Category Archives: Leadership

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Decompressing a Pinch Point

If you’ve ever experienced a significant bout with back pain you know that it affects everything you do. That’s been the story of my life this past week. Five years ago I suffered a herniated disc. It was pain so excruciating that I never wanted to suffer it again. But last Monday, while running, I felt a twinge in my back, and here we go again!

Today I went to the Physical Therapist and he showed me what’s going on in my back. It seems that two of my vertebrae are pressing on a disc, squeezing it out like jelly out of a donut, and then pressing on a nerve that causes pain all the way down my left leg. For the first time in my life I was put in traction. It’s a weird sensation, but seemed to do a bit of good.

The reason for the pain in my back is a good explanation of what happens in some organizations. Some issue, idea, or argument becomes a “pinch point” that irritates a small corner of the kingdom, and before you know it, the pain spreads to the rest of the organism.

The pinch point:

  • Affects everything that goes on in the organization.
  • Restricts the flow of energy and ideas.
  • Focuses all the attention on just one area.
  • Takes time and effort to work through the pain.
  • Diverts attention away from other things that could create a happy and healthy organization.

My Physical Therapist is trying to alleviate the pinch point by “decompressing” the vertebrae and alleviating the pressure on the nerve at that place. Sounds like a good idea for an organization experiencing a pinch point of its own.

When pinch points happen:

  • Discover the source, or pinch point, and treat it instead of the symptoms.
  • Acknowledge that other people in the organization may be hurting and in need of “treatment” as well.
  • Allow energy and ideas to flow into and out of every other area of the organization as a way of combatting the pinch point itself.
  • Use every resource available to ease the pain, “decompress” the personalities involved through the love of forgiveness, and take the time to make sure that it is lasting healing.
  • Provide specific times of healing that promote a healthy organism.

“Decompression” can provide health in an organization experiencing a “pinch point.” Now let’s hope it does the same for my back.

What examples do you have of “decompression” helping an organization through a “pinch point”?

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A Day in the Life of a Debit Card

Life is rough when you give until you can’t give anymore. But that’s who I am. It’s why I exist. To give everything I have so that people can get what they need…and sometimes what they greed.

Some days I’m busy. Other days I just sit. But today was an eventful day, to say the least. When I woke up I was at the mall. In the wallet. Out of the wallet. Sliding through the slot. Pin number punch-in. Giving away funds. Back in the wallet. Time for a rest. Woops. Back out of the wallet. Sliding through the slot. Pin number punch-in. Giving away funds. Back in the wallet. Time for another rest.

I enjoyed the scents of the mall while my cents were being depleted. It’s one of my favorite places to go. I get to taste and touch such variety.

My owner gave me to her daughter to do some shopping, and I was enjoying the ride. We went through department stores, specialty shops, and a big book retailer. We tested perfume, tried on sweaters, and looked through magazines. But my senses really perked up when I began to sniff the deliciousness of P.F. Chang’s. Mmmm. One of my favorite restaurants. I could sit there all day and simply bask.

One more time. In the wallet. Out of the wallet. Sliding through the slot. Pin number punch-in. Giving away funds.

But this time…NOT back in the wallet. I stay in the hand. We walk out the door. It seems like it all happens in slow motion. I hear some giggles. I feel myself in the hand, but waving in the air. The next thing I know I am fluttering in the wind, falling to the street, coming to rest on a yellow line. Just when I think the ordeal is over, something black and round runs over me, and I am down for the count.

After that I don’t remember anything at all until I feel my limp body being picked up by an unfamiliar hand. I’ve heard horror stories from my comrades about being in the wrong hands, hands other than owners’ hands. I’m terrified. I don’t know what to do. I don’t want my owners funds to be completely depleted.

Just when I think my life is about to end in shreds I hear a voice speaking to my owner. “I found it in the street and didn’t want anyone to pick it up and use it….yes, I know where that is…yes, I’m not far from there…I’ll bring it to you in just a little while.”

While I’m still a bit nervous, I’m starting to feel more safe. Hmmm. I enjoy this car. It’s kind of nice. And it it’s taking me back to my owner…even better! There she is!

