Trip Durham on the Fast Leader Show

Trip Durham Show Notes

Trip Durham woke up one morning knowing he was going to receive two job offers. He knew that two recent interviews went very well and that he was going to have to make a choice. But for Trip, he decided to make the choice an easy one. He did get two job offers that day and what he did was shocking. Listen to Trip tell his story about how he decided to move onward and upward faster.

Trip was introduced to this planet in the maternity ward of the now defunct Alamance County Hospital in Burlington, North Carolina. He was birthed in Sports Administration by serving as a club house manager for the Burlington Indians, the (then) rookie league team for the Cleveland Indians.

Trip has been a working, full time professional since January of 1991. He started as a teaching assistant for LD and BEH students at an area high school in Alamance County, North Carolina. In June of that year, he was fired due to staff reductions.

He spent that summer typing 162 letters to 162 minor league franchises, hoping that his summers spent with the Burlington Indians and his degree in English would give him an edge. 100 flush letters came back, complemented by four letters of interest.

The Winston-Salem Spirits hired him in October of 1991 and he served faithfully for three seasons. Then he was fired due to change in ownership. After stringing together some part-time work, he was hired by Elon (then) College in May of 1995 to start a marketing department as the school was moving from NCAA Division II to NCAA Division I. After fourteen years of faithful service, he was fired due to changes in leadership.

In May of 2010, he was tired of being fired and opened up his own college athletics consulting agency. He hasn’t been fired since.

Trip has rebounded – leveraging his resume and the experiences. Each time he was fired, someone gave him an opportunity. While everything happens for a reason, nothing happens without the help of another. Positive association is the motto by which Trip lives – personally and professionally.

He makes it through his days, his projects, his time collaborating with others by using humor, empathy, flexibility and energy.

His professional hobby is public address announcing and he is currently in his sixth season as the announcer at Cameron Indoor Stadium; home of the Duke University basketball team.

Trip started announcing in high school, in tenth grade, when fellow Bulldog alum Jim Rembach (Fast Leader Show Host) was just a pup.

He is married to the former Caroline Hearn of Winston-Salem. They’ve shared travel adventures for 21 years, a stretch that has yielded zero kids – by design (the kids part, not the marriage part he is floored she has stayed with him this long).

When he is finally asked to leave this planet, he hopes to leave behind his ethics – both spiritually and in memory.

Tweetable Quotes and Mentions

Listen to @2DConsultingLLC and get over the hump on the @FastLeaderShow Click to Tweet

“If you’re resolved to do something…grab it with gusto.” -Trip Durham Click to Tweet

“You have to be able to have a portfolio of experience or people you know.” -Trip Durham Click to Tweet

“You really don’t get anywhere unless somebody else helps you to get there.” -Trip Durham Click to Tweet

“The network and the experiences, you’ve got to have it.” -Trip Durham Click to Tweet

“If I can help you reach your goals…that’s the way I reach my goals.” -Trip Durham Click to Tweet

“There’s only one of me…capacity is holding me back.” -Trip Durham Click to Tweet

“You need to pay attention and value every hand shake.” -Trip Durham Click to Tweet

“Make sure that they know…they bring value to the table.” -Trip Durham Click to Tweet

“It’s pretty easy, it’s all on how you approach it.” -Trip Durham Click to Tweet

Hump to Get Over

Advice for others

If you’re resolved to do something…grab it with gusto.

Holding him back from being an even better leader

Capacity. There’s only one of me.

Best Leadership Advice Received

You may not know who I am but people know who you are.

Secret to Success

Being calm and being considerate, all under fire. No pressure.

Best tools that helps in business or Life

Being able to give people the opportunity to share their voice and share their ideas and being present.

Contacting Trip

Website: http://2dconsultingllc.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tripdurham

Twitter: https://twitter.com/2dconsultingllc

Resources

54 Emotional Intelligence (EQ) Competencies List: Emotional Intelligence has proven to be the right kind of intelligence to have if you want to move onward and upward faster. Get your free list today.

