Lean on them

 In the 2011 movie, Touchback (writer-director Don Handfield), there is a particular dialogue by the coach Hand, (played by Kurt Russell) that has stayed with me for years.  In the movie, there is a tough American football match on between a small town college team and a professional team.  All eyes are on Scott Murphy, the hero played by Brian Presley, who almost single-handedly fights the opponents to keep in the smaller team in the game. During break, the coach advises the star player: 

Don't forget, you have 10 other players.  You don't need to do it all by yourself. You didn't carry the team here, you led them.  They may not be the biggest or the best players, but they are farm boys.  Lean on them. They won't break!

This is the same advice I'd love to give to very many of our Salesians, especially those who tend to look down upon the lay people working WITH us in our institutions.  There are those who treat them as if they are servants, our servants!  We tend to forget that, far from being servants, we are working WITH them.  We are in it together.  We are not the bosses or the owners.  Nor are they our slaves.  

I too need to follow this advice.  Learn to delegate.  Trust.  Share responsibility.