I get picked up, placed into her hands, and I’m home…safe and sound. I hope I never have to go through that again.

Even those who give, and give, and give some more get lost sometimes. They need respite, rest, and rescue.

You who give so much…what do you and where do you go to get respite, and rest, and rescue?

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Acting On A Tip

This past weekend our daughter, Ashlyn, attended the Southeastern Theatre Conference auditions in Atlanta. She will be graduating in May with a B.F.A. degree from Nebraska Wesleyan University. Regardless of whether or not she gets any jobs out of her auditions this weekend, it was a successful couple of days for her.

On Friday she had to get up in a hotel ballroom filled with hundreds of reps from theatre companies from all over the country. She had ninety seconds to say her name and auditioner number, sing a song, and do a monologue. She was in a group of forty. There were strict instructions on where to sit, when to get up, what to do when you got on stage, and where you were to go once you finished.

A couple of hours later she found out that she had callback auditions to theatre companies from Florida, Georgia, New York, Michigan, Colorado, Montana, and California. So now she had to go to various rooms in the hotel to attend the callbacks. Can you imagine walking into a room with a couple of people sitting there and having to “do your thing” all by yourself?

Last October she had to go to Tennessee to do preliminary auditions to see if she could even get into the auditions in Atlanta. Now she has potential job opportunities literally all over the country. As an actress, in this economy, one could certainly do worse.

When I asked her if she was nervous getting up in front of that huge room full of people she said, “Not really.” She said the the callback auditions were, however, different and a bit nerve-racking. But she made it through, and now waits for the results.

Here’s what I have learned from her experience:

  1. Focus on preparation. Sometimes preparation takes years. Ashlyn’s school, from day one, has prepared her for what she now faces. When the time had come, she was ready. Nervousness didn’t enter into the picture. Preparation means that when the moment for performance comes there is no doubt. You’re ready to go without hesitation.
  2. Play by the rules. It’s often tempting to “break the rules” and “go your own way,” but had Ashlyn gone longer than her allotted time or done something in her audition that “stretched the rules,” all would have been lost. Playing within the rules is most often to our advantage.
  3. Deliver the goods. When the time comes for you to do what you have prepared to do, give it your all; don’t hold back; let loose and do what you have been taught and prepared to do. You’re ready. People notice when you hold back. People appreciate it when you give it your best.
  4. Nervous energy isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, Ashlyn channeled her nervous energy to bring focus and vibrancy to her callbacks. As a result, she received positive reactions from those who were auditioning her.
  5. Prepare more than is necessary. In one callback audition, Ashlyn was asked to sing a pop-rock song from a musical. Out of her hip pocket she pulled a song from the musical, “The Wedding Singer.” Though she hadn’t done it for a while, she knew it and performed it well when it really mattered.
  6. Be confident, but not cocky. Confidence is a trait in which one recognizes both abilities and limitations, and moves forward with that knowledge. Cockiness, on the other hand, turns people off. Confidence may win you the job (or the sale, or whatever…). Cockiness may lose it all for you. Confidence comes from preparation, playing by the rules, and delivering the goods.
  7. Rest in the knowledge that you have done your best. When it was all over, Ashlyn was both relieved and ready to get back to school to continue further preparation. No matter what happens, she knows that she “left it all out on the floor” and that there are jobs out there for her somewhere.

These lessons apply no matter what our vocation. I’d love to hear your examples of “preparation” and “delivering the goods.”

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Re:Creating Leadership

Dan Cathy is the incredibly energetic and creative CEO of Chick-fil-A. His rapid-fire approach made it a bit more difficult to take notes during his talk than the other speakers at re:create 11.  Nonetheless, Dan’s talk was very inspirational and filled with all kinds of leadership nuggets.

Dan encouraged us as leaders to engage others in the skills that God has called them to do. When that happens, a team finds itself moving forward with joy, creativity, and passion.  He encouraged leaders to “get used to scary thoughts coming into your mind.”

Then Dan pulled out a leather bag filled with leadership “object lessons.”

