Be the Spark Plug

A message from Steve...

The day before I delivered a keynote to the drivers, crew chiefs, pit crews and staff at Hendrick Motorsports, I had the opportunity to tour their incredible campus in Concord, North Carolina. I walked through the Heritage Center, saw decades of championship history up close, visited the race shops and even got a workout in at their new athletic performance complex. Everywhere I looked there was evidence of innovation, precision and an extraordinary commitment to excellence. But of all the things I saw that day, one of the smallest ended up making the biggest impression on me. 

While touring the engine department, one of the engine builders handed me a spark plug. Nothing fancy. No trophy case or championship inscription. Just a small piece of equipment that could easily fit in the palm of my hand. I thanked him, put it in my pocket and continued the tour, but I kept thinking about it. The next day, as I prepared to speak to over 700 members of the Hendrick team, that little spark plug suddenly felt like much more than a souvenir. 

The theme of my keynote was Going the Extra MILE, based on our four Game Dynamics that fuel our curriculum: Mystery, Incentive, Laughter and Empowerment. We talked about having the courage to step into the unknown, understanding what drives us, finding joy and connection along the way, and recognizing the gifts and authority we already possess. 

While those four ideas can certainly help a NASCAR team prepare for the next race, they apply just as powerfully to a leader starting a meeting, a teacher entering a classroom, a coach walking onto a field, or a presenter stepping onto a stage. Going the extra MILE isn’t always about doing something bigger. Sometimes it means becoming more intentional with what is already right in front of us. 

At the end of my keynote, I reached into my pocket and held up that spark plug. I shared that a spark plug is actually a pretty simple device. Its job is to create the spark that ignites the fuel and helps create the power that moves the car forward. It doesn’t need to be the biggest part of the engine, and it certainly isn’t the most visible. Most people watching a race will never see it, think about it or celebrate it, but without that spark, all that potential energy is simply waiting to be activated. 

That got me thinking about the roles we play in the lives of others. We spend a lot of time trying to become the engine, the driver or the person everyone notices, when perhaps there is tremendous purpose in simply being the spark. A thoughtful introduction can spark connection. A great question can spark curiosity. A little encouragement can spark confidence. Laughter can spark joy, and believing in someone at just the right moment can ignite something in them that they may carry for years. None of those actions need to be complicated or particularly impressive, but they do require us to be present and intentional. 

As leaders, teachers, coaches and presenters, we don’t always get to see what happens after the spark. We may never know where the encouragement goes, what the question unlocks or how far the confidence travels. Our responsibility isn’t to control the outcome. Our responsibility is to create the conditions for something positive to ignite, and then trust the people around us to carry that energy forward. 

As we all do our best to find that extra power in ourselves and in others, here are three take aways that have helped me stay on track. I hope you find them helpful as well.

1. Keep it simple. Purpose doesn’t always require complexity. Small, intentional actions can create significant impact. 

2. Know your role. You don’t have to be the biggest or most visible part of the team to be essential to its success. 

3. Be the spark plug. Wherever you lead, teach, coach or present, look for opportunities to ignite confidence, curiosity, connection and joy in others. 

I now carry that sparkplug in my Game On backpack as a reminder of an incredible experience at Hendrick Motorsports. But more importantly, it reminds me that impact doesn’t have to be complicated. Sometimes the smallest thing can provide exactly the spark someone needs. 

Drivers... Start your engines! 

Spark plug On. 

Ignition On.

Game On.