On the Journey

A week in review. Highlights. Bullets. 

- got to hang with my friends earlier this week from Hillsong United who are currently on a tour in the US. Their new album Across the Earth: Tear Down the Walls has been in the top five on itunes all week. Among all albums! Go buy it now if you haven’t already. 

- the Hillsong United concert on Wednesday night was amazing. We took our entire Catalyst team- 15 seats! Thanks for the hook up Luke Webb!! Luke is the incredible Manager for Hillsong. Plus, it seemed like every musician in Atlanta was there. Tomlin, Kristian Stanfill, Steve Fee, Christy and Nathan Nockels, Carlos Whittaker, and probably tons of others who I didn’t see. 

- new Catalyst podcast episode is up, featuring an interview with best-selling author Andy Andrews. Ken and I also talk about my trip to Rwanda. Stream on the Catalyst website or download from itunes. 

- Dustin Ahkuoi and the team at 12 Stone Church did Bohemian Rhapsody during the service this morning. It was off the charts. Dustin can flat out sing. If you haven’t seen Dustin perform, check this out. 

- Attended Eddie Kirkland’s CD Release party in Buckhead on Thursday night. This album is unique. Very Keane-esque. You might have heard Eddie at Catalyst or North Point or Orange or other events. This album has been on my play list for the last couple of weeks. Buy his album here. 

- Swatch and MTV have teamed up for a unique creative contest being hosted by Behance, the network of creative professionals created by Scott Belsky. Scott is speaking at Catalyst Labs this October. Check out this unique project. 

- Mike Hyatt had a great post last week on “Leadership 2.0″ and how the next generation of leaders are different. 

- The Catalyst interns are officially here for the summer. This was their first full week. I need to think of some more pranks to pull on them. 

- Catalyst East programming meeting earlier this week with Lanny, Reggie, Ken, Jeff, Brian, Melissa, and others. We’re cooking up some pretty cool stuff for October. Let’s just say that “On Your Mark” as a theme offers lots of opportunities for some fun creative elements…..Plus, the best speaker line-up we’ve ever assembled. Andy, Louie, Ramsey, Tony Dungy, Malcolm Gladwell, Rob Bell, Swindoll, Matt Chandler, Shane Hipps, Francis Chan, and many others…. Are you kidding me????!!!!!!!

Check out Fast Company’s most recent cumulative list highlighting the 100 Most Creative People in Business. This is a good list to check out for several reasons:

1. know who these people are; they are the ones leading conversations and setting trends.

2. call them and ask them if you can learn from them; in some cases, you can hire them to consult with you.

3. read their blogs and tweets and listen to their talks; friend them on facebook; reach out and become a friend.

It’s one thing to just read an article or list and be aware. It’s another to take action and reach out.

I usually wouldn’t post a link to a video that is over one hour in length, but this is monumental and a presentation of a product that will redefine the way we communicate through email, IM, SMS, blogs, and other means. Meet the product known as GOOGLE WAVE, the next big thing. Wow. 

The engineers working on this product also developed Google Maps, so they’ve got some experience in rolling out a major life-changing application. 

If you want to be aware of where online communication is heading, watch this. It will be rolled out in the next several months. 

Yeah it is on in the ATL. United is here from Sydney rockin the house.

My friend Rudy Vaughn and band (which includes Catalyst’s own Dustin Ahkuoi) recently entered Hard Rock Cafe’s Ambassadors of Rock Battle of the Bands contest. After 3 rounds the band has made it to the top 5 in the country. There is one final round and it is an online vote. Please vote for Rudy Vaughn! The winning band gets to perform at the Hard Rock Calling Festival in London with Bruce Springsteen, The Killers, Dave Matthews and others. 

Rudy has been a musician the last two years at Catalyst, and also was part of the band at Orange Conference this year. He is a music leader at 12 Stone Church. 

Over 150 bands entered this year’s Battle of the Bands at Hard Rock Cafes all over North America. 

Again, please vote for Rudy Vaughn’s band. Thanks for helping out! 

Succession, simply the transition of leadership or power, is very difficult for most companies or organizations. Whether a Fortune 50 like GE, Wal-Mart, or Apple; a non-profit like the Red Cross, Focus on the Family, or World Vision; a small startup or family held business; in any case this is a tough one to get it right. 

Large companies put millions of dollars into making sure succession is smooth and seemless. Look at Apple- succession from Steve Jobs to whoever the next CEO will be could literally cost the company billions of dollars in market capitalization, and even more in brand equity. It is a huge issue for the long term health of the company.

