Being the SPARK is a contagious idea of making a positive difference in the world, one person at a time. A good example of SPARK is the old “Tale of the Starfish” fable where a young girl was walking along a beach upon which thousands of starfish had been washed up during a terrible storm. When she came to each starfish, she would pick it up, and throw it back into the ocean. People watched her with amusement. She had been doing this for some time when a man approached her and said, “Little girl, why are you doing this? Look at this beach! You can’t save all these starfish. You can’t begin to make a difference!”
The girl seemed crushed, suddenly deflated. But after a few moments, she bent down, picked up another starfish, and hurled it as far as she could into the ocean. Then she looked up at the man and replied, “Well, I made a difference for that one!” The old man looked at the girl inquisitively and thought about what she had done and said. Inspired, he joined the little girl in throwing starfish back into the sea. Soon others joined, and all the starfish were saved.
Being the SPARK is about having people feel better after spending time with you, than they did prior to the encounter—including yourself. It’s about making the first move and boldly stepping beyond halfway. You never know, you may meet the love of your life, your new best friend, or a work colleague that assists you in your upward trajectory or you theirs. SPARK is contagious and reciprocating. The key is to show-up with passion and zeal to any/all encounters, because when you do, you create an energetic bond between you and the person(s) encountered. When this occurs, there is a serendipitous knowing that something greater is at work.
SPARK can appear esoteric to those who require tangibility and literal interpretation. I assure that could not be further from the truth. Whenever I stumbled upon the idea of SPARK, I was struck by the power of the word. At first, I entertained the word “light,” but felt SPARK had a more actionable tone to it, as well as a broader application in the business world and relationships in general, where being the light has more of a spiritual connotation. That said, they are similar in that they represent a deeper connection. When you are being an uplifting SPARK in the workplace, you are indeed shining a light that is intended to brighten the lives of those you encounter. You are making a positive difference with your colleagues and customers. Our mission at Globalstar is to be the SPARK that positively ignites the hearts and minds of every team member, client, and partner we interact with. Make a difference and be the SPARK!
