The Warning

Last week Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon parted ways with Fox News and CNN. They had served these networks for more than a decade and became household names in America. Despite their vast differences, both anchors had one thing in common. Each, as Roland Martin has pointed out, had insufficient ownership.

A few years ago, I found myself in a place like Carlson and Lemon, and was preparing to leave a job that I had done for almost a decade. I really enjoyed the work, and had grown in my profession. Yet, as the end of this wonderful job approached, my friend Karsten Risseeuw gave me a warning. Like Martin, he said:

Your biggest problem is not where you will work next. Your biggest problem is the question of who holds the keys to your creations. So far, throughout your career the answer has been your employers. They have each had the right to claim everything, or most of it, once you are out the door.

In response I mentioned my growing social media platforms, to which he replied:

Yes, they are yours, but you still don’t hold the keys. Someone else owns the space and can take it away at anytime. So find a way to better claim your work. Take ownership as soon as possible.

The Product

After Karsten’s warning I looked for ways to take more ownership, and he suggested that I start by building my own website. At first I drug my feet through set ups and tutorials, and I sifted through elaborate ideas that I thought would draw in visitors. There were even hard lessons that I learned from resisting Karsten’s professional advice. But what mattered most was that I did something to take more ownership.

For the first time I had a space and a platform that was truly mine, and it went beyond expanding web presence and an increase of publicity. The website helped me to focus on who I am and what I’m about. A pastor, theologian, and storyteller with a special heart for the African Diaspora. It also helped me to see the true product that I was presenting, which was not the gifts and services that I had offered to employers.

One of my mentors often says, “The real product is you, and knowing this brings a confidence that helps you trust yourself.” For us Reformed folks, who are expert self-skeptics, this can be anathema. But the confidence and trust that I found gave me a sense of worth and freedom.

There were times where a low self-image negatively affected my well-being, and I downplayed my abilities while accepting occasional mistreatment. Furthermore, there were times where I felt forced into a template, or stuck with models of ministry that were status-quo and did not fit.

By becoming the product on the platform that I had built, I could celebrate myself in healthy ways and prioritize self-care. Best of all I was able to pull out all of the proverbial stops, and discover new alternatives to the old restrictive models.

The Goal

In addition to a sense of worth, taking ownership gave me freedom, and especially from the pressure of focusing on “results”. Certainly outcomes are important and need to be achieved, but they should never be the ultimate goal of one’s calling and work.

One of the reasons that I entered my profession is that I enjoy enriching the lives of others, and it is the most selfless way that I can think of (apart from being a good husband and father) to take part in enriching the world. Even so, with these reasons in mind, results have often taken center stage, and eclipsed the joy and peace that comes from doing what I do.

Indeed, the ultimate goal should not simply be outcomes. It should be the freedom that my mentor spoke of that comes with a sense of worth. While working one should mainly do so out of love for the work itself instead of pressure. And this love is the greatest thing that I have experienced through taking ownership.

My website is a space that re-grounds me in my core reasons and values. A solace where the things that eclipse my peace and joy can be cleared away. I can write without the burdens of heavy deadlines. Speak with less concern for being silenced. Collaborate while avoiding competition. Create unbound by the fears of losing out and failure.

The Rewards

Ownership leads to works done in freedom and love, and I wish that I had learned this earlier in my career. Yet, as the saying goes, there is no use crying over spilled milk, and the only thing left to do is go forward in the here and now. Since heeding Karsten’s warning as a job I enjoyed ended, unimaginable opportunities have come my way (e.g., speaking at a UN event). Such opportunities are some of the rewards for taking up the keys. I hope that others would have the courage to do so and open doors to amazing places unknown.

It is not easy, but I promise that it is worth it. So take ownership, and work with freedom and the love for what you do!