Attracting Young Leaders to your team

Let's face it- young leaders are the future of your organization. Whether you like it or not, they will soon take over and be running the show. Your show. My show.  So why are there certain organizations and certain leaders who always seem to attract younger leaders to their team? Whether a pastor, entrepreneur, CEO or non-profit Executive Director, there are certain leaders, certain teams and certain organizations that EVERY young and ambitious leader wants to be a part of.

What is it about THIS leader who attracts young leaders? Such a draw that young guns are willing to jump on board with them and storm the castle.

  1. humility, combined with incredible passion and skill. Jim Collins writes about this as the key characteristic of a level 5 leader.
  2. Unwavering commitment to reaching their desired audience and accomplishing the mission. Know the hill they are climbing and willing to fight to get to the top. 
  3. The IT factor- hard to explain, but easy to spot. 
  4. Collaboration and not competition, celebrating others victories along with your own.
  5. Willing to give over responsibility vs. a "wait your turn" mentality- will allow young leaders to lead if they are qualified and can handle it. 
  6. Authenticity- They keep it real. Young leaders clamor towards authentic and honest leaders. 
  7. Open to change- if they are not open to change no one will follow them (thanks Shinabarger on this one)
  8. Can have at least a little fun. Like attracts like. It’s a reality= regardless of age, demographic, and style.
  9. Passionately create a culture that takes risks, allows for failure, and thinks outside the box. 

Organizations doing Good, part 4

Part Four in the "Organizations Doing Good" series. You can see the full list here.  1. Prison Entrepreneurship Program- known as PEP. Started by good friend Catherine Rohr. Working in multiple prisons throughout the state of Texas helping inmates re-enter culture with business skills and business models that will help them succeed. 

2. 410 Bridge- strategically connecting churches in America with churches in Kenya through a number of partnerships and initiatives. Co-founded by longtime Catalyst emcee Lanny Donoho. 

3. Charity: Water- organization focused on bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations. Founded by good friend Scott Harrison, they have raised over 7 million in a two year span to fund almost 1300 projects globally. 

4. KIVA- connecting people through one-to-one lending for the sake of alleviating poverty. Co-founded by Jessica Jackley, KIVA has helped facilitate over 80 million in microfinance loans over the last 4 years. 

5. I-Heart- initiative started by Joel Houston and good friends at Hillsong. Focused on bringing awareness to injustices around the world. Releasing a short film in the US in theaters across the country this fall. More info on the release date soon.

Young and Hungry- what now?

Young and Hungry- What to do? I talk to leaders all the time, especially those under the age of 25, who are seeking the quick credibility answer. How do I get credibility now and not have to wait until I am in my mid 30’s or early 40’s before people will respect and respond to me? 

Well, great question.

Not sure I have the answer you are looking for. But, I have a theory. The Credibility theory.

Starts with an equation, since I was a math minor in college..... Ultimately, credibility is this:

C = T  x  (E  + E). Credibility = Time (times) Experience + Expertise.

To give some context, here are some thoughts to best gain credibility now:

  1. Listen. Simple enough
  2. Find those who are smarter than you, and latch on. Learn from them.
  3. Become an expert before you need to be- when you are asked for your opinion or involvement, give it or do it.
  4. Self awareness and self identity- know who you are. You are young- deal with it. Don’t think you know more than you really do.
  5. Stay focused, but broad. Those who have the most credibility no longer are just experts in one area. You need to be a generalist.
  6. Learn how to follow. And follow really well. It will position you for authority later. 

Interview with Francis Chan and Steve Fee

The recent Catalyst podcast features an interview with Francis Chan (done by our West Coast correspondent Mike Foster) as well as catching up with Steve Fee and hearing about the new album from FEE that will be releasing at Catalyst in October.  You can listen by streaming here, or can download from itunes as well. 

And if you are a golfer, we are throwing out an opportunity in this episode for one person to join us in a foursome sometime in the next couple of months. Listen in for details!

Evidence

Evidence that I really did meet Mike Smith, the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons last week! Ken Coleman and I had the chance to join Jon Gordon, the best-selling author of The Energy Bus, The No Complaining Rule, and his most recent book Training Camp, as he spoke to the Atlanta Falcons team during camp last week. 

We got to spend some extended time with Coach Smith in his office, which was a great experience. Jon spoke to the team for around 30 minutes, and then we ate dinner with the players. Of course, I felt like a kid in a candy store. Seeing a team and these players "up close" in their environment is pretty inspiring. 

Hanging with Coach Smith from the Falcons

Buy this album now

  My good friend David Hodges is releasing a brand new EP today on itunes. It is great. I just bought it. Go buy it now. 

The title of the album is "The Rising." Believe me, you'll love the album. TODAY is the release date. 

David is a grammy award winning artist, songwriter, and musician. He has earned great respect in the music community over the last couple of years. He was a founding member of the band Evanescence, and has written for Kelly Clarkson’s multi-platinum album, “Because Of You”  and Celine Dion’s “This Time”. He is currently touring and performing with Chris Daughtry, another friend he has written hit singles for on the album “What About Now”. Hodges recently worked with Celine Dion on her latest album “Taking Chances” and continues to write and collaborate with today’s leading artists, including David Archuleta.