Show Transcript:

[expand title=”Click to access edited transcript”]

059: Trip Durham: You’re not going to have two birds in a bush

Intro: Welcome to the Fast Leader Podcast, where we uncover the leadership like hat that help you to experience, break out performance faster and rocket to success. And now here’s your host, customer and employee engagement expert and certified emotional intelligent practitioner, Jim Rembach.

Whether in the office or on the road work with your community or coach to practice great behavior and produce great organization results. Capture real time behavior practice from competency based development plans and invite feedback in an elegant and simple application. Take top performance mobile by going to www.resultpal.com/fast and getting a $7,500 performance package for free.

Jim Rembach: Okay Fast Leader Legion, I am so excited to have the guest that I have on the show today because I’ve known him for a very long time even though we haven’t necessarily been connected all the time. He’s somebody who provides an important connection to my past as a former high school colleague. Chip Durham was introduced to this planet in the maternity ward of the now defunct Alamance County Hospital, that’s not why it’s defunct, but he was birthed in sports administration by serving as the clubhouse manager for the Burlington Indians, the then rookie league team for the Cleveland Indians. Trip has been a working full-time professionals since January of 1991. He started as a teaching assistant for LD & BEH students. In June of that year he was fired due to staff reductions. He spent that summer typing 162 letters to a 162 minor league baseball franchises hoping that his summer spent with the Burlington Indians and his degree in English would give him an edge. A 100+ letters came back complemented by four letters of interest. The Winston-Salem Spirits hired him on October of 1991 and he served faithfully for three seasons then he was fired due to a change in ownership.

After stringing together some part-time work he was hired by Elon, then, College in May of 1995 to start a marketing department as the school was moving from NCAA Division II NCAA Division I. After 14 years of faithful service he was fired due to change in leadership. In May of 2010, he was of being fired, he opened up his own college athletics consulting agency. He hasn’t been fired since. Trip has rebounded leveraging his resume and his experiences each time he’s fired someone gave him an opportunity.

While everything happens for a reason nothing happens without the help of another. Positive association is the model by which Trips lives personally and professionally. He makes it through his days, his projects, his time collaborating with others by using humor, empathy, flexibility and energy. His professional hobby is public address announcing and he is currently in the 60’s and is the announcer at Cameron Indoor Stadium, the home of the famous Duke University Blue Devils. He is married to the former Caroline Hearn of Winston-Salem. Trip Durham are you ready to help us get over the hump?

Trip Durham: Well, Jim now that you pointed out to the world that I’ve been fired three times, sure why not? I’m laced up, I’m strapped and let’s go.

Jim Rembach: You’re already thick skin, right? Okay, so I’ve given our listeners a little bit about you but can you tell us what your current passion is so that we can get to know you even better?

Trip Durham: The passion is the industry that I work in which is sports administration specifically college athletics. Every day since the early part of my college career in the early or the late 1980’s I’d always wanted to work in college administration. And having done so at Elon for a good number of years. Having worked in minor-league baseball, I feel like I’m in the right spot. Every day I wake up and I’m like, I get to be a part of an academic year between August and May that is full of all kinds of stories, all kinds of great people, great settings in this planet, so for me to be able to wake up and get to go do it, I think that’s passion with a capital P and probably capital SS in the middle as well.

Jim Rembach: Now I tell you that—thanks for sharing that—just listening to you and just knowing even when we we’re young kids your devotion, commitment to sports and how it was really a serving component, that for me stands out now that I reflect on that. You’re one of those kids that didn’t necessarily need to have the spotlight on you, you were really focused in on helping others received the spotlight and I really admire that in you and that’s one of the reasons why I want to have you on the show.

Trip Durham: I don’t know that I ever would have framed it that way but now that you said it out loud, I’ve got a bit of a cold chill running through me. You’re probably right, I know that I’ve always wanted to be one of the smallest guys in the room although what I do as my professional hobby with public address makes me want to allow this guys in the room. I’ve always wanted to be behind-the-scenes, propping up others, not that I’ve got that type of humanitarian fiber in me but I guess it’s just what I do naturally. When you think about what I do professionally it all does sort of marry up really well. In the first five or six minutes you’ve highlighted something for me that I hadn’t even thought about.

