Teamwork 101

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)

These verses are not just related to your specific team, but also the "team" you work with in impacting your city, your region, and the global large C Church. So try these virtues on for size! In your organization, in your neighborhood, in your community, and across the global church.

1. Be like-minded.

2. Be loving.

3. Be united.

4. Be focused (on one purpose).

5. Be generous.

6. Be selfless.

7. Be humble.

8. Look out for others before yourself.

9. Have a great attitude.

10. Be Christ-like.

Teamwork 101.

A simple call to action from Paul but incredibly difficult to put into action.

The Tension of Ambition

There are a number of things in our lives that live in tension. As leaders, most of us are ambitious by nature, and this seems to be a constant source of tension. Not necessarily bad tension, but tension none the less. Ambition. Seen by many as a negative word- way too secular and worldly. Not something that always gets mentioned at the annual church or non-profit awards banquet when introducing the volunteer of the year. There's lots of evidence of bad ambition in our worlds- too many ambitious folks we know have ended up burning out, burning up, or leaving a path of destruction.

If you are a leader, especially a type A, you feel this constantly. I know I do.

The pull of wanting to move forward and conquer the next hill, but also knowing that the greatest way to get there is not necessarily by leaving everyone around you in the ditch. Many times it seems the best way to make something happen is to do it myself- a classic sign of the ambitious type.

The question is what does GOOD ambition look like? Ambition that allows for things to happen, for new ideas to be launched, teams to excel, individuals to flourish, etc.

For me, I have learned a couple of ways to try and manage the tension, and the best way to explain is with a concentric circle model- what I consider the Inner, Middle, and Outer Circle Influence principle. First, I have a few folks around me who keep me in check regarding my ambitions- this is the inner circle. Why are you doing this? Is this for the organization's benefit or for your own? Who will be impacted by this decision, and in a positive or negative way? How are you growing as a leader? Second, I try to make sure that my leadership is accessible as possible to those I interact with regularly- both to my team as well as to partners, vendors and associates-this is the Middle Circle. I have learned (and watched) that many times ambition goes sour and turns negative when Type A leaders push everything in their lives towards being as private as possible. This is a mistake. It doesn't mean that you have to broadcast every part of your life, but it does mean that you should be upfront and authentic with those around you, especially those you are working with or partnering with on a regular basis. Third, don't worry about what others say who don't know you- this is the Outer Circle. Many of us struggle with ambition because we are trying to please or gain credibility with people who really don't matter or ultimately could care less. And too much of our energy gets used on trying to get noticed by those on the far outside of our "influence" circle.

Stick to the basics.

Deal with the tension of ambition.

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Just Lead!, a new book for Women Leaders

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A Brand New Resource for Women Leaders! I am frequently asked questions about the development of women leaders.  While the opportunities for leadership are increasing for women, the resources for development still many times seems inadequate.  That’s why I am really excited for the release of Just Lead! A No Whining, No Complaining, No Nonsense Practical Guide for Women Leaders in the Church written by my friends Jenni Catron and Sherry Surratt.

Jenni is the Executive Director of Cross Point Church in Nashville, TN, where she leads the staff and oversees the ministry of five campuses, and Sherry is the president and CEO of MOPS International.

As two experienced leaders who have served in a number of capacities in churches and organizations, Sherry and Jenni not only explore barriers – internal and external – that keep women from assuming a leadership role but also provide practical reality checks on what women can do to become effective leaders.  The book shows how to handle criticism, face indecision, and grapple with the loneliness that often comes with being in charge.  It also offers sage advice on respecting gender differences, overcoming communication barriers, leading other women, and developing a balanced team.

If you are a woman who wants to successfully navigate the transitions necessary to lead well in church and ministry settings, Just Lead! is the handbook you need.

Here are 5 Questions with Jenni & Sherry:

1. What is one leadership lesson you wish you had learned earlier in life?

We wish we had learned the significance of seizing your present sphere of influence and pouring your best into it.  We often say, “Wherever you lead, lead well.”  For those of us with the gift of leadership, we’re naturally inclined to aspire to bigger spheres of influence.  But in doing so, we often miss the leadership lessons we need to be learning in our present circumstances.  Leadership is a journey that doesn’t have a final destination.  You have to make the most of every stop along the way.

