By Mike Klockenbrink
I’ve always dreamed of playing a guitar up on the stage rocking it out. I tried trombone and bass guitar in high school but it didn’t stick.
A dream without action will always be a dream. Flash forward 30 plus years and the dream won’t go away. So, in 2009 I got a guitar for Christmas. I thought this was going to be easy. After all, I’ve played air guitar all my life, and recently, Guitar Hero. How difficult could this possibly be? Okay, several months have gone by, and all I can do is strum. Not quite the rock star I envisioned. So for my birthday my wife bought me guitar lessons.
When I headed to my first lesson at Graham Music Pros with Scott Graham, I was a little nervous, but I thought I would have it nailed within a few lessons. After my first lesson, reality set in and I realized it wasn’t going to be as easy as I thought.
Sitting in my office I asked myself how many employees have dreams to be something more. Maybe not a rock star (I don’t really want to be a rock star, but it sounds cool) but having more responsibility or move into an area they’ve never been before. How can I make those dreams come true? This comes back to getting to know your employees and what it is that they want to do. You can provide for them the opportunities as they become available. You can give them the necessary tools (guitar). You can even give them the training they need (music lessons). However, if they don’t practice on a regular basis they will never get better. They may become frustrated and give up, because it’s too difficult.
This is where a simple nudge or word of encouragement can go a long way. Know that they will have some highs and lows along the way. Celebrate the little successes.
As for me and my guitar, it goes the same way. The more I practice the better I sound. I still have more than my share of sour notes, but I’m having fun along the way. I’m tired of just dreaming, I want to play. So practice, practice, practice and let the music play.
Mike Klockenbrink is chief of staff at Lakeside Church, Folsom, CA. [ www.lakesidechurch.com]
