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Jim Citrin Leadership by Example

Jim Citrin, Leadership by Example

Tracking Success in Real-Time

by Jim Citrin

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Posted on Tuesday, January 22, 2008, 12:00AM

It's one thing to analyze success stories after the fact. It's quite another to delve into an unfolding situation where the outcome is uncertain, and the protagonist is neither rich nor famous and faces real risks with limited resources.

In this first of two-parts, I'll share the story of Michael Evans, a young man who's working on bridging a religious and cultural divide. As you read it, consider how he might take his cause forward, and how he can balance his desire to build a legacy with the realities of pursuing a career. The answers to these questions are at the heart of achieving professional success, personal satisfaction, and long-term financial gain.

A Divide Worth Bridging

Evans is a 25-year-old former basketball star who played for elite Hamilton College in upstate New York. After graduating from Hamilton, Michael moved to Belfast, Northern Ireland, to work for a charity organization that uses basketball as a means of reconciling conflicts.

He worked with elementary schoolchildren, using the fundamentals of basketball to get the kids to communicate and hopefully understand one another. But when he came home after a year's time with the organization, Michael was dissatisfied with the results he'd seen. The children he and his coworkers had coached showed no signs of friendship. In fact, they openly expressed antipathy toward each other.

Venturing into the neighborhoods in which they lived, Michael found the kids' surroundings to be hate-filled. How, he wondered, could he help create some sort of permanent friendship between youth in Belfast, a city that is one of the most segregated in the entire world?

Meeting the Opposition

Michael developed a risky plan and returned to Belfast on his own, and on a student's budget. His idea was to attract an older group of kids and work with them differently -- still using basketball, but taking small steps to build a foundation on which to make progress.

He targeted two high schools in the same geographic area, but that were culturally distinct: One was Catholic, the other Protestant. His hope was to create a basketball team from a selection of boys from each school, which were on opposite sides of a 50-foot-wide, mile-long dividing wall that was erected to prevent exactly what Michael was aiming for -- bringing the two communities together.

As Michael spent time in each school, both teaching basketball and getting to know the boys, he concentrated on earning their trust as a coach and as a friend. He went to dinner at their homes. He met with them on the weekends. He dedicated his personal time to learning exactly what the kids liked and disliked, and just how hateful they were toward the other side of the wall in Belfast.

Through hard work, patience, and persistence, he found five boys from each school. When he decided it was time, he told them they would be a part of a travel team. The catch? They'd have to play with the boys from the "opposing" religion.

A Rough Start

The idea was beyond the realm of plausibility in Belfast, and Michael thought his project was doomed. But rather than give up, he decided to go to those who set the tone for the conflicting communities. Through contacts he developed with great care, Michael was able to meet with some of the most influential -- and dangerous -- men in the city: The leaders of the city's various paramilitary organizations.

He believed that if he made his case with these men, as risky as it was, they'd come to see the benefit of a program like his. If he was able to get their endorsement, it would make a difference to the boys and give him the necessary boost. Fortunately, the men all believed that his program was exactly what the community needed. Some even offered to help him raise money, which he graciously declined.

Back on the court, he was able to convince the Catholic boys to attend a practice at the Protestant school. This meant sneaking them in to avoid the possibility of a fight or even a riot. Practice started, and things went fairly smoothly. However, to Michael's discouragement, the two groups wouldn't even look at each other. He pushed and coaxed them, and held practice twice a week.

Back in the U.S.A.

Next, Michael came up with the idea of bringing the team to New York and his hometown in Connecticut as a final push to encourage their camaraderie. With the help of a Catholic priest and a Protestant reverend, Michael was able to raise some money and find host homes for the boys. The news of the trip, coupled with a victory in their first game, moved the team into the initial phase of bonding.

More games and more practices pushed the boys even further. They connected in small conversations and in the grueling drills that Michael put them through. The team organized fundraising efforts and was able to raise additional money to pay for the trip. All the while, Michael used his own experiences from college ball and coaching to urge deeper bonds between them.

On the team's trip to the States, their friendship finally began to take hold. Having placed a Protestant and a Catholic boy in each of five host family homes, Michael was able to foster the relationships between the pairs he thought most compatible. Communication levels skyrocketed during their games, and on their last night in New York City, Michael found the boys huddled together in one of their hotel rooms laughing at the triviality of each other's rebels' songs -- written by the men and women whose influence Michael most wanted them to avoid.

You Be the Judge

The good news is that after the trip, the boys continued to communicate, although it was still too dangerous for them to visit each other in their respective neighborhoods. The bad news is that although they're in their second season together, the program is dwindling and losing momentum in Michael's absence.

After the team returned to Belfast, Michael came back to Connecticut to earn a living. He found a job on the overnight shift as a journalist for a local news station. Today, he's earning enough to pay the rent and other living expenses, but he has little spare income or time to continue working on bringing the boys together again in the United States.

