day 1150: Road Warriors

"So he continued to travel around, preaching in synagogues throughout Judea."

My former boss at Electronic Arts is now the Chairman of the United States Olympics Committee (USOC).  This past weekend the New York Times did a story on the USOC and how they have improved, strengthened and built better relationships with the International Olympic Committee (IOC).  The article tells how he and the CEO he hired have worked tirelessly to repair what formerly was perceived as unfair, and maybe even arrogant behavior of the USOC.  What was interesting about the article too is that they went out of the way to describe the high level of travel and days on the road that both the Chairman and CEO have logged.  As I read this, it reminded me that even in this day and age of very accessible and reliable digital communication that still today the face to face to meeting matters.  But, it's also more than that I think. It's not only the face to face, it's the effort that gets put into the face to face meeting that proceeds and colors the meeting.  If someone comes half way around the world to meet with you, it is hard to not start the meeting with respect and appreciation.  That extra effort, however it takes shape, can maybe mean the difference in a successful meeting or not. Maybe this is why the road warriors seem to still have an edge up, even today.

Jesus was a road warrior.  He moved from place to place and along the way, met people in their places of need.  He didn't just go to Jerusalem and set up shop in the Temple and have people come to Him.  He knew much better. He knew that in order to reach people in their hearts and minds, that He had to be among them. This is a great example for us to follow.  Today, where are you planning on having lunch?  Will you be among your team?  How many meetings will be in your office, versus out on the floor or in another part of the building? Reed Hastings from NetFlix doesn't even have an office.  He comes in each day and finds someplace to sit down and works from there.  When he has meetings, they are where the person sits, not him.  Even in our own workplace we can demonstrate what it means to be a "road warrior". Even in our own offices we can meet people where they are, just as Jesus did.

Reference:  Luke 4:44 (New Living Translation)