Family held businesses or “founder-driven” organizations are really at risk of bad succession plans. Most founders of organizations can’t let go, and drive everyone crazy around them. Especially in companies that are highly missional- founders are great at starting and building, but usually terrible at letting go and allowing the organization to grow without them. 

Here in America, we do a really good job of succession when it comes to our President. It is a civil and democratic process. Not the case in other parts of the world, especially in third world and developing countries. Leaders hold onto power and do everything they can to stay in the seat of President or Prime Minister way long after they should be there. Usually because the power of their position corrupts their realities at the deepest levels. I believe this is one of the major issues for these countries- bad succession leads to internal strife, violence and disruptions in growth. These leaders not only hold onto to their power, but fail to develop any other leaders around them to take over. Paul Kigame, the President of Rwanda, however, is an exception to this. Even though Rwanda is still a developing country, President Kigame has been influenced by western business and governmental leaders, and is building a strong infrastructure around him of young leaders who will be able to step in. 

What about you? Are you currently leading? Whether a team, a company, a non-profit, or a Fortune 50, you should be thinking about succession. How are you replacing yourself? If you are not thinking about this, you are neglecting a core part of your responsibility.

Interesting article recently in Time Magazine on the future of work, and specifically what the workplace and work environments will look like for Gen X’ers and Gen Y over the next 20-30 years. 

As the article mentions, think of how much the workplace has changed in the last 10 years. And especially the last 20 years! Personal computers for everyone, the rise of the internet, social media, free-agent workers, telecommuting, facebook and twitter, etc. 

I am sure as more and more Gen X’ers take over companies, there will be a strong move towards working from home and major freedom for employees. Plus, you’ll continue to see a rise in the amount of socially “conscious” companies. 

What else do you think we’ll see or experience in the next 10-20 years with the future of work?

It’s Memorial Day weekend, and the History Channel is showing all of the episodes from the award-winning Band of Brothers series, an HBO film series created back in 2001 with Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks as Executive Producers. 

One of my favorite movie series of all time.

In the series, part of the main storyline is the leadership of Captain Dick Winters. He is a straight laced Quaker, starts out as a lieutenant, continues to progress in leadership as a Captain and then Major, who leads well and wins over the hearts of his company, E Company, otherwise known as EZ Co., part of the 101st Airborne. 

There are several lessons from the series and from the individual story of Captain Winters and his tour of duty during World War II worth mentioning.

1. Leaders lead the way. They make the right decisions, and even if it is not the right decision, they are always decisive. Always.

2. Leaders seek to understand and have empathy for the people who follow them.

3. A leader is always first. They never send someone else in their place. And no job is “below” a leader. Especially in battle.

4. Those you lead always come first. No matter what. And because of this, your team will follow you anywhere. 

5. Leaders follow the rules unless circumstances deem necessary to not. 

6. Leaders invest in their long term team players. And trust them implicitly. In the case of EZ Co. and the US Army, it was the NCO’s, or non-commissioned officers. These were basically “middle management” and the key to maintaining morale and focus with the troops. 

If you haven’t taken time to watch this series, do yourself a favor and watch this weekend or go out and rent or buy it.

I am a big fan of Jim Collins. Anything he writes or says I read or listen. As many of you know, we had Jim with us at Catalyst last October. In preparing for his talk at Catalyst during the summer, I had the chance to talk with him at length about his talk and also about a new project he was working on at the time. We talked about Good to Great, and then the new project entitled “How the Mighty Fall,” and I took some major notes at the time as this was like having an MBA course over the phone. It was a great phone call. Hearing content before it is released is always a very cool experience. 

Well, How the Mighty Fall just released this past Tuesday as Collins’ latest book, and in an exclusive excerpt from the book, you can read this article in Business Week. It’s worth your time. You can also listen to a podcast with Jim.

And make sure you buy a copy of this ground-breaking book. I already have.

Great article in a local Portland area newspaper yesterday regarding Kevin and Luis Palau and the Portland Festival and most recent Season of Service that involves the Luis Palau Association, local schools, government officials including the Mayor’s office, and prominent businessmen. 

Kevin and Luis, along with John Bishop joined us at Catalyst West Coast to talk about this story of working together, and this article is further evidence of the power of the story.

I know it’s way late, but here is the April edition of the Young Influencers List. You can view all the past editions here.