David is a great friend and doing amazing work in the music industry. As a community, I am asking everyone who is part of this small tribe we have created here to support his great work and encouraging you to invest $3.99 on iTunes today and be one of the reasons his music climbs the charts and more people are exposed to his talent. Check it out, buy it and let me know what you think. 

role of a board of directors

Many of us deal with a board of directors, especially in the non profit arena. I serve on a couple of boards for ministries I am involved with. Being on a board can be a great experience, both for the board member and for the executive director/president. It can also be incredibly frustrating and taxing, especially to the leader in charge of the organization. So thought I would provide a few points here on the role of a board. This is based on some thoughts recently from Leroy Barber, the President of Mission Year. Leroy has served on a number of boards and has lots of experience, both serving on boards and working for boards.

So what is the ultimate responsibility of a board of directors?  Again, specifically as it relates to non profit charities or ministries, there are a handful of very important things: 

1. Give, get, or get off- give money, go get some money, or get off the bus. 

2. One employee, one customer- sole focus of the board is the role and responsibility of the executive director. Don't mess with the rest of the organization. It's not the role of  the board.

3. Health and stability- take care of your executive director and make sure they are healthy and stable. Their sense of well being is your responsibility. 

4. Carry the vision-  own the vision of the organization. It can't just be owned by the visionary or founder. 

5. Stay in your strengths- make sure the board members are operating in their areas of strength. In their areas of interest and focus. Not just serving on a committee just for the committee's sake. 

6. Replace yourself- find other potential board members who can take your place. Succession and legacy are critical.

Hanging with friends in chicago

Great time in Chicago with some great friends, including Darren Whitehead, Jon Tyson, Gabe Lyons, Mike Foster, Catherine Rohr, and many others. Loved hearing from Bill Hybels earlier this morning. Such a passionate leader and incredible communicator.

If you are here at Leadership Summit, let me know.

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A Job or a Responsibility?

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I am currently reading Jim Collin's book How the Mighty Fall. A must read for any leader. A must read for any employee.  Collins lays out five principles for why the mighty fall, based on research done by his amazing team in their Boulder, CO research "bunker." His second principle on why the mighty fall is "the undisciplined pursuit of more." In this chapter, he talks at length about making sure you have the right people on your team, which is crucial to making sure you are staying on track and disciplined as an organization. 

As he writes, "any exceptional enterprise depends first and foremost upon having self-managed and self-motivated people- the #1 ingredient for a culture of discipline.... If you have the right people, who accept responsibility, you don't need to have a lot of senseless rules and mindless bureaucracy..... When bureaucratic roles erode an ethic of freedom and responsibility within a framework of core values and demanding standards, you've become infected with the disease of mediocrity." 

Wow. The right people on the team vs. the wrong people on the team. And as Collins states, a notable distinction between the wrong person and the right person is the way they view their role in the organization. The wrong person sees their role as a "job," while the right person sees their role as a set of "responsibilities." It is not about your job title, but more about your personal sense of ownership.

"I'm the one person ultimately responsible for X and Y. When I look to the left, to the right, to the front, in back, there is no one ultimately responsible but me. And I accept that responsibility." 

This is what you want your key people saying. A crucial ingredient to creating a culture of discipline within your organization.

Interview with Kay Warren

Check out the latest edition of the Catalyst Podcast, featuring an interview with Kay Warren, author, philanthropist, and co-founder of Saddleback Church with her husband Rick Warren. Kay talks about the importance of adoption and our role in caring for orphans, both as individuals and as the global Church. 

You can listen on the Catalyst website or download from itunes. 

This is an incredibly important issue, and one that Church leaders should be aware of and leading on. Please help us get the word out about this interview. Post a link to the interview on your blog, facebook page, twitter page, and email a link out to your friends.

Are you reflecting?

As leaders, it's not always just about what we are doing right now and will be doing later today, tomorrow, or next week, or next year. We have to be equally mindful of what IS happening, what WILL happen, and what HAS happened. Past is equally important to the future, both for our own sense of achievement, as well as our teams. Our role requires that we take time to stop and reflect on where we've been. About remembering. Reflecting. Taking moments to pause and be grateful. Reminiscing. Celebrating. 

We forget this in business. But we know it's true in our families and our friendships. Pictures are the ultimate tangible expression of reflection and remembering. You hear it all the time- "the whole house burned, but everyone is safe, and we got all of our pictures out..... the storm destroyed our home, but we were able to grab the family album." We understand the power of remembering. 

Creating vision for the future is a key part of leadership, but truly casting vision isn't only about what is YET to come. Correctly casting vision is also about remembering and reflecting on what has happened in the past.

Are you cultivating this kind of culture for your team or organization?

