Rules of the Red Rubber Ball

Last week in class, we discussed the issue of passion for your work. Specifically, could you be passionate about something that wasn't a 'non-profit' job that you were volunteering your tme for.

I came across the book "Rules of the Red Rubber Ball" by Kevin Carroll. One of my directors is very determined to spread this book to everyone in my function because he feels so strongly about its contents.

Essentially, the book is about finding your red rubber ball, that is, something you are so passionate about that you chase it until you get it. There is a back story about a boy who was saved by the red rubber ball when he was growing up. He felt lost as his parents had abandoned him and he was moved to a modest street in a wealthy suberb with his grandparents. It was here that he discovered the playground and the red rubber ball. With the red rubber ball was the gift of speed that allowed him to dissolve his low self-esteem and worries with his pride in his athletic ability. This escalated into the love of any and all sports. Those sports brought him a world of happiness and a world of opportunity. He joined the Air FOrce so he could play soccer and eventually became an athletic trainer for the NBA and NFL. Ultimately, his love of sports landed him in a leadership position in Nike where his main job was to inspire creativity and the love of the sport.

The main point of the book is that although his love of 'the red rubber ball' (i.e. sports) started as a childhood past-time, he was able to channel that passion to direct him through careers in life. This allowed him to always stay passionate about his job.

The questions he poses to the reader to find their red rubber ball are:
What would you do for free?
What activities enthrall you?
What in life do you find irresistible, a source of inspiration, a reason to get out of bed?
What dreams do you chase?
What is your primal source of joy?

Part of the challenge of the red rubber ball theory is not just identifying what that is, but also having the courage to pursue it. However, once you find it, the source of your play becomes your life's work so that no one can tell the difference.

As a leader, how can you help your employees seek out their red rubber ball in the workplace? Does it seem like that is enough, or in the end does it led to employee's leaving to puruse that red rubber ball in another company?

I think it is important as a leader to understand what motivates people and the underlying reasons behind them. If you can't connect with your employee's, turnover will happen frequently and consistently. However, is it possible to be a leader that supports everyone finding their red rubber ball while retaining employees?