1. Jeannie Mai- host of Character Fantasy on USA Network, and a rising star in Hollywood for hosting award shows and events. Was the backstage host for Catalyst West.

2. Owen Leimbach- formerly with MTV, Owen is now Chief of Staff for a brand new branch of the Rwandan government in Kigali, Rwanda, helping move forward this emerging African country. 

3. Jason Russell, Bobby Bailey, and Laren Poole- founders of Invisible Children. Recently appeared on Oprah. Helping bring awareness and solutions to the terrible injustice of Child Soldiers in Uganda.

4. Tyler Wigg Stevenson- A pastor and writer who is leading the charge on the Two Futures Project, and the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

5. Zach Williams- incredible musician and soon to be major star. Tore it up recently at South by Southwest.

Coming soon is the May edition of the Young Influencers List. Stay tuned! 

You can follow Catalyst One Day Dallas on Twitter. Use #catoneday for search topic. 

Going great. In the second session right now, with Craig Groeschel. Talking about Busting Barriers. Around 2,000 folks here with us.

The next tour stop of Catalyst One Day will be in Dallas tomorrow (Monday) May 18th at Bent Tree Bible Fellowship. If you are there, make sure to say hi. 

There are still seats left, so if you haven’t registered, you can walk up and register on-site.

Recently had a chance to talk with Rick Smith from Dallas. Actually, Rick interviewed me for his regular video column titled “Double Pop.” Check it out. 

So my good friend Dino Rizzo has a new book out called Servolution. Dino pastors Healing Place Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and is an amazing leader. He and the Healing Place Church community live out service on a daily basis. It is not something they do, it is who they are. 

Recently, I had the chance to interview Dino for our Catalyst Podcast. You can listen here. I also recently had the chance to ask Dino two questions for the Blog Tour regarding the book, which appear below. 

Many young leaders in the church today are focusing more and more attention on issues of social justice, compassion, charity and mercy. Do you see this as a generational change that will be long-lasting or as a current trend? And do you feel that Service is the same as many of the social justice campaigns we are seeing right now?  Also, how do you at Healing Place make evangelism and service both top priorities as a Church?

That’s a really great pair of questions, Brad.  I think they go together very well, and here’s why – I don’t want to think that compassion, justice and mercy are just passing trends.  I realize there is a groundswell of momentum right now for cause-oriented ministry, and I’m thankful for it.  What I hope will happen is that we won’t stop with just saving lives, feeding the hungry, providing medical care, rescuing the enslaved, and offering education.  I hope we’ll always look to take it one step further and share God’s grace and love with those we serve.  Serving them shows them His love, and that can open a door we cannot ignore – giving them an opportunity to encounter Jesus.

Serving others isn’t just a trending topic.  It is a mandate from Jesus, and a vital part of His plan for building His Church.  Thanks for the incredible role you carry personally in today’s Church – you’re a tremendous blessing to me.

Thanks Dino for the time, for your great work, and the community you are leading in Baton Rouge. And if you haven’t read the book, pick it up now. Highly recommended. 

I am now back in the USA, after 24 hours of travel. Literally. 10 hours from Kigali, Rwanda to Brussels, Belgium, 4 hour layover, and then 10 hours from Brussels to Atlanta. 

I’ve only been gone for 9 days, but it seems like much longer. I guess shifts in perspective and worldview truly mark your life, and when marked, that moment transcends a sense of time or the window of reality we live in through schedules and clocks and urgency. It becomes part of the fabric of who you are.

Being in Rwanda opened my eyes and made me aware. Anything more on my experience there would be disrespecting my new Rwandan brothers and sisters. I would be foolish to say that I was thrust deep into the Rwandan culture and experienced what 99% of Rwandans experience on a daily basis. I did not. I was only made aware. I became responsible and a steward of what I was exposed to. But other than that, I cannot in any way act like I experienced poverty in the tiniest since. I ate great food. I slept in a hotel. I traveled around the country on a nice bus with 10 other Americans. I took a shower. I drank bottled water.

Now, upon re-entering the American culture I am so used to and have grown up in, and is but part of my normal routine, I am experiencing a second round of being made aware. I am experiencing reverse culture shock. 

I flew from Kigali to Atlanta on a plane…. most Rwandans have never left their community, much less their country.

Once I arrived in Atlanta, I drove home in my car…. I only met one person in Rwanda who owned a car, and that was a muzungu (white man). If you want to travel somewhere, you walk, or if you are lucky, you take a bus. 

