizing unity over division.

Like your generation, I still believe our best days are yet to come. But these better days are certainly not guaranteed, nor are they promised. They will only come if we wake up and become people worth following. 

The kind that loves their neighbor like themselves. 

I always miss you, but I miss you a little more during times like these.

To that end, I promise to do my best to love like Jesus loves, and to treat people like I want to be treated.

Love,

Alex

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Safety First

Leadership

If your year has gone like mine, it has not been easy. The manufacturing economy is not exactly humming, team members are paying more for everyday goods, and still, everyone is working hard to make things better. 

Nowhere are my expectations higher than around safety. While the goal of business is to provide a product or service that adds value to others, leaders have to ensure that people stay safe in doing so. To that end, I want to share a few thoughts on two kinds of safety in this post.  

Physical Safety 

Physical safety should be blatantly obvious. No one should ever be physically (or emotionally, for that matter) hurt at work. Training helps in both regards. 

I was caught off guard late in the first quarter when a new team member said, “I have never been trained more than at this company.” Please understand that I think that says more about their previous company than ours, but we have emphasized training over the last few years. In other words, we want our people to be safe, and the best way we know how to do this is for them to be prepared. 

A month or so later, one of our work areas had a health emergency. The team members in that area did exactly what they were trained to do. As of this writing, all ended well, and the team member who experienced the emergency is very thankful. 

The hero in the situation above (and they wouldn’t describe themselves as a hero) said, “I was prepared.” 

Dear Lord, help me lead in a way that our people are ALWAYS prepared. 

Psychological Safety 

At the start of the second quarter, I started reading Amy Edmondson’s book The Fearless Organization. Her book explains the need for psychological safety, which she defines on page 17 as “safety (that) pertains to expectations about immediate interpersonal consequences.” 

In short, this kind of safety allows people to speak up in an organization. The book details why people fail to — and you should buy Edmonson’s book to read them all! What stood out was the need to create a culture that listens to everyone. This takes more than reminding people to speak up! She writes on page 82 that “…expectations about speaking up must become institutionalized and systemized for people to speak up.” 

How do we institutionalize this, I wondered? The best answer I came up with was to go to the people, set up small meetings — a mini town hall in a sense — and listen to what they had to say. As co-CEOs, my sisters jumped on that train as well! 

To date, we have done this with a few groups and learned a lot. While this is only the tip of the iceberg — another area we’ve been emphasizing has been in team meetings with our executive team and the willingness to weigh ALL ideas — we are committed to seeing it through. We want to be a company that keeps people physically and emotionally safe and allows them to voice their insights loudly.  

I also need the Lord’s help for this.

Dear Lord, help me be the kind of leader who not only hears people but listens to them. Give me the wisdom to change when necessary and the humility to act. Overall, help me keep people safe! 

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What the Oregon Trail Taught Me About Leadership

Leadership

I went to grade school in the 1980s. And if you’re of a certain age, you remember that going to the computer lab was a big deal back then. In fact, one of my favorite things to do when I earned free lab time was to play The Oregon Trail. My buddies and I competed, as only pre-adolescent boys can do, by seeing who could race towards Oregon the fastest. But none of us ever made it close to Oregon’s Willamette Valley. We pushed our digital families to the extreme, usually ending in their in-game demise of some disease like dysentery. 

I shouldn’t be surprised that my own boys (who now play the game on an iPad!) basically do the same thing I did back in the 80s. They push their crews fast, ignore the health warnings, and laugh when their characters give out. After watching this for long enough, I decided to give the game a try as an adult.

The first decision I made was on the crew. I ensured the crew had diverse backgrounds and talents. I read each character’s profiles, ensuring I had people who could fix things, socialize, and even negotiate. Next, I made sure to buy extra medical supplies and food for the journey. After all, I thought, you never know what kinds of obstacles are going to come up on the Oregon Trail! 

As I started the game, I chose “walking” as our pace because I didn’t want to burn anyone out. I also made sure to allow our team to rest whenever the computer gave me the option. I even had the team stop and talk to people on the journey so that my “social health” indicator stayed green. 

