Check out a recent interview I did with Rob Bell, teaching pastor at Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, MI. We discussed a number of issues, including what music Rob is currently listening to, as well as getting an update on the Drop Like Stars Tour.
You can stream here or download from itunes.
These guys are big time college quarterbacks, but also great guys. Strong leaders. And doing their best to love God and follow Him. I of course am one of Sam Bradford's greatest fans, and even though it is difficult, will cheer for Colt McCoy as well. It's OU/Texas weekend. Boomer Sooner!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnx2MungsGI&NR=1[/youtube]
Will be posting several thoughts on Catalyst 2009 over the next week, but for now, just wanted to share a few pics. 10 Pics from behind the scenes. 10th year anniversary. More to come later. [gallery]
I've worked on some great teams over the past several years, and seen great customer service in action. One of the places I learned the most about great customer service was Lost Valley Ranch, an incredible guest ranch in Colorado. Serving the guests was part of the DNA of the staff. We took great pride in our ability to create a great experience for our guests through unmatched customer service. Here are a few of the ways we did that: 1. Treat someone like you would want to be treated- the Golden Rule. It really does work. And it makes sense. Common sense. Use it.
2. Remember someone's name. Always. Especially when you've met them before.
3. Let your actions speak way louder than your words. Don't just talk about it. Make it happen. Your work can be a great example of your attitude and commitment to service.
4. Anticipate. Stay a step ahead of your clients or guests. Don't wait for them to ask for something. Figure it out before they even need it.
5. Engage in meaningful conversation. Serving creates opportunity for impact- it builds a bridge. So make sure to connect with your guests or clients through conversation when it's appropriate. Understand who they are by understanding what they read, what they watch, where they travel and what their interests are. And look them in the eye when talking. Little things add up.
Make sure to stay up to date with Catalyst all this week by hanging out on the Catalyst Backstage site. Carlos Whittaker and Anne Jackson will be hosting the backstage experience. You can keep up with me through Twitter here.
thanks!
If you are planning to attend LABS, here is a list of recommendations for sessions you should consider. This list is based on a conversation with Jeff Shinabarger, creative director for Catalyst.
DISCLAIMER: This doesn't mean I am NOT recommending other LAB Speakers. Just wanted to highlight a few that you may not know about or be aware of. These are under the radar.
Session 1: Bishop John Rucyahana: Hearing him talk about grace and restoration and forgiveness related to the genocide in Rwanda is powerful.
Session 2: Matthew Sleeth: A renowned expert on how Churches can get involved in the Creation Care conversation. His book Serve God, Save the Planet has created some great traction around this topic.
Session 3: Scott Belsky: (According to Jeff Shinabarger: If I could recommend one session for every person that I know to attend, this is the one. I listened to his talk in New York City at The Feast Conference one year ago and it is the most important content I have heard all year. He studies how ideas happen and will share with you how to make your ideas come to life. Brilliant. I will be attending this in the midst of preparation for the next day). Enough said. And I agree.
Session 4: Nicole Baker Fulgham: Teach for America is an important organization to our urban schools. You will learn something from this presentation and be encouraged as church leaders to engage schools in new ways. An important voice to consider.
Session 4: Ian Cron: His book Chasing Francis is a great read. Get ready to be challenged in a fresh way.
And if you are not able to attend LABS or any of Catalyst this year, make sure to check out more on these speakers.
Put this list together yesterday based on a conversation with Jeff Shinabarger as we were watching the rigging go up in the Arena for Catalyst. Hopefully this is helpful.
1. Go to Labs (see above post for recommendations on "unknown" lab speakers that we think you should consider hearing).
2. Bring Gift Cards, towels, socks, and cleaning supplies for flood victims in Atlanta. Specifically, gift cards to Lowe's or Home Depot.
3. Stay for dinner at the arena on Thursday night. First ever "Catalyst Cookout." You can pay right on site and not have to leave and fight traffic. Entertainment will be provided and then at 8 pm we'll start the session with Francis Chan.
4. Visit the Social Justice tent outside the main arena. 14 amazing organizations in the tent. Take time hearing their stories and invite them to share at your church.
