10A blue Ford Mustang pulled up at the end of my drive way on a Friday afternoon. Inside were four of the most popular High School kids from my 10th grade class – they were part of the jock Clique. They called me over, I figured they were lost and needed directions, and asked me if I wanted to hang out with them. That blew me away!
I was a shy, introverted loner and did not even know they knew my name. I said YES but could my friend come also (he was one of the very few people I hung around with)? They said no and that I needed to make a decision right now – go with them or hang out with one of my only friends.
I wish I could tell you that I chose my friend and was as loyal to him as he was to me but I did not. I chose popularity, prestige, and position over people. Even though I made new friends and had a great time with them through High School I have always been ashamed of that decision and wish I had the courage to do it right.
This is one of the reasons that I am always looking for ways to kill Cliques and create connections. Cliques are just as much of a problem outside of High School as they are inside. They have invaded churches, work places, boards, committees and Cities! We might have different names for them but they are still Cliques.
Cliques are formed based on a number of reasons: skin color, language, financial, geography, hobbies, education and a hundred other factors. At the heart of every Clique is PRIDE and this will always divide people into small groups based on outward factors.
Pride is the root of all the other dangerous P words: Popularity, Position, Prestige, Power, and Promotion. None of these words are bad in and of themselves. They become bad based on our motives, like mine when I chose Popularity over Passion.
Passion is the ultimate Clique Killer. When we lead with Passion we esteem others above ourselves, it is the opposite of Pride.
Let’s follow our Passion at work, church, in board meetings and City functions and learn to connect with everyone regardless of our differences. Passion allows you to express your Vision and not your Opinion.
(When your opinions more important than your vision you desire Competition (Clique Creator), but when your vision is more important than your opinions you desire collaboration).
Find Your Passion and You Will Find Your Life!