About an hour later, with my crew all still healthy and progressing toward Oregon, my son said to me, “You’re good at this game!” 

The Leadership Lesson  

What I learned from this gameplay was three things: 

First, I learned that to do well in the game, you must lead people well. In short, that means you ensure they’re fed, that they have medical supplies, and they can take breaks and rest when they need to. Additionally, you must ensure there’s enough social interaction for everyone to stay engaged and healthy. And in case you miss the implication, this is exactly how you lead people in real life as well! 

Second, understanding the “how to” of leading others is only the first part of it. The most important part is actually doing it. That means helping your team slow down when they get tired, and providing opportunities for social interaction when it’s needed — along with countless other things that you have to observe and act upon. This all takes awareness and a desire to help people. 

Lastly, to do all the above, you have to lead yourself well. It’s often easier to do these things for others than for yourself. But pushing yourself past fatigue, failing to rest, and neglecting to make time for social interaction will negatively impact your health — all things that can make you sick and make you less effective in leading others. 

So how can you apply the above lessons to your leadership as we enter the summer months? Think about these questions:

Do you need to provide your team with opportunities to socialize? 

Do you need to provide your team with opportunities to rest? 

Or do you need to focus on yourself? 

Do you need to socialize? 

Do you need to rest? 

The start of summer is a good time to take this quick assessment so that you can stay on track for the second half of the year. 

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Masters of the Air

Special Post

The best television series I have seen in quite some time is Apple TV’s Masters of the Air. This miniseries follows the actions of the 100th Bomb Group during World War II. 

The 100th became known as the “Bloody 100th” because most airmen didn’t survive the war. The losses included 184 missing air crews, 229 planes either lost or salvaged, 757 men killed or missing in action, and another 923 taken as prisoners of war. 

While there are several inspiring moments throughout the miniseries, there is one moment that, to me, captures the heart of Memorial Day. In the last episode, the Allies are closing in on one of the prisoner-of-war camps, and while violence is breaking out inside the camp between the prisoners and their German prison guards, Major John “Bucky” Egan weaves his way through the crowd to the building flying the Nazi flag. Lifted up by his fellow soldiers onto a small roof, Bucky climbs the flagpole. The soldiers cheer wildly, almost to the point where it appears that no one is even acting anymore. Bucky then drops the Nazi flag to the men, who rip it to pieces.

He then hangs the Stars and Stripes. 

Bucky then looks down at the mass of men — black and white soldiers, all together — cheering and sensing that they were on the cusp of what they had longed for all those years of war: peacetime and home. 

Bucky surveys the scene once last time and then puts his forehead on the flagpole, appearing to pray silently. 

What occurred to me watching this episode was that peace only came through immense loss and sacrifice. 

This is something to pause and consider on this Memorial Day. 

A Memorial Day Message 

I’m not one to glamorize war. I’ve read enough history to know we should avoid it at all costs. 

I have also read enough about the World War II generation to know that their sacrifices for humankind are almost incomprehensible. Those who served in the 100th, for example, either did not make it home or were never the same.

Their sacrifices freed the world from the oppression of Nazism. They were a necessary and costly sacrifice. 

When I think of Memorial Day, I always think of the sacrifices that ALL the men and women of our armed forces have made through the years. I think of those who served in places like Afghanistan, Iraq, Vietnam, and World War II. Regardless of what I might think about the particulars of each conflict, I salute and give thanks to those who have served. 

And this includes all the family members who mourn for those who didn’t come home. They have served our country as well. 

Thank you to these people. 

They are the real heroes and real leaders. 

I pause this blog to reflect on and thank them all.

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When You Feel Like Giving Up

Personal Growth

I invested a lot of time and money in my golf game over the winter months. Not satisfied with how last year went, I hired a new teacher late in 2023. Two things made it a sacrifice: He is one of the top teachers in the area and commands a lot of money for that expertise, and he is about a one-hour drive from my house. Both forced me to really commit to the process. 

In February, I traveled to Florida and played in a one-day event — the second time in 2024 I was hitting off real grass. And I’m not going to lie — it was absolutely brutal. I carded the highest score I’ve had in years. Even my handicap app was worried, popping up with the notification, “This is outside the norm of what you typically log. Are you sure you want to proceed?”  

