Gene Chizik and Sharing Stories

With two children very involved in Auburn University, I could not resist grabbing the biography of the coach, Gene Chizik, when I saw it ripe for the picking at the library last week. Last night I read something I was so excited to share I could hardly wait until I got to write this blog:

“I believed it would benefit us as a coaching staff to learn more about our players. It’s said that everyone has a story, but too often we don’t know the stories of the people closest to us. I wanted to be intentional about setting aside time for us to sit down and listen and really get to know each other.

“It’s amazing what we learn when players share their stories. You might think that these big, tough guys would stand up and not really want to say much about their personal lives. But I’m telling you, once most of them start talking, you can’t stop them. It’s as though they have just been waiting for someone to ask what they have to say.

“Gradually everyone on our team developed a good sense of what everyone else was dealing with, and they started taking a personal interest in each other’s lives. We didn’t create this type of environment to win football games. We did it because God placed within each of us the deep need for relationships. But I will tell you that …players and coaches will do far more on a practice field and a game field for people who care about them and are investing in them than they will for teammates and coaches they barely know.”

1. One of the greatest gifts we can give people is to listen to their story. Whose story will you ask about today? How will you be intentional about setting aside time to listen to others?

2. Chizik says that storytelling was an important part of team-building. I might call that community. How do you think storytelling helps to build a team? Have you ever tried it in your community? (If you need ideas, just contact me – I’ve got about a zillion!)