Role of a Lifetime

by James Brown

  To be perfectly open and honest, this is the area that I struggle with the most. I’ve discovered that there will always be things in our lives to improve, and for me, thus far, this has been the most difficult to remedy. I have learned to call well in advance, when I realize that I’m not going to make it somewhere on time. That’s not preferable to making it in a timely manner, of course, but I think it is a reasonable and responsible antidote. Don’t just show up late. At best, you’ll have shown yourself to be undependable; at worst, you’ll be fired, or not have a chance to develop further the relationship, or do further business with those you left dangling while you were late. None of those results are anything that you want. I worked with a great salesman at Xerox who was terrific at his job, and was making six figures a year back in the late 1970s, yet was fired. He was habitually late, and couldn’t be relied upon, and, finally, that mattered more than his ability to generate sales commissions.

  Fifth, you need a Thirst for Knowledge. This is more than simply intelligence, but rather a desire to keep learning and improving. Never think of yourself as having arrived, but rather, realize that you can become an expert in your position, and to do so you will need to remain open and look to keep learning. Continuing education will help you grow, and will help you in what should be your quest to becoming the best and most valuable resource that your team or business enjoys.

  Despite my presence in the broadcasting world for a number of years, recently I decided to try and improve in my profession. A number of other broadcasters have visited with linguists or diction coaches, and so I decided to attend a speech workshop with Dr. Teresa Nance, Assistant Vice President of Multicultural Affairs, at Villanova University, in the not-too-distant past. I never want to assume that my diction is as precise as I hope that it might be—I’m always concerned that mispronouncing a word could lead to someone interpreting that as a lack of professionalism or intelligence (remember, ingredient one on Good Communication Skills and the inferences people will draw!).

  And so there I was, sending a videotape for linguistic analysis by Dr. Nance. Doctors and lawyers take continuing education courses, soldiers continue to train, and I’m always going to work to speak as clearly and region-neutrally as possible. We can all be open to improving our skills. And I thought it went pretty well, to be honest.

  I arrived in Philadelphia to meet with her and learned that I didn’t enunciate anything longer than a one-syllable word properly. Once she was done working with me—despite the fact that she worked to help me with those words—I still went through a several week period during which I was hesitant to do anything but grunt. However, through the experience I learned a number of exercises to warm up my voice that I still use that have helped me continue to improve. Or at least I hope they’ve helped me improve… or I may go back to the monosyllabic grunting.

  Ingredient six: Being a Team Player. This deals with how well you function within a unit, and whether you can be a contributing part of that. Humility is a component of this—does it all have to be about you, or can you redirect praise and support others, even when you may not get credit?

  People tend to use the word “team” to describe any group of people working together. The reality, though, when you look closely at them, is that they may be nothing more than “a group of people working together.” Those in the group are only focused on what they are doing, apathetic to others in the group and how they could help them to do what they have to do. It is all about doing their individual jobs. Tension and conflict tends to set in, meetings get longer, disagreements get more personal and in the end their efforts often fall short of the mark.

  Successful teams, on the other hand, have a clear mission or purpose for existing—a clear objective and direction in which they are headed. Every member of the team—if it is to be a successful team, i.e., one that achieves its objectives—has bought into the mission. They believe in it and are passionate about it. They understand it and know where they are going and with whom they are going. They know who the leader is and have allowed and enabled that person to lead the team by their individual and collective commitment and cooperation.

  Successful teams are characterized by members with different skills, abilities, and life experiences that when meshed together for the sake of the mission—which they believe in—result in successful outcomes and high impact for their organizations. Within such teams, each member of the team recognizes and values the different gifts, abilities, and life experiences that each team member brings to the cause. A successful baseball team wouldn’t put nine first-basemen on the field at the nine different positions around the field and expect to be successful. A team that will be successful and have a meaningful impact within their organization, within the community or beyond, is one where each member of the team recognizes the value each member brings and realizes that without each member their chances of being successful—fulfilling their mission—diminish.

  Being a team player requires that basic understanding of the makeup and functioning of successful teams. It requires an understanding of how your individual and interdependent role, along with the other members of the team, contributes to the success of that team. It is a high calling—where not only is your value to the effort recognized and applauded by the others, but where everyone on the team puts the welfare and success of the team and its mission first and foremost. Teams comprised of members like that—team players—achieve not just good results but extraordinary results. It is critically important to “check your ego at the door” when preparing to engage in a team-oriented activity. It is amazing how much can get done when no one is concerned about who gets the credit. Red Auerbach always wanted to get “inside the statistics” of a winning effort: who deflected a pass at a critical juncture in the game, whose harassing defense upset the other team’s rhythm and so on, because as he knew, the maxim “a rising tide lifts all ships” is true.

