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Last Post of 2019: This is the Way

Faith

An early episode of the new Disney + series, The Mandalorian, features a scene where the main protagonist (aptly called the Mandalorian or “Mando”) is reunited underground with other mandalorians (bounty hunters). During their interaction, it becomes clear that one of the founding sayings of the group is: “this is the way.”

This got me thinking…

Two millennia ago, a group of people banded together in much different circumstances than the ones brilliantly portrayed in the Mandalorian. Unlike bounty hunters, however, these people were the hunted and not the hunters. Their circumstances were also anything but fiction.

In fact, some lost their lives following “the way.”

Now, back in the present, faith gets defined in such ways that are not only unhelpful but also untrue. As strange as it sounds to modern ears, these followers of “the way” claimed to follow something they saw with their own eyes. In other words, this was not wishful thinking, or believing in something unseen. Their claim was that they were following someone they saw raised from the dead.

While it IS possible this was all “made up,” while it IS possible that all those who lost their lives for this were in collusion with one another, let’s not call anything about it “blind.” For these people knew exactly what they were doing, one way or the other. And in the end, this little group of poor, rag-tag, followers of “the way,” eventually outlasted the entire Roman Empire.

Not bad for a group following something made up. Or as John Ortberg has pointed out, isn’t it strange that we name our kids Paul and our dogs Nero in present day?

To be sure, my aim is not to become preachy writing this blog. But as Christmas approaches, I also want to shed light, even a momentary one, on the claims of those that followed Jesus when Jesus walked the earth.

Here are some questions to consider:

Why were some of the earliest followers willing to sacrifice their lives?

Why did one of the Gospel accounts share that some doubted Jesus’ resurrection?

Why are people all over the globe still willing to suffer, even die, for this message?

Why did Jesus have to come in the first place?

I have been contemplating these questions this season, and invite you to as well.

Is this the way?

Is he worth following?

These are still the questions of life.

My prayer is that some of you choose to examine these questions in 2020. Jesus welcomes all.

And to all, whether you are of faith, a different faith altogether, or even questioning all the above, I wish you and yours health, safety, and happiness in 2020.

Editor’s note: Baldinbusiness is a place where all ideas are welcome. Therefore, I won’t shy away from topics like faith. Still, the primary focuses of the blog are leadership and personal growth. My aims are to be authentic, vulnerable, and encouraging. Success is hearing readers tell me that the blog helped them in some form or fashion. If you want more encouragement in your life, please subscribe so new posts can come directly into your inbox. Subscribers benefit me by helping me understand who my audience is, and by not relying so heavily on social media “likes.” Throughout the process of posting BIB on social, I have discovered that many of the people hitting “like” do not even read the content of what they are “liking.” That is probably a post for 2020 in itself. The point is that I want to create content that helps and encourages those actually reading this blog. Thanks for help to that end.

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woman holding pink coffee mug that says do it anyway

Leader Thoughts

Leadership

November 27, 2019:

3:45 p.m.

My shirt has a little bit of what appears to be a grease stain from shaking hands with people in the tool room this afternoon.

I hope the stain does not come out.

I hope it reminds me to get out on the floor, look people in the eyes, and thank them for their contribution to what we are doing here.

I was out there because tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I am thankful for the people on our team. I struggle with how to show genuine thankfulness. Maybe they think I am just doing this because I read it in some leadership book? Maybe they think I am just doing what I saw my grandfather, and now father, do? Maybe they think my sisters and I are just trying to convince them that we care for them as much as Grandpa and Dad do?

In all honesty, I just want to do what’s right.

We wouldn’t have the company that we have without all the people on our team. I know my sisters feel the same way because we talk about the people when things get the hardest in the business. It is them, we tell ourselves, that makes all the hustle worth it.

I don’t know if wishing people a Happy Thanksgiving has a major impact. But I know it is the right thing to do.

And I know that the next time I see the stain on this shirt, I will be reminded to go out again on the floor.

Our team matters more to me than I can adequately put into words.

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closeup of fly on branch

Mid Week Perspective: The Fly Problem

Uncategorized

Sarah had our pest control agent to the house the other day. Our house passed its monthly checkup, although there had been a small problem with flies in the boys’ shared bathroom back in September and October. Thanks to cold Chicago temperatures, the problem is resolved for now, but we are still curious how 2-3 flies were randomly showing up in their bathroom.

During the previous visit, the agent feverishly checked the outside of the home to see if there were any way that flies were getting in. She was puzzled because she did not find any. In between visits, however, she had a revelation: What if the boys were leaving urine on the toilet seat, or worse, leaving small amounts on the floor when they “missed?”

When Sarah told me this, I immediately jumped to the conclusion that this WAS happening because that is what fathers do — especially ones tired from twelve-hour days; and also, because I know that Ben (6) has the accuracy of my favorite football team’s quarterback when it comes to this endeavor.