5. Show up early. Otherwise you'll be sitting in the upper deck and by early I mean before 7 am.
6. Make sure to fill up your gas tank before you get here- they'll be long lines at the gas stations.
7. Bring your LUNCH for both days. Tailgate in the parking lot.
8. Sign up for a TWITTER account before you arrive at the event. Trust me- it will enhance your experience.
Recently had the chance to interview Chris Anderson, the editor of Wired Magazine and the author of FREE and The Long Tail. Chris said something during our interview that has been shaping my thinking recently regarding how we properly steward online community, networks, or groups that we have assembled. He said this:
"The job of everyone online today is Community Management. Less about talking TO people, and more about organizing conversations FOR people."
Now, I'll paraphrase what that means based on what he said: For leaders, it's not about doing things for people, but instead helping them do things for themselves. No longer is it about Talking to people and one-way communication as an expert, but it's now about Organizing Conversations among people. Creating opportunities for our communities to interact, without us being the focus or the only one speaking.
This is such an important lesson for any of us who have been given a network to steward, whether online or offline. The entire paradigm of creating a tribe has been flipped. Seth wrote about this as well, evidenced by his best-selling book, and spoke about it at Catalyst last year.
Next week is Catalyst week. But thought we would look back to a recent meeting in early September and get a sneak peek into what the Catalyst Creative team is working on..... The problem is, it has nothing to do with the event, but MUCH more to do with who was the best Sword Drill champion during their childhood! Enjoy.
[vimeo]http://www.vimeo.com/6881160[/vimeo]
1. Use your 20's to build a foundation for your 70's. Create deep roots that will give you a foundation for when you are older. Finishing well means starting well. 2. Don't worry about climbing the ladder. There's no longer a ladder anyway. It's more like one of those spiral staircases. And sometimes you are going across or down when you think you might be climbing. So don't worry about it. Spend your 20's learning and having life experiences. Travel, explore the world, take on projects that seem fun.
3. If your "career" path doesn't make sense to anyone except for you, it's okay. My 20's: college at University of Oklahoma, wrangler on a guest ranch in Colorado, management consultant, business development officer, Magazine and media company, strategic business plan developer. WOW. That is all over the map. But God was orchestrating steps very clearly for what was next in my story. And continues to do so.
4. Be diligent and aggressive in developing your friendships and relationships. Create a core group of close friends who you want to do like with. This group may change a bit over the years, but it is imperative to find a circle of trust that you are committed to and they to you.
5. Figure out who you want to be, not what you want to do. Who you are is more important that what you do or where you live. Spiritually, financially, family, emotionally, relationally. Find two or three older, wise "sages" that you can learn from and count on as help.
Here you go, the September edition of the Young Influencers List. You can see the archives of past month's editions here. September Edition:
1. Shaun King- pastor of Courageous Church in Atlanta, and part of Hope Atlanta, an initiative dedicated to helping Atlanta flood victims.
2. Kimberly Anyadike- at 15, she is the youngest African-American female to fly across the continental US.
3. Tyler Stanton- funny guy, writer, sketch comedian, co-host of Catalyst West, and all around good guy.
4. Kelli Murray- talented designer working with Jedidiah.
5. Zach Williams- singer/songwriter/recording artist in New York City.
So I am headed to the Tour Championship on Sunday. Gonna watch Tiger and Phil and Cink and Harrington hitting the long ball on East Lake. These guys are tough. But there is another segment within the golfing world- the Wuss golfers. Wimps. Not going for the green. Hitting irons off of the tee box. Hitting from the ladies tees..... etc.
Thought this video from Kenny Mayne was a great explanation of how important it is for all of us who are golfers to not "be wimps" on the course......
Funny stuff from Kenny Mayne to finish off this week.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rr3G50eMvDA]
I've watched the great athletes over the years in times of great intensity go to their "zone" where everything seems to be in slow motion. In watching interviews and hearing them speak about these great moments, whether it's a 9th inning home run, or 50 yard touchdown pass as time expires, or game winning goal in the last seconds of game 7 of the Stanley Cup, they talk about things slowing down in their mind. Even though there may be chaos and bedlam going on around them, they are, as Stuart Scott says, "cool as the other side of the pillow." Same thing with Golfers- Tiger Woods always is more precise and takes much more time when the pressure is on, vs the natural tendency to want to speed everything up and get through it.
