Tuesday, August 31, 2010

You, Too, Are A Leader

I love learning about leadership. That's why I was excited to read a new white paper written by Becky Robinson which contains some of her best entries from her Blog, LeaderTalk.

Here are a couple of statements which caught my eye:
  • It doesn't matter who you are or what you do. You don't need to have a position to be a leader.
  • Practicing leadership is a mix of science and art. Because leading others is, at the heart of things, about relationships and people, I need to be flexible and make adjustments.
  • If we try to hide or ignore our imperfections and past mistakes, we may miss out on the opportunity to allow these things to be used for good in someone else's life.
  • When looking at our team, we need to see the possibilities and potential of what we can accomplish together (rather than the negatives or differences in others).
  • A leader's role is to introduce others to new worlds, expanding their experiences and providing the tools they need to develop their capacity.
  • To be truly effective, leaders provide opportunities that challenge people beyond their current capacity. Challenges help people stretch and grow while giving them confidence.
  • The key to have great impact is to invest time in relationships.
  • Make small things big: stopping, looking, maintaining eye contact, smiling, affirming, recognizing, listening, sharing, thanking, remembering, inviting, including. They might seem small, but when you add them up, they can have a big impact on your relationship with others.
  • Valuing and engaging others makes you famous where it matters.
  • A legacy is formed when people continue the actions or traditions that they value most.

I encourage you to download Becky's entire white paper here.

Keep on leading!

Monday, August 30, 2010

6 X 6 = Great Vacation

Late Friday night we returned from our trip to Sandestin, Florida. It truly was a great trip! I know this because there was lots of laughter, we got to see some incredible things, no one got sunburned and we were all together. I also know it was a great trip because I gained six pounds and I read six books (I was half way through one when we left, so technically I read 5 1/2). OK, I agree, gaining six pounds meant I may have enjoyed myself a bit too much!

I must explain something to you on the book thing. Four of the books were extremely easy and short reads. I also must share that this is the first family vacation in which I could do this. My kids are older now and much more independent (they were reading throughout the trip as well) which left more beach time spent in a book.

Anyway, here is a rundown on what I read:

The Seven Levels of Intimacy, The Art of Loving & The Joy of Being Loved, Matthew Kelly
· Excellent
· Big idea: relationship is for one purpose, to help one another to become the best version of themselves. The author does an excellent job of walking through the different levels. I found this to be an extremely beneficial book that I hope my wife and I spend quite a bit of time in.

A Life God Rewards, Bruce Wilkinson
· Very Good – quick read
· Big Idea: While what we do has nothing to do with where we will spend eternity, there are different rewards available to Christ-followers depending upon what we do on earth.

Rework, Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson
· Good – quick read
· Big idea: Don’t do things the way it’s always been done. It’s oftentimes very good to break the rules and go against common thinking in business.

Tribes, We Need You to Lead Us, Seth Godin
· Good – quick read
· Big idea: The key to a successful business is building a tribe and helping them to thrive.

Have a Little Faith, Mitch Albom
· Pretty good – quick read
· Big idea: Faith is key to our lives and is available to us all regardless of our past.

The Power of a Whisper, Hearing God. Having the Guts to Respond, Bill Hybels
· Very Good
· Big Idea: God continually speaks to us, but are we slowing down enough to listen? The author shares ways in which these whispers occur. When we hear these “whispers” we need to act upon them.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Pretty Small

I don’t know about you but I have a tendency to think more highly about myself than I should. I sometimes feel that I am so talented and so important or that everything is up to me and I don’t need any help. This is pride, the chief sin in the Bible. I sometimes think I could be the poster child for pride.

My wife took this picture of me a night or two ago. It's something I need to look at with regularity to remind me that, in the greater scheme of things, I truly am really small and I do need lots of help (for those of you who don't know, I'm freakishly tall at 6 feet, 8 and ½ inches tall).


The same is true of all of us...we all need help and can do nothing without Him. Jesus reminded us of this when He said:

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
John 15:5

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

We All Have A Role

Kristin, my oldest daughter and I have been walking most mornings on the beach (why wouldn’t we when the beach looks like this picture? - which was taken from our balcony). It has been a great time for her and me to connect and enjoy each other’s company.