  Sometimes, actually, I should say regularly, if my experience is anything like yours, we will be confronted by challenges in life. It’s not a question of whether they will occur, but when. That leads to the final ingredient, Overcoming Adversity.

  Trials and tribulations will come into every life. That’s reality. That’s promised by the Bible. It doesn’t say that they might come, or that we may face them. The Bible says that these times will come for all of us. The good news is that through these challenges, our character is revealed and given an opportunity through which to grow.

  The Apostle Paul reminds us of that when he says, “And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope” (Rom. 5:2b–4 NIV). And James encourages us to “consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance,” and follows by noting, “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him” (James 1:2–3, 12 NIV).

  Therefore, when these trials and tribulations come, what is your foundation built upon? Hopefully it’s on bedrock, and not sand. And if you have a tried and true set of philosophies (or for me, my faith) that you can rely upon, then when those times come, you will be able to stand fast.

  Working in and around the NFL as I do, every year we see examples of teams that face adversity. Everyone suffers injuries, or draft picks don’t pan out, or times when they just aren’t playing well. Those teams that stay the course and stick with their solid foundational principles always seem to be more successful—over the long haul—than those that frequently change coordinators or head coaches or playing styles. It’s no accident that the Pittsburgh Steelers have had one ownership family and only three head coaches in the last thirty years, and lead the NFL with six Super Bowl championships. The Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots of the last few years have shown similar adhe
rence to consistency.

  In addition to the seven Ingredients for Success, I also believe that there is one underlying thread of these fundamentals—competence to do the job at hand. At Xerox, that meant that I had to have the ability to actually make sales. I had to be able to meet my monthly quota. However, even with the ability to do that, many fall far short of the levels they might rise to professionally because of their inability or unwillingness to comport their behavior to the objective criteria. Without that fundamental level of competence, it’s unrealistic to think about promotion and rising to greater responsibility if you can’t handle the current level of responsibility you’ve been given.

  And if you’ve got these core foundations, there is no reason that you can’t have fun along the way. This is not a dress rehearsal; your life is happening, now. And you can enjoy it. Make time to do so.

  My concluding thought on this is my most important.

  I don’t think it’s possible to reach one’s highest potential without a life rooted in Christ.

  Applying these ingredients will lead to success, absolutely, for the principles are true. Even those who don’t believe or are not people of faith can apply these and achieve worldly success. However, I have come to believe, that my potential—your potential—as the human being who God created, won’t ever be fully realized without God within you and walking with you. The role, or roles, I was meant to fulfill in my lifetime can never be achieved to their fullest without a relationship rooted in Christ. I may accomplish great things in the eyes of the world, but in the eyes of the only One who matters, I will have fallen short without Him in my life helping and guiding me in the role I was meant to play in my journey.

  Having said that, let me be very clear and very open and honest with you—I’m not where He wants me yet. I don’t know that I will ever be. My personal relationship and walk with Christ—starting in my late 20’s—has been a journey of learning, reaching, and continually falling short. I have, on too many occasions, fallen off the right path only to have to pick myself up—or perhaps it was Him picking me up—and get back on the path to try again. I have made mistakes along the way that I should not have made—and as to which in my quieter moments I knew better. The last thing I am suggesting is that I am some kind of expert on a life rooted in Christ and what it should look like. I’m not.

  I’ve made some good decisions in my life too—and I’m sure He was smiling down on me for making them at the time. But I’ve made a lot of mistakes, a lot of wrong decisions. Things which did not honor Him.

  My hope is that you will take something away from my sharing of some of those mistakes in my life, the heartache and turmoil they caused, and the struggles to get back on the better path He calls me to—as well as from some of the things I’ve done right. If that occurs and helps you in your journey through life, I will be blessed and humbled.

  There is a scene in the Old Testament book of Joshua that I love. Moses, the great leader of the Israelites has just died, having never reached the Promised Land. And now we find Joshua, standing on the banks of the Jordan River as God’s next annointed leader.

  Three times God tells him to be strong and courageous (see Joshua 1:6,7, 9) and also gives him the recipe for the rest of his journey and that of God’s people whom Joshua has been appointed to lead.

  In Joshua 1:8, God states, “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success [emphasis added]” (KJV).

  Good success. I had always thought success was simply success, but upon seeing this emphasis, I realized that there are different types of success. 2

  God’s success is “good success.” It’s significance. It’s making a difference in the lives of others. It’s Joshua standing on the banks of the Jordan River, feeling anxious and inadequate, and realizing that he is being called to do something that will make a difference in the lives of the people he is being called to lead. And in that moment, it’s Joshua also realizing that he can only do it with the leadership and in the strength of God. We all will have our moments where we face our “Jordan River” as Joshua did. But like Joshua, under the leadership and with the strength of God, we too can cross it, and find that in the journey under His guidance we will make a significant difference in the lives of those all around us.