2. What three issues do you most commonly see hinder leaders from leading well?

Most of us deal with varying degrees of fear and insecurity, but a few additional issues we see leaders commonly wrestle with are indecision, criticism and communication.

  • Leaders have to be decision makers but oftentimes we become paralyzed by the complexities we face and are indecisive.
  • Criticism is constant.  It’s a natural part of leadership.  Learning to discern what to grow from and what to discard is essential.
  • Leadership rises or falls on communication.  It’s one of the greatest tools we need to develop to lead well.

3. What do men and women need to understand about leading better together?

Trust and respect each other.  Make it less about gender and more about how our gifts and abilities complement each other to do the work we’re called to do.  Seek to understand and give lots of grace!

4. What advice do you have for young leaders?

Wherever God puts you, ask Him for wisdom and a humble spirit to approach your leadership opportunities.  Bring your best game to the table with faithfulness and a willing attitude.  Be the best leader you can be, even if your leadership opportunity is small.  Seize every opportunity to grow and lead with excellence and courage.

5. What inspired you to write a book for women leaders?

Since the day we met, we have shared a deep love for encouraging other women leaders.  We both are frequently sought out for conversations about how to lead well as women.  What we discovered was that there were very few resources available for us to recommend to help women navigate some of the unique challenges they face.  This book was a way to put our stories on paper.  It’s what we would share if we could sit down one-on-one with each of them.

 

9 Leadership Lessons I learned from John Maxwell

I worked a couple of years with and for best-selling author and leadership guru John Maxwell. He taught me a ton about leadership, life, and overall some key principles on how to be a good employee and the keys to building a lasting organization. Here are a few of those key lessons I learned from John.

1. Leadership is influence. Nothing more, nothing less. Everything rises and falls on leadership, and influence is parallel and equal to leadership.

2. Have a good time, and enjoy the process. John was a blast to travel with, and helped me understand that “getting there” is as much fun as arriving. We often had random stops on trips and always enjoyed the journey.

3. Surround yourself with leaders who are better at certain things than you are. You don’t have to be the best at everything. Bring in folks who are better than you.

4. Leaders are readers. Pure and simple. If you are not growing, you are not going.

5. Leaders are learners. Learn from everyone. You are never too good or too established to keep learning.

6. Put people in the right roles, and then stay out of the way. Hire the right people, and then let them run. Don’t meddle or micromanage. If you feel the need to, you probably hired the wrong person to start with.

7. A with A, not A with C. Top notch A level players don’t want to play on the same team with C or D level players. Make sure you are putting A players with A players.

8. Focus on the 7’s and up. Too many leaders spend way too much time focusing on the areas where they are 4’s and 5’s on the leadership scale from 1-10, and instead should spend time on the areas where they are 7’s and 8’s to get to being a 9 or 10.

9. Above all, get it done. Execution and making things happen is a rare commodity these days among leaders, and those who can take the ball across the finish line are much needed.

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6 Ways Coaches are Great Leaders

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My dad coached high school football in Bristow, Oklahoma for almost 30 years. They won three state championships, played in the state championship game another three times, won district titles basically every year, and in the 1980's were one of the winningest high school programs in the state. Growing up in Bristow meant high school football. I asked him what makes a good coach. Here were a few of his responses:

1. First and foremost, they have to be great leaders. Players and other coaches want to follow them. They will make the tough decisions, and also have no problem surrounding themselves with other coaches who are more talented than they are.

2. Ability to motivate- they have enthusiasm, and are able to pull the best out of kids. They also create great camaraderie among their staff.

3. Create a great program- great coaches carry with them a certain aura; they are incredibly competent, but also have the "IT" factor. People want to be around them. Kids want to do their best for them, parents want their kids playing for them, the school embraces them, and the community loves them. They create a winning tradition and other schools don't like to play them.

4. Competent- they know X's and O's. They are highly organized, lead well, and skilled at their profession.

5. Never complacent- great coaches don't allow for complacency to set in once they've established a winning tradition or system. And with each year they find new ways to raise the bar and make sure everyone are creating new goals and getting better constantly.

6. Teacher at their core- there really is a connection between a great coach and great teacher. Coaches love to teach- the best coaches can take a player and raise their level of skill and ability because they not only can motivate them, but also can instruct them on how to be better.

