The Basics

I’ve made lots of assumptions with you guys.  Lots.  For one, I assume that all of you know that a lot of what I put on Slack, Twitter, Backblasts, emails, etc. is dripping with sarcasm.  But not all of you know that.  Now you do.  I think I’m pretty safe w/ this one, but just to be clear:  when I yell “1st Place, Bitches” during a workout, I am not bragging about being in the head of the pack.  It’s just a jab at myself because as most of you know, I’m slower than pond water.  In fact, the last time I got 1st Place in something legit, it was in 1984 during Field Day and it was just because my class beat the other team in Tug of War.  No sarcasm there.

I’ve recently discovered that I have made way too many assumptions about what you guys know about F3 as a whole and that is a serious error on my part.  But it’s never too late to correct one’s wrongs, so allow me to address some of that here.

Do you know the mission statement for F3 Nation?

F3 Mission:  Our mission is to plant, grow, and serve small workout groups for men for the invigoration of male community leadership.

If you’re listening to Dredd’s (Dredd is the co-founder of F3) podcast called 43 Feet, every now and then he will state that we are a leadership group, not a workout group.  Our workouts, or Fitness, are what brings men together and it’s certainly a huge component of what we are, but that’s not all that we are.  The workouts are what is considered the 1st F of the 3 Fs.  Dredd will also call 1st F the Magnet of F3:  it draws you in.  1st F = Fitness

Powder is the Q of 1st F for our region.  He is in charge of convergences, making sure that Site Q’s know and understand their responsibilities, Q School, and pushing you guys to make yourself better.

Fellowship:  2nd F

2nd F/Fellowship is the social component of F3.  This can be a range of different things from an organized date night, Crawdads nights with the family, to happy hour after work and just about anything else in between.   The fellowship aspect of F3 is referred to as the Glue of F3.  That’s because it keeps men together as a group.  Suppository is your 2nd F Q.  Our newsletter is a great reference to find what’s coming up next, as well as Twitter and Slack.

Faith:  3rd F

Faith is the 3rd F of F3.  Although most of Hickory’s men are of the Christian faith, F3 is not a specifically Christian organization.  F3 welcomes men of all faiths to join our group.  You’ll hear Dredd say that he feels that we should all believe in something outside of yourself to be a High Impact Man (HIM) in your community.  Tooth Fairy and Flex Seal are the Q’s of 3rd F and you will soon be hearing about an accountability partnership program that we are starting.  3rd F is the dynamite of F3.  It is what will help this region blow up and reach people that need F3 in their lives.

Our Region.  

Hickory Region consists of all AO’s in Hickory, Mtn View, Conover, Taylorsville, Granite Falls, and Lenoir.

F3 Hickory Board Members:

I’ve already mentioned 4 of our members.  Here’s everyone on the board and their duties:

Nantan:  Cousin Eddie.

• Nantan is the term for leader in F3.  Each region has one.  Nantan is charged with leading through skills that F3 calls VAPE: Vision, Articulation, Persuasion and Exhortation.

Weasel Shaker:  HBC

• Weasel Shaker is different in some regions, but in our region HBC is a motivator.  You’ll hear him encouraging pax to do all sorts of things from signing up to a 50K and how to train for it to stepping up and Q’ing for their first time.

Comz:  Sheamus

• Comz is our communicator.  He manages our newsletter, twitter, facebook, and instagram accounts.  He also re-designed our regional logo, as well as the Dad’s Camp logo.

1st F:  Powder

• Fitness (our Magnet) Q School, Site Q’s, Q Schedules

2nd F:  Suppository

• Fellowship (the Glue)

3rd F:  Flex Seal/Tooth Fairy

• Faith (the dynamite), Accountability program

Did you know that there is a book that explains all of this?  Freed to Lead.  Buy it here:  Freed to Lead Book – Buy it

Podcasts:

There are 3 podcasts that I listen to from time to time that help you understand and connect w/ F3:

• 43 Feet
• Pick up the Six
• American Yammer

They are all great.

Communication

Do you want to keep up with what’s happening in this region?  Download an app called Slack and join in.  It’s a great way to keep up with any last minute changes and events that are going on in your region.

Once you download the app, feel free to ask us questions about how to join in.  Shoot an email to f3hickory@gmail.com and someone will help you out.

Twitter is another way to stay in touch.  Just follow @F3Hickory

Hope this helps.  I might take a deeper dive next time.

Aye,

Cousin Eddie