The Force Is Strong with this One

I am not a huge fan of the Star Wars series. I know, for some of my friends, that's sacrilege. I just never got involved with the story lines after the original and The Empire Strikes back. However, I do vividly recall Darth Vader's "the force is strong with this one" as Luke Skywalker raced through his targeting run in the concluding scenes of  A New Hope.

That line came to mind as I watched Matt Rhule's press conference as the University of Nebraska's next football coach. His personality is magnetic and his command of the room absolute. I fully understand now why he was so successful at Baylor and Temple. He faltered in the NFL, and we'll read about that more down the road. But as he stood at the podium today, I was left with little doubt that the Cornhuskers would be back.

Football aside, there were two leadership principles that Rhule eloquently addressed today that caught my attention. I thought both worth mentioning as these themes apply across all professions and volunteer opportunities. 

First, I was impressed with the Coach's grasp of the rebuild before him. He masterfully managed expectations and earned confidence with this succinct commentary: "It will be hard. It may take time. But it will be done." When change agents are hired, they frequently step in with oozing confidence and talk about the success to come as if it will happen in the blink of an eye. Many times, they don't temper the timeline and fall short of their own lofty expectations by disappointing those counting on them. Use Rhule's measured response as good instruction...assure your organization that change will happen but allow for the fact that change processes are not overnight nor are they easy.

His second point that I keyed in on was equally heavy and instructive: "Anybody can lead when things are easy. That's convenient leadership. Who steps up when things are hard?" Such a powerful reminder of when true leaders emerge. I think about the hiring I've done looking for leaders. This reminder will help center me on seeking more examples of how an applicant has thrived in the tough times and how they led as opposed to the scenario when they're leading on calm seas. 

Only time will tell if Rhule succeeds at Nebraska. There are a lot of circumstances that make the mountain to climb difficult such as their departure from a conference where they were a perennial favorite to win championships and their loss of prime recruiting markets. I'm not saying the leaving the Big XII was the wrong decision but it definitely altered the landscape for their athletic programs. The work will be hard, and it will take time, but I have great confidence in Rhule's ability to bring the once storied program back to national prominence. 

Thank you to the many who viewed my blog last week! I was overwhelmed by the readership statistics. If my writing strikes a chord with you, please share the link with others.

When Thanksgiving is Hard

As I thought about what to write about this week, the natural inclination would be to take time acknowledging all of the things I have to be thankful for. The act of giving thanks during this week specifically has been part of my family's routine for as long as I can remember. The same is likely true for your family as well.

On Sunday, I had the opportunity to address the congregation where I worship as part of our routine "Leaders Moments." Again, Thanksgiving week so I thought I'd focus specifically on all the things that we collectively had experienced and give thanks for those blessings.  That was my plan until I woke up Sunday morning.

In reviewing the overnight headlines, two tragic national incidents caught my eyes. A senseless, brutal attack on Colorado Springs night club and a horrible bus crash involving college students. In a moment, lives erased and families and friends ripped into pain, agony and chaos. In a matter of moments. 

I kept reading and then read local articles about proposed ordinances in Oklahoma City that, if passed, would impact how our community engages those who are homeless. 

The reality is after reading media reports on those three issues and many others, it hit me squarely that for many, it is difficult to muster the energy to be thankful when so much around them is so dark. 

As I returned my thoughts to my pending remarks to my church family, I was disappointed how quickly I turned back to the "even when times are tough, you should have a thankful heart."  The default "pull up by bootstraps" response crept into my brain. I'm glad I let that response go and turned my tone to what I believe is the healthier response and I want to close my blog with where I landed.

There is, no doubt, that giving thanks is healthy and appropriate. Blessings are abundant and I want to acknowledge those that pour blessings into my life: my family, my friends, and the many mentors that have shown me mercy and shared their wisdom with me. My family lives in a nice home and have all we need to live and are blessed to take part in unique adventures.

For the people of Colorado Springs and their families, the Brandeis University community, and those who are unhoused in Oklahoma City with little hope, it's hard. It's scary. And there seems little to say thank you for at the moment.

I am thankful for all of those referenced in the preceeding paragraph. My commitment is to lift them up in my prayers and conversations during this dark time and do more to help them find pathways through the darkness to opportunity and peace. 

My faith calls me to step in. And it's the neighborly thing to do. For my beloved home state, we even have coined the phrase "the Oklahoma standard" to capture these gestures of kindness. Whatever the reason for your calling, I hope you will join me in remembering those this season who can't see beyond the darkness and to do your part in helping honor them this season.

Tell Me a Story

As I often do on Sundays during the college football season, I spend some time reading about games across the country, including insights offered by coaches. One of my favorite websites, FootballScoop.com, had an interesting tidbit on LSU Coach Brian Kelly trying to use Michael Jordan as a parallel for his star defensive player. There's only problem with the comparison...the freshman linebacker had no idea who Jordan was.

I recall chuckling at first as I read the article. How in the world could someone not know who MJ is? But then it hit me squarely...Jordan retired in 2003 and never graced the court after this young man was born.

Closing my web browser, I spent a few contemplative moments applying the lesson from this interaction to my own family. My oldest two children were alive when the catastrophic F5 tornado decimated our community in 1999 and my oldest was just a few months old when the Murrah bombing occurred; in both cases they were likely too young to have much recollection. My other children will only know those events by their history lessons in school, periodic news references or trips to and by the memorials. However, my guess is they have no appreciation for the end of the Cold War, the failure of Penn Square Bank or the tragedy of the Edmond Post Office massacre. Chances are there are readers of this blog who will not understand those references either despite the massive impact they had on those who lived during that time period.