We both noticed something yesterday morning. As we walked we each made footprints in the sand (I know, not earth shattering). My footprints were much deeper than Kristin’s because I obviously weigh quite a bit more. The thing that caught our attention were these very tiny birds that were on the beach. They also made footprints. I’ll bet these birds didn’t weigh ½ a pound. Yet, they still made footprints. Yes, they weren’t as deep as mine, but they were footprints nonetheless.

This reminded me that we all can make a difference…each one of us, regardless of our positions, our status, our gender, our body type or the color of our skin. We may view ourselves as a little bird in this big world and feel that we can’t make an impact. We might look at someone like Billy Graham and say, “I can’t do what he does!” and then conclude that we are of no good to God. This is just not true!

First of all, we should not compare ourselves to others. Secondly, we must realize that we all have been given gifts by God and He has a role for each and every one of us.


For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

One-Upping Chris Tomlin

Our family has had an incredible week so far. We are in Sandestin, Florida enjoying each other’s company, some unbelievably beautiful scenery and some great weather.

The week started out when we heard on the radio about a couple of free concerts on the beach in nearby Panama City Beach. So, on Saturday night we found ourselves on the beach listening to Chris Tomlin, one of our favorite artists. Sunday night was Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith.

The incredible thing about this is that both nights we drove the 40 minutes to Panama City Beach in the rain and the forecast was not looking promising. Also, each day was incredibly hot (I know...Florida in August, go figure!). Right before each concert was to begin, the rain stopped and we enjoyed perfect evenings. Not only was there no rain, but it remained cloudy which lowered the temperature to a very comfortable level--it was absolutely perfect!

On Saturday, right as the Chris Tomlin concert was ending (which was amazing by the way!), the clouds parted and we witnessed perhaps the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen (see above picture of my kids). My daughter Molly summed it up perfectly when she said, “I think God just one-upped Chris Tomlin!"


“Who has told every lightning bolt where it should go
Or seen heavenly storehouses laden with snow
Who imagined the sun and gives source to its light
Yet conceals it to bring us the coolness of night
None can fathom”
Chris Tomlin from his song Indescribable

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Connecting

Yesterday, my daughter Molly said good-bye to Jolto. Jolto was the name for her first car. Molly is moving out of town soon and does not need a car so she sold it.

The first person who came to see it ended up buying it. Before buying it the negotiation had to take place. Molly had not done this before, but I had prepped her a bit for it.

The amazing thing about it is that all of the negotiation happened without a verbal word being spoken. 100% took place via text messaging. Yes, I guess that’s a sign of the times, but I still find this amazing. (By the way, Molly did very well in her first major haggling experience--I think both she and the buyer got a good deal!)

I heard a similar point made last week. One of our Truth At Work members owns an auto dealership. He mentioned in our last roundtable meeting that many new cars are being made with hookups for laptops and cell phones which will allow them to remain charged. In addition, each laptop will have WIFI capability so passengers can browse the internet.

Just think, with one of these new cars, when you go on your next family vacation, your entire family can be talking to everyone else in the word except each other.

So much is missed in communicating electronically. Much of communication happens through non-verbals. Though text-messaging qualifies as non-verbal communication, you can’t get any additional information from the sender other than the words being spoken.

I encourage you to make it a point today to reach out to someone and actually talk with them...to connect. Better yet, see if you can talk with them in person!

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

A Senior Moment

It's that time of year when I annually read about Ohio State football seniors who cannot believe that this is their final season as a Buckeye. Dane Sanzenbacher, a Buckeye senior from Toledo, said this about his career, "I just shake my head thinking about it. Those four years have absolutely flown by - good times, tough times - it all seems to go by so fast." (Click here to read entire story)

I can totally relate to what Sanzenbacher is saying. I distinctly remember my first two years at The University of Toledo. I used to dread basketball practice each day and it felt like my career would never come to an end (This may sound odd, but it wasn't a lot of fun most days...in fact it felt like a tough job much of the time). In spite of my feelings, before I knew it, I was a senior.

Now I look back and it has been over 25 years since I suited up, yet it seems like yesterday...although my body begs to differ!

This is a great reminder to me of how precious and how short life is...it truly is but a mist. So Carpe Diem!

Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
James 4:14

Monday, August 16, 2010

Bridge From God

I was in a meeting this morning with five other individuals in which we were talking about the possibility of something pretty cool happening in our region. We began the meeting by introducing ourselves and explaining a bit of what led us each to this point.

One of the guys (Matt) said that he is continually on the lookout for "bridges from God." He said that what we were about to discuss fit that description. Most people might consider it coincidences that brought us together. In his mind it was clear that God was up to something.

In Experiencing God, Henry Blackaby says that God wants one primary thing from us and that is intimacy with Him. He wants to be close to us. Once that intimacy is established He asks us to join Him where He is already at work. When Matt said he is constantly looking for bridges from God, this is what he's saying. He is looking for areas where it is clear that God is at work...and then he looks to join Him!

When you see something that might be labeled as a "coincidence," perhaps it might be better labeled as a "God-incidence" or a bridge from God and maybe God is inviting you to join Him.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Airline Hero?

Many of you have probably seen the story about Steven Slater (pictured above), JetBlue's flight attendant who has become very well-known recently. It seems that Mr. Slater got into a confrontation with a passenger and got on the plane's PA system and gave a profanity-laced announcement before saying, "I've had it!" He then grabbed a beer from the galley, then activated the emergency slide and slid down onto the runway.

Slater has become an internet hero as many are marveling at how he has stood up to corporate America and basically said, "take this job and shove it." My guess is that many are holding him up because they wish they could do the same thing in their jobs.

The fact that so many are calling him a hero is appalling to me. Heroes are people to be emulated. His actions, in my mind, should NOT be emulated by anyone!

Granted, the passenger was probably rude and out of line and that is uncalled for. And I admit that I don't get this right all the time; however, Slater is an employee of the airline who pays him to do his job, which includes dealing with unruly passengers. The bottom line is that his actions were very irresponsible and could have even been deadly. According to prosecutors, activating the emergency slide could have killed unsuspecting ground personnel had they been nearby.

A friend of mine once asked me, "If someone spits on you, does that make you mad?"

I responded, "Of course."

He said, "No it doesn't. It makes you wet. It is your choice to be mad." He had me...he was right. We cannot control the actions of others, but we can control how we respond. Unfortunately, Steven Slater did not respond appropriately, but because of his new-found notoriety, many may believe he did.

A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.
Proverbs 29:11

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Thoughts on Thumos

My good friend Scott Earl has been an active blogger for quite a while. He just began a new blog and I wanted to share his first post with you for two reasons. First, because it's very good and second, because I wanted to introduce you to his blog, My Name is Earl.

Here is what Scott had to say:

I have been reading Paul Coughlin's Unleashing Courageous Faith, and the central idea of the book is the concept of thumos. Thumos, as defined by Coughlin, is a "courageous and animating spirit." From what I can discern, it's the part of us that makes us want to fight for what is right, our sense of outrage when we see the injustices in the world, and our drive to do something about those injustices.

I often share with my students an article I read about heroes in an issue of Life magazine years ago. It was written by Wally Lamb, an award-winning author and former high school teacher. He shared a story about his hero. Briefly, Lamb was outside in the courtyard of the school when he noticed a ruckus. As he made his way through the crowd, he could see that several of the jocks were throwing coins at a boy with Downs syndrome. The boy would laugh and bend down to pick up the coins. As the seconds passed, the coins began hitting the boy harder and harder. The crowd cheered the boys on and became louder with every flying coin. Just as Lamb was about to get to the boy, a petite girl busted in front of the crowd, grabbed the boy, and pulled him out of the crowd. Lamb was amazed at the girl for not only risking physical injury by doing this, but also by her courage to risk the taunts and shunning that could have occurred due to her actions. Lamb claims that this girl is his hero to this day.

I get choked up every time I tell this story. Maybe it's because I worked with developmentally disabled adults for more than a decade. Maybe it's because I love to hear about students who do something extraordinary in the face of adversity. But maybe it's because I always wish I was more brave and more able to act when situations of inequity present themselves.

In my mind, this girl was the definition of thumos in action. God did not make us to be meek, mild, and accepting in these situations. Yes, we are supposed to be loving, but we are also built to engage our thumos in the face of injustice and wrongdoing.

