I love to ask people, “Who’s been a Force for Good in your life?”

When I posed that question to Dr. Ivan Misner, Founder of BNI – the largest networking organization in the world – he didn’t hesitate. “My freshman history teacher, Mr. Romero.”

Ivan told me, “I had run for student council several times in junior high and came in dead last every time. It was so humiliating that I promised myself to never run for student council again.

Mr. Romero changed all that.

One day, he announced to our class, ‘You get to pick the freshman student council representative. Who wants to do this?’

Nobody volunteered.

Finally, the most popular girl said, ‘Oh, Mr. Romero, I’d do it, but I’m just so busy!’

He shrugged. ‘OK. If no one’s interested, I get to pick. And I pick Ivan.’

The entire class moaned in unison, ‘Oh, no. Not Ivan!’

I’ll always be grateful to Mr. Romero because he shook his head and said, ‘You had your chance and didn’t take it. Ivan’s our rep! Now, open your books and turn to Chapter Two.”

Ivan said, “Mr. Romero believed I could do a good job, which motivated me to work hard and prove him right.

Next year, I had enough confidence to run for Student Council. And guess what?

The same classmates who boo’d Mr. Romero’s choice, voted me in by a landslide! I went on to win every election after that, including Student Body President.

And it all started because Mr. Romero gave me a chance. He didn’t do the hard work for me, but he did open the door for me.”

Who could have predicted that Mr. Romero’s advocacy would lead to Ivan founding BNI and giving millions of people the opportunity to excel and succeed?

That is how believing in someone is being a Force for Good.