Kalani Sitake recalls cleaning a 'trashed' office with his dad — and the reason changed him for life
'Usually you vacuum, but there’s nothing to vacuum there...'
It takes a different kind of strength to remain kind when the world is cruel to you. However, when you emerge victorious and render that goodness selflessly, it leaves a lasting impact. BYU head coach Kalani Sitake learned this lesson years ago from his father, he shared on The Lisa Show. The man recalled a time when he was a young boy and helped his father clean up a trashed office building. While he was initially frustrated about having to clean up the mess left behind by others, at the end of the day, he learned a life lesson that has stuck with him since. That one bit became a priceless element even in his career as a coach.
Sitake recalled the time and mentioned that a lot of people had been laid off at his dad’s office. Due to the agitation and chaos, many employees who had to leave decided to trash the place completely. When Sitake and his dad showed up to clean, the young boy was annoyed with the state the adults had left the office in. “Usually you vacuum, but there’s nothing to vacuum there,” he recounted, adding that he had to pick up things and put in more effort to fix the place. “I was frustrated but my dad had the best attitude,” he remarked. As they were cleaning up, his dad opened up about the company, those who worked there, and their tiny, human, emotional stories that his dad had collected over the years.
The then-young Sitake was all done cleaning with his father and was ready to leave when something stopped him in his tracks. “Man, pops," he said, "I’m really glad you got to keep your job.” That's when he was met with a response that left him shaken. His father replied, “Son, this is daddy’s last day at work," and proceeded to calmly leave his keys on the table before heading out with young Sitake in tow. Sitake was angered by the fact that his dad had to clean up a mess that wasn’t even his, especially when he'd gotten fired already. And that’s when the most important life-lesson struck him. “He wanted to finish the work and leave the right way. He wanted to take the high road and be humble,” he revealed.
Years later, Sitake carries that value strongly in his heart. He mentioned that his dad had every right to be angry and trash the place, as many of the employees did. However, he chose to be better. “He didn’t want to judge them from that one moment,” he said. That lesson became significant and helped Sitake with much in life ahead. “It taught us to empathize and yeah, all of us have that. That’s the man that raised me,” he remarked. In an interview with the Salt Lake Tribune, the head coach revealed that this analogy is one he uses with football, too. He mentioned that coaching and football are just like picking up trash.
Elaborating further, he noted, “You see a piece of trash on the floor, you have options: You can call a custodian to come clean it up. You can pick it up yourself and make sure everybody knows you picked it up. Or you can just quietly pick it up. What's the best way to keep the building clean? Just do what should be done and go on your way." This is a life-altering perspective and an example that induces goosebumps. What a man. And that’s just what the internet thought as well. @ashlludlow said, “Oh wow, I just got chills. That’s a real hero.” @juliet_qureshi added, “Takes a great man to make a great man.”
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