If Christians are to always answer to the question, "What would Jesus do?", then we should look at what Jesus was capable of doing in the face of injustice and wrongdoing. In Matthew 23:23-39, Jesus shows a side of himself -- a side of God -- that we rarely hear about in church. He berates the pharisees for their pious ways, calling them names and yelling at them for their hypocritical behavior. By doing so, he was literally risking his life for justice.

While this barely scratches the surface concerning the content of Coughlin's book, it is a good start to understanding what our thumos should be doing. Injustices are not to be ignored or handled with white gloves. We should not turn the other cheek when others are being subjected to the pain of injustice.

Lord, You have endowed me with Your thumos...help me tap into it and use it for Your good, Your plan. Help me be a better man for You.

Monday, August 09, 2010

Two Are Better Than One


This past weekend the NFL inducted seven new members into its Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Included in that group was Emmitt Smith, the amazing running back from the Dallas Cowboys.

I did not watch the induction ceremonies but I did catch some of it in highlights and I was extremely moved by what Smith said and how he said it (check out the short video above).

Football fans know that a running back needs a great offensive line for the back to be great. However, many forget about the role that the fullback plays in some offensive systems. In many cases, the fullback must sacrificially give up his body to help his running back and his team. Yet, most of the time, the fullback goes unnoticed while their backfield mate gets all the credit.

On Saturday, though he wasn't the one being inducted into the Hall of Fame, one fullback didn't go unnoticed. Daryl Johnston (the Cowboy's fullback when Smith played) was singled out by Smith in a very emotional moment shown in this video. He recognized him for his sacrifice and shared that this day wouldn't have been possible had it not been for Johnston. It showed real class and humility for Smith to do this.

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and no one to help him up!
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Thursday, August 05, 2010

Do They Make You Want To Vomit?


Today at the Willow Creek Global Leadership Summit, Bill Hybels delivered the opening message and it was right on. He talked about a time a while back in which he was in a leadership slump. Nothing seemed to be going right and it seemed like he couldn't solve any problem, big or small. As a result, he was losing confidence in his leadership abilities.

Then, while spending some intentional time with God, he heard a gentle whisper from his heavenly Father saying, "You can lead. Look at what you've done. You have it in you!" This encouraged him and then God shared with him four foundational leadership principles.

One of those was something that, on paper, looks very elementary...but in practice, it is anything but. One of the principles Hybels referred to was that it takes fantastic people to move anything from here to there, in other words to make significant progress.

In discussing this point, he said that a leader's job is to recruit, train and develop talented people who will flourish in your culture. He said there is a great way to determine how your team stacks up, give them this test.

If you were to receive a text message right now stating that a certain person on your team has just resigned, which of the following would be your response?
1. "Whew! I sure am glad they're leaving!"
2. "Ughhh! They are such a good person and they're doing a good job. Now I'm going to have to find someone else!"
3. You want to vomit on the spot. "This person is a fantastic person with a fantastic attitude and they are a fantastic fit in our culture. They are irreplaceable."

Hybels went on to say that they spent an incredible amount of time going through this exercise with their entire staff at Willow. The time was very well spent, though.

Hybels said that they then met with every staff member and shared with them the results of this exercise. To those who were in the third category they would say something like, "You make me want to vomit (with obvious tongue in cheek). Really, if you left this organization, that is what I would want to do. You are a fantastic person and you are doing a fantastic job. We hope you are here for the long haul. Now if God calls you someplace else, we'll throw you a party but our hearts won't really be in it. But we want you to know that we hope you will be with us into the future."

Could you imagine being on the receiving end of something like that? It would feel pretty good, wouldn't it? Hybels shared that these meetings helped to build increased loyalty and passion for the vision that God has given them. It was an extremely beneficial thing to do.

After Hybels was finished, we heard from Jim Collins who discussed the importance of having the right people on the bus in any organization before you can talk about growing the organization. The exercise Hybels mentioned is a great way to determine if you really do have the right people on your bus.

So will you do this with your team?

Wednesday, August 04, 2010

Just Ask Kenny Rogers


Tate Publishing is the company I selected to publish my first book, Bleedership, Biblical First-Aid for Leaders. They are a group of some really neat people who do a great job.