So what do we do as leaders during times of great intensity, pressure, or the final hour? A couple of thoughts:
1. always over-communicate.
2. be methodical and calm, not intense and short.
3. list out the priorities so as to not be overwhelmed by the small things that seem to be incredibly urgent, but really aren't.
4. Seek out quiet moments for prayer, reflection and thinking. During times of pressure, that is when we need those quiet moments the most.
5. resist the urge to let things slip or just settle for something average because of the pressure to get it done. Keep your standards and levels of excellence at their highest- don't compromise.
If you are planning to attend Catalyst, and you are a blogger, you'll want to pay attention. Brad Ruggles is coordinating a bloggers meetup for Wednesday night, October 7th, at the event in Atlanta. Feel free to start floating the word around, although space will be limited to 100 people so spots will probably fill up fast. For more information and to sign up go here.
And as you blog or twitter prior to and at the event, make sure to use #CAT09.
I'm a big fan of Hope International. An organization committed to helping provide microfinance loans to worthy entrepreneurs all over the world, helping lift them out of poverty.
A great way for you to get involved is Give Hope Sunday. Give Hope Sunday is a FREE way for you and your church to explore the big impact small loans can make on a community- and ultimately on a life. But it's more than static, bullet point info. It's an opportunity to help communities help themselves. And a chance to forever change your view of charity.
Give Hope Sunday will happen on October 18, a great day for the Church to connect with the poor. It's one day out of the year in which your church can focus on tangible ways to help people living in poverty. By signing up for Give Hope Sunday, your church will receive all the tools needed to effectively platform and discuss the issue of microfinance and poverty.
You'll receive:
- Sermon notes to help you bring a Biblical perspective to the issue of poverty.
- Bulletin inserts that provide your congregation with a summary of what HOPE International does, information on poverty, and ways to get involved.
- A promotional video you can use to introduce the Give Hope Sunday initiative
all of this designed to both educate and move your congregation toward action..... giving HOPE.
So get involved today.
Go there immediately and sign up to win some great Catalyst stuff. And 200 copies of Andy Stanley's book Principle of the Path are being given away.
We've always got one song that we seem to hit replay on over and over again. Right now, for me it is With Everything, by Hillsong. Amazing song.
I'm an Oklahoma boy. Always will be. Grew up in Oklahoma just outside of Tulsa (Bristow- ever been there?) When you grow up in Oklahoma, especially as a boy, you learn about farming at an early age, even if you don't live on a farm. It's just in the DNA of your childhood in small towns in Oklahoma.
It's hard-wired into my DNA. My grandparents were farmers/ranchers. I learned a lot from them- many things that now are life lessons and have shaped me as a leader, but at the time seemed unimportant.
Now as I look back, especially when it comes to leadership, there are a number of lessons from Farming that apply to my world as a leader- and I believe are applicable to all of us as leaders. Here are a few:
1. Farming, just like Leadership, is both an ART and a SCIENCE. If you focus on one over the other, you'll mess it up.
2. Farming and Leadership require intuitiveness- the right hunches at the right time. Making the right decision is many times not about being "right" but instead just making a decision.
3. The idea of "seasons" is incredibly important to a farmer; leaders also have to understand the concept of a season, especially as it relates to the season of a project or your team and the rhythm of your year. If you don't allow your team to rest from a season of intensity, you'll burn em out- same with a field; it's called crop rotation.
4. Cultivating a great harvest takes a lot of work. You don't just plant a seed and it automatically turns into fruit. You have to do the work "under the soil" to get the fruit "above the soil." Patience.
There are more, but we'll save those for Part II next week.
This is a great story. LV Hanson sits down with some Catalyst friends in the DC area recently as part of the Catalyst National Tour. Pastor T.L. Rogers and his son Pastor Perrin Rogers and Joshua Symonette share a story of their connections, how they got to know each other, and now their connection and involvement with IJM. [vimeo 6522314]
You can watch part 2 of this video here.
We are three weeks away. Now in the refining stage. A few shots from this mornings meeting. Los and Shinabarger and Lanny were MVP's of the morning.
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