Admittedly over the years I have found movies and shows set in the Wild West to be appealing; but as action oriented as these movies are, I’m thankful to instead have lived in an era of law and order. One of the appeals to this genre for me is the concept of a posse which is most commonly used when describing enforcement of the law but can also be defined as “a group of people who have a common characteristic, occupation, or purpose.” As a sport management professor, I see similarities between how we define a sport’s team and the definition for a posse but can also envision other groups who have a common purpose such as mission teams, families, neighborhoods, educational institutions, social groups, and professional organizations. Posse might not be the best term for all situations, but for me, it conjures images of unity, purpose, and support.

So, I pose the question above, “Who’s in your posse?” If you are a member of a sport’s team, are you unified with your teammates moving towards a shared goal? As a teammate are you supportive of each other and do you have each other’s back against opponents? Examine your role on your current team and would your teammates consider you a member of their posse?

Now that the concept of a posse has been established as a metaphor for being a participant in a sport’s team, let’s delve a little deeper to the relationships in your life that allow you to flourish as a person and a professional. My dream is for all of the people in my life, whether it’s a student, colleague, friend, relative, or neighbor, to thrive in their roles and relationships and one of the approaches for thriving in life is related to cultivating the relationships God has placed before us. As we will continue to examine in this blog with future postings, relationships matter.

As we journey through this life together, I will encourage us to consider carefully the opportunities God places before each and every one of us to have impactful relationships. I will challenge us to consider who we are allowing to influence our decisions and who would be wise choices to select for our posse. Future postings will cover topics related to selecting our posse such as the importance of mentors/advisors, understanding God’s design for community, navigating career and vocation options, as well as considering the various seasons of life and all the interesting facets those seasons bring. So, stay tuned and add your thoughts and comments below.

What descriptor do you prefer to name your posse? Squad, tribe, advisers, Personal Board of Directors, ‘ohana…?