  When you and I live a life that strives to make a difference in the lives around us, realizing and confessing that we can only do it under the leadership and in the power of God, then we begin to live that life that will be marked by “good success”—a life of significance.

  And I suspect that you will find that your sleep at night will become more peaceful and restful, knowing that you are doing what you are supposed to do—the right thing, the right way—by living a life that honors God.

  As I admitted, I haven’t always been there, but in our home now we claim another verse from the book of Joshua, if for no other reason than to remind me not only of the right way, but also of some of the wrong ways of my life.

  Joshua, later in his life, says it clearly, when he says, “Choose you this day whom ye will serve… but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15 KJV).

  It all starts with the foundation. Build it wisely and well.

  CHAPTER 7

  JOINING THE NETWORK

  The most important thing to remember is this: To be ready at any moment to give up what you are for what you might become.

  W.E.B. Du Bois

  About five years into my tenure with Xerox, I got an opportunity to work in broadcasting doing work as a commentator for the formerly named Washington Bullets, now the Washington Wizards. Petey Greene, a DC broadcasting legend who overcame his criminal past to carve out a space on the airwaves, opened the door for me. Petey, whose story was the basis for the movie Talk to Me with Don Cheadle in 2007, paved the way for my entry into television by having me on his local television show. Having gone through the attempt of trying to make it in professional sports, Petey wanted me to speak to his viewers about failed dreams, and how you can pick up the pieces and make a successful transition in the journey of your life. Something about my time with him in that segment must have impressed him, because he told me of an opening in the sports department at the station. The color analyst was stepping down, and he thought I should audition for the position. I wasn’t sure that I knew enough to even sit for the interview, let alone get the job, but Petey demanded that I go. I agreed.

  In college I had played against the Bullets’ star player at the time, Phil Chenier, and Phil agreed to come to my audition with me during his day off. My goal in bringing Phil, a tactic I had picked up in my years with Xerox, was to show that even if I didn’t have experience, I was aware enough to bring the team’s star with me to simulate a halftime postgame interview. For my audition, I simulated a halftime interview, which no doubt went better than it might have, given my pre-existing comfort level with Phil. I called on help from Coach Wootten, who agreed to call the general manager of the Washington Bullets, and whose son went to DeMatha, to vouch for my work ethic. I was pulling out all the stops, and being known as a District of Columbia high school basketball star didn’t hurt and, I suspect, also contributed to my getting the job.

  Through that experience, I got the broadcasting bug. It was a blast, and the money—well, it was hard to top the allure of $250 per game! It truly was a labor of love, which was more important than the money. My co-workers at Xerox thought I was absolutely insane. Here I was, giving up my vacation time so that I could travel with the team and work both home and road games for the Bullets.

  I covered about twenty-six Bullets games that year, and the next year continued with those games, while adding a few games for a fledgling network in the area, Black Entertainment Television (now simply BET). They were producing tape-delayed games of historically black colle
ges, and those, along with the Bullets games, continued to add to my growing broadcast experience. During this time I was still working full time for Xerox, and using my vacation time for broadcasting. I added some regional games for TVS, founded by network pioneer Eddie Einhorn, who later became the head of CBS Sports and is now a co-owner of the Chicago White Sox.

  Over a relatively short period of time, my experiences kept expanding. I worked some track and field events for USA Network, simply adding to the Bullets, BET, and TVS broadcasts, while always looking to add other opportunities. I was really enjoying it, and at the same time was starting to toy with the idea that I might like to transition into broadcasting full time. If I was ever going to do that, I needed to continue to work hard and garner more experience and contacts—I was not going to let anyone else out there with the same dream outwork me.

  At some point during this journey, I began to pray for clarity. I was twenty-eight, and prayed that God would give me some clarity as to my career path during the next five years. I’m not entirely certain how I decided upon that time frame, but I knew that it wouldn’t happen overnight, and knew that I would need to keep laying a foundation for whichever direction I ended up traveling. And I didn’t want to moonlight for too long, and potentially negatively impact my business career. I figured that making a decision by the age of thirty-three would leave ample time for that career path I was meant to travel—whatever it turned out to be.

  During that time, I had a momentous experience. I was walking with the Bullets players from their locker room after a loss toward the team bus and saw a young boy fall in beside one of the star players. He asked for an autograph—not the best timing, I could see. The player brushed the piece of paper aside with the back of his hand, acting as if he didn’t see him. The young man started to walk off, when Wes Unseld, truly the Bullets best player and later an NBA Hall of Famer, who had been trailing the young man and thereby saw the entire encounter, picked up a huge assist in my book.