There are lots of qualities that make up a great team, but thought i would point out just five that seem to be evident in these two teams.

1. Humble yet confident leader- both coaches seem to exude these two traits.

2. Skilled linchpin- Most of the time this is the quarterback for a football team. Peyton Manning and Drew Brees are two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. I would consider them linchpins for the Colts and Saints, as Seth Godin has written about in his new book. Every great team has to have at least one linchpin who is crucial to the success of the team.

3. Clear Vision and Clear Goal- in the NFL, every team has the Superbowl as their ultimate goal for the year. But only for a few is that goal a reality. Great teams have vision that inspires and goals that are attainable.

4. A cause greater than themselves- for the Saints, they truly are playing for the city of New Orleans.

5. Constantly getting better- great teams continue to improve. The Saints got better after their loss to Dallas that gave them their first defeat of the year. Same with the Colts. Great teams don’t allow for mediocrity to set in. They push themselves on a daily basis, and that accountability is held by the team, not necessarily just by the leader.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Thousands of high school seniors across the country are signing on the dotted line with the college of their choice.

Recruiting these athletes has become a year long job, and simultaneously an internet/media frenzy.

Oklahoma. Texas. Florida. USC. Alabama. Ohio State. and on and on. If I’m signing today, I have two hats on the table. Oklahoma and Alabama. You can guess who I go with.

If you were signing today, who would you pick?

So here you go, ten questions with me:

1. First Car: 1980 Monte Carlo (green and gray upholstery interior)

2. Where did you grow up? Bristow, Oklahoma (home of the Purple Pirates! I’m not making this up). Just outside of Tulsa

3. All Time Favorite Movie: Lonesome Dove

4. Favorite Snack Indulgence: Chips and Salsa

5. All Time Favorite Quote: Tough one, but I love this: “Preach the Gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words.”  - St. Francis of Assisi

6. Ever been skydiving? No. Do you want to? No.

7. Dream Vacation: either golfing in Scotland and Ireland, or duck/dove/goose hunting in Argentina

8. If you could pick a different first name, what would it be? Lom. That way I would be Lom Lomenick.

9. What do you like best about working for Catalyst? The free t-shirts. Seriously, it’s the thousands of leaders around the US and the world that we have the amazing opportunity to impact, equip and inspire to be a Catalyst in their communities. That is an amazing honor. And we take it very seriously, and hold it with a great sense of stewardship.

10. What three people would you want to have dinner with tonight? Billy Graham, Bono, and Nelson Mandela.

bonus question: What three golfers make up your foursome on your trip to Scotland (dreaming here): Jack Nicklaus, Barack Obama, and Michael Jordan. And I would invite Charles Barkley just for the humor! Watch this if you don’t know what I’m talking about.

Thanks to our Catalyst intern Kelley Swann for coming up with some great questions!

And perspective is good. It doesn’t mean we adhere to everything we read, hear and learn from these voices. Not at all. But we need to be challenged and stretched and aware of what is happening around us. Be intentional about finding leaders, authors, and experts who are not running in your circle on a daily basis.

Here are a few folks I like to learn from that are outside of my normal circle:

Mashable- one of the most popular blogs in the world, founded by Pete Cashmore

Richard Branson- CEO of Virgin

Marissa Meyer- VP of User Experience for Google. She controls the homepage….

Chris Anderson- editor in chief of Wired Magazine and author of FREE and The Long Tail

Chris Anderson (2)- curator and director of TED, one of the most innovative conferences and communities in the world.

Charlie Rose- incredible interviewer and host of the Charlie Rose Show

Jay Z- entrepreneur, musician, and songwriter.

Jonathan Ive- SVP of Industrial Design for Apple. Enough said.

Tony Hawk- pro skateboarder, designer, and twitter phenom.

Who do you learn from outside your normal circle?

In this interview we discuss the status of their feature film, how Invisible Children is working with the International Crimes Court, their upcoming tour, and five questions on the hot seat.

The other video below is the Thank You video Invisible Children put together for all those who voted for them in winning the one million.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

- Take a moment to read this article from Jon Foreman, lead singer of Switchfoot, that appeared on the uber popular blog the Huffington Post.

