There’s a fantastic story (maybe apocryphal?) that is wonderfully told in this Business Journals story:
During a visit to the NASA space center in 1962, President John F. Kennedy noticed a janitor carrying a broom. He interrupted his tour, walked over to the man and said, “Hi, I’m Jack Kennedy. What are you doing?”
“Well, Mr. President,” the janitor responded, “I’m helping put a man on the moon.”
To most people, this janitor was just cleaning the building. But in the more mythic, larger story unfolding around him, he was helping to make history.
Here’s the point: No matter how large or small your role, you are contributing to the larger story unfolding within your life, your business and your organization.
And when your entire team embraces that type of attitude and belief system, incredible things happen.
With the root beliefs settled into my head more and more – this is the type of culture we need in our schools, districts, and Church. Imagine if everyone (parents, teachers, staff) can say they are educating our children in the Faith and academics through their actions, words, and deeds.
If that is the vision – how do we get there? I think it starts with the leadership (not just the leader) of the school, infecting the staff, infecting the students (8th graders as models of that attitude!), infecting the parents, infecting the world.
One of the beauties of our faith is that we acknowledge our failings (which are rife) and imperfections, know that we can never create a utopia [or even close] here on earth, and work to build communion regardless. Tomorrow’s challenge: contributing and communicating the story that we aim to educate our children in the Faith and academics.
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