Good morning from a very excited Vancouver! The local National Hockey League team has advanced to the finals, and the possibilities of the team drinking from Lord Stanley’s Cup are now very real indeed.
I must admit, I’m not the world’s biggest hocky fan, (I was watching the final episode of Glee, if the truth be known!) I really only know about how the team has fared due to the shouts of excitement or the groans of despair from the hundreds of apartment windows around our building. But there was a wonderful moment in last night’s game that has reminded me of an important facet of leadership; being able to respond to the unexpected.
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2FkBxgek&h=24634
or
www.video.canucks.nhl.com
Have a look at either of these clips, if you find yourself at an NHL page, the clip you’re looking for is called “seing is believing.”
The game is tied, this is the second period of overtime, and a Vancouver defenceman shoots the puck along the boards, every person but one, ‘follows’ the puck and given all of their expertise, their many years of experience, they look to where the puck should be. One player, number 3, Bieksa, is the only player on the ice to see that the puck has bounced back onto the ice surface, and he shoots it towards the net. Even the goalie is looking the other way, and before anyone else knows what’s happened, including the announcers, a goal is scored.
This amazing moment has struck a chord with me. First, how many of us are actually like most of the members of both these teams? We know what to do, we anticipate, we do our jobs very well and we “follow the puck.” But notice how every now and then, life bouces in a different way and most of us are left wondering what just happened? Can we make the most of the unexpected bounce? Can we take the opportunity as it is presented even when no one else see’s what’s happening? Can we act indepently, especially when everyone on the team heads in a different direction? Can we be vulnerable enough to take a chance on a different way of seeing the world?
May this week give us each an opportunity to respond to life’s bounces in new and unexpected ways.