  • Ear Plugs: Your ears pop when you’re in the swimming pool and you go quickly from the top to the bottom. Good leaders work both at the top and at the bottom.
  • Shoe Brush: Good leaders serve others…like Jesus washing the feet of His disciples.
  • Relay Baton: Dan has learned that it’s not necessarily the fastest team the wins the relay, but the team the gets the baton around the track first.
  • Oxygen Mask: Flight Attendants remind us, in the event of an emergency, to put our oxygen mask on before we put a child’s on. Good leaders take care of themselves first.
  • Conducting Baton: Like a conductor, orchestrate remarkable experiences.
  • Railroad Spike: Good leaders stay on track.
  • Jar of Peanut Butter: The freshness seal reminds leaders to “stay fresh” in their thinking.

Leaders of excellent organizations create raving fans! In business, the first mile is the transaction. The second mile is relationship. An example Dan used was a Chick-fil-A restaurant hosting a “Daddy Daughter Date Night.” Another example was of a Chick-fil-A restaurant providing caring and presence for a man who lost his wife and two of his three children in a car accident. Being “human” goes a long way as a leader.

Dan Cathy backed up my belief that going out to eat is one of life’s greatest pleasures. He said that the word “restaurant” literally means “a place of restoration.” An evening spent going out to dinner certainly restores me!

Creatives and leaders can learn valuable lessons from a fast food restaurant like Chick-fil-A. When we treat people with honor, dignity, and respect, we are restoring hearts. As Ben Franklin once said, “The handshake of the host effects the taste of the roast.” Stay engaged with people beyond just the initial transaction. Dan is taking his own advice to heart and encouraging participating restaurants to give customers a “back stage look.”  It’s all about the personal touch.

Dan spiced up his talk by giving each of us a slinky. He demonstrated how slinkies can “walk” down the steps. He proceeded to tell us that there’s a lesson in that for leaders:

  • Nothing happens until leaders go first. When you go first as a leader it might be awkward. On the other hand, when leaders go first exciting things can happen that have never been done before.
  • Leaders develop followers. They intentionally endear themselves to others. Leaders ought to lead in a direction people naturally want to go. Be authentic with people. “Sleep with the troops.”
  • Followers become leaders. If followers don’t become leaders, slinkies will never go down the stairs. When followers become leaders great things happen.

Dan closed his talk with some great advice:

  • Take a trip. Go taste, smell, feel, hear…discover something new; and take someone with you!
  • Build a team. Teams bring both harmony and dissonance. Don’t surround yourself only with people who agree with you. Bring in people whose strengths are your weaknesses.
  • Find a successor. Who will take your baton?

What lessons of leadership have you learned? How are they different…or the same…as Dan Cathy’s?

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Re:Creating Criticism

I have learned more about blogging and social media from Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, than perhaps anyone else. His presence alone at re:create 11 was enough for me to go out of my way to be there. One of the highlights of the conference was to have a one-on-one conversation at dinner one night with Michael. Another highlight was the thought-provoking talk he gave to all of us re:creators.

Michael Hyatt’s talk centered around a topic critical to creatives: criticism…and what to do with it. His talk engaged us immediately by giving background: “Who Am I?”; “What I Like”; “My Story”. Three excellent ways to draw an audience in.

But the meat of the talk was to speak to creatives about their number one challenge: If you’re going to survive and fulfill your God-given calling, you must learn how to handle criticism and overlook offenses. Creatives, and leaders for that matter, must embrace three truths about “offenses”:

  1. Offenses are inevitable. We have daily opportunity to be offended. The book of James reminds us that we ought not resent “offenders” as intruders, but welcome them as friends. God allows people who cause offense to come into our lives because He has a purpose — a bigger story. Daniel Dafoe, author of Robinson Crusoe, once said, “God will often deliver us in a manner that seems, initially, to destroy us.”
  2. God intends offenses for our good. At the end of Genesis, after all the things his brothers have done to him, Joseph says to them: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good….” It’s not about us, it’s about the ones God wants to save through us. It’s easy to resent people for their offense…but what if God has a purpose?
  3. Being offended is a choice. Proverbs 19:11 reminds us that true glory is to overlook an offense. You don’t have to make every wrong right. Sometimes it’s wise to overlook offenses and just keep going. When Jesus was reviled “He opened not His mouth.”

