reater than yourself

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FACILITY & OPERATIONS

This is the third in a series of six articles in the new Ewing Professional Development Series., STMA and Ewing havepartf1,ered in this series to bring sports turf industry professional development and career issues to the forefront.

Editor's Note: At the upcoming 20th AnnualSTMA Conference and Exhibition, STMAmembers will be treated to lessons in ExtremeLeadershipfrom leadership expert Steve Farber.

Farber's new book, "Greater Than YOurselfthe Ultimate Lessonof TrueLeadership," will hitbookshelvesearly in 2009. Here, he has allowedus topre-print the Prologueand Chapter 1 of hisnew book:

The obsession seized me with allthe subtlety of a sumo wrestlerhopped up on anabolics. I'd beenplaying guitar for 35 years, andI'd owned a couple of decent

ones from time to time, but suddenly I need-ed-needed-that 1959 Gibson hollow-bodyelectric hanging on the rack at VintageBrothers Guitars in Carlsbad, CA.

I don't know what it was. I'd seen nicer gui-tars, to be sure. There was nothing unusualabout its sunburst finish, and with only onepickup in the middle position, the ES-330wasn't considered the most desirable of collect-able instruments. But other than a few minornicks on the headstock, it was in perfect con-dition, and as I sat in the store's small demoroom, playing it hour after hour, I fell deeperand deeper in love. The neck was fast, thetone, sweet, rich and mellow. Yeah, I was inlove, man, but not all love and obsession windsup in marriage, so eventually I put it back onthe rack, inquired just one more time aboutthe price, and walked out into the salty, SanDiego, Pacific Ocean air.

I've played better guitars, I kept tellingmyself, and I've seen better deals on vintageinstruments. But as I walked towards my car, I

couldn't shake it. Then the sumo got me, spunme around and shoved me back down theparking lot from where I'd come. My pacequickened as I approached the shop, and mywallet was out before I even got through thedoor. I paid the price and grabbed the case,and minutes later, grinning a grin that testedthe limits of my cheek-muscles, I tucked thatbaby into the passenger seat and buckled it inlike the prize it was.

I had to have that guitar. Had to.And now, just a few days later, I know why.I'm not really sure what to call it when

things line themselves up without my slightestknowledge or influence. It's like someone isexecuting a profoundly interlaced conspiracyto make all the random pieces of my life fittogether. What is it? Karma? Kismet?Synchronicity? I don't know, but it happens tome a lot, and more often than not it works outwell. I just seem to meet the right teachers atthe right time.

I've been blessed (maybe that's the word)with the opportunity to work with some of theworld's preeminent thinkers in business leader-ship, like Tom Peters and Jim Kouzes to namea couple. And in recent years, under extreme-ly odd and seemingly fortuitous circum-stances, I've learned directly from some of themasters of Extreme Leadership, like WilliamMaritime and Agnes Golden and TedGarrison, names that'll be familiar to readers ofmy previous books.

I've done a pretty good job of conveying thelessons I've learned along the way, and I thinkthat's why I've made a bit of a name for myselfin certain circles. Some have even used thewords "Steve Farber" and "leadership guru" in

SportsTurf 23

FACILITY & OPERATIONS·the same sentence, which, although gratifyingto my ego, makes me squirm like I have a load,of wet worms in my socks.

Right teachers. Right time. Odd circum-stances.

I was thinking I should print that on mybusiness card, because it was starting to hap-pen all over again.

I was back in my apartment on the bay sideof the Mission Beach area of San Diego. Theocean and its frenetic boardwalk were a coupleof blocks to the west, but calm, tranquilMission Bay lay just a few short yards to theeast of my building, affording a view throughmy living room window worthy of tourist'spost card.

Farber points out the simple butprofound truths of how an ethicalleader becomes so; becoming, ineffect, a leader who considersothers greater than themselves.

I had returned from Carlsbad a couplehours earlier, cleared my agenda by taking careof a few time-bound tasks, and was now final-ly ready to spend some quality time gettingintimate with my new companion.

I gingerly placed the tattered, 49 year-old,mottled brown guitar case on the dining roomtable, flipped open the latches, lifted the top,and let my gaze linger over the sunburst-col-ored curves of my new six-string babe.

Sitting on a bar stool with the guitarpropped in my lap, I twisted the tuning knobsuntil the sound was just right and fired off acouple of quick blues licks in the key of E. I'dplug it in later; for now I was enjoying thesmooth feel of the Brazilian rosewood finger-board and the muted, rich sound resonatingoff its uri-amplified, maple body. I was justabout to settle in for a few hours of seriousplaying (which sounds like an oxymoron butit's not), when something in the case caughtmy eye. I set the guitar in a stand and got upto take a closer look.

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t

The pink, plush lining on the inside bot-tom of the case was pulled slightly back at theseam and a small, yellowed piece of paperstuck out from under the fabric. I pinched thecorner and pulled on it gently. It slid easilyfrom under the velvet and revealed itself to bea handwritten note.

I felt a voyeuristic jolt similar to what anarchitect must feel when finding a relic thatgives a glimpse into another's life in anothertime.