The following day, at 3 a.m., I concluded that I should just “retire” from semi-competitive golf. Forget those few club tournaments I play in; I thought I should just play golf for “fun.” 

Later that morning, I started praying about it because that’s what I do in these situations. I believe that God cares more about the person I am becoming than what I do. So I sought him — and what follows are the lessons I learned.

The Price of Not Playing

First, I came to understand that I’ll one day retire from golf. That is inevitable, period. Bottom line. But doing so today is not free. While competition always exposes what’s going on inside — emotions such as anxiety, stress, and even shame — not playing may bring about something even darker. What might that be? 

Regret. 

Let me say that again. While I don’t need to play golf as part of who I am, if I don’t play it competitively at this point of my life — as a way to help reduce my stress and anxiety — I see this as a cop-out for me. 

And I would regret it later. 

How do I know this? 

I know this because, if I’m really honest, I didn’t play golf in college because I was scared. 

I was afraid to fail publicly. 

I was afraid that I’d never make the Purdue golf team. 

I was afraid that I’d never be the kind of golfer my goals demanded.

I’ve battled this regret for twenty years. And while it might not be the kind of regret that makes me seek professional help, it still lurks in the background.  

As the years have passed, I have come to understand that the battle is where the growth comes. And playing golf — both the actual playing of the game and how it makes me feel — helps me grow. 

Staying in the Battle

So, I am remaining in the battle. 

I’m prepared to struggle, fight, and fail. 

I’m prepared to dance with my inner demons if and when the yips enter my chipping game. 

I’m prepared to wrestle the inner voice that shames me when I three-putt a green. 

I’m prepared to speak truth to the shame that can overcome me when I compare myself to my dad’s incredible golf game. He has never pressured me, so why do I allow that shame a moment in my heart? 

You may not play golf, but there is a battle you are facing. 

Friend, I’m bearing my soul here so you know you are not alone. 

Almost every leader I know has fears and anxiety and has to wrestle with the demon of shame. And let’s be clear that it is a demon! 

I encourage you to find your identity in the truth. My North Star is now, and forever, Jesus, and there is no shame with him. 

So, I am going to soldier on. 

I am going to show up. 

And when I fail — when I am tempted to give up and cannot sleep — I will remember that this is where the growth happens. 

And one day, I will succeed because of this growth. 

Until I do…

And until you do…

Let’s keep going. 

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The Upside of Not Sleeping

Personal Growth

Despite my best efforts to sleep more this year, I have struggled. Some of you reached out after I posted about sleep in February, so I want to encourage you: If you are struggling to sleep this year, know that you are not alone. 

I am struggling, too. 

The next time you are lying awake at 3 a.m. I encourage you to ask what not sleeping makes possible. While there are many answers, I will propose three areas to check in on as a leader. This list is not exhaustive. These three things have challenged me lately, and I am including them in this blog. 

Start With Your Focus on Self 

One night, when I could not sleep, I realized that I can sometimes be self-centered. Like tartar finding its way to my teeth, this can sneak up on me. And despite my best efforts to brush it off, I can’t fix it by myself — if I even try, it only makes me more self-focused. So, I enlist the help of my dentist to help me get rid of the plaque and bacteria trying to make their home in my mouth.

Similarly, I sometimes notice little sins, slights, and indiscretions sneak up on my soul. And when I notice this, I use those sleepless nights to build my trust in Jesus. I know this may not be where you turn, but turning toward Jesus allows me to remember who I belong to and whose care I am in. 

Continue to Examine Your Self-Worth 

On another occasion, I was lying in bed, questioning my self-worth. I’m no good at anything, I thought. To be fair, the day before, I’d played in a semi-competitive golf tournament and had failed miserably, shooting my worst score in three years.

Isn’t it amazing how failures can keep you up at 3 a.m.? 

The next day, I was reading Dallas Willard’s A Life Without Lack and something he said really resonated with me. To paraphrase it here, Willard claimed he never met someone who thought too highly of themselves because, if Jesus really died for us, how could we possibly think as highly about ourselves as Jesus did? 

