Survivor Insights: Pt Two

Continuing to reflect on Survivor, South Pacific (Season 23 of the reality TV series), I would like to highlight three more players of the game. These three individuals capture some of the essence of the leadership qualities demonstrated throughout the show. This post will explore the winner (Sophie) and two people that many fans might classify as the biggest losers in the game: Cochran and Brandon. I would not share their conclusions. The qualities of the leader are often seen in the eyes of the beholder.

Sophie Clarke (age 22) from Willsboro, NY was the ultimate winner of the million dollar prize. Sophie is a medical student and she played a very strategic game. She aligned herself with Coach and four others on day one of the show. This alliance of five made it all the way to the end. Once there were five and they had to begin voting one another out, she positioned herself well and took advantage of the weaknesses of others. With a little help from Brandon (see below) and her ability to win the last immunity challenge she found herself sitting as one of the last three players. Sophie was intelligent but opinionated; she was introverted but conceited; she spurned the prayers of other players but kept her criticism silent. In many ways she hid behind the visible leadership of Coach and the verbal plans of Albert (other in the alliance of five). She played well behind the scenes and ended up with a great deal of influence at the end. Her conceit and “brat-like” nature almost lost the game for her, but the jury preferred her strategy (despite her selfishness) over Coach’s dishonor.

Lessons from Sophie: 1. Be careful what you say and recognize a need for true humility; 2.You can be a person of great influence without being the visible leader or the mouthpiece for the organization; 3. Although you might win an earthly prize, it does not always reveal the inner character.

Another interesting player was Cochran. John Cochran (age 24) lives in Washington D.C. and is a student at Harvard Law School. Cochran was a self-proclaim expert of the game of Survivor. He had studied the game and knew the details of all 22 previous seasons. He was intelligent and verbally articulate, but his lack of self-confidence and social skills, hurt his game drastically. He came across as a geek (because he was) and failed to gain the respect of the other members of the tribe. His original tribe continually put Cochran down and began early to include his name at tribal council votes. He managed to survivor each council as other tribe members received more votes, but he was seen as a weak link (and criticized to his face). He survived to the merger of the two tribes into one. He then flipped his alliance to the other tribe and voted out one of his original tribe members. This was seen as an act of treason by his old tribe, but Cochran’s original team was slowly eliminated on member at a time – all because they failed to treat Cochran with respect and kindness. Cochran did not win Survivor, but he may have influenced the results of the game more than any player on the island. Cochran’s decision to switch tribes may not have been the wisest one, but I understand it completely.

Lessons from Cochran: 1. Research without experience may lead to misconceptions and blind-spots; 2. Treat all people with respect and honor – team success needs every member of the team; 3.The heart and courage of a leader is not always seen on the surface.

Finally there is Brandon - Brandon Hantz (19 years old) resides in Katy, Texas. He is an Oil Tanker crewman and the nephew of one of the biggest villains in Survivor history (Russell Hantz). When asked why he wanted to play the game he responded that he wanted to show everyone there is more than one side to the Hantz family (other than being mean). Brandon openly proclaimed his Christian faith and his desire to live a righteous life. However, Brandon also made some foolish and impulsive decisions. His religious beliefs did not seem to match his actions from time to time. It was easy to see that Brandon struggled between his commitment to righteousness and his sinful nature. He truly desired to play an honest game, but sometimes shared that honesty in brutal, tactless ways. His words often alienated him from other tribe members who began to doubt his ability to keep confidential information. Brandon won an immunity challenge that would have thrust him into the final five. He confronted Albert about some of Albert’s lies – the rest of the tribe was ready to vote Albert out of the game. Albert came to Brandon and sought his forgiveness for the deception. Brandon not only forgave Albert but he gave Albert his immunity at the tribe council. Without immunity it was Brandon that was voted out by the tribe. This was a stupid move from a game’s perspective, but I think Brandon really won the game of integrity. His Christianity shone brightly at that moment and he left the game with true honor. At the final show (live in Hollywood), Brandon shared that most of his family was disappointed in how he played the game including his dad and Uncle Russell. How sad, because, in my book, Brandon was the true winner of character (not Sophie) and demonstrated a testimony of faith (not Coach).

