When and where did your Servant Leadership journey start?
Mine was the summer of 2006.
I was fortunate to have been invited to play in the Wisconsin Yearbook Basketball Camp held on Viterbo University's campus.
120+ of the best high school basketball players were invited to play in a camp with Division 2 and 3 college coaches in attendance. I was hoping that one would notice me and recruit me to play college basketball, a dream of mine!
It was the third and last day of the camp. The camp had invited a motivational/inspiring speaker to speak to all of us high school athletes.
I was in the R.W. Beggs Sr. Gymnasium sitting on the far south side of the gym.
Each team was lined up, single-file like dominoes.
I was in my team line, third from the front.
We were sitting, my legs were outstretched.
I had not put on my basketball shoes yet, because my feet hurt so bad from 3 full days of competitive basketball.
I was wearing white shorts with black and red trim and a black reversible jersey with the number 99.
In walks this older gentleman. He had a slight forward lean as he walked onto the court. He was carrying a plump-full manila folder and 1 paperback book.
I thought he was going to read to us, or begin a college lecture.
The speaker was none other than Tom Thibodeau - no, not the NBA coach.
Tom was the Distinguished Professor at Viterbo that teaches and inspires others to adopt Servant Leadership.
Tom slowly walked all the way to the middle of the gym, looked up and out at the 120 campers. He seemed to scan each one of us.
He began with "Gentlemen, have you thought about all that it has taken for you to be here today? And have you thought about those who have helped you today?"
He challenged us and asked if we had recognized and acknowledged everything that had happened behind the scenes for us as basketball players to be at that camp in the recent days, and if we had thought of those people who had made out stay a pleasant time while at the camp.
He talked about the food staff in the cafeteria that prepared our food each day.
He talked about the cleaning group that cleaned the dorm room bathroom for us.
He talked about our parents who had forked over money for us to go to the camp and drove us hours La Crosse to drop us off, only to turn around 2 days later and pick us up.
He went on for about 20 or so minutes, telling inspiring story after inspiring story.
Sitting on that gym floor, and from that moment on, I knew I wanted more of whatever the hell he was talking about. I knew I wanted more of THAT - whatever THAT was.
That was all it took.
It stuck with me, and I wanted to know and learn more.
It wasn't until I matured more and studied Servant Leadership that I really began to push myself to be better and do better, but it all started with that one speech. That one interaction.
How has your journey evolved?
Week 29 of 52
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