This blew my mind. After all, I was (just the night before) thinking about how much of a loser I was at golf. I was frustrated, discouraged, and on the brink of giving up. 

I wish I could say I never think about myself this way in other areas of my life, but that isn’t true. And leaders need to remember that negative self-worth beliefs are like weeds: Give them an inch, and they’ll take over your entire yard! 

In my mind, a life without lack is one where my first thoughts aren’t about my ability but about God and what He thinks of me. It is necessary work — and it is work filling my mind with what He says about me. These aren’t made up sayings. They are truths scribed into the Bible that have stood the test of time. 

The Bible never promised me I’d be a scratch golfer. But it contains promises so profound and true that they can help me avoid scratching myself in the process of that, or any, pursuit. 

These promises apply to you as well. 

No amount of self-flogging will turn you into a better leader or person. 

So, like me, knock it off. 

Finish With Prayer and Thanksgiving 

The final thing I have come to do in the middle of the night is the most profound. Instead of sulking about yesterday’s failures, I turn my thoughts to everything I am thankful for. 

Admittedly, this is the last thing you will probably feel like doing in the middle of the night. But your resistance to it might be a good indicator that it is precisely what you should pursue. 

When I don’t feel like giving thanks, I play a corny game in my head that I call “Thank you therapy.” All this entails is listing the first ten things that come to mind that I’m thankful for. After I reach ten, I stop, breathe, and check in to see if I feel different. And if I don’t, I do ten more. 

Whether you realize it or not, thank you therapy helps you stop obsessing about yourself, the things that happened yesterday, and whatever tomorrow brings. It reorients your focus from victimhood to gratitude. 

Finally, I also pray for people in the middle of the night. This is especially true when I have friends (and readers of this blog!) traveling to places like Dubai. I pray the prayer requests these people sent me while I cannot sleep because the time difference means they are up and moving wherever they are! 

A Concluding Thought 

Not sleeping is frustrating and never ideal. But you can get real with yourself in the middle of the night. It’s a time to remember who you are and what you’re grateful for. 

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What Do You See?

Leadership

As I sat overlooking the Pacific Ocean on a beautiful early January morning, I asked myself that very question. I watched the waves and began to ponder life, leadership, and family. What follows are questions I jotted down that morning:

What do you see? Do you see the blue water, or do you see the vast mountains on the horizon beyond the water? Both are beautiful, but the latter is only noticeable when you are focused and present. 

Are you focused and present? Not just in this moment, but at the dinner table after a grueling Monday? 

Do you see the grumpy person in front of you at the grocery checkout line, or do you see someone who just needs some encouragement and affirmation?

Do you see only the limitations of those around you at work, or do you see their potential? 

Do you only see their few mistakes, or do you their vast goodness? 

Do you see another day filled with meetings and tasks, or do you see another day filled with opportunities to do things with and through other people? 

Do you see your own past? All your failures, limitations, and most embarrassing moments. Or do you see lessons, possibilities, and future moments of redemption? 

Do you see Jesus or at least the goodness of people who are passionately following Him? Or do you just see all the things that annoy you about Christians, the church, and religion in general? 

(This last one might be more for me, but let it guide your deepest human relationships as well).

And finally, do you see your wife and all the sacrifices she is making to homeschool your kids? Do you let her know how much you appreciate and love her? 

And now I’m off to remind Sarah how much I appreciate and love her because I DO see it!

In the meantime, I challenge you to ask yourself what you see — and learn from the answers.

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Searching for Light After Darkness

Special Post

A few moments after getting to my in-laws for Christmas, I received a phone call telling me that one of our team members had died the previous night. It was tragic, sudden, and extremely sad. But little did I know then that this was only the beginning. Over the next six weeks, we lost three direct team members to tragic health situations and a total of nine people overall when counting team family members. 

Winter is the darkest time of the year, and this past winter was one of the darkest. 

As those who follow Jesus celebrate Easter this week, I want to dedicate this post to exploring this question: Can there be light after darkness? Admittedly, this is my annual Easter post, which is a departure from the usual format of this blog. I hope you continue, but if you don’t, I’ll return to the usual format next time. My prayer for you and those grieving is that you find the light. 