- Gift Card Giver is challenging everyone who will be watching the Super Bowl to join the Super Giver Campaign, and ask all of your friends attending Super Bowl parties to bring gift cards with them. All proceeds from the cards once collected will be given to Hope International and their Hope for Haiti fund.

- My good friend Carlos Whittaker spent several days this week on the top of the itunes charts for his new EP. If you haven’t bought the 3 song set, I encourage you to do so. Congrats Los!

- If you are looking for places to give/get involved with relief efforts in Haiti, we are recommending five organizations: Compassion, Samaritans Purse, World Vision, Convoy of Hope, and Hope International. And for clean water efforts in Haiti, charity: water is our key partner for long-term efforts. All are reputable and doing great work in Haiti.

- David Crowder wrote a very funny guest blog post for Jon Acuff on Stuff Christians Like. Worth the read and many good laughs.

1. Alyson Stoner- 17-year old noted actress and musician.

2. Matt Mooney- created the 99 Balloons Project. You need to watch this. Get the tissues out.

3. Nikki Toyama- program director for Intervarsity and the Urbana Conference, and author of More than Serving Tea.

4. Danny Wuerffel- former Heisman Trophy winner and now Visionary Leader of Desire Street Ministries.

5. Laura Waters Hinson- Award-winning filmmaker, and director/producer of the movie As We Forgive. Powerful.

Catalyst One Day is headed to Chicago in March. We are partnering with our good friends at Willow Creek Community Church to host Catalyst One Day on Thursday, March 25, 2010 in the Windy City.

Catalyst One Day features Andy Stanley and Craig Groeschel teaching on the topic of momentum. It is practical, practical, practical. Nuts and bolts of leadership. Four main sessions from Andy and Craig, and Q and A sessions with the audience. The smaller environment allows for a much more intimate setting than the larger arena context of our other Catalyst events. We’ll be meeting in the Lakeview Auditorium at Willow.

If you are planning to attend, please REGISTER TODAY. The best rates on tickets end today, so go ahead and get your team signed up now. Seating is limited.

Use rate code BLOG and save 10% on your ticket. And let me know if you’ll be there as it would be great to connect.

(check out what some others are saying about Catalyst One Day:)

Michael Hyatt

John Saddington

Blaine Hogan

Kem Meyer

Scott Hodge

Kent Shaffer

Brad Ruggles

Kary Oberbrunner

Dawn Nicole Baldwin

Tim Schraeder

I would figure out a way to make a connection with someone, and then arrange a meeting, phone call, breakfast, lunch, or coffee. Inevitably, this question would eventually come out in the conversation. I loved hearing it.

Now I ask it. Not because I’m someone who deserves to ask it, but more because time is precious. When you are a leader and have a team and an organization to run, and their are people who want to spend time with you, you have to make choices. I understand now why all these folks were asking me that question.

So next time you have a meeting or phone call or a lunch with someone who you respect and want to learn from and consider to be a key influencer, here are a few pointers on how to make sure they’ll want to talk to you next time you call or want to meet:

1. Honor that person’s time. Find out how much time they have, and then stick to that. And actually wrap up sooner than what is expected.

2. Ask way more questions than you give answers. You’re not the expert, they are. So leverage the time and soak up their wisdom. Don’t use the time to share your story.

3. Pay for it. If you are at breakfast or lunch or dinner, pay for the meal. I don’t care if you are meeting with Bill Gates, pay for it. It is a sign of respect. Even if you are a non-profit and trying to raise money, pay for the meal. Seriously.

4. Tell the person what the agenda is. If you are planning to ask them for money, tell them that. If you want a favor, tell them that. If you have a certain need you want to get their advice on, tell them that. If you have specific questions you want to ask and get their answers on, tell them those questions. Be upfront.

5. Write it down and follow up. Bring something to write with, and write down the good stuff. Also, based on questions you ask, figure out ways you can serve that person. If that person likes a certain coffee, send them a gift card. If that person likes a certain college team, make a connection about that team a month later. If you can make a connection for that person that will serve them, do it. If you want to create a long term value add friendship, you’ll need to be intentional around their likes and interests.