Lessons from Brandon: 1. Stand up for truth, but speak the truth in love; 2. Tact and confidentiality can exist within a lifestyle of integrity; 3. Winning the battles deep within one’s spirit are far more important than temporal, earthly rewards.

Survivor Insights: Part 1

I really enjoy watching the reality show, Survivor, on Wednesday evenings. I like it so much because of the personal interactions between contestants and the leadership (or lack thereof) displayed within the tribal context. For those who may have not seen the show, the first episode introduces the players as each belongs to one of two tribes. The two tribes compete against one another and the losing tribe is forced to vote out one of its members. Once the tribes are reduced to a suitable number, the two groups are united into one tribe and the competition for immunity becomes an individual challenge. After each immunity challenge, one member is eliminated with every member vulnerable except the winner of the challenge. When the contestants diminish to 12, each player voted out then becomes a member of the jury. The final three castaways appear before the jury of nine and the jury then votes to determine the winner – the sole survivor.

This past season was filled with interesting twists and bonehead decisions. It was also filled (as usual) with lots of deception, lies, and dishonesty. This was season 23 and over the history of the game, it has become the strategy of players to make alliances with other players, but those alliances are tested and challenged through a variety of situations. Most contestants end up breaking alliances and voting out someone who trusts them and relies upon their loyalty. Survivor is a game – but it is a difficult game of decision making and compromising situations. To play it with integrity and honesty is not that difficult, but to play and win it with integrity and honesty has proven very difficult indeed.

I am not recommending this show as family entertainment or even a series for Christian adults. But if you like to study human nature and observe decision making in progress, then Survivor is an interesting show to view. This season there are several individuals from whom I learned a great deal. Let me share five quick insights (two in this post and three in the next – Survivor Insights: Part 2).

First there is Coach – Benjamin “Coach” Wade (39 years old). Coach current lives in Susanville, California and this was the third season of Survivor for this man of idiosyncrasies. During the first two seasons, Coach came across as a radical (maybe even unbalanced) individual calling himself the “Dragon Slayer” and presenting himself as a mystical philosopher. This season, he played the game as a more gentle leader of the tribe. Off the Survivor Island, coach is involved in athletics and music at a college level. As a contestant, honor and integrity became his motto but a failure to consistently demonstrate that integrity ultimately lost him the game. He played a game of excellent strategy but, in my opinion he presented himself too visibly as the leader of the tribe in front of the jury. He was loyal to his original alliance of five, but made some promises to two players, Cochron (to be highlighted during the next post) and Etna that he was unable to keep making him look rather dishonorable. He also made a promise to Ozzy(see below) and gave his word to him , “as a Christian man” on which Coach later turned his back.

Lessons from Coach: 1.Never give your word and your promise if you are unsure about its validity and your ability to keep it; 2. Providing friendship and a spirit of unity to a group produces strong alliances and deep loyalty; 3. Experience can bring great wisdom to life if one learns lessons from the past.

A second player is Ozzy – Oscar Lusth (30 years old). Ozzy was a returning player as well, having experienced two previous seasons. Ozzy lives in Venice, Calif. He is one of the most physical players in Survivor history, excelling in physical challenges and providing food for the tribe through spear-fishing and climbing coconut trees. Lusth currently works as a freelance photographer and writer. Part of this season of Survivor involved Redemption Island where a player, once voted out was exiled to solitude and competed one-on-one to stay in the game with other voted-out tribe members. Eventually the winner of Redemption Island reentered the game. Ozzy was ideal for this role because of his physical abilities. After the merger of the two tribes, Ozzy was voted out of the unified tribe and sent to Redemption Island because of the leadership he provided for the minority group, thus was seen as the underdog and martyr, a role he played quite well for the second half of the season. Ozzy was fantastic in challenges and consistently defeated the other cast-offs. He reentered the game with only a handful of contestants left. He needed to win two immunity challenges in a row to make it to the final three. He won the first with relative ease. He had a huge lead in the second challenge, but lost by failing to complete a complex puzzle. This loss resulted in his elimination in the game and a seat on the jury. Had Ozzy won the second challenge, he would have won the game. Even though he did not win the million dollars as Sole Survivor, he was awarded $100,000 for receiving the most online votes by the fans for the Player of the Season.