So does Michael let it go, satisfied in having made some meaningful progress with them? After all, he's only one person with very limited resources, and he's already done a lot. What would you do in a similar situation? What would you suggest to Michael? Let me and your fellow readers know in the comments section below, or write me at dynamicpath@spencerstuart.com and I'll share your suggestions.

Next time, I'll reveal the plan that I came up with for Michael, and what he's doing to take his cause and his career forward.

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28 Comments

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  • Yahoo! Finance User - Thursday, January 24, 2008, 9:16AM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 5/5

    Unbelievable initiative for an almost intractable situation. At least halfway to the Nobel Peace Prize. Thank you for your effort Michael Evans.

  • Nick Name - Thursday, January 24, 2008, 8:25AM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 1/5

    This has absolutely NOTHING to do with finance. Michael has little money - ok thats finance I guess - geesh. If Michael concentrated more on making money he might be able to spend it wasting time on failed social experiments. Stories like this belong in Time magazine or something, not Yahoo Finance.

  • Yahoo! Finance User - Wednesday, January 23, 2008, 10:22PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 3/5

    Michael sells the story to Hollywood and makes plenty of money for it. The studio makes a movie that becomes popular with young people. Young people, being inclined to want to change the world, adopt the idea. The world wins.

  • LuizR - Wednesday, January 23, 2008, 10:21PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 1/5

    Please post your stories on Yahoo Love or something. This is finance. Your story should be made into a dramatic movie or something. Again, Finance.

  • Franky - Wednesday, January 23, 2008, 8:57PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 2/5

    The story enlights my heart. Thank you for doing such a great job by publishing it.Like I said before, People like Michael makes the world goes round. Thank you and may God bles you.

  • Yahoo! Finance User - Wednesday, January 23, 2008, 7:23PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 4/5

    Hmmm, let's see, we have a person who started a small "business", it was successful in the goal that it set for itself and is worthy of continuation, but left the owner is a cash-flow crunch. The owner doesn't have the resources to maintain the effort and must turn to other short-term opportunities to keep food on the table. What does any business try to do in that case? Get acquired! In this case, that would mean finding a well-funded non-profit or government organization that is willing and able to take over the basketball team (and perhaps start new ones). The original "owner" can go along for the ride, train the new "owners", and eventually become the CEO of the acquiring company. He certainly has the drive and the leadership skills, and that's a good start. Oops, wait, everyone says this column has nothing to do with finance so I guess that must be wrong. And anyway I'm an engineer so I can't see the point of anything in the abstract. It'll be interesting to read part 2 of this story.

  • Yahoo! Finance User - Wednesday, January 23, 2008, 7:03PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 1/5

    Mike should team up with his soon to be unemployed Yahoo Expert buddy and travel the world teaching hoops. I can see it now The Arab Isreali Desert Dusters VS North South Korean Super Clones! I can't believe Bill Clinton or Jimmy Carter didn't come up with this sooner. Good for Mike in his efforts... Nice human intrest story. To bad Jimmy has to drag it through the mud and into a forum where it has absolutely no value. In this context this story is about as useful as "Fireman Rescues Cat From Tree" He Jim your fired.

  • Yahoo! Finance User - Wednesday, January 23, 2008, 6:12PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 1/5

    useless bs

  • akbars - Wednesday, January 23, 2008, 6:10PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 5/5

    Michael should quit school and do this full time, the basketball thing. Real success is not measured by dollars and cents and climbing the corporate ladder, which there is plenty of time for after he finishes doing this basketball thing. He can do this and then, after this, be a CEO.

  • dug1000 - Wednesday, January 23, 2008, 5:41PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 5/5

    This is a story still to unfold. Back testing the winners of the leadership game is cherry picking. This is backing an unknown quantity. I'm interested to see what happens in the long term in Michaels's career. What kind of bussiness leader can/will he become? Think and put this along side the untangibles of business leadership. Unless of course you are an engineer, in which case you are unable to get the point of anything in the abstract.

  • Yahoo! Finance User - Wednesday, January 23, 2008, 5:26PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 5/5

    rather surprised at these comments. I guess Leadership has nothing to do with Finance. Michael is following a passion to build something enduring, solve a significant problem, and find a way to fund it so it will survive and grow. If you don't see "Finance" here, I don't want to invest in your business.

  • Yahoo! Finance User - Wednesday, January 23, 2008, 3:51PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 2/5

    Jim, to be honest, I don't think many people care enough to tell you what they would do. Especially since you've already come up with your own solution...No offense to Michael, when I think of leaders, I think of people with a track record of success. I'd rather you summarize the life of Abraham Lincoln, George Patton, Lou Gehrig or a nobody in business who became a somebody. What did they do that made them so successful.