Kidding aside, I also know something about manufacturing: Pee attracts flies.

Leaders, we cannot be surprised when flies have gathered around the messes in our organization. In fact, when we notice that messes exist, the best thing we can do is mop them up. You don’t need a new policy, high paid consultant, or even new procedure to do this.

You just have to do it.

The pest visit led to our son, Ben (6), getting on his hands and knees to ensure that he had not missed anything in the bathroom. Meanwhile, Will (8) had his feet up watching Monday Night Football…

I guess that is another “management blog” for another time…

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man holding lantern to illuminate blue field

A Dream That Led to Reflection

Personal Growth

One of my goals with this blog is to be real. I don’t have a ghost writer, so what follows is something that actually happened. It is also something I don’t want to share because it is not flattering. But the uncomfortable stories are the ones worth sharing because there is much to learn from them. And to be sure, I have learned something from this one.

The other night I had a dream that was telling about my inner-life. I dreamt that my wife, Sarah, had come out with a book and it was an instant success. The details in the dream were vague, but what was not vague was my jealousy towards her success. In the dream, she was a New York Times’ Best Seller, and my ego could not handle how much better she was as writing than I am/was. In fact, all I could feel in the dream was a deep-seated jealously for the one the one person I love more than any human being on the planet.

I am one messed up human being, aren’t I?

Deep inside of me is an insecurity that wonders if I will ever be good enough. Will my writing ever take off? Will I lead in a way that advances Hoffer Plastics, or will I fail? Will I look back and be proud of what our children became, or will I have regrets? Will Sarah consider me a good husband thirty years from now, or will there be things I could have done better?

Back to what’s really behind the dream, will I be the kind of person that cheers others on when they do something better than me at something I really care about?

Do I trust God enough to be okay with His provision for my life if said provision does not include the wildest, and often biggest, dreams inside my heart?

These are deep questions, obviously, that I share in hopes that you will ask them yourself.

As for me, I told Sarah about my dream the other night as we sat down to pray together. I told her that her husband is vane and insecure. This could not have surprised her because she knows me better than any other human-being. And for the record, she was hardly upset at a dream. In fact, I think my admission gave her a little laugh.

But I take it seriously because I know these insecurities exist in my heart. I also know that this season points to the birth of a Savior whose entire existence was based on the reality that I am already enough. When I remember this, I can let go of everything else.

The question today is what is in your self-worth based on?

To be someone worth following, you need to know.

Take a few minutes today to think through the questions above. They’re not easy, but dealing with them will help you on your journey to becoming the best version of yourself.

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young person touching a globe

Mid-Week Perspective: Mindset

Uncategorized

The Mid-Week Perspective post is an “almost weekly” post that comments on the world and all that is in it. All opinions are my own.

This past weekend, our church wrapped up a fascinating series on how Biblical Christianity and Science are not at odds with one another. The series, entitled “All Creation Sings” can be found clicking here.

Like any good sermon series, this series motivated me to reflect on the topic we were studying. Why have I been so hesitant to study science as an adult, I wondered?

The answer is humbling to admit publicly: If I am honest with myself, it goes back to a bad grade (“needs improvement”) that I received in second-grade science. Couple this with an experience in Honors Biology, and Honors Chemistry, in High School, and my lack of success in these classes created a negative narrative around a subject that I find interesting. Like a scarlet letter, I have carried this false belief with me ever since.

Here is this week’s thought: Don’t allow a one-time negative experience define your many future experiences.

I used to do this with Science. But, in large part due to this four-week sermon series, that is no longer the case.

In fact, I am already reading a science book.

What is something, with a changed mindset, you can do?

The answer might change your 2020.

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Closeup of young man pointing finger

Excuseville

Personal Growth

Welcome to excuseville. Everyone is welcome, all you need is an excuse.

Welcome to all the washed-up former high school athletes. We agree that if it wasn’t for that one coach, or that terrible injury, you would have made the big leagues. We will be happy to keep sulking with you because that is what we do in excuseville.

Welcome to the disgruntled workers. We are sure that it is everyone else’s fault that your job lacks excitement. And don’t pay attention to those performance reviews, we agree they are bogus. Your boss is the real problem. They are the reason you have not climbed the ladder.

Welcome all members of Congress. You are our platinum members! Let’s keep pointing fingers and getting nothing done. Those are some of the founding tenets of excuseville!

Welcome to all those who are “too busy.” So are we! That’s why we sit on the couch and endlessly stream shows. With millions of hours of distraction, we cannot possibly run out of excuses for not reading books, going to the gym, or being a better parent.

Welcome to those who have actually tried to do something and failed. Don’t get back up, or “learn from your failure.” That takes a lot of energy. Join the crowd and make some excuses instead. You will find plenty of support when you do that!