It dawned on me...I have a lot of stories to tell, Whether its for the benefit of my family, the awareness of coworkers or the understanding of friends and colleagues, it's story telling that will relay the lessons learned from one generation to the next. Passing on history and custom is important to our collective knowledge and awareness and I encourage you to spend time sharing history and experience with those in your sphere of influence.

Likewise, seek to learn from storytellers. One of my most cherished moments of adulthood was spending a day with Senator and American Hero John Glenn. I couldn't get enough of his recounting his career in the military, astronaut corps and the US Senate. My lifetime overlapped with his political career but his unique observations of the 1950's and '60's have significantly framed my understanding of the decades proceeding my birth. 

In closing, become a storyteller and a story seeker. Do your part in helping future generations learn about our history and collective experiences by sharing with those in your circle. And actively seek to hear from others as their unique perspectives and recollections will offer you important insight and understanding. 

I look forward to hearing your stories and sharing some of mine in the weeks and months to come.

It’s Time to Embrace Constructive Dissent

 Editors Note: Steven Buck is a lifelong Oklahoma and a former cabinet secretary of two Oklahoma gubernatorial administrations. He is currently President and CEO of Care Providers Oklahoma and a co-owner of MentaliTea and Coffee. Buck plans to use this platform to share thoughts on leadership, relationship building, places of interest and periodic sport commentary.

 

One of the best “people” lessons I have learned (and still refining) is how to embrace constructive dissent. It is a management principle that has great value for societal health. A simple search on the internet of academic articles and research will produce a myriad of thought-provoking articles on the subject. One of my favorites is an article published in the Harvard Business Review.

As I have advanced in my career, volunteer endeavors, family business, and relationally with family and friends, incorporating the tenants of this practice into the rhythm of communication has been a focal point for me. It has not always been easy, but I have found that often it has led to better decisions, stronger relationships, and an incredible peace of mind.

I focused on constructive dissent purposefully this week as we are on the eve of the 2022 mid-term elections. For my home state of Oklahoma, this election season has been particularly divisive. From conversations with friends and colleagues from across the country and from a scan of trusted news sources, the same appears true for states across our nation. Elections are becoming harder and harder and are exacting a tremendous toll on our collective psyche. A wedge is developing between friends, families and communities, and I really do not know how we rehabilitate these fractures. I do believe, though, that the application of constructive dissent is one of the remedies that is most likely to succeed.

On Tuesday in Oklahoma’s races, I will have many friends on the ballot for a myriad of political offices. And by friends I do not mean simple acquaintances; these are people that I have known for years, worked for, worked with, and collaboratively dreamed about what Oklahoma can be for its residents. I have agreed passionately with some of their ideas and found myself 180 degrees opposed to others. Collectively, they are both Republicans and Democrats, rural and urban residents, and adherents to many different policy beliefs. Beyond those descriptors, though, the most important to me is that they are friends. I value each of them first through that lens. At some level, everything else is just noise. 

What does this have to do with constructive dissent? To me, the answer is clear: everything. 

Somewhere along the way our lens has become clouded on what the electoral process really is. It has become a battleground of oppositional dissent where the intent is to tear down with little attention to building together.  Election season should bring constructive dissent to the forefront where we press each other to refine our viewpoints and advance the success of communities for the broader good.  

I live in northwest Oklahoma City and work in the midtown area. For my morning commute I have four go-to options in terms of my route. And I rotate them periodically just for the sake of variety. But when I pause and think about it, four routes are just a fraction of the ways to get where I need to go. I would argue that the same is true in policy development. There are numerous pathways with lots of variables that might determine the best or fastest. Electors and candidates should spend election season teasing out the collective best path forward and jump-starting the policy making process when the election season concludes.

It is my observation that, unfortunately, election season has become a practice of homogenous messaging driven by campaign strategists (and many of those are my friends, too) that aspire to deliver victories over sifting through the viewpoints of constituents to determine the collective path forward? Oversimplification? Absolutely. But it does ring true. What other reason would explain my mailbox full of campaign literature outlining key positions of candidates in areas of policy that I have no enthusiastic commitment? Or, for the more prominent races, ad after ad attacking the opponent.

We have a lot of work in front of us to bring principles of constructive dissent back to election season. In some ways the legislative process itself has this practice in its rhythm but it seldom plays out in actual policy making. I am quite sure strong majority caucuses seldom if ever collectively engage the minority party in policy development and in the rare cases they do, they are frequently superficial. That is not a critique of our state’s current majority legislature; I am old enough to know that the same was absolutely true of our state when the current minority party was in control.

To close, let me encourage all of us to work harder on a spirit of constructive dissent in our electoral process. Do your part when you engage those on the ballot into talking through policy issues as opposed to spouting talking points and the latest commentators’ rants. I promise, real dialogue on real issues will leave you encouraged. Good people can disagree. It is OK. And it is healthy if disagreement is not the end of an engagement but instead a part of relational rhythm.

Parting note: a heartfelt thank you to all candidates for having the courage to put your name on the ballot. I wish blessings for you and for your family minimal disruption to the most important of our relational rhythms. I might disagree with you on some issues, but I respect and value you for stepping forward and answering the call.