Jim Rembach: I wanted to share that with you because I think one of the reasons that the Fast Leader show has been created and has the guest on that it has on, is to really highlight the fact that in order for us to move onward and upward faster within our personal and professional lives it’s to be able to make these connections with others so that collectively, synergistically we can all kind of raise all ships so we can all move onward and upward faster.

Trip Durham: That’s fair too and I’m not going to start playing myself up here but to your point about lifting other people up probably the best way that you can create that synergy is to know that you’re going at it with the idea that you’re going to help someone along as opposed to bring your ego into it and try to stifle the entire process of not only as fast leader on a great track or highlighting all that stuff. I think this conversation alone in the first couple minutes is tracking the right way.

Jim Rembach: Thank you for being part of the part of the Legion now and hopefully going forward. You’re one of those folks that also I know can just rattle off of course statistic from athletics but you can also rattle off all kinds of different snippets, pieces of information and quotes which is something that’s important to us on the Fast Leader show. And they’re ones that make us start into deep thought and of course make us laugh, but is quote or two that stands out for you that gives you some energy?

Trip Durham: That’s pretty good, honest on the spot question. I don’t know that there’s one that comes to mind. I used to use—it was a standard, and don’t tell anybody that I’m telling you this. When it was my time to give a toast to a wedding reception, I would always use the closing lines from Robert Frost in The Road Less Traveled. The idea that two roads diverse in the wood and I took the one less traveled and that has made all the difference. I used to frame that with the people that was toasting, “Hey, me meeting you that made all the difference.” But I guess in my journey being able to look at the opportunities that are a bit different than the standard opportunity or the one that everybody said we have to follow this. The one that is less trodden sometime is obviously the more adventurous one it can be the most scary. As I think back of all my days professionally, maybe even personally, I’m probably that guy that has walked a bit of a different path and to quote Frost that has made all the difference for me. I don’t know if other people look it paths the same way but in my world that’s the way it’s done.

Jim Rembach: And unfortunately I haven’t had the opportunity to stay as connected with you over the years as I have and hopefully that’ll change with the show and going forward because I definitely look forward to that and learning more about those times where you’ve taken that unique path. You’re right, those are the things that really cause as to differentiation in life. And with that too we also find humps because that path, going down that path is not smooth. It can be quite rickety, and rigid and painful and something that we have to hack through. Can you think of a time when you’ve had to get over a hump because of maybe taken a unique path and maybe it such a better direction or clear the way, can you share it with us?

Trip Durham: It’s a different way to spin your question. In the late summer of 1991, I was waking up one morning knowing that I had two successful interviews behind me. One in sports administration with the aforementioned Winston-Salem baseball club and then also with the school system down in the eastern part of North Carolina, I was a English major in college so I thought that I just needed to run down all the way out and just be a teacher full time. So, I woke up one morning knowing that both of them were going to call that day, it was just a feel in my gut that both were going to call, I thought that both were going to offer me the job and I resigned myself that morning to whoever calls first I’m going to take that job. And so sure enough about 10:30 10:45 that morning the Winston-Salem ball club called, offered me the job and I said I will take it. I had said you’re not going to have to birds in the bush and try to think that there’s something better out, take what’s given to you.

About 45 minutes to an hour later the school system call and they offered me the job and I had to say, “Look, I’ve already taken the other position.” I don’t know that it’s a hump but I knew that there’s going to be some type of hill that I had climb that day and it was sticking to my guns and saying that this is the job I’m going to take whoever calls first. And I wonder Jim if you and I are even having this conversation today if the school system had called first. What type of path will I be on not trying to be the tall path analogy? But where would I be right now? I certainly wouldn’t have the opportunity that I’ve had with public address, with working with various campuses over the years, the travel that I’ve had, schoolteachers don’t travel a whole lot. The lifestyle that I have is partly due not only because they call first, I told myself I’m going to take the job of whoever calls first. So, I guess I’m a little prideful that I’ve stuck to it yet being that young back then and maybe there’s a lesson in there that if you resolved to do something and if to appoint you need to resign yourself to it, well then, grab it with just going and go do it.

Jim Rembach: Wow! I don’t know if I could’ve done that. Of course talking to so many people around the whole regret component especially when you start referring to the fact that you’re not still with Winston-Salem ball club.