New Hillsong album available Tuesday

Faith+Hope+Love The brand new Faith+Hope+Love album from Hillsong releases tomorrow (Tuesday). Go on itunes and buy it first thing tomorrow. 

I've been listening to it non-stop for the last week. This is the latest LIVE recording from the incredibly talented Hillsong team, including Joel Houston, Brooke Ligertwood, Darlene Zschech, Reuben Morgan, and the entire band. 

It was recorded live earlier this year in March at the Sydney Entertainment Center. 

Powerful, powerful songs.

Hand Me Downs

If you are a younger brother (or sister) like I am, you know what hand me downs are- the clothes, toys, school supplies, furniture, shoes, or vehicles that were passed down from the oldest sibling to the younger siblings.  The jeans were usually a couple of years old, the toys were not necessarily the popular ones, shoes were slightly stained and worn, and vehicles had maybe a dent or two. But as the younger sibling, you had no choice. 

Nobody ever "asks" for hand me downs, but it is part of the fabric of a family. It was, and is, just the way it is. Part of the family "mentoring" system and a constant in the family trees over the generations. No big deal, unless you are the person getting the hand me down. It's not something you choose. You have no choice if you are the younger sibling. 

How much of what we do with our businesses, churches, non profits and organizations is just simply a "hand me down" from those who have come before us? We hand down "average," we hand down complacency, we hand down cynicism, we hand down bad habits- without even knowing it many times. 

And the ones receiving it most of the time have no "choice" in whether to implement, just like the younger sibling in a family. They have to receive it. It becomes part of the fabric of a business, and then carries on from generation to generation, lingering way longer than someone ever intended.

But doesn't have to be. It's up to you to make sure you hand down the things you want to last.

Visit to Mark Batterson's office

Was in DC last week and had the chance to stop by National Community Church, Ebenezer's Coffeehouse, and ultimately Mark Batterson's office. His office, and all of the NCC's staff, are one block away from Union Station and right across the street from the Securities and Exchange Commission building (which is massive).  Ebenezer's Coffeehouse is the first floor of the church (and basement). The basement also serves as the location for their Saturday night services which are shot in high-def and then shown at other NCC locations around metro DC. They also meet on Sunday mornings at Union Station along with several other locations.

I love the fact that their "Church Building" serves as a coffee house, meeting location, Union Station, and gathering place for people in the neighborhood and community all week. If you are in DC, make sure you go by and visit!

And as you can see from the video, Mark is a reader and constant learner. This is great inspiration to me that I need to be learning constantly!

[vimeo 5873903]

Organizations Doing Good, Part 3

Part 3 of our "Organizations Doing Good" Series. You can also check out Part one and Part two. 1. Rwanda Clean Water- launched at Catalyst in 2005. To date has raised 1.75 million for clean water in Rwanda. 

2. Not For Sale- fighting slavery around the world. David Batstone is a good friend and doing great work. 

3. Trade As One- inspiring organization led by Nathan George that purposes to create sustainable business that will break cycles of poverty in different areas around the world- through the marketing/selling of Fair Trade items and goods. 

4. Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee- great friends of Catalyst. Their slogan is "Drink Coffee. Do Good." They've served thousands of cups of Rwandan coffee to Catalyst attendees over the last couple of years.

5. Hoops of Hope- one of my favorite initiatives out there. Austin Gutwein has created a movement of free throw shooting gatherings around the country that are raising millions of dollars for children in Africa. Austin's first book, Take Your Best Shot, will soon be releasing as well.

It's Not My Fault.....

Great post recently from Seth Godin  entitled "I Only Work Here." Seth comments on how he's had conversations with multiple people in the same company who have all used the phrase "well, I only work here," when responding to issues that Seth has brought up to them regarding their company. One person even stated to Seth, "All I do is work here. They pay my salary, but I'm me, not them."  Reality is," You Are Them," whether you like it or not. As Seth writes, "If you are not proud of where you work, go work somewhere else. You don't get the benefit of the brand when it's hot without accepting the blame of the brand when it's wrong." What a great statement. 

This is a great reminder that we really can't separate ourselves from the brand, organization, movement or initiative that we are working on, for or under. Accept that responsibility, and if things need to change, be willing to step up and do something about it. Or leave. 

"All I do is work here. They pay my salary, but I'm me, not them."
No, Susan, you are them.
The reason your brand is falling apart is because so many of your colleagues are saying the same thing, denying the same responsibility. Consumers don't believe (or care) that there are warrens and fiefdoms and monarchies within your company. All they know is that you leverage that brand name every day, as you have for decades, but now, instead of using that brand to polish your reputation as an individual, you're being forced to accept responsibility for the actions of others.
Do you really think someone who worked for Bernie Madoff will go far with this line? "I'm not Bernie, I just worked with him every day and took a great salary when times were good..." Not sure what the difference is. It's even worse in your case, because you know what's happening. You know, but you don't want to do anything about it.
If you're not proud of where you work, go work somewhere else. You don't get the benefit of the brand when it's hot without accepting the blame of the brand when it's wrong

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