Misc

What Happens When someone drops the Ball

Kevin Myers at 12 Stone Church recently did an incredible talk on the issue of "NO Excuses," and the power of accountability. We all have experienced this as leaders. You give a big assignment or project to someone on your team, and they lay an egg- totally drop the ball and don't get it done. We've all been there. Both as the goat as well as the one in charge trying to figure out how to handle the situation. 

Let's look at this situation from both sides, both the own who dropped the ball and the one in charge. 

As the one who dropped the ball, just own up to it. Don't make excuses. Be self-policing. Be accountable. And be mature. And realize that your leader or your boss or the person in charge is trying to figure out how to deal with your mistake or lack of action- lean into that and bring it up first and tell them it won't happen again. Don't wait on them to have to confront you. 

Own up. Grow Up. Shut up. And don't be the goat again. 

As the leader, four things: 1. confrontation; 2. conversation; 3. restoration; 4. affirmation. The key on this- get through the confrontation and onto to the conversation and restoration as quick as possible. If you have the right kind of person on your team, they feel terrible anyway, so spend very little time confronting, and way more time on restoration and affirmation. 

Reality is, a majority of accountability, both with individuals and with teams, should be built around affirmation. This is not just telling people they are great. That's part of it. But instead, affirming this person and your team about where you are going as a team, how you are going to get there, and how you are winning. Vision. As a leader, DO NOT withhold affirmation.

Assuming you've established trust, a strong level of commitment, and a proper corporate culture, then ultimately affirmation is the greatest power and source of strength for team accountability.

The Essence of Teamwork- Philippians 2

I love the book of Philippians in the New Testament. The entire book is one of Paul's greatest letters.  Specifically, chapter 2 is a gem. Paul lays out some strong language regarding teamwork and working together.

Verse 2-5: "Make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves. Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus." (New American Standard)

1. Be like-minded.

2. Be loving

3. Be united

4. Be focused (on one purpose)

5. Be selfless

6. Be humble

7. Look out for others before yourself

8. Be Christ-like

Teamwork 101.

Your network- it's changing

I consider myself a networker. On the Strengths Finder assessment, one of my top five is WOO (winning others over). I am a major E on the Myers Briggs. So I tend to spend time thinking through how best to manage the network of friends, associates, partners, and business relationships that have been cultivated over the years. In high school, I knew all of my classmates by first and last name. In college, I had friends in virtually every fraternity house, sorority house, club, association, and dorm. When I first started my "career" just after college, I was keeping names on a yellow notebook pad, and occasionally putting business cards in a drawer. Amazing that was only 14 years ago.

At that point in the mid 90's, my network (and probably yours as well) was really defined by a rolodex of business cards of people I had met in person. Then along came email and database management and so your network became defined by your outlook contacts or by a spreadsheet in Excel.

Now, your network is defined by a varied number of relational webs- facebook, linkedin, twitter, blogs, email, myspace, etc. This new phenomenon has allowed our networks to expand exponentially beyond people we actually MEET or KNOW or TALK to in person. And maybe even folks we have nothing in common with currently. 

Used to "networking" meant you "worked a room" and were "shaking hands and patting backs." Now, in many ways networking is defined by social media and your ability to win someone over to your digital community at large. 

The reality is, you (and I) have never been more connected, and had the tools to stay connected, but in many ways never so disconnected. 

When's the last time you actually sent a hand written card to someone? When's the last time you spent a significant amount of time on the phone with someone, instead of a quick text or facebook message? Most folks don't email or call their network, but instead send a quick tweet or blog post or facebook message. 

This means we all are being forced to change. Change how we both build a network as well as manage our network. And change is difficult.

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Interview with Joel Houston and Brooke Ligertwood

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A new episode of the Catalyst Podcast is up, and includes an interview that Mike Foster and I did at Catalyst West backstage with Joel Houston and Brooke Ligertwood from Hillsong United. This was one of my favorite interviews so far. 

This episode also includes a "next-gen" profile conversation with Michael Reddish, a great friend from Nashville who works with Dave Ramsey's organization and also is a pastor at Emmaus Church in downtown Nashville. 

You can stream from the Catalyst website or download from itunes.

Week Review (or start)- Highlights

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????!!!!!!!

Most Creative People in Business

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.

The Next Wave. Wow.

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. 

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_UyVmITiYQ]

Vote for Rudy Vaughn- Battle of the Bands!

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: Transitioning Leadership

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.

The Future of Work

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?

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Leadership Lessons from Band of Brothers

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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.

How the Mighty Fall

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.

Love Portland and the Season of Service

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.

Dino Rizzo and the Servolution Blog Tour stops by

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. 

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