The world would like us to believe that when we turn 18, we’re “mature” and capable of making decisions on our own. After all, you’ve been through school, you’re considered an adult, you’re legally driving, dating, etc.
As I was doing a personal study this morning, I read a piece from Dennis Rainey’s “Moments with You” that described a scene from an event where animal traps were placed on a stage labeled with terms consistent with the traps that adolescents find themselves dealing with. A teenage boy then stepped onto the stage, blindfolded, and began to walk across. Fortunately, his dad yelled, “Stop!” Then he got up and had the boy put his hands on his shoulders and proceeded to guide the boy through the stage full of traps that he could see but the boy couldn’t.
This is a powerful scene, however, this analogy of the bear traps of adolescence, doesn’t stop at adolescence. In fact, in real life, the traps are bigger and the consequences are more significant. The traps are called Pride, Arrogance, Greed, Selfishness, Ego, Sexual Desire, etc. The problem is, we no longer have our “dad” there to hold onto, as in this example.
I have three areas of my life where this analogy directly applies:
1. My marriage: God created marriage to be a partnership woven together by God where two people who compliment each other come together and create a family unit. My wife is one of God’s tools to help me navigate the traps of life, and when I hold on to her hand, she is able to help me see the traps and avoid them.
2. My band-of-brothers: As great as my wife is, she can’t see all the traps because she only understands a portion of the mind of a man. Because she doesn’t have a man’s DNA, she doesn’t see some of the traps that can harm me. My band-of-brothers (a small group of guys with whom I can be authentic and who will hold me accountable) is the next tool to help me navigate the minefield of life. Without my band-of-brothers, very large traps would go unseen (as they have in my past) and could literally destroy my life. I can’t imagine my life without a small group of guys willing to walk with me to identify and avoid the traps that are lurking for me.
3. OneAccord: In the world of business, the traps are not always as obvious. Ego, greed and selfishness can be masked as “success” by the business world. At OneAccord, we have a unique role in the lives of CEOs. We do our best to help CEOs navigate the minefield of business. While they can choose to hang on or let go, we get the privilege of being their guide. In the same context, when I have built teams for my businesses in the past, I have attempted to intentionally build the team with people who could help me avoid the land mines and traps as well.
I hope and pray that each of you would find people in your lives who you ALLOW and ENCOURAGE to be your guide through the traps and minefields of life, both personally and professionally. Don’t assume you can “white knuckle” your way through. Look to others for help and you’ll navigate successfully through both life and business.
By Todd Ostrander, OneAccord Principal