What's Up My Brother!

A message from Steve...  

One of my brother Dave’s greatest gifts is his ability to make anyone in his presence feel like they are the most important person in the room. This is something he’s done naturally his entire life. For example, when I’m visiting him in Redondo Beach and we’re out in the community and he runs into someone he knows, he’ll greet them with his iconic, “What’s up my brother?” and immediately dive into conversation, instantly making that individual the main attraction.

When he eventually surfaces from that deep dive, without fail, he’ll turn to me while we’re walking away and share something positive about that person. And on numerous occasions, he’ll say to me, “Bro, that guy is a legend!” I came to the realization early in life that this is not an act. This is Dave’s genuine desire to - in his own sincere and unique way - to Recognize, Encourage, and Celebrate others.

As his brother and lifelong recipient of this genuine recognition, encouragement, and celebration, it was an honor of a lifetime to be out in Redondo Beach this past weekend with our family - surrounded by Dave’s colleagues, community, and dear friends - to celebrate the guy who always celebrates others, and to recognize his 30 years of service as a member of the Manhattan Beach Fire Department.

Retirements in general can bring up all sorts of reflections and emotions, not just for the retiree, but for those who have been there for the journey and are present for the retirement. It can be a meaningful and memorable experience for everyone as we realize we all face inevitable transitions personally and professionally.

 
And as I reflect on my brothers’ retirement, my hope is we can all learn from the power of these three attributes below that were a common theme throughout the celebration this past weekend, and constant throughout Dave’s distinguished 30-year career.

1. Recognize: To be intentional about seeing others with noble intent, and to do our best to look for and acknowledge the positive qualities they bring to team.

2. Encourage: To honor our teammates’ talents and to authentically speak life into them by reminding them of their impact and their value.

3. Celebrate: To support and encourage others by unapologetically pointing out their accomplishments and achievement, while giving credit where credit is due.

As leaders, teacher, coaches, presenters, let’s all do our best to approach every step in our journey and embrace every phase of our career as a healthy transition and as an opportunity to grow. If we do so, we can not only recognize, encourage and celebrate others, but we can also be prepared for when that moment comes when we move on to that inevitable next phase in our lives, so we can be recognized, encouraged and celebrated for all the right reasons.

 
With all that said, here’s to my brother Dave, and all the lives he’s saved and the impact he’s made and will continue to make. To best describe him, I’ll need to take some poetic license and borrow from one of his favorite phrases when he’s describing others...  

“Bro, this guy is a legend!”