Darkness 

As I’ve shared before, one of the most striking things about Jesus is his compassion. The gospel of John does a good job of giving a glimpse of this when his friend Lazarus dies (John 11:1-44). After comforting Lazarus’ sisters, Martha and Mary (verse 19), Jesus moved on to where Lazarus was laid to rest. Then, the narrative arrives at the pivotal moment. Upon arriving, John writes these words: 

“Jesus wept.” (John 11:35)

Not only is this the shortest verse in the Bible — it is perhaps the most relatable, for we live in a very broken world. Another way to say it is “broken” is to say it is dark. 

Darkness is cancer, heart attacks, and sudden illness that leads to death. Darkness is gun violence, racial injustice, and poverty. Darkness is all kinds of war, just and unjust. Darkness is loneliness, broken relationships, and political strife or idolatry. Darkness is abuse, neglect, and harassment.

The list could go on. 

The skeptic asks, perhaps rightly — with all this darkness, how is there even a God that is good? 

While such a question deserves to be answered — and to be fair to the reader, I believe such an answer exists — notice what Jesus did not do with Mary and Martha. He didn’t answer the question of why. When Mary stated that her brother would have survived had Jesus been there (verse 32), Jesus didn’t agree or disagree. Instead, he just asked where Lazarus was (verse 34), and then he wept.

One of the thousands of reasons why I follow Jesus is because of this: Jesus mourned with those who mourned. He is worth following because his goal was not to win an argument, prove a point, or win a convert. 

One chapter prior, in John 10:10, Jesus said:

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (Emphasis mine). 

What I learned about darkness this year is that I have to force myself to wallow in it. I have to mourn with those who mourn and resist the urge to move on to the next business opportunity or distraction. And if that means I must wipe away a tear as I walk our plant floor, then so be it. 

Jesus wept. 

So must I. 

Light

I’m going to confess something now: Sometimes, it takes the right set of circumstances to allow myself to feel what I need to feel — and sometimes, it takes international travel for this to happen. I’ve discovered that the lack of sleep, change of routine, and a little bit of homesickness can lessen my self-defenses and allow me to feel what I need to feel. 

One of those moments occurred on January 25th this year. I was leaving Barcelona, one of my favorite places on the planet, and was in the right place at the right time for something I might never forget. 

We were headed to Munich before switching planes and heading back to Chicago, and our flight left Barcelona right at sunset. As we took off, the sky was cloudless. Amazingly, the darkness that had engulfed us on the ride to the airport 90 minutes earlier had disappeared. Outside the airplane window, I could see light beginning to emerge over the Mediterranean. 

I looked up from the book I was reading and then decided to put it down. As I looked out, I just sat in complete and utter wonder. 

One of the things my friend and pastor has always encouraged me to do is look for God in the every day and then praise Him with attributes found in the Bible. This was that kind of moment: 

I silently prayed: 

God, you are the Creator. As I look at the sun coming out from what appears to be underneath the Mediterranean Sea, all I can say is WOW. You are majestic. You are the Light of the World. As I ponder the darkness of losing several Hoffer Plastics team members, I am reminded in your word that you are the Comforter. Jesus, you wept. Because you wept, I know it is okay to weep myself. And Lord, I have! I mourn with those who mourn and pray for you to bring comfort that is unexplainable. Lord, there are times when words just are inadequate, and this is one of those times. I pray you will intercede and bring peace. While your people can be divisive, I know you are the God of peace and I praise you for that. Amen” 

As our plane gained altitude and headed north to Germany, I realized there could be light after darkness. After all, Good Friday was the darkest of days, and it led to Easter morning. 

I know that a short blog post will not convince anyone that Jesus died and rose again. While I believe He did, my prayer is that this post increases your curiosity about Jesus. What I know is that this year has been hard, and most years have elements that are also hard. Jesus is my hope in those years and where I turn when I am at my lowest. If I lean in enough and wait long enough, my experience is that the darkness disappears. I hope that in Jesus, one day, it will be gone forever. 

My words end here, but if you are curious or need a little hope this Easter, may I direct you to something that may help? 