When is it the right time to overlook offenses?

  1. Don’t overlook an offense when it is intended as a correction. Listen and evaluate. Proverbs 10:17 — “He who heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray” (NIV).
  2. When you discern that the other person was reacting because of something else. St. Tikhon of Zadonsk once said, “See him as a fellow sufferer.”
  3. When it is undeserved, but minor. Ecclesiastes 7:21-22 says: “Do not pay attention to every word people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you — for you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others” (NIV).
  4. When no one is affected but you.

How can you overlook offenses?

  1. Acknowledge that you’ve been offended. You can’t transcend what you don’t acknowledge.
  2. Remind yourself you have a choice. Between stimulus and response is possibility!
  3. Remember you are dead to these things. St. Makarios said, “Like the dead, take no account of either the scorn of men, or their praises.”
  4. Forgive the other person…and let it go. Resentment is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to get sick.

Creative people tend to be sensitive people. Criticism is difficult. But it can be overcome. Thank you, Michael!

How do you overcome criticism so that you can create your art?

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Re:Creating Empathy

Randy Elrod is the passionate, artistic, creative entrepreneur who formed and shaped re:create, and has nurtured it over eleven years. In my continuing series of quotes from the re:create conference, this post is focused on Randy’s presentation about empathy. Believe me when I say that it generated much discussion at the conference.

Randy’s empathy was on display throughout the conference as he shed real, empathetic tears on more than one occasion. In other words, he knew that of which he was speaking.  Here are some quotes:

  • Ether = Quintessence = “The 5th Element”; Ether was known as the purest essence and was thought to permeate everything. We have a God who is “quintessence” in the greatest sense.
  • Use one word to describe yourself: that word is your brand; your “brand” is who you are not what you do.
  • The first verb of the Bible is “created”!
  • Empathy comes in three types: Cognitive, Emotional, and Compassionate.
  • Cognitive Empathy = To know another person’s feelings; to take them and use them for or against a person.
  • Emotional Empathy = To feel what another person feels.
  • Compassionate Empathy = To respond compassionately to another person’s distress.
  • The progression of these three types of empathy goes like this: I notice you…I feel with you…I act to help you (that’s what the Good Samaritan did).

Once we determine what type of empathy we most regularly practice, we can be aware of the gift from God that it is, and use it in service to ourself and to others.

  • The Creator God can recreate our past because He is the “quintessential” Father. He is ever-present in and through His Word.
  • When you feel yourself getting tense, assess it; you’re trying to be God in that moment.
  • The up side of being an empathetic person is passion, intuition, and communication.
  • The down side of being an empathetic person is that one can become an emotional sponge.
  • Be present to your God-given emotions “for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose” (Phil. 2:13).

What does empathy have to do with creativity?

  • It helps to understand that even our minds have been redeemed; understanding the spiritual “mind” that has been placed in us is key to seeing life through the eyes of Christ.
  • Christian contemplation is a commendable practice.
  • Practice imagination!
  • Practice remembering what you’ve forgotten, a la Madeline L’Engle who reminds us that every child is an artist.
  • Practice charisma, that is “the ability to make people feel comfortable in an uncomfortable space.”
  • Give people the gift of God’s presence in you.
  • Be optimistic and curious.
  • Focus on others: Pay attention to the person in front of you (listen to listen…not to fix and solve).

People do their best work when they are allowed to make progress. Give the people around you the opportunity to make progress.

As a result of this talk I’m going to work on being a more empathetic person, being more “present” to those in my life. I also want to use the gift of empathy to foster my creative spirit (see the last group of bullet points).

How do empathy and creativity work together to produce art in your life?

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Re:Creating Story

Last week I spent a few days at the Re:Create Conference in Franklin, Tennessee. It was probably the best conference I have ever attended. I was surrounded by fellow “creatives.” Every speaker was first rate. The music and media were sublime (and live!). The fellowship and learning opportunities were incredible. And the food was the best conference food I’ve ever had.

Best of all were the words of wisdom that I am still pondering and contemplating. Over these next few posts I’m simply going to share some quotes with you. I like thoughtful quotes and quotations. When they are easy to remember they have an impact. The best quotes spur me on to action.

