Saturday, January 26, 2008

Running Mates

The Benfold's captain was embarrassed to learn that his ship had no program for welcoming new sailors aboard. Have you ever joined a new group of people at work, church, or a party and been non-welcomed?

After that, when new sailors arrived they were greeted by a name on their locker, a made bed, and a chance to call their parents from the captain's cabin. Better still, each was assigned a top-performing sailor as his or her "running mate," a sort of mentor to make them feel personally valuable.

I've been trying to greet every Jazz player at every practice. When I can, I take them aside and tell them what their important role will be for the day's game. It might be one of the deeper longings of the human soul to feel uniquely special. Why not give each other that gift?

No comments: