Andy Resnik Contributing Writer
It’s not exactly a secret, but some of you are in on it and others aren’t. If you were at the July 29 “Outreach Training” in Long Beach, you will know what I mean. If you weren’t, here “it” is: “Teams always start with two.”
Yeah, kinda banal, pedestrian, obvious – unless you were there, in which case it’s rich and gleaming with contextual truths that enable men to create greater positive impact in their life and the lives of others.
A few truths from which to draw inspiration:
- Trust your innate ability to lead and team up. Be aware that you are on a team, in actions as ordinary as letting another driver into your lane or as unanticipated as coming to someone’s aid in an accident. Trusting your natural, everyday abilities allows you to step into the context of confidence, a quality that attracts and engages people.
- To enroll and engage another man, be his men’s team in those moments. In MDI,
Author of the training Matt Lyons, and one of the trainers Francisco Aldana. we ask what a man needs to be supported. We ask pertinent and profound questions and share authentically. You wouldn’t walk away from your men’s team without engaging in this level of care. How much greater can your relationships by bringing these practices and level of commitment to all parts of our lives?
- Remember that enrolling a man is not so much growing numbers, but rather giving meaning to another man’s life. Let the process take care of itself, and the interest will follow naturally.
If men who weren’t there are interested in getting the power of the training, they could connect with men who were there … and ask questions about:
- Defining what enrollment is.
- MDI men are walking / talking men’s teams.
- MDI men are experts at men’s teams. How many meetings and or hours of men’s teams’ education do you have?
- New context for enrollment.
- Teams of two – we have them multiple times everyday. Everything starts and started with a team of two.
- Power of enrollment: listening, supporting, taking a stand for men everywhere.
- Enrollment versus registration.
- Identifying the enemy, another take on the tapes, recordings, “monkeys in our heads” that create doubt and stop us from being recklessly idealistic.
So, are you in on it, or not? As trainer David Andersen pointed out, “All great accomplishments of civilization began as two-man teams; when one man shared an idea with another … enrollment starts as a two-man team.”
Footnote: The training was led, conducted, and produced by the following men:
Training Team
- Matt Lyons (Vice President of Outreach) – Western Region/Razor’s Edge/Stop The Bus And Let My Brother Jack Off
- Abe Moore (Southwest Regional Coordinator) – Legacy Kings/Arrowhead
- Todd Stauder (Regional XO) – Full Monty/Machete
- David Andersen (Southwest Regional Training Manager) – Full Monty/BAMF
- Robert Irwin (Southwest Regional Training Leader/Mentor) – Big Stick/Valhalla
- Francisco Aldana (Southwest Regional Outreach Manager) – Big Stick/Toltec
- Eric Louie (Trainer/Mentor) – San Diego/Zen Warriors
- Oscar Vidal (Outreach Manager) – Big Stick/Brave Hearts
- Darrell Gaul (Outreach Manager) – San Diego/Balls
- Julian Juarez (Outreach Manager) – Legacy Kings/Eastsiders
- Jonah Ragir (Outreach Manager) – Full Monty/Alchemists
Production Team
- Greg Maloney (Regional Event Manager) – Full Monty/Machete
- Andrew Amani (Production Team Manager) – Legacy Kings/Warrior Kings
- Douglas Freedman (Production Team Member) – Full Monty/Dark Horse
- Frankie George (Production Team Member) – Full Monty/PC3
- Antonio Sol – (Production Team Member) – Legacy Kings/Arrowhead
- Sam Schoemann – (Production Team Member) – Full Monty/Machete