"Dear Jessica," the note began. "This gui-tar is my gift to you. It was made in 1959, 31years before I taught you your first lesson.What a player you've become in just 5 shortyears, and now that you're old enough tovote and on your way to school and the dis-tractions of adult life, you'll need this guitarto remind you of your wonderful musicalgift. And may it help you to become a betterplayer than I ever hoped to be. I have nodoubt you will.

You have brought this old teacher of yours

more joy than you could possibly know and Iwant you to know that I'm very, very proud ofyou.

"Your friend and teacher, GZ""You've been around, haven't you?" I said

to the guitar in the stand.I read the note one more time and tried to

imagine the teacher, the student and thestrong bond that had obviously existedbetween them. It was an unusual thing, thatkind of connection. I'd been lucky enough toexperience that student-teacher bond in myprofessional life, and I knew how rare andpriceless a thing it could be, so, naturally, Ifound myself wondering where these peoplewere today and what, if anything, had hap-pened with Jessica's life as a guitarist-or if sheeven continued playing at all.

The way I figured it, (I had to use a calcu-lator, I admit), this note was written some-where around 1995, and if Jessica had justbeen reaching college age, that would put herin her early 30's today.

Had "GZ's" pride been well-placed? HadJessica grown into the kind of adult he'dhoped she would? And why, if their relation-ship had been as special as the teacher's noteimplied, had Jessica eventually gone on to sellthis wonderful and sentimental gift? Andyou'd think if she'd returned even a little ofher teacher's affection, she'd at least have keptthe note.

I know I would have.Given my sudden and intense CUrIOSIty

about all this, I found myself faced with twopossible paths: I could either make up imagi-nary answers to these questions, or I couldsnoop around to see if I couldn't uncover thereal story of jessica and GZ.

And I bet you can guess which road I trav-eled by.•

FACILITY & OPERATIONS

Please see "The Greater Than YourselfChallenge" on page 26

www.stma.org

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SportsTurf 25

FACILITY & OPERATIONSThe "Greater Than Yourself Challenge"

The task of leadership can become sooverwhelming that good intentions fadeto obscurity, Farber notes. That is why hesuggests building a legacy of service"one brick at a time.Thls is done by pick-ing one person to make your "greaterthan yourself" project. "Raisethat person;boost him or her above yourself. Startthere and seewhat happens:'

Through CEOCat Cassidy (you have

to read the book to find out more aboutthis fascinating character), Farber pointsout that the corporate benefits of havinga "greater than yourself" philosophywoven into daily operations include hav-ing dramatically lower turnover andhigher efficiencies. This is becauseemployee loyaltyi~rigber, and their bet-ter development leads.to greater innova-tions, higher customer satisfaction, andby extension, higher profits.

The summarizing idea of GreaterThan Yourself, also spoken by Cassidy,is:"We want our lives to be more than justabout ourselves.To"philanthropize" yourlife means developing radar of sorts. It isabout growing your sensitivity to theneeds of others and cultivating yourdesire to promote their welfare, success,and capacity for achievement:'.

For more information on "GreaterThan Yourself" and Steve Farber's writ-ings and other books, visit his websitehttp://www.stevefarber.com/

Ethical, effective leadership startswith servant leaders. "Real leadership isnot about calling yourself"leader;"rather, it is about taking up the cause tochange some piece of the world for thebetter;' says Steve Farber, a leadershipspeaker who counts Tom Peters amonghis mentors

In his latest book, "Greater ThanYourself' Farber uses an entertainingpart-truth, part-fable tale about a spe-cia I 1959 Gibson guitar and "creators ofmasters" to point out this core truthabout ethical, effective leadership: Useyour life experience to start raisingsomeone else up. He calls it a "GreaterThan Yourself" philosophy. Farberpoints out the simple but profoundtruths of how an ethical leaderbecomes so;becoming, in effect, aleader who considers others greaterthan themselves:

• Expandyourself • Give yourself• Replicate yourself

There are resources more vital thanmoney that "greater than yourself" lead-ers can give:

•Talent- Knowledge. Confidence•Trust- Time

In order to give yourself to others ina significant way to the progress andexpansion of another person, "you haveto expand yourself first;' Farber writes."Self-expansion is a perpetual enterprise.And because it is the foundation ofwhatever you do for others, expandingyourself is the furthest thing from self-ishness.You expand yourself in order togive yourself to others:' He comparesself-development to a storehouse withno walls and no ceiling. "No matter howsmart you get, no matter how manytimes you travel the world, no matterhow many great people you think youknow, you can always learn more, youcan always experience more, and lovemore.You constantly ask yourself, "willdoing X add to your inventory?"

The first element of"expand your-self" is to shift your perspective fromisolated to connected, and from aloneto interdependent. Most of all, thereneeds to be a shift from "me" to "us;'Farber says.

"A practical idea for a leader who wantsto maximize his or her contributions toothers'; Farber notes, "is to make severallists about themselves, such as onesabout "lessons I have learned" and"things I do well:'

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