Fridays with Mac: "Riches from Redirects"

Shortly after busting into Bill McCartney’s home I quickly showed a picture from earlier in the week. It was your knucklehead scribe and many of the more than 100 young men part of the Fairview High School football program for the 2022 season. At the invitation of Tom McCartney, Mac’s second-oldest son and Knight’s head coach for 30 years, I had presented a late-night pep talk. The focus being effectively dealing with adversity and we, collectively, were shouting to the rooftops, “Good, better and best, never let it rest, till our good is better and our better is our best!”

A broad smile spread across the face of the Hall of Fame football coach who’s doing his best against a tenacious foe, dementia in the form of Alzheimer’s. “Good, better, best” is a line the only coach to ever lead the Colorado Golden Buffaloes to a national title uses constantly. Admittedly, I’ve plagiarized it and use often when speaking to groups about achieving goals and overcoming challenges and understanding that success rarely arrives without setbacks.?

With eyes ablaze at the thought of a football team kicking off a season, Billy Mac from Hackensack didn’t hesitate a nano second before asking, “What did you share with them?” As we settled into our usual spots in McCartney’s comfy living room, I mentioned encouraging the players and staff about believing in one another, becoming one heart beat, being prepared to “Stand in the Gap” and thinking about - football, school or home - where becoming superior to their former selves might cost them little, but would mean a lot in achieving goals for the upcoming season. McCartney snorted, “Wrong arm (I’m left-handed) way to go!” I quickly shot back at him. “But there’s one story I thought about sharing but decided against because it might not have been relatable to high school boys.”

McCartney cracked, “Share it now.” Okay.

Ever heard of William Bridges? Years ago I read a wonderful book, “The Way of Transitions” by the author, speaker, and organizational consultant. At the time, I was going through a second divorce and trying to figure things out. Bridges passed in 2013 but a lesson learned from his book has forever stuck in my noggin.

Bridges was a popular speaker for organizations trying to figure out the best path forward and believed transition is the psychological process of adapting to change. Educated at Harvard, Columbia and Brown, Bridges was flying back to his California home after speaking on the East Coast and himself in the throes of transition: his beloved wife had just died of cancer and Bridges, missing her deeply, was psychologically berating himself that, “Mr. Transition Guy” was struggling to move forward.

It was a beautiful day for flying and as Bridges settled in, he began to notice the great rivers of the American landscape: The Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri and how each twisted and turned frequently. It dawned on the professor (Mills College) turned business consultant that, all that twisting and turning? Whenever the majestic waterways turned in another direction they were leaving behind rich sediment producing fertile Midwestern farmlands, where a vast majority of America’s food is produced. A light bulb went off.

Could it be? In our lives? Those unexpected and unwanted twists and turns could also be moments in time depositing sensational silt transforming our personal setbacks into a successful and abundant harvest at home, work or elsewhere? It resonated deeply within Bridges and sparked his personal comeback from grief. It also dawned on Bridges that waterways absent the meandering misdirections? Fast-running and straight streams? Produce little fertile soil.

McCartney was quiet. Then blurted. “This reminds me of 1990.” That season the Buffs started 1-1-1 via a tie with Tennessee, nail-biting home victory over Stanford and a disappointing loss at Illinois. Picked by many to win the national championship, the season had commenced in a crazy and unpredictable pattern. However, it became fertile soil producing ten straight wins and an Orange Bowl triumph over Notre Dame securing CU’s lone national title.

Billy Mac from Hackensack wasn’t finished. “Life, like rivers, becomes richer from redirects!” Amen coach.