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I need your help! Be Part of the Launch Team for The Catalyst Leader book

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Hey friends! It's that time. And I need your help.....

Here we go! Just over one month until my new book The Catalyst Leader hits the shelves on Tuesday, April 16. The official release is at Catalyst West that week.
This is my first book, and I'm truly humbled to bring lessons from the Catalyst leadership movement over the last 14 years to leaders everywhere. I am so excited for leaders all over the US and around the world to really dig into the heart of what it means to truly be a Catalyst leader, and ultimately lead now, and lead well in today's culture.
This is where you come in, and where I need your help in spreading the word.We need a launch team, an incredible group of people willing to lead the charge in changing the way the world views leadership. We need change makers, leaders, innovators, students, dreamers, and believers. If that sounds like you…

Go HERE to join the Book Launch Team.

Book Launch Team Member Benefits

  • A free, electronic copy of the book in advance of the publication date (Kindle, Nook, iPad, or PDF).
  • Exclusive access to me and the Catalyst team members in a Private Facebook Group.
  • A special group phone call teaching session with me prior to the launch of the book.
  • A special THANK YOU mention with link to your blog or website on my blog
  • Audio download of my recent talk on "10 Things I've learned from Leading Catalyst"
  • A free, electronic copy of the Catalyst Leader book accompanying participants guide in advance of the publication date.
  • A 25% off discount on anything in the Catalyst store

Team Member Requirements

  • Write a book review on Amazon.com as well as one other e-tailer site (2 reviews total)
  • Help spread the word about the book through your blog, to your existing network and beyond, starting on April 15th and throughout the week of the book release.
  • Spread the word about the book through Twitter and Facebook with at least 3 mentions the week of the book release, using the hashtag #catalystleader
  • Instagram the cover of the book (we'll send you a pic to use)

That's it!

Again, go here to be part of the Book Launch team and fill out the form. Appreciate your help!

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10 Challenges for your Team for 2013

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Here are 10 specific challenges I would recommend you make to your team this year. To put in place and act out on a regular basis. These are based on the challenges we've instilled on our Catalyst team the last couple of years. 1. Authentic. Be Real. Human. approachable. Guard against hubris.

2. No sideways energy. Communicate. Focus. Guard against silos and wasted energy.

3. Stewardship. Each of us embracing and understanding our role in what we’ve been given and required to manage and uphold through the platform we've been given by God to steward. Not just the leader.

4. Expertise. see myself as an expert. Individual responsibility and organizational responsibility.

5. Receive what we create. Become our own customer. Guard against the mundane. If you don't like the product you are creating, you have a problem.

6. Guard against cynicism. Behind the curtain we have to guard against this. Fight it at every turn. And call it out if we see it.

7. Excellence. We are the best in the world. Confidence not arrogance. Act like it. Maintain a standard. Guard against being lazy and pessimistic.

8. Serve one another. Jump in and help. Get it done mentality. Not just when the "lights are on" (sports reference), but all the time. Be willing to do whatever it takes.

9. Protect and maintain a “make it happen” culture. Guard against the phrase “it’s not my job.” and guard against creating clicks.

10. Get better every day. Guard against complacency. Make it your goal to constantly improve and take your game to the next level.

A New Book you don't want to miss

My good friend Jeff Shinabarger has a new book out today entitled More or Less: Choosing a Lifestyle of Excessive Generosity.
He's been an instrumental part of the Catalyst movement for the last 10 years, playing significant roles from a creative perspective as well as being our key experience designer for events.
I'm really excited about the release of Jeff's book. The book answers these three important questions:
1. What is enough?
2. What would happen if we created a culture of giving away whatever was more than enough?
3. How would our habits change if we shed the excess in our lives to create margin and meet local and global needs?
In More or Less, you'll learn how to draw a line of "ENOUGH" in their consumer choices, how to see generosity as a chance to experience freedom in a greedy world, and how to make small changes now that will help others forever. Through 50 practical stories and numerous actionable ideas, the book helps you define "enough" as more than a responsibility, but actually an opportunity to give hope.
I highly recommend this book. Go purchase it! I know Jeff well, and his passion for helping others and living a lifestyle of More or Less comes through in every page.
Jeff is a social entrepreneur, experience designer, cofounder of the Q event, and former creative director at Catalyst. He is also the founder of
GiftCardGiver.com and Plywood People, an innovative community addressing social needs through creative projects. He and his family live in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Bible Series from Mark Burnett and Roma Downey- a sneak peak

