All in

What does it look and feel like to be “all in?”

It was 2008 and he wasn’t entranced with Tony Stark. It was chatty computer JARVIS that captured Kothari’s imagination as the voice assistant managed Stark’s sprawling home, maintained his Iron Man suit, and solved complex engineering problems. Kothari thought this could be possible in our universe, not just Marvel, at the time hacking together an early voice assistant. Years later, talking to Stanford classmate Sahaj Garg, he hadn’t let it go. Allie Garfinkle in the Term Sheet

JARVIS gave Kothari and Sahaj a dream, a vision, that never that left them. The dream was manifested in the development of voice AI startup Wispr with a recent $2 billion valuation. This is what “all in” on a dream looks like.

“All in” seems to be a consistent theme in the market. I have been hearing it a few places, most recently at the NACDS industry event. All in was a rally cry to the industry to show their commitment to the pharmacy community.

Why is this rally cry so popular right now? After all, “all in” isn’t a revolutionary slogan, but maybe the push is because it is hard to find in our culture. 

“All in” captures the qualities of passion, loyalty, drive, love, stewardship, energy, purpose, sweat, and tears all bottled together. “All in” leaves no grey area, no room for negativity or cynicism, no lukewarmness, no division, no shrinking back.

Is that hard to find in culture?

Think about relationships, from marriages to friendships to families. What about your job, your team, the company you work for. Do you see “all in?”  

Being “all in” is a team sport. If I am individually “all in” on something, maybe a tiny ripple happens. Maybe. If have another that is “all in” with me, a wave happens. If I have a team “all in” with me, a championship can be won. If I have a company “all in,” well, the sky is the limit.

A key ingredient of being “all in” is purpose. If I am “all in” because of the money, it might work for a little while, but I will leave unfulfilled. If I am “all in” for the title or position but not the product, again, fire will fizzle out.

When there is no purpose, no why, passion has to be manufactured, as all goals are short-term. When there is no purpose, love and care for others is superficial, success becomes greater than grace. When there is no purpose, unity takes a back seat to deliverables.

Being “all in” with purpose changes everything. Everything. Relationships. People. The culture. The joy. The fulfillment. Stewardship. Unity. Everything.

At first, I hear that “all in” rally cry as being shallow.

But, there are fewer things that bring as much fulfillment and have as much power as being “all in.”

When I think about it, “all in” is a standard to be lived which is rarely seen in culture but something to fight for. In our marriages, families, relationships, companies, and teams. 

The question for us is, “are we all in?”

Impact others. Live generously.