And finally, welcome to all the business leaders, CEOs, owners of professional sports franchises, and, well, everyone in any kind of position of authority. Keep blaming the people you lead for YOUR crappy performance. Disregard any notion that it is your fault.

That, after all, is what excuseville is all about.

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alex at football game

#34 on Vulnerability

Leadership

The sports world, and all of Chicago, were shocked when Walter Payton announced that he had a rare liver disease known as primary sclerosing cholangitis in February, 1999. “To the people that really care about me, just continue praying,” a courageous, but noticeably emotional, Payton told the world that day.

I grew up watching Walter Payton highlights as I ate breakfast most mornings. I then imagined myself doing the things Walter did on the football field: stopping on a dime, plowing through a linebacker to earn a few more yards, or jumping high over defenders and landing softly in the end-zone for another touchdown. To me, he was and is, the greatest all-around football player to ever play the game. Who else can run, block, throw, catch, and even soar, like Walter Payton?

No one.

But Walter was also human. And on that day in February 1999, the human side of him was on display for the entire world to see. His voice shook, his tears flowed, and the emotion was palpable. I remember feeling incredibly sad myself, even talking about it with my parents at dinner that night.

As I think about it now, more than twenty-years later, Walter Payton’s press-conference announcing his disease to the world was the first time in my life that I saw vulnerability demonstrated so shamelessly on television. Payton was entirely real, and genuinely human. And, his example showed me that it was okay to be so myself.

Nowadays, I prefer to remember Walter Payton high-stepping his way to another touchdown rather than the aforementioned moment of him announcing his disease to the world. But it is no question that the latter had much more of an impact on my life than the former.

To be someone worth following, you have to lean-in to your fears, your thoughts, and even your emotions. We follow those who are this way because life isn’t about being put together, it is about being real. Life, after all, is messy and occasionally frightening. So, let’s smile when something amazing happens, laugh when we hear something funny, and cry when life throws us a punch.

Walter Payton did, and I became an organ donor when I turned 18 because of it.

Walter was someone worth following.

Are you?

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three people in conference room

Can’t You Just Video Conference?

Leadership

Of course, you can video conference.

But, so can everyone else.

Not everyone can do face to face.

Not everyone can connect.

Not everyone can look someone in the eyes.

Not everyone can leave their family and go.

Not everyone can set aside every other distraction and commit to the person in front of them.

Of course, the project might be fine without the face to face.

But isn’t something more than the project at stake?

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old books on shelf

Book Club Tuesday – The Ride of A Lifetime

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Welcome to a new recurring #baldinbusiness feature called Book Club Tuesday. Each week I will spotlight one book, and have a little fun in the process.

Book: The Ride of A Lifetime

Author: Robert Iger

Length: 272 pages / 8 hours and 45 minutes via Audible

Why I chose to read it: Growing up in the 1980s, Disney has always fascinated me. I can remember Disney CEO, Michael Eisner, standing in front of the iconic castle introducing the Disney program that I was about to watch on T.V. I remember going to Disney World several times, including once in seventh-grade with my parents and all four grandparents (their last major trip together). Disney always brings many happy memories to mind. Thus, my fascination put this book in the “must read” category.

My Takeaways (3 or less): Despite what people in non-leadership positions might think, leadership is overwhelming. I chuckled one morning driving to work –I was in the midst of a crazy week where 5 a.m. workouts were followed by work responsibilities until 6:00 P.M., then followed by my “real” job at home –when Iger shared the day Disney announced one of their many acquisitions and his day went from 3 a.m. until 10 p.m. I still have room to grow, I thought. Duh. As Iger’s work-life demonstrates, you never “arrive.” His relentless pursuit of “better” stands out. Although, my world-view might guide me to make different decisions than he did in terms of moves, ladder-climbing, etc. Please hear that as a difference and not a criticism. I am inspired by, and definitely respectful of, his tireless work-ethic.

Here is a quote from the book that I have been pondering this week: “But those instances in which you find yourself hoping something will work, that’s when a little bell should go off and you should walk yourself through some clarifying questions: What’s the problem I need to solve? Does the solution make sense? If I am feeling some doubt, why? Am I doing this for sound reasons, or am I motivated by something personal?”

Finally, Iger’s willingness to talk about how he deals with terminations is practical, humane, and helpful.

What does this book motivate me to DO? Work harder, believe in bigger and better, and utilize a white-board to determine where Hoffer Plastics needs to go next (note: I didn’t need this book to do any of these things, but it inspired me. Leaders: It is up to us to fill our tanks. This book was a tank-filler for me).

Who should read this book? Business-minded fans of Disney, Pixar, Lucas films, and ESPN! Critics would also find something in this book.

I would sum my rating of the book as…Inspirational

“If you haven’t read hundreds of books, learning from others who went before you, you are functionally illiterate. You can’t coach, and you can’t lead.” Jim Mattis

Special note: I am taking next week off. The next Book Club will be November 26.

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