I'm so proud of my friends Mark Burnett (executive producer of TV hit shows like The Voice, Survivor, Apprentice, and Shark Tank) and Roma Downey (star of Touched by an Angel) and their work in producing the brand new epic Bible Series that starts this Sunday evening on the History Channel (channel 269 on Directv). Please plan to watch or DVR the entire 5 part series from this Sunday, March 3 up through Easter Sunday on March 31st.

Here is a special introduction from Mark and Roma:

[vimeo]http://www.vimeo.com/60396260[/vimeo]

And a glance at the scene of Jesus walking on water, with some commentary from yours truly

[vimeo]http://www.vimeo.com/60394261[/vimeo]

And a glance at the scene of Jesus and Pilate interacting, with some more commentary from yours truly

[vimeo]http://www.vimeo.com/60395261[/vimeo]

And Jesus fishing with Peter, with additional commentary

[vimeo]http://www.vimeo.com/60616279[/vimeo]

Make Time for Margin

Margin is a powerful concept. It creates opportunities. For businesses, margin is one of your top priorities. Margin in business creates profits.

Margin in family creates memories.

Margin in our personal finances creates generosity.

Margin in our friendships creates significance and impact.

Margin in our lives overall creates options. Options to pursue dreams, think, pray, relax, meditate, process, grow and ultimately live life more fully.

As leaders, it is important that we create moments of margin for ourselves. Time to dream, time to laugh, time to retreat- on a regular basis, daily, weekly, monthly, yearly. Even if it is 5 minutes during the day to think, walk, pray, or simply relax. Margin gives us energy and renewed momentum and enthusiasm. And it is equally important to allow for margin in the culture of your team, and margin for your individual team members. Even something as simple as a funny story shared with the team, or a stop by someone else's office to catch up and say hi, or a quick review of pictures or great memories from something earlier in the year.

Margin is one of the hardest things for most leaders I know to actually create and implement. I am no exception. I struggle with creating margin. One of those leadership attributes that you wake up wanting to pursue and always realize at the end of the day you missed it.

Lack of margin makes us tense, creates stress and pushes for quick decisions. Lack of margin leads to stale and unhealthy relationships, and drives us towards the most available options at the time, but many times not the best. Lack of margin makes for rushed projects, for forced creativity, and for strategy that only thinks of the short term gains, not the long term opportunities.

Margin is the fuel for responding to the unexpected, and the option we all need for being more focused, intentional, life-giving and less stressed.

Make Time for Margin.

10 Rejected best-selling book titles

Some Leadership book titles that probably never made the cut at the top Publishing Houses..... 1. The 90 Degree Leader: Lead at a Right Angle

2. 35 and Living at Home: Secrets to Mooching

3. I Am All That

4. Leadership Lessons from the Detroit Lions: Losing 16 Straight is a Breeze

5. You Suck: Reality is a Drag

6. Bad, Worse, Worst: How to Take Down a Company in 100 Days

7. Poop or Get off The Pot: Make a Decision You Moron

8. How Lazy are You? A Tribute

9. Lose Your Job in One Week Beginner's Guide

10. Make the Least of a Big Opportunity: Squander it All

Please feel free to add your favorite titles as well......

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Young Influencers List, February edition

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Here you go, the February edition of the Young Influencers List. You can see all the past month's lists here. 1. Melissa Fitzpatrick- research assistant and key strategic lead at Living Proof Ministries, and daughter of Beth!!

2. Ben Hardesty- lead singer and founder of the up and coming band The Last Bison.

3. Art Hooker- videographer, filmmaker, and VP Change Design at Citi.

4. Rachel Triska- pastor and executive director of Life in Deep Ellum.

5. Trevor Bayne- NASCAR driver and 2011 winner of the Daytona 500.

6. Jarrod McKenna- Aussie activist, peacemaker, key leader of EPYC (Empowering Peacemakers), and World Vision Australia advisor.

