REVIEW: Stu Crum and Douglas Glenn Clark — Aim for the Uprights (BOOK)
When I think about how to summarize Stu Crum and Douglas Glenn Clark’s new book, Aim for the Uprights, the following Dean Norris quote comes to mind. Simply put, “My dad’s era believed that there was something noble in being a good guy — the kind of guy that lived straight and narrow, told the truth, and stood up for what he believed was right.” That kind of sentiment is reflected throughout Crum’s read, complete with the book’s appropriate subtitle The Intentional Playbook for Success in Faith, Family, and Business.
“Every week I write an email to the diverse group of people I work with. I cannot know every challenge they may be facing. But I’m quite sure that my Stu Speak encouragements lift all ships in the harbor, because aiming high is universal. And when applied broadly, not just for career, the notion of taking the right aim naturally helps individuals live balanced, well-rounded lives in the face of mounting, impossible demands,” Crum writes at the beginning of the read. “…Embracing the aim for the uprights concept works for men and women from all walks of life and at every turn in the road because it demands that we aspire to our best intentions. Through it all, may this book be a reminder that success is not measured by our achievements but by the lives we touch.”
AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/Aim-Uprights-Stu-Crum/dp/096012490X
Crum’s sentiments on both a personal and professional level are a breath of fresh air. In an era where postmodernist leadership seems to excoriate anything remotely deemed ‘traditional’, Crum is expertly able to balance both worlds effortlessly. The result is something that feels like it genuinely speaks to a wide audience, that has facets and ideals that can appeal to everyone. Regarding business leadership, he has the following to say in aforementioned vein: “Amid all this analysis, someone might ask, what are they fishing for? How about emotional self-awareness, assertiveness, and independence, to name a few. And then there is stress tolerance — yup, be ready for some super stress in the upper echelons of leadership — as well as empathy and social responsibility, which I’d developed from the time I embraced the philosophy of servant leadership.”
He also writes: “Every conscious intention I have made in my life might beg the question, Can I do this? In fact, if I don’t have a moment of pause or an instance where I’ve got to suck it up, maybe the intention, in business anyway, isn’t daring or deep enough. Take a moment. Review the consequential decisions you have made. Were you intimidated, just a little? Did your stomach growl or mind roam to disastrous scenarios? If the only measurement is winning versus losing, we can expect anxiety and doubt to rise in us like a hot blaze. There is a remedy for abating the heat. Define your intentions. Even if you lose momentarily, staying true to the scope of your intentions will set you up for success later. Yet I confess, whenever I felt a tinge of worry, I would call upon a supportive and reliable coach: my past.”
Colin Jordan