Here is singer-songwriter Blessing Offor — a blind man — singing about how he hopes heaven is like a Tin Roof. I hope it moves you like it moves me. 

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Chris Chelios: The Ideal Team Player

Leadership

Patrick Lencioni defines The Ideal Team Player as someone who is humble, hungry, and smart. They possess the kind of humility that values others before themselves. They have a relentless work ethic. And they are emotionally intelligent, as they know how to prop others up and give credit where credit is due. 

I couldn’t help but think of these attributes when I attended Chris Chelios’ jersey retirement ceremony at the February 25th Chicago Blackhawks game. Chelios, one of the best U.S.-born hockey players of all time, played for my beloved Blackhawks from 1990 to 1999. These were the years when I fell in love with the Chicago Blackhawks. His hard-working demeanor was something I identified with. His willingness to get down and dirty (much like Chicago Bulls’ Dennis Rodman) motivated me to dive for every loose ball while playing basketball in the 1990s. Hockey would have been an option for me if I could skate. I couldn’t, so I settled for teeing it high and aggressively trying to hit golf balls 300+ yards. 

I didn’t know then, however, that the moment I most admired Chris Chelios was still to come. His 30-plus-minute speech at his retirement ceremony taught me so much that I had to write a blog post about it. And to take it in with my 10-year-old son, Ben, was something I will never forget.  

Humility 

Throughout the night, there were countless examples of Chelios’ humility. For starters,  Chris included a guy at the ceremony that no one in the United Center had ever heard of. Bobby Parker was a youth hockey teammate of Chelios’s, and after the Chelios family moved to San Diego, Parker made the call that changed Chelios’s life. Because of that call, Chelios ensured Parker was center stage at the retirement ceremony 40-plus years later. 

Furthermore, after being referred to as the “greatest American-born hockey player of all time” by the emcee Pat Foley, Chelios shifted the attention to Patrick Kane. Kane, another favorite all-time Chicago Blackhawk of mine, now plays for the Detroit Red Wings. Naturally, the game was against the Red Wings because Chelios also played there after his time with the Blackhawks. So when Chelios called to Kane, the spotlight literally shifted to Patrick Kane sitting on the Detroit Red Wings bench. With the spotlight shining on Kane, Chelios said, “Patrick, you are the greatest American-born hockey player of all time.” 

There was nothing planned or staged about this statement. Kane didn’t know Chelios was going to say anything. In fact, Kane didn’t do a pre-game media event because he didn’t want to detract from Chelios’ big night — even though it was Kane’s first trip back to the United Center as an opposing player. 

It was a beautiful exchange of humility or thinking more about others than yourself.  

Hunger

I don’t need to belabor this point because you don’t get to a jersey retirement ceremony without a ridiculous amount of hunger. But two things stood out to me. First, while listening to former teammates describe Chelios’ work ethic, they all said the same thing: “He outworked us.” More so, several who played against him at some point in their careers said that was extremely difficult. “Everything hurt,” former Blackhawk Jeremy Roenick said. 

Chelios commented about going to the arena during the height of the success of the 1990 Chicago Bulls and observing how hard Michael Jordan worked. “MJ had a trainer and was in top condition. So I went and got a trainer and started working hard. This is what allowed me to play in the NHL until I was 48 years old.” 

That’s the definition of hunger.  

Smart 

Of all the things about the night, however, the most impressive was the relational reach of Chris Chelios. At this event, there were people from all walks of life, from all over the country. Celebrities, former athletes, and even rock stars like my son, Ben, and Kid Rock. The only plausible reason all these people came to an arena on a February afternoon in Chicago was that Chris Chelios had touched their lives in some way. He was someone they followed because he treated them well.  

But the smartest thing he did was putting his family before the celebrities, former athletes, and even the rock stars. He rode out to the ceremony with his mother, called his wife up to the podium to be center stage, and raised the banner with his family. This is true leadership.  

As Ben and I drove home that night — after Patrick Kane scored the game-winning goal for the Detroit Red Wings, no less — I asked him what his favorite moment of the night was. 

“Without question, Chelios’ speech.” 

 Mine too. 

What a moment that we will never forget!  

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