7. Micah Owings- partner and ambassador for My Active Faith and signed recently with Washington Nationals.

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5 Stages for Making Creative Ideas Happen at Catalyst

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We get asked all the time about how we come up with new and fresh ideas for Catalyst. It's a pretty simple process that has proven to be effective. This can be useful in any organization or scenario, whether you are launching ideas, or just looking to make sound decisions. Here you go: 1. Create- we spend a ton of time just brainstorming, which is obviously a very important part of the process. The more ideas on the board, the more opportunities for one of those to make it through the process. All ideas matter at this stage. For example, we have probably 300-350 programming ideas every year for our October conference. And creative meetings are "yes and" meetings, not "no but." Incredibly important!

2. Criticize - every idea, in order to stay in the process, has to be critiqued and criticized significantly. This is key in order to make sure you don't spend tons of time chasing too many rabbits and driving everyone crazy with lots of good ideas but nothing ever happening. And make sure everyone doesn't take things personal- criticizing an idea is much different than criticizing the person who came up with the idea. It's not personal. This stage is a filter, and weeds out lots of possible ideas that just don't have the legs to keep moving up the grid.

3. Optimize- anything that makes it pass the criticize phase has to be built on. In some ways, this is a second and third wave of innovation. Most of the time the original idea will turn into something that looks totally different. And that is okay, and actually important and needed. This is really the essence of putting icing on the cake. A bit of time will usually bring clarity and renewed energy to an idea, so we have to usually let good ideas cook a bit in order to make them great.

4. Validate- every idea has to be validated- financially, operationally, personnel wise, and direction/vision related. Lots of big ideas appropriately get held up in this phase, either to be released later or put on the shelf for good. Conversely, in many organizations, lots of bad ideas make it through this phase because of bad systems and/or leaders who aren't willing to say no, or a team that can't say no to the leader. Leaders- if you are using your position and power to push the wrong ideas through the validation phase, this is a major red flag!

5. Execute- it all comes down to getting things done. Hard work is time consuming and tiring. We take tremendous pride in execution on ideas. If it has gone through the entire process and made it to this point, the idea deserves the attention and focus to make sure it happens. And if every level of the Idea process grid was correctly put in motion, the idea is probably going to be good when turned into reality!

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10 Reasons to attend Catalyst West 2013

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I'm so excited about Catalyst West coming up April 17-19, 2013 in Orange County (Irvine) CA at Mariners Church.

If you are considering attending, you'll want to go ahead and REGISTER TODAY to get the BEST RATES on tickets.

TODAY, February 14th,  is the early registration deadline, so go ahead and get your team or staff signed up at the lower prices. And when you register, use Rate Code FOB for an additional 10% off. Just for being a part of this blog community.

Here are 10 reasons why I am excited about Catalyst West, and why you should attend:

1. The speaker lineup- Andy Stanley, Jim Collins, Louie Giglio, Christine Caine, Chip Heath (author of Made to Stick), Matt Chandler, Jud Wilhite, Dallas Willard, Pranitha Timothy, Manny Ohonme, Tom Shadyac (legendary Hollywood director), and more. This lineup has me jacked. Seriously. I'm pumped!

2. Joel Houston (of Hillsong NYC), David Crowder, and Israel Houghton - all will be leading us musically. Epic.

3. Tripp and Tyler- funny guys. funny videos. they will be funny.

4. 5 Free Talks- there are 5 FREE talks available to you for FREE on the Catalyst West Website. Go and open your free present NOW!

5. MAKE- this is our theme. And I love it.

6. LABS- wow, the wisdom and know-how that will be presenting on LABS day is humbling. Come a day early and hear from thought leaders like Dave Gibbons, Mike Erre, Nancy Ortberg, Carl Lentz, Claire Diaz Ortiz, David Kinnaman, Sergio de la Mora, Jim Daly, Charles Lee, Jeremy Cowart, Bianca Olthoff, Propaganda, Kara Powell, Mark and Jan Foreman, Carlos Whittaker, and many others!

7. Opening and Closing Session at LABS- John Eldredge will be presenting in the opening session of Labs, and Miles McPherson will be presenting in the closing session on Wednesday. John is the author of Wild at Heart and Beautiful Outlaw, and Miles is the author of Do Something! and senior pastor of The Rock Church in San Diego.