  • Yahoo! Finance User - Wednesday, January 23, 2008, 3:40PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 1/5

    Has this guy ever written anything about finance? Another pointless fluff article. This belongs on Oprah, or worse, Donny Deutsch.

  • Jeffrey - Wednesday, January 23, 2008, 3:15PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 3/5

    It is nice to know someone is trying in this world to resolve some problems; however, because his own limited background he could do much. If, let us say he bring that basket ball team to a real poor country, where both schooling and playing basket ball is considered to be a luxury, then those boys from well to do families might realize that put food on the table often time is more important then what one believes in their head. Take a country like China, we have many religion, but no one starts a fight because of it, when comes to find food it is not unusual to find two people from two different religion work side by side so they both will be fed. When a child is really sick, a religious mother will visit different churchs, temples, and even synagogures so that one of the gods might save her son! When boys from that basket ball team see the reality in life, they should open thire minds and readily accept others as human beings just as good as themselves.

  • Don - Wednesday, January 23, 2008, 3:12PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 1/5

    This is supposed to be a financial website. What has your story to do with financial matters?

  • Rakesh - Wednesday, January 23, 2008, 3:00PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 4/5

    I think a combination of economics & leveraging existing institutions can offer some solutions. However, the commitment has to come from within the community(ies) where the conflict is occuring. How about this - Raise money locally in Belfast to start an "inter-cultural" basketball cup ("Belfast Goodwill cup") sponsored by businesses and NGOs based out of Belfast. Only teams that have a "cultural mix" in their teams can participate. Recognition to be offered in two categories - the winners, and the "winning stories" - teams that "came together" despite overwhelming odds. Have a local newspaper save premium space both for the "tournament" and the "stories" of cross-cultural team building. Michael may need some help here in the US (perhaps some wealthy individuals or non-profit orgs can lend him a financial hand). Non-profits must be looking for leaders like Michael - especially in these conflict-prone times. Way to go Michael!!

  • Yahoo! Finance User - Wednesday, January 23, 2008, 2:21PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 3/5

    I found the story interesting but as some who evaluates and issues grants from more than one non profit organization, I found too little information to make a decision. What was Michael's major in college? What career does Michael want to pursue? What criteria would he use to evaluate success or failure? What do the boys think about the program; What is the best or worst part of the program? There are many unanswered questions so as to do due diligence to come up with a plan, the story is a loser. I would not even attempt a plan or offer grant money without more information. The story is typical of many grant requestors who wonder why they were turned down.

  • Bryan - Wednesday, January 23, 2008, 2:17PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 5/5

    yahoo has a problem. A large portion of their readers think that only finance articles should be on the finance page. They have elected to put career and finance 'experts' on the same page. Please look at the title of his column, it has nothing to do with finance. It's about leadership, and this is an excellent part 1 to a 2 or more part column. This most certainly brings up some interesting questions for leadership.

  • Yahoo! Finance User - Wednesday, January 23, 2008, 2:04PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 5/5

    Career advice and life planning are the most important part or personal finance, why should this article not appear in this forum? There are lots of ins lots of outs as the Dude would say. For instance I find it hard to believe that the best this young man could find was a late night job as an ambulance chasing journalist. From a career perspective sounds like he'd get a hundred times the experience from coaching and come back with a resume that could get almost any job he wanted. Now if it's a question of safety, you're naive if you think he's not on some list somewhere, how do you balance that? What if you want to start a family and you don't see that happening in Ireland. Would you put your life on hold and for how long? These are only questions Mike can answer, but he has to look at the opportunity cost. Can you look the boys in the face and tell them that they are worth less than a crappy job that the only fulfillment you get is that one day you will get promoted out of it. At least make the trade off worth it and don't settle for the status quo, the boys are worth more than that.

  • Andy - Wednesday, January 23, 2008, 2:01PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 4/5

    OK... good story, but I'm interested in seeing the plan that you came up with, and how it has to do with finance.

  • ShaniqaP - Wednesday, January 23, 2008, 1:37PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 1/5

    This is Human Interest, not Finance. Interesting stuff, but it doesn't belong here. I think people who search yahoo! for cake recipes and Valentine gift ideas would be a more appropriate audience.

  • Yahoo! Finance User - Wednesday, January 23, 2008, 1:19PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 5/5

    Applause, Mr. Citrin. I think it's dangerously narrow-minded to think financial considerations trump deeper human needs and satisfactions in importance. It's why we're where we are after the last four decades, and why it's failing. Looking forward to your solution, but I hope Michael pursues his passionate commitment. The rest will come.

  • Yahoo! Finance User - Wednesday, January 23, 2008, 12:42PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 3/5

    I typically give this guy 5 stars, but I don't see what this has to do with finance. 3 stars for a good story (that has nothing to do with finance).

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