I remember speaking with Richard Tate, the company's founder when I was trying to choose a publisher. He told me something that really stuck with me. He said, "Jim, don't think that by having this book published that you are all of a sudden going to get rich. This is just the beginning. You will need to work to help market it." I didn't fully understand this until after my book was released and I attended the Christian Booksellers Convention in Denver. There I found out that I really was a tiny minnow in an enormous ocean. Richard was right, it was going to take a lot of effort. And this is true in anything we do.

Tate sends out a regular newsletter to their authors and in the past issue were these words on this very topic from Richard:

The sad issue today is that many new authors and artists think that because they have a good book or great music that it should just “happen” for them and that it is the total responsibility of the publisher or label to do all the work. It takes work, persistence, and lots of effort by the author or artist alongside their publisher and label. Trust me, it is all worth it, and Rita and I have a million good memories as a result of those years and made a fine living on the road. You can as well if that is your dream – and if you are willing to work with your team.

Last fall I was outside our house standing in the driveway talking with my son Ryan, who is the effective President and CEO of our companies, when my cell phone rang. The voice on the other end was our good friend and country music legend Kenny Rogers. He was calling about his upcoming trip to our location and wanted to go over a few things with me and Ryan. Here is the “kicker” to the conversation.

I said, “Kenny, you sound a bit tired, my friend!”

He replied, “Just a bit, Richard. We have the Fiftieth Anniversary tour coming up in January with Dolly Parton, and I have been working ten hours a day on the phone and on the computer calling venues, newspapers, radio and TV stations, and promoters working to get the crowds out. I have been doing this for half a century and it is still a lot of work.”

Kirt Webster, who works with us out of Nashville and manages Dolly Parton, told me at our dinner there recently, “Richard, I have never seen anyone work harder than Dolly. She is after it hours and hours every day to stay successful.”


Lee Greenwood, who is a new part of our music and publishing family and the author of “God Bless the USA,” told us in the conference room at his last visit that he worked for years and years in every kind of venue that would book him, large or small, before his career took off and he became the legend he is today.

Two-time country music entertainer of the year Neal McCoy is doing several projects with us. He was Entertainer of the Year TWICE and said to me from his bus one night after a packed out show, “It took me thirteen years, Richard, before I had a hit. Thirteen years of any and every kind of gig until things took off. I work harder today than ever to keep us on the road doing what I love.”

We love our relationship with the Oak Ridge Boys and their long time manager Jim Halsey. I was visiting with Joe Bonsall when the “Boys” were here recently (they still do over 100 shows a year), and I asked him what he would tell some of our new and aspiring authors and artists. He did not even hesitate. “They have to be willing to work. They have to be willing to sing or speak to 5 just like they would to 5,000. Most people think they should get their break because of the record label. Not so. It takes the label and the artist working hard every day. You don’t deserve that booking, you have to work for it and it HAS to be about your music or the message of your book first of all.”

Our marketing and publicists work hard to make each artist and each author as successful as possible. But the biggest mistake I see authors and artists make is to think they deserve it, and it should just “happen.” It takes hard work even after you have become a legend in the industry.

Just ask Kenny Rogers.

You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised.
Hebrews 10:36

Monday, August 02, 2010

Golden Rule in Business?

Herb Kelleher is an interesting leader--very different from other leaders. He is the founder of Southwest Airlines and he has broken many of the traditional rules when it comes to leadership. While building the airline, he knew that his people were what was going to separate his company from all the others.

As a result, he and his team have paid very close attention to those they hire as well as how they as a company treat them. In fact, from a customer service perspective, they treat customers very well; however the customer is right behind the employee in terms of importance. This flies in the face of the "customer is always right" mantra.

In the book, Nuts, examples are told of irate customers who accused an employee of mistreating them. If the employee disagreed, the airline always took the side of the employee, even though it meant that they would have a very unhappy customer. However, what this has done is to produce a very loyal workforce who love what they do, which in turn helps to produce more happy customers.

Southwest is all about treating their employees as family members. They show them love and respect and as a result, that love and respect is returned to the company and to the customer. They also encourage fun.

If you've ever flown Southwest, you have probably experienced some pretty zany stuff. This is all encouraged by Southwest and it really separates them from most airlines and it shows the love they have for their jobs. Take a couple of minutes and view the video above of a flight attendant announcement with a bit of a twist, but do this only if you want to smile.

All this has happened because a leader dared to lead his company by following the Golden Rule.

"Do to others as you would have them do to you."
Luke 6:31