Trip Durham: Cause they fired me, I think you mentioned that in the intro. Didn’t you?

Jim Rembach: I think once or twice, right?

Trip Durham: Once or twice.

Jim Rembach: I don’t know if there’s a really soft way of saying this but we know that there’s not a whole lot of high income in minor league baseball or in teaching so I don’t know if it was the situation of looking at prosperity from an income perspective is really decision. But when you start talking about making that decision and sticking to it, what would you say was the most difficult hump to get over to show up at Winston-Salem ball club?

Trip Durham: The idea of that at that time you could count on the North Carolina State system to take care of their teachers and retirement, full benefit knowing at your bested to the hilt. My mother’s a retired English teacher, I’m not saying that she was in my head saying that you need to look at the financial aspect 30 years down the road but in ‘91 I was 25 or so 24, to know that in 30 years I could be bested and have full retirement, that was big. Or I could go to the Winston-Salem minor league club and make $18,000 a year and figure out who I’m going to live with or how I’m going to make ends meet but again it goes back again to passion too Jim. I’ve known sports for a really long time. You’re first basement in high school, I remember washing all of your uniforms and obviously there’s something about the process of being involved that made me want to involved so $18,000 be damn or state pension be damned I’m going to go into sports. I guess the challenge of the financial was it but passion of what I like in sports probably overwrote it.

Jim Rembach: It’s funny that you say that, and thanks for sharing that, because I was just having this conversation the other day where somebody was in a startup company and they were talking about not being able to get attention of others and use it as a means by which they can grow their business, advisory-type, volunteer-type, even offering some commitment in regards to ownership of company through their time but the whole complaint was were not making any money therefore nobody has an interest and I said, wait a minute right there, and I think you gave an example of it isn’t the money the passion’s going to override, so how can you create the passion.

Trip Durham: But you’ve also got to be able to have a bit of a portfolio of either experience or people that you know. Again it goes back to—yes you got all the skills such in the world but you really don’t get anywhere unless somebody else helps you to get there. So, yes there may be startups that say, we’ll nobody’s interested or maybe they’re not interested because going into it you didn’t either have the network or the experience behind you to go farm and cultivate on where interest could be. And there are people at 30 and 34 years old that I talked to that say, “Yeah, I think I want to be a consultant.” I don’t think you’re old enough to be a consultant, you’re not well-worn and you don’t have enough notches in your belt to say that you’ve got the expertise to be able to tell or show somebody else how to do it. So, again portfolio the network and the experiences, you’ve got to have it.

Jim Rembach: That’s a really good point. And at 25…

Trip Durham: No way.

Jim Rembach: We don’t have that nor the wisdom, that again is one of the thing that we hope to bring on the Fast Leader show is that people can experience other people’s stories and hopefully wisdom will come to them faster. Because it’s all information is what it comes down to but it’s the wisdom piece that really makes the difference. I know that we had talked briefly about some of the things that you’re working on and the different areas that you’re taking your business, I think you’re doing some launches of services and solutions, you talked about traveling with your wife, and yet she is still married to, that’s awesome.

Trip Durham: Yeah. You and me and about half the society, we’re all just as a surprise.

Jim Rembach: But if you started thinking about goals, what is one of those goals that just giving you a whole lot of drive and excitement?

Trip Durham: I really like to be able to work with an athletic director, a conference commissioner or even in the for profit sector, a CEO or a CMO. I really like the collaboration in being able to hear their pain points, to understand the challenges in where they want to be with their goals and then assessing for them where I think they are and really working with them on a daily basis to say, this is where I think you can go. I don’t know that I am as much goal-driven at times as the people I work for are goal driven, so if I can be an extension of their hopes to be able to help them accomplish what they want to accomplish, well them maybe at the end of the day those are my goals. You know when we we’re in high school I never had the inkling, I don’t know that I had the guidance from parents or grandparents to say you need to a flag in the ground and you need to run towards it, I just sort take the environment as it comes I’m able forecast a little bit, I’m able to predict certain scenarios and then again based on portfolio of experience and network I sort of find the opportunities. I’m hoping that five and half years into my business I’m to a point where the phone is ringing in a little bit and it is, I still got to go and find it but I don’t know that I wake up every morning going, “You know today I got to call 15 people and I got to make sure that I got this amount business secured by the end of the month, it just not how I’m wired but if I can help you reach your goals then maybe again de facto that’s the way I reach my goals.