I am carrying $200 in cash in my pocket that was considered “spending money” on my trip….. In the places we visited, the average income was around $180 per year for an adult. 

I arrived in 40 minutes to my 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath two story home….. most Rwandans live in a mud brick one room house, with no toilet.

I turned on the TV and got a diet coke from the Refrigerator…. no TV’s or refrigerators in most homes because of no electricity.

I drove to Chick-fil-A for a chicken sandwich…. Most Rwandans are subsistence farmers, and struggle to feed their families, especially in times of drought. 

I took a shower and brushed my teeth….. No showers, and Rwandans have to walk sometimes as many as 3 miles to water wells for clean water. And hundreds of thousands still have no access whatsoever to clean water wells, so must continue to drink, clean and bathe with dirty river water. 

I fell asleep in a king-sized bed watching The Unit on my laptop…. in Rwanda, a mattress is a luxury- most sleep on a mat or plywood. 

I awoke this morning and searched in the closet for a shirt to wear from probably 50 shirts hanging….. most Rwandans have two to three outfits at most. 

Couldn’t figure out what pair of shoes to wear from 15 different options….. You are lucky to have one pair of shoes in Rwanda. And siblings usually share, regardless of foot size.

I am aware. And responsible.

After being here in Rwanda for a week, you can’t help but to have your perspective changed. Mine definitely has. 

I take so many things for granted living in the US that so many others around the world don’t even have. Things I don’t even think about, that just seem like normal life, are non-existent for most people here in Rwanda. Everyday items like clean water, electricity, toilets, heating, air conditioning, sanitary bathrooms, showers, toothpaste, deodorant, shoes, q-tips, internet, cars, computer, cell phone, tv, and so many other things. 

I’ve gotten so used to these things being available to me and part of normal life that I don’t even realize how much of a blessing they are. What’s interesting is that most Rwandans living outside of Kigali don’t miss these things because they’ve never had them. We’ve had a move in the US over the last several years to combat consumerism, which I agree with wholeheartedly. But here in Rwanda, that’s not even on the radar screen. Simple lifestyle; incredibly powerful faith. 

Another thought from my time here is the essence of community. Because there are relatively few of the items mentioned above in most communities throughout Rwanda, “living in community” looks very different from what I am used to. Everyone walks to get somewhere, the Church and school is the center of community life, and the water well serves as a gathering place. Music is an incredibly important part of the culture here, and most celebrations and gatherings involve singing and dancing. People work together and collaborate because they HAVE To- their very existence depends on it. Subsistent farming communities are intertwined because people rely on each other- everyone has to contribute in order to survive. You can’t “just exist” in a community, you have to be an integral part of it. 

What does this mean for our realities of community? Not sure yet, but I know that when a community has to work together on something, it enhances “doing life together.” 

Check out Jeff Shinabarger’s blog from earlier today on “Could you live here?,” regarding Rwanda. I share the same sentiments.

Another amazing day here in Rwanda. We spent the morning with 10 students from a local University here in Kigali. Each of these students are part of the Leadership Development Program through Compassion. There are a total of 35 students throughout Rwanda who are part of the LDP through Compassion. These students basically are given a scholarship to attend a University, and participate in weekly activities that allow for continued spiritual and emotional growth. 

Really impressed with these students. Over 200 applications were received for these 35 spots, in the first year of the program in Rwanda. Over 1,500 students around the world are part of LDP. This is the best of the best from the Compassion program for children who have been sponsored through childhood and adolescence. An amazing program and one of the highlights of the trip for me- meeting these college students and having the chance to hear their stories and encourage them. 

We also visited Hotel Rwanda, which is actually a hotel by a different name but actually the site where the movie was filmed. If you haven’t watched the movie before, go and rent it immediately. It is a great film, and a good look into the Genocide of 1994 through the eyes of the hotel manager and how he protected both Hutu’s and Tutsi’s in the hotel, without any protection from the UN or other groups. Stars Don Cheadle and Nick Nolte.

Listen in on an interview I did recently with Rick Warren at Catalyst West Coast. We sat down backstage and discussed a number of issues, including how young leaders can avoid crashing and burning over the course of their work/ministry careers. This episode also includes an excerpt from the interview Andy Stanley did with Rick on stage at Catalyst West. 

Stream live here or download from itunes.

Visited two Rwanda Clean Water wells today. More on that in a later post. The well site for these communities is a gathering place. People will walk or bike to the site sometimes up to 10 times a day. 

More pics from today.