LIFE ABOVE THE LINE
In the summer of 2018, I read a copy of Above the Line, Urban Meyer's book that chronicled his football coaching career and his 2014 National Championship season at Ohio State. I found myself deeply fascinated, not by Urban Meyer or the story of that winning season, but by the leadership and performance principles shared in the book by the man Meyer called his team’s culture consultant, a man named Tim Kight.
As the founder and CEO of Focus3, Tim taught with a clarity and a conviction that immediately made me want to be better - to live what he called Above the Line. That concept, which became the title of Urban Meyer’s book, was a Tim Kight teaching point. “Winning behavior,” it reads in the book, “is intentional, on purpose, and skillful. It is Above the Line. But it’s easier to be impulsive, on autopilot, and resistant. This is Below the Line…Every day is a battle for whether we choose to live Above the Line or Below the Line. The choice we make determines how we treat the people we love, how we interact with colleagues at work, how we do our job, how we learn and grow, how we deal with adversity and disappointment, and ultimately what we achieve.”
Tim's teaching was challenging and encouraging. A man of deep faith, his “A Call to Excellence” newsletter taught on biblical principles in the modern world, and continually spoke truth in that important area of my life. By early 2020, when I saw he was scheduled to speak at a coaches clinic in Cincinnati, I was a full-on Tim Kight fanboy. I took the day off work, drove the two hours to the clinic, sat in the front row and scribbled notes relentlessly as Tim taught on culture and leadership. It was awesome. I introduced myself after and thanked him for his positive impact on me.
Soon after that, Tim announced that he’d been diagnosed with cancer. He continued to work and teach, and our paths continued to cross after that first meeting in Cincinnati. We’d communicate off and on about newsletter content. He joined me for a podcast interview late in 2021, and we even talked briefly about me joining his team a year later. You know how sometimes getting to know someone you’ve admired from afar reveals that they’re not as worthy of that admiration as you thought? With Tim, it was just the opposite. The more I got to know him, the more impressive he became.
That’s because I found that what he taught was in alignment with what he lived. His most popular and most powerful performance principle is E + R = O. It stands for "Event + Response = Outcome." In any area of life, he emphasized, we don’t get to control what happens to us, but we do get to control our response to it. Developing our ability to respond well - our "R-factor," as he called it - has a profound effect on the outcome we create. E + R = O is all about training our mindset in the midst of our challenging moments, and focusing our attention on the things we can control. It’s about empowering ourselves to take ownership of our experience, and recognizing the impact our choices have on those around us. (Good or bad, our “R” serves as an “E” for others.)
As Tim’s battle with cancer continued, his commitment to E + R = O remained steadfast. I messaged him occasionally to check in, and his responses never wavered. “Your prayers are appreciated and needed for the journey ahead,” one such response read. “It is comforting and empowering to know that we serve a Savior who defeated death on our behalf. His grace is sufficient…and I still have much work to do. I’m ready for the battle!” Another of his messages read, “Doing OK. Had round 4 of chemo today, and while the side effects are not pleasant, I take them as simply part of the process. Trust God. Do the work. Invest the time. Solve the problems.” His “R” to cancer routinely served as a powerful and inspiring “E” for me.
Last weekend, Tim’s family announced that he passed away after his four year fight with cancer. I wanted to share my gratitude for the interactions I had with him, and for his commitment to using his influence for good - in my life and in the lives of so many others. I also wanted to encourage you to keep learning from him, just as I will moving forward. Focus3 has announced that his weekly newsletter will continue to be released using archives of his writing. If you’re interested, you can subscribe here. You can also access videos of some of his most popular content on the Focus3 YouTube channel. I have no doubt his work will challenge and encourage you, like it has me. He was a great teacher and an even better man man who did what each of us should strive to do each day - to live life above the line.