8. 3500 Leaders- Catalyst attracts the doers, the influencers, the cultural architects, and change agents. And when you get 3500 leaders and influencers who are intent on making a difference together, great things happen.

9. Mariners Church- a breathtaking campus in Irvine, CA. Lots of green space, and a staff that is incredible to work with. The Mariners team is family, and we love working with them!

10. The Unexpected- Our prayer is always that God would move in the hearts of the leaders who are part of Catalyst in ways we don't expect or plan for. We love creating what we consider to be a great event, but we trust and know that God shows up in unexpected ways and meets each leader in specific ways. We love hearing stories of life change, of moments of clarity, of great conversations, of powerful times of renewal, of leader's walk with Jesus becoming stronger, etc. The experience of Catalyst is what we all look forward to.

Make sure and Register TODAY. Again, best rates end TODAY. You can also call 888.334.6569 to speak to a Catalyst Concierge. And use Rate Code FOB when you register to save some additional $ off your registrations.

Can't wait to see you there!

 

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15 Keys of a MAKE IT HAPPEN team culture

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All of us want to be part of a team that is successful, accomplishes goals, and gets things done. But a MAKE IT HAPPEN team culture is only possible if we, as individuals and leaders, are truly committed to do our part in helping create that team culture.

So here are 15 keys I've found for how each of us can contribute to that end.

1. Your yes is yes, and your no is no. Do what you said you will do.

2. You take responsibility before being told.

3. Solve problems, and create solutions. Always. Instead of creating problems and delaying solutions.

4. Show up early. for everything. As I tell our team: if you are early, you're on time. If you're on time, you're late.

5. Always leave meetings with action items and clear next steps.

6. No blaming others.

7. Place a priority on execution, not concepting. Moving always towards completion and the finish line, vs just another idea.

8. Create small nimble teams who work together- no more than 3 people on a project.

9. Clear lines of authority distributed throughout the organization, and always directly connected to responsibility AND authority.

10. Encourage working together. Constantly create a collaborative spirit and environment.

11. Model a high trust factor. I have to admit- this one is difficult for me. The "I'll just do it myself" mentality doesn't help....

12. Consistent "leaning in" posture and spirit- want to learn, always get better, and constantly improve.

13. The Leader leads. Whoever the organizational/team leader is- they have to model all of these- leader leads on all of these. Walk the walk and talk the talk.

14. Permeates from the bottom up. A make it happen team may have a strong alpha leader, but if the team fears but doesn't respect that leader, it won't work. Bottom up means mutual respect across the organization.

15. Meetings are the exception, not the norm. Meetings for meetings sake are killing most organizations. Only schedule a meeting if you absolutely have to. And nothing wrong with that. But quick stand up meetings, hall run ins, and collaborative conversations I've found to be way more productive.

What would you add to this list of keys you've found in Make it Happen team cultures? 

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10 keys on leadership from Chuck Swindoll

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Chuck Swindoll is a hero of mine. A legend. A man of God who has lived it out. And these were 10 Keys he provided for us back in 2010 at Catalyst Atlanta. So practical.

Specifically positioned as things he wanted to pass on to the next generation of leaders- primarily those in their 20's and 30's.

1. It's lonely to lead.

2. It's dangerous to succeed. Especially when you are young.

3. It's hardest at home.

4. It's essential to be real. if there is one area or realm that being fake is personafied, it's among leaders.

5. It's painful to obey.

6. Brokenness and failure are necessary.

7. My attitude is more important than my actions. "Some of us are getting hard to be around."

8. Integrity eclipses image. Every time.

9. God's way is always better than my way. Many times we are just capable and can pull it off ourselves.

10. Christ likeness begins and ends with humility. "for i am meek and lonely of heart."

Thanks Chuck for your example and investing in us!

20 Things I remember from my childhood

It's always interesting to me what we remember from our childhood, especially many years later. Here are a few things for me: 1. The A Team

2. Space Shuttle Challenger Explosion

3. Being deathly scared of tornadoes and thunderstorms

4. The fall of the Berlin Wall

5. Friendship bracelets

6. Guns n Roses

7. Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ER's Football- Joe Montana and Jerry Rice

8. The Brady Bunch

9. Ronald Reagan

10. Nintendo and Tecmo Bowl

11. Tight roll jeans

12. US Hockey team winning Olympic Gold- the miracle on ice!

13. Michael Jackson

14. Star Wars

15. Jack Nicklaus winning the Masters golf tourney in 1986!

16. ATARI

17. the Cold War

18. President's physical fitness test in PE

19. Spelling Bees

20. The Young Believers church singing group

 

What are your favorite childhood memories?