Jim Rembach: And the Fast Leader Legion wishes you the very best. Now before we move on let’s get a quick word from our sponsor.

Developing company’s talent and leadership pipeline can be an overwhelming task. But your burden is over with Result Pal you can use the power of practice to develop more leaders faster. Move onward and upward by going to resultpal.com/fast and getting a $7500 performance package for free.

Alright here we go Fast Leader Legion it’s time for the Hump Day Hoedown. Okay, Trip the Hump Day Hoedown is the part of our show where you give us good insights fast. So, I’m going to ask you several questions and your job is to give us robust yet rapid responses that are going to help us move onward and upward faster. Trip Durham are you ready to hoedown?

Trip Durham: I am and this is going to be speed reading 101, buddy.

Jim Rembach: What do you think is holding you back from being an even better leader today?

Trip Durham: Capacity. There’s only one of me. I don’t have the ability within the 24 hours of the day to either do the things I want to do or think the things I want to think, so, capacity is holding me back.

Jim Rembach: What is the best leadership advice you have received?

Trip Durham: I was standing face-to-face with an individual years ago, we were talking I had no idea who he was, in context clues, I was trying to figure out who he was and then when he walked away he walked right back to me and he go, “You have no idea who I am, do you?” I said, “No sir, not at all.” He looked at me right dead in the eye and said, “You may not know who I am but people know who you are.” So, the lesson was you need to pay attention and value every handshake.

Trip Durham: What is one of your secrets that you believe contributes to your success?

Jim Rembach: Being calm and being considerate all under fire. No pressure just breathe and think it through.

Jim Rembach: What do you feel is one of your best tools that helps you lead in business or life?

Trip Durham: I think being able to give people the opportunity to share their voice, to share their ideas, and to be present in a meeting or in a group setting to make sure that they know that you know that they bring value to the table.

Jim Rembach: What would be one book that you’d recommend to our listeners, it could be from any genre?

Trip Durham: The Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. And I tell you that because that is the lighter side of life, the way that A. A. Milne wrote, it allows you and your toughest of moments to be able to pick-up something light and be reminded that, you know what, it’s pretty easy it’s all on how you approach it.

Jim Rembach: Fast Leader listeners, you can find links to that and other bonus information from today’s show by going to fastleader.net/Trip Durham. Okay, Trip this is my last Hump Day Hoedown question:

Imagine you were given the opportunity to go back to the age of 25 and you have been given the opportunity to take the knowledge and skills that you have now back with you but you can’t take everything you can only choose one, what skill or piece of knowledge would you take back with you and why?

Trip Durham: You and I go way back so you are not going to be offended, I hope when I tell you this. I wouldn’t take anything back, to me your question is one of regret that I wish I had it—Gosh, I regret that I didn’t have it. Everything that happened 25 years ago has put me in this position today whether it’s financial whether it’s personality, whether it’s my mindset, how I approach any particular facet of my day, it’s all because of what happened 25 years ago so to say that I was going to go back and change it, no that’s sort of like quantum leap in which Sam went back and he had to not mess with the one thing…forget it, it’s not what I want to do.

Jim Rembach: Trip it was an honor to spend time with you today, can you please share with the Fast Leader Legion how they can connect with you?

Trip Durham: Website is 2dconsultingllc.com, they can also give me a phone call at 336-229-6699, smoke signals are good, courier pigeons are even better, turtles are way too slow, so no notes on the top of their backs, okay?

Jim Rembach: Trip Durham, thank you for sharing your knowledge and wisdom the Fast Leader Legion honors you and thanks you for helping us get over the hump.

Thank you for joining me on the Fast Leader Show today. For recaps, links from every show, special offers and access to download and subscribe, if you haven’t already, head on over the www.fastleader.net so we can help you move onward and upward faster.

END OF AUDIO

[/expand]