One Day as a Lion
For those who don't know, I am a Die-Hard fan of the Detroit Lions. For as long as I can remember, I have followed this troubled franchise. Now, I didn't choose to follow this team because I lived or am from Michigan, or because I had a favorite player the team. It's because the lion was my favorite animal as a kid. So, when I learned there was a football team named the Lions, I was hooked, and I have lived and died (mostly died) for almost forty years with this team.
Since I know that half of you could care less about sports, football, or the ravings of a sports ball fan, and have probably already stopped reading, I swear that this newsletter will not be about any of those things.
What I really wanted to talk about in this month’s newsletter about was lions, not the team or animal, but how we can adopt a lion's mentality. Now I am not implying that we act or behave like a lion, but that as creatives and designers we when needed can exhibit the loyal, fierce, strong, and tenacious characteristics of a lion. It’s a bit of stretch I know, but you will have to go with me on this.
Lions are powerful, strong, and intelligent predators who use their abilities to take down their prey. We must have the same mindset at work; we must be smart in our approach, as well as powerful and strong in our mindset and delivery. It is not about forcing our will or way of thinking, but about being confident in our skills and abilities to solve any problem.
If the Lion King has taught us anything is that lions when they fight, they do it in slow motion, and that they are social and intelligent animals. Lions hunt and live as a pride working together to try and survive in the wild.
No one is asking our teams to practice basic survival skills to ultimately survive, but we do have the opportunity to work together to tackle and "survive" even the most difficult problems. Good teams communicate effectively and frequently to help each other improve. We can overcome any challenge by demonstrating a clear understanding and genuine respect for each member of our team. Good teams, in addition to caring about the project at hand, genuinely care about their own team members' feelings and well-being. What sets great teams apart are these skills and how well they are practiced and applied.
In conclusion, as creative professionals at USANA or elsewhere, we have a unique opportunity to improve ourselves and our organizations through hard work, communication, dedication, and perhaps a bit of a Lions mindset.
JVD
* The newsletter is named after the former alternative supergroup "One Day as a Lion"which featured Zach del la Rocha and Jon Theodore.