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Thirteen People I want to meet in 2013

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Here are a few of the people I want to meet in 2013, that are definitely outside of my normal circle of influence!
1. John Lasseter- chief creative officer at Pixar and Disney Animation Studios
2. Marissa Mayer- President and CEO of Yahoo!
3. Chris Anderson - curator and key leader of TED
4. Charlie Rose - host of the Charlie Rose Show, and CBS Early Show
5. Duck Dynasty family- Phil, Willie and Jase Robertson
6. Denzel Washington - legendary actor
7. Jonathan Ive - senior vice president of industrial design at Apple
8. Sheryl Sandberg - COO at Facebook
9. Jeff Bezos- CEO of Amazon
10. Brad Paisley- country music singer and songwriter
11. Richard Branson- CEO of Virgin
12. Pete Cashmore - founder and CEO of Mashable.
13. Tina Fey - comedian, writer and author.

The reason to meet all of these folks- I believe they are the best in the world at what they do, whether acting, performing, directing, coaching, leading, producing or singing. People at the top of their game who are incredibly excellent at their craft or profession have learned something about greatness, otherwise they wouldn't be where they are. And I love to learn from those outside of my "normal circle" of influence.

Who's on your list?

Host the Chick-fil-A Leadercast in your community

One day. Over 100,000 leaders gathered all over the United States. One mission. Infinite impact. Everyday leaders grow through extraordinary, life-changing events. That’ s why GiANT Impact, in partnership with Chick-fil-A, Inc. created the largest one-day leadership event in the world: the Chick-fil-A Leadercast.

Happening live via simulcast on Friday, May 10, from Atlanta, GA, the Chick-fil-A Leadercast will be broadcast  to hundreds of locations around the United States and the world, and is the premier development event for leadership growth at all levels. Chick-fil-A Leadercast enables and empowers local communities all across the country by giving them access to world-renowned content.

You, too, can be a part of this event by hosting the event in your community or by bringing the event into your organization. Are you a pastor, business leader, non profit executive or community leader? Host the event in your community or direct to your business or organization. The Chick-fil-A Leadercast team is seeking partners around the world who wish to make a significant impact in their communities and organization by investing in its leaders.

Check out the website for all the information you need.

This year's speaker lineup includes Coach Mike Krzyzewski, John Maxwell, Andy Stanley and many more world-class leaders.

To learn more about bringing Chick-fil-A Leadercast to your city or organization, as well as receive FREE access to the exclusive backstage interview with Andy Stanley click here.

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10 Major Trends for 2013

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Here are a few trends that seem to be capturing major attention as we start 2013. I am not proposing that all of these are positive trends, but simply stating them as a picture of reality as move into 2013 and beyond.
1. Content on demand- everywhere, often and most of the time free.
2. Tech in everything- cars, kitchen, refrigerators, watches, wallets, and other devices.
3. Smart Phone as the center of your world- it is where you consume content, get info, make calls, update my status, and remote control my tv and appliances, along with basically running your life.
4. Integrated social media- social media is no longer a phenomenon. It's here to stay. And now integrated into everything we do.
5. We are all leaders- because of social media, technology, and the digital space, anyone can create a platform and gain influence quickly. Everyone has access. Small competes with large, and there is an equal playing field for most involved.
6. Authenticity matters- more than ever, we have to be real and genuine and honest.
7. Comfortable Multi-tasking is in- Cars are now being created that drive themselves. For real. We are more than ever creatures of comfort. Comfort so I can do multiple things at once.
8. Touchscreens- experience is now about everything being a touchscreen and swipe technology.
9. Collaboration- working together is more and more becoming the norm. Shared office spaces between companies, shared staff, partnerships, etc.
10. Mergers and streamlining within industries- similar to #9, but specifically as it relates to a formal merger between companies, organizations and churches. This continues to happen with more regularity, and is now happening consistently with churches and non-profit organizations.

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