Here are some quotes from our first speaker, author and communicator extraordinaire, Patsy Clairmont:

  • If you have a loss it gives you the opportunity to realize the benefit of that loss and make up for it.
  • We want to know people’s stories because: 1) In their story we want to find answers for our own life, and 2) We want to know the story-tellers’ secret to success.
  • Own your story: Be consistent with who you are and what people see you to be.
  • Creatives are good at making something that isn’t right sound good (touchè!).
  • Clairmont quoted Faulkner: “The past is never dead; it’s not even past.”
  • Make opportunities to look back and see how God has worked in your life.
  • We are closest to being most fully ourself when we are functioning in our gift.
  • Ask questions that matter; get to the heart of things.

I suppose one of the points is to pay attention to our own story, and to learn from the stories of others. Through it all, God works to carry out His own narrative, and to have His own impact on our life. As a result of this talk I hope to reflect on how God has worked in my life in the past, what it means for today, and where it’s going to lead tomorrow.

I’m also going to try and ask better questions…questions that matter. The Faulkner quote reminds us that who we are today is a product of our past. God is still working. He has used people, places, and things to mold and shape us. Ultimately, it is the narrative of His own Word that shapes us in the way the matters most: He takes sinners and makes saints.

What can you learn from your own story, and what have you learned from paying attention to the stories of others?

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Creative Discussion

I had lunch today with an author who has published two books and numerous articles. I’ve been watching him do his work over the past couple of years as he has followed around an organization in which I am intimately involved. I have seen him fly in and out of town; sit through meetings; attend events; take notes; and mostly listen.

Today we talked again about an idea he took from someone else that I’m hoping to take from him in the very near future. The idea is a “discussion group.” My writer friend lives in the Washington, D.C. area, and once a month invites together a group of people for lunch (usually about 25 or more). Along with the “regulars” my friend invites a special guest or two.

The special guests come from the realm of politics, the arts, journalism, and many other disciplines. The guests spend the first ten or fifteen minutes presenting a topic and then the rest of the time is spent asking questions, discussing the presentation and issues, and simply listening. They meet every month of the year except for August.

People move in and out of the group, but there are about 15 people who are there just about every month. They like to learn. They like to debate. They like to question.

This monthly meeting is a great filling station for creatives of all kinds. That’s why I want to start a group like this. Creativity can go fleeting away very quickly if there isn’t anything to fill the creative tank.

Books and articles that I have read on the topic of creativity certainly support this. For instance, Julia Cameron says in The Artist’s Way that any type of creative person ought to take him or herself on a “creative date” each and every week. She says to go all by yourself to a movie, museum, or even a five and dime store to simply observe, think, and be filled.

I’ve tried it, and it works very well. But I think I like this idea even better. Get together with others. Pick their brains. Discuss. Debate. Take some notes. Fill the tank. Simply listen.

I’d love for you to join me in a group like this. What kinds of ideas do you have for filling one’s creative tank?

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The First Sentence

Yesterday I threw my 2010 calendar away and put up the 2011 calendar.  The old one was a mess of marks making memories of days gone by. The new one is as clean as the white page I see every week.

I am a pastor, so I have to write a sermon most every week. One of the hardest parts of any creative task is staring at the blank, white page. It’s difficult to write the first sentence. It takes some time to study the text, decipher the theology, and boil it all down to a central thought. But the first sentence — and along with it, the first paragraph — determines the shape and direction of the rest of the sermon. It’s so very important to capture attention, get thoughts headed in the right direction, and set off toward the goal.

The new year is a blank, white page waiting for you to write that first creative sentence. Now is the time to start looking at that wonderfully blank calendar and formulating the first sentence. With your first sentence of the new year you can capture attention, get your thoughts headed in the right direction, and set off toward the goals you have in mind.

But before you write that first sentence, take some time this week to study your life, decipher the direction, and boil it down to a central thought:

  1. Studying your life: Reflect on the ups and downs, highs and lows, successes and failures of the last year. What have you learned? What did you miss? What would you do differently? How will you change it if and when you can?
  2. Decipher the direction: Are you satisfied with the direction your life is headed right now? What would it take to change direction? Is now the time to make a major (or even minor) change of direction? Who or what will set that direction for you? Do you want to stay on the same path, or is it time to take a different fork in the road?
  3. Boil your overall goal down to a central thought that you can easily remember and repeat: Could you state your goal for 2011 in the form of an “elevator speech”? If you can easily tell others, it’s something that you can keep foremost in your own mind as the year starts.