Lessons from Ozzy: 1. Total reliance upon one’s own abilities often lead to defeat; 2. Being seen as a threat to the stability of a group, no matter how powerful you think you are, can lead to leadership disaster; 3. Diligence and determination in the face of failure can ultimately lead to success and great accomplishments.

Book Review: Nurturing the Leader Within Your Child - T.Elmore

I took 19 pages of notes as I read through Elmore’s book (2001) on nurturing leadership skills in children but let me highlight a few thoughts. This book is filled with illustrative examples of young leaders accomplishing significant achievements in their lives. The pages of this text provide parents substantial ideas and suggestions for developing and instilling leadership in their children. Here is a quick run through of the content with hopefully enough salt to make you thirsty for a deeper read.

Elmore introduces much of his perspective of leadership development through a look at culture and how we “fit” into the times in which we live. He presents three basic views of culture: 1. Isolation: culture is evil and must be avoided. 2. Saturation: culture is everything and we must blend with it. 3. Interpretation: culture is useful and must be employed to communicate values and truth to the younger generation. He concludes that we must engage the culture, explore the culture (learn from it) and employ the culture to explain truth.
Practical ideas and suggestions is a major focus within Elmore’s writings. He suggests seven ways for parents to stay relevant and four roles a parent must fill in helping their child navigate through the pitfalls and potholes of our culture. A parent must learn to be a Host, a Doctor, a Counselor, and a Tour Guide for his/her child. I love the following story taken from the section on becoming a Counselor,

“Katie (7 yrs old) asked her dad if she could play with her friend next door. Dad replied it would be fine as long as she was home by 6:00 pm. Unfortunately, Katie was not home by 6:00 pm. Dad grew a little upset when he had to call and ask that Katie be sent home. When she got home a half-hour late, her dad said, ‘Didn’t you hear me tell you to come home by 6:00?’
‘Yes’, she replied, ‘but my friend’s doll broke.’
Her dad mellowed a bit, ‘Oh, I see. And you stayed to help her fix it?’
‘No’, Katie whispered. ‘I stayed to help her cry.’” (p. 51-52)

Elmore then spends some time defining leadership in terms of a formula: Character + Perspective + Courage + Favor = Healthy Effective Leadership. He explains the formula in detail using the following basic concepts: 1. Character – enables a leader to do what is right, even when it is difficult. 2. Perspective – enables a leader to see and understand what must happen to reach a goal. Anyone can possess character. Leaders, however, think differently than followers do. Leaders see before others do and see beyond what others do. 3. Courage – enables the leader to initiate a plan and to risk stepping out toward the goal. 4. Favor - enables the leader to attract and empower others to join them in the cause. After exploring each element of his formula, the author provides some steps the child can take to develop his/her leadership skills.

The book delineates five Myths about leadership, five skills that leaders should possess, six goals for young leaders, and six stages of leadership development. The book closes with a summary of leadership development by looking at the concept of crossing the seven seas (C’s) of leadership: character, compassion, courage, competency, convictions, commitment, and charisma.
This book is filled with understandable leadership theory and practical ideas for families – a recommended read for parents of younger children and educators desiring to instill leadership qualities in their children/students.


Elmore, T. 2001. Nurturing the leader within your child. Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

How Do You Help a Child Discover a Vision?

Young students need to discover what God is calling them to do. Sometimes the calling involves their lives right now. For others the vision might need nurturing, training, or more education. As I have done some reading recently, I have been impressed with a number of young people who have made a significant change in the world around them.

Consider Josiah - a boy of 8 years-old who became king of Israel. By the time he was a young teenager, Josiah had brought significant moral, social, spiritual, and ethical reforms to his country (2 Kings 22-23).

Or Joan of Arc, who as a teen, led 3000 French knights to victory.

