"At UCLA we had five guys on the court playing basketball and seven guys on the sidelines forming a cheerleading squad. When I was on the bench, I was a cheerleader, and I felt that it mattered; I needed to be a great cheerleader, because it could help our team." -- Doug McIntosh, UCLA Varsity, 1964-1966
As a creative person, it can be a real challenge to keep my thoughts to myself. I've seen a pattern where I'll first get active in a cause and be just happy to be there; later I'll think of ways that things could be better; then I push those ideas onto others. "Pushing" ideas is a skill that some have, but when unsolicited it tears at the fabric of the team, dishonoring the role that others own. Some of my prouder moments in recent years have been resisting the temptation to suggest to people how things should be done, and letting things roll with the faith that everything's going to be all right. Besides, there are plenty of things I can do to improve myself in my own role!
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