Go get a blank sheet of paper and write down the first sentence of your new year. The blank piece of paper is 2011. The first sentence you write is going to literally get you to capture your own attention, get your thoughts headed in the right direction, and set off toward the goal that, God-willing, will bring you satisfaction, provide service to others, and make for an enjoyable 2011.

Here’s my first sentence of 2011: In 2011 I am going to take risks that stretch my normal thoughts and patterns, while I attempt to inspire creativity in those closest to me at home and at work.

What is your first sentence for 2011? I’d love to hear!

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Presidential Public Speaking

George W. Bush was recently in Milwaukee to speak at a fundraiser for Teen Challenge, a Christian non-profit organization that helps addicted teens reform and recover. The Bradley Foundation asked me to be their guest for the evening, and I was able to go.  I had heard George Bush in person once before. When he was President he spoke at the graduation ceremonies at Concordia University — Wisconsin, where I am an adjunct professor of Theology.

I remember President Bush being a reasonbly good speaker. But the speech that I heard recently was a masterful lesson in public speaking. It’s my belief that everyone should feel comfortable speaking in front of other people. It’s a life skill that is needed these days in a great many professions. It’s a life skill that will bring advantages to those who perfect it. It’s a life skill that could mean advancement, promotion, or financial advantage. It’s also a life skill that can be used in service to others (I happen to be in a profession that uses public speaking in just that way).

I believe that public speaking is so important that I make it a required part of every college class that I teach. Sometimes students complain, but when they hear the rationale, they seem much less reluctant to give it a try. Besides, everyone else in the class has to as well.

I wish all of my students, past and present, could have been in the audience to hear President Bush speak. They may or may not have agreed with his politics, but they would most certainly have learned these things about public speaking:

  1. Humor: President Bush began his speech with a very humorous story, and interspersed humor throughout. Most of the humor was self-depricating; he knew all the things the media and critics have said of him over the years, and he was able to joke about it. Humor put everyone at ease.
  2. Humanity: President Bush knew his audience. One of the first stories he told was about his own addiction to alcohol. He told the story of the detrimental ways in which alcohol abuse impacted his life. Though he was once President of the United States, he also showed that he is a human being. Showing that you are human is a great way to win an audience.
  3. Pathos: Stories always draw people in…especially stories that create empathy in people, or stories with which people can identify. President Bush told the story of a trip he made to Africa where he and Laura went to an orphanage filled with children who had lost their parents to AIDS. He was dumbfounded. He didn’t know what to say to the children that had gathered there to see him. All he could think to say was: “God is good.” To his astonishment all of the children answered in unison: “All the time.” He couldn’t believe that these children to whom the worst of the worst had happened, could make such a statement of faith. As President Bush told the story, the audience was silent with rapt attention.
  4. Pictures: By pictures I don’t mean visual aids; I mean painting pictures with words. In fact, President Bush described paintings in his office and why each of them brought meaning to his life and to his presidency. It was a technique that helped people remember important parts of the speech. Because President Bush used that technique I still remember the most important points of his message.
  5. Principle: Abraham Lincoln was President Bush’s favorite president (other than his father!). President Bush said that he appreciated President Lincoln because he was a man who stood on principle: “All men are created equal.” And he acted on that principle. It’s also an important aspect of public speaking. An audience can easily tell whether or not a speaker is sincere. Stand on principle and speak on principle and you will be a well-respected speaker.
  6. Risk: Taking a risk in a speech is never easy, but well-thought-out and well-calculated risks can truly win an audience. President Bush said in his speech that it is a great risk to run for President: “If you lose, people say, ‘What a pathetic candidate!’ If you win, people say, ‘What a pathetic president!” That’s both risk and humor.

What pointers do you have for public speaking? I’d love to hear them, because I’m constantly striving to improve my skills.