Or Trevor Ferrill who was 11 years old in 1983. As a typical pre-teen, he was doing his homework in front of the TV. A documentary came on the tube about the homeless in his hometown of Philadelphia, PA. Trevor was moved emotionally and deeply motivated to help these people who were without a place to stay and without food to eat. With the help of his folks, Trevor delivered a blanket and a sack lunch to a homeless person in the inner city of Philadelphia (the city of Brotherly Love). But this one time delivery was not enough for Trevor and soon this because an adventure that included his whole family. Trevor, his parents, his brother and two sisters were making nightly trips to downtown Philadelphia. Church groups and other service organizations heard about this ministry and started to support the outreach - before long, over 100 homeless people were impacted every night. Vans were donated; volunteers joined them in the streets. In less than two years, "Trevor's Campaign" became a million dollar, non-profit organization including 100 volunteers and a formal board of directors. A homeless shelter (Trevor's Place) was established; a book, Trevor's Place: The Story of the Boy Who Brings Hope to the Homeless, was published; even a made for TV movie, Christmas on Division Street, was aired in 1991 (read more at http://archives.citypaper.net/articles/2003-12-04/cb2.shtm).

Reading about the lives of John Wesley, Mozart, and Bill Gates will continue to demonstrate the leadership potential of young people. Each with a vision and the passion to turn that vision into reality. So how do we help children develop vision? How can we help develop leadership skills in the hearts of the next generation.

T. Elmore (2001) makes numerous suggestions in developing leadership qualities in children. Five of them impressed me as I read about this area of helping children formulate a vision for their lives.

First, help them identify a burden or a problem that grabs their heart. Watch the news; read the newspaper; reflect on current events - explore the issues that they see around them. Then encourage them to make a list about what can be done to solve one of the problems. Developing an awareness of need and cultivating a heart of compassion can sensitize one's spirit to service. Delineating a possible solution, not only builds solid decision making analysis, but also drives home the element of personal responsibility.

Second, encourage children to read and listen to positive books, CDs, DVDs, podcasts, and websites. Provide for them a rich diet of big ideas from great people. Help them to dream by exposing them to dreamers - inventors, explorers, authors, and pioneers.

Third, exhort them to write out their dreams. Have them think about the answers to challenging questions. What is there about the world that they would like to change? What needs to be different in their family.... in their school.... in their community? What would they try, if they had no fear of failure? If they had spare time, how would they like to spend it? What activities and interests spark their imagination? How can they use their talents to help others? As a parent, be sensitive to look for areas that might hold a vision for them.

Fourth, interview visionary leaders. Develop a list of questions and then sit down with several creative, effective leaders. Record the interviews and then listen for common threads and insights. Ask the leaders about their passions. Ask them to describe their vision and how they discovered it. Ask them if they might define leadership in terms of a metaphor or picture (like a brick layer, or a planter of trees, or a compass pointing true north). Ask them to share three major goals they are working on right now. Creativity develop some questions that the child would like to ask these leaders.

Fifth, find a visual reminder of the child's goals/vision. Post pictures, photos, quotes, and scriptures that will remind them of what they can do if they follow their dream. These visual reminders can be a great source of motivation and inspiration. Keeping the dream in front of a child can encourage the heart and develop diligence and determination. As an adult learner involved in a formal degree program, I found many ways to focus my path - one of those was a quote from Peter Senge (1999), "The Journey is the Reward". I love this idea of focusing on the process more than the destination. If each step along the path is enjoyed to the fullest and every experience is embraced as a meaningful point of growth/development, then the trip is the treasure and the final destination is only the culmination of the adventure. This idea really helped me focus on my academic journey to the place that the experience became the goal... more than grades or a diploma... although the diploma was sure a nice result. I put this quote on my laptop as a screen saver. (Thanks, Peter for the inspiration! And thanks Tim, for such great insights into vision casting for young minds! - although I don't think either of you will ever read this blog).

Elmore, T. (2001). Nurturing the leader within your child: What every parent needs to know. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.

Sengue, P. M. (1990). The fifth discipline The art and practice of the learning organization. New York: Doubleday