Who is your ‘Norman?’

Today I want to share about the people who inspire and encourage us on our journey in life. Meet Norman.

Norman was a Business leader who truly inspired me soon after I joined his team. Two of us joined on the same day and shortly afterwards, we were invited to a team event in a lovely hotel.

The atmosphere was exciting and daunting at the same time. There was a buzz as people got drinks and mingled together, chatting, laughing and just catching up with colleagues. I was excited to be surrounded by people who enjoyed being part of the team.

Norman got to his part of the evening and went through a PowerPoint presentation that centred around a house that was being built.

As he spoke about the different teams and the work they did, a part of the house would be constructed.

This went on until the roof and chimney were added but there were still two square holes in the roof at the end of the completed structure.

Norman went on to say that the team was not complete and the structure was still compromised with the gaps in the roof.

He pressed his clicker and a brick with my name on it slotted into one hole and my colleague’s brick slotted into the final hole. Now the structure was complete and sound.

In that moment, Norman made me feel welcome, valued, appreciated and I felt like my role on the team was significant. I was determined to add value to the team and do the best work possible.

This was a defining moment for my loyalty to my leader, the team and the work we did. I believed in the team.

This wasn’t a one-off for Norman. Over the years, I saw that he was genuinely interested in his people, he knew what we were working on and he would often stop by to see how we were doing.

Norman succeeded in building a team that operated more as a family than as mere colleagues.

This was demonstrated by willingness of everyone to muck in and get the job done. The atmosphere was collaborative, supportive and people truly cared for each other’s well-being.

We have been given a gift in the people around us and we can all be a gift to others. It doesn’t cost much to be an encourager, helper and inspirer of others.

We have to be wiling to prefer others, lay down our own preferences and conveniences for the sake of others.

We are created for relationship, first and foremost with our Creator and then with others around us. Growing up, I was constantly reminded to do to others what I would like done to me.

As I have gone through life, I constantly put myself in the shoes of others to make sure I am treating them fairly and speaking up against anything that I wouldn’t like done to me.

Part of who I am today is because of those who spoke into my destiny, taught me how to be all I was created to be, and challenged me when I was about to settle for less than possible.

My desire is to be for people what others have been for me – the person that calls people up into their true identity.

Your identity is not what your circumstances or people say you are. Your true identity can only be seen through the Creator’s eyes – YOU ARE LOVED AND NEEDED.  

As I conclude this post, I want to say thank you to the ‘Normans’ in our world. We can learn from them all and we can be a ‘Norman’ to someone else.

Have you got a ‘Norman’ in your life? If so, I would be keen to hear about them.

Thanks for reading and sharing my post with others. Have a great week.