Chances are you or someone you know dumped a bucket of ice water over your head this summer. I am also sure that six months ago you never would have believed you or your friends would even contemplate doing such a thing.
This phenomenon was made possible by one man who wanted to make a difference rather than watch from the sidelines. It also established what will be the gold standard for fundraising going forward. In the summer of 2014, Peter Frates created one of the most successful social media campaigns in history with the Ice Bucket Challenge in support of ALS research. To date, over $113 million has been donated to the ALS Society in support of finding a cure for this devastating illness. Mr. Frates was not a household name before this campaign. He was, however, someone who was impacted by this illness, and who was bold enough to put forward a new idea to help. He also had the philosophy that you have to try, you have to do something. Home runs only result from taking the bat off your shoulder.
Often times we see that our true leaders like Mr. Frates are not necessarily those with titles, rather it is someone who has an idea whose time has come, and who has the commitment and vision to see it through.
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani used a quote in a speech that has always resonated with me.
He said “Just as change is not a destination, hope is not a strategy.” To me this says that just thinking about how things could be better does not solve any problems, only actions bring solutions. Let’s all take up the challenge, and do what each of us can to help make our industry better.
For our racetracks why don’t we start with the challenge to create and stage one new event for 2015. No idea is off limits, focus on doing something outside the norm to attract new fans.
There are many excuses for not trying but many more reasons to do so. Our industry needs new ideas, and to change the mindset from have not to why not. The harness racing industry is full of talented creative folks, who are successes within and outside our industry. Lets harness that creativity and use our thoughts and energies to bring new people to our tracks.
Tracks offer unique stages, perhaps we should partner with local charities to present their events in a new venue. It might also be some other customer focused event that showcases our local food and culture.
In my opinion, one of the most overused phrases in our society, and in particular in our industry, is “They should”. To me, this indicates something should be done to address a particular issue, and someone else should do it.
In order to structure our industry for success, and position it to grow into the future, we must change our mindset from “They should ” to “We can .” We can all contribute in our own way.