Dear Friends,
"Jim Harbaugh, coach of the national champion Michigan
Wolverines football team, is famous for, among other things, motivating his
players with an old family motto, 'Who’s got it better than us?'"
“'Who’s got it better
than us?' is a phrase that works on multiple levels, and just as it
helped a football team push through the highs and lows of a long season to
achieve their ultimate goal, so, too, it is a perfect mantra to keep in mind
when leading others through challenging situations."
"The 'Who’s got
it better than us?' catchphrase was one that the Harbaugh brothers (Jim and
John) heard repeated regularly by their dad, Jack, who was also a former
college football coach."
"Its
roots are to remind us to always be grateful, a message they have subsequently
tried to instill into their players."
"Jim explained
that there was a car dealer in Ann Arbor that had a program where the
coaches at Michigan got to drive the extra dealer cars."
"'We didn’t have
much money, and we didn’t have a car of our own, so my parents shared the
dealer car. Sometimes my dad, brother and I would walk outside and the car
would be in the driveway. Other times, if my mom was out, it wasn’t.'"
“‘Hey
Dad, where’s the car?’“
"’No
car today, guys. We’re walking … Grab a basketball: 100 with the right, 100
with the left. Let’s go!’
“'So
we’d dribble down the sidewalk, dad leading the way, yelling: ‘Who’s got
it better than us?!’"
“‘Me
and my brother would be trailing behind, chanting: ‘No-body!'”
"It was used by
the family in good times, like sitting around the table at Thanksgiving or
after winning a big game, but it was also employed with equal vigor in
demanding or disappointing times when things weren’t going as expected."
The
apostle James reminds us to "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and
sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the
testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish
its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking
anything." (James 1:2-4)
"The Harbaugh
family’s motto incorporates the sense of using adversity as a teaching moment
while also moving beyond that to add an extra layer of positivity and
gratitude," as well as some much needed humor, I would add.
"The phrase 'Who’s
got it better than us?' can be used in both upbeat and downbeat scenarios, when
times are going great and when circumstances are pushing us to our breaking
point."
It begins with a
foundation of gratitude, an invocation of blessings received and acknowledged
and not merely taken for granted."
"This is a
valuable discipline for all ministry teams and individuals to keep in mind when
facing challenging situations. it’s a discipline captured in the Scriptures in
passages such as Psalm 138:
I will praise
you, Lord, with all my heart;
before the 'gods' I will
sing your praise.
I will bow down toward your holy
temple
and will praise your name
for your unfailing love and your
faithfulness.
When I called, you answered me;
you greatly emboldened me. (v.
1-3)
"'Who's got it better than us'" is a wonderful
tongue-in-cheek acknowledgement of the idea that adversity is opportunity at
work."
"Given the
“blessing” of having to proceed by foot-power to a destination, one not only
has a chance to enjoy the weather and the company, a person also has a perfect
opportunity to perfect the skill of dribbling.
"The 'WGIBTU'
motto doesn’t position the family or team to be any better than anyone else,
just as blessed as any and all. It implies that hard work and attitude
make the difference in leveraging those blessings.
Yours in faith and
friendship,
Tom
I am indebted to Eddie
Pipken who shared this message on the internet. I have quoted his words while
only slightly adapting his message for today's Leadership Thought.
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