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Bill Hybels addresses Howard Schultz, Starbuck's Founder/CEO, backing out of speaking at the Leadership Summit.  Hybels' handling of this situation is nothing short of brilliant.  Such class.  Thanks to Michael Hyatt for the link.

 

Creativity = simplified complexity

1 + 1 = [ [ (9x3) / 3 ] / 3] - 1

"Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity."  CHARLES  MINGUS

In an effort to make ourselves look intelligent and busy we, too often, complicate and confuse matters.  The truth is... it takes an incredible amount of time, thought and energy to twist complex issues into usable solutions.  Stop kidding yourself with busy-ness, get busy... THINKING... and "simply" create art. 

DON'T BLINK... you're on the verge of something amazing.

 

NOTE:  Currently reading THE ACCIDENTAL CREATIVE  by Todd Henry

 

Priorities: Living On Purpose

Priorities: Recently challenged with the idea of spending 80% of my time on the top three things I am called to. Here is the summary. How are you spending your life? Are you living with intention or letting it happen to you? Are you putting out fires or building them?

 1. VISION & DIRECTION for TheBOD.tv

2. LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT (identify, equip and release leaders)

3. MODELING THE LIFE OF A FULLY DEVOTED FOLLOWER OF CHRIST (you'll note that I use the word "modeling".  I am not trying to live this life for others, do everything, be perfect, create ridiculous expectations or do "Christianity" FOR other people.  I am simply trying to model the life of a Christian so that others might be inspired to do the same.)

    **Love God - Worship, Value of the local church

    **Love Others - Groups & Growth (Lifegroup, prayer, Word, disciplines)

    **Serve The World - Mission and Ministry

    **BEING HEALTHY -- PHYSICALLY, SPIRITUALLY, EMOTIONALLY, RELATIONALLY (this would     include family, exercise, vacation, work -- both jobs :), reading, music, art, etc...)

Not a fan of BALANCE.  I think it's a big lie.  I think at any given time one area or the other deserves more attention and time.  The point of the list is to point us toward goals and milestones.  To move us toward progress.  To grow us with intention... lest we find ourselves wasting 80% of our time on the 20% of stuff that means absolutely NOTHING.

So... the goal is that 80% of my time will be spent on these three areas... the other 20% will include carrying out the trash... and well a few other things I won't mention because you might think they are really important and I don't or can't.  The questions is... how are you living?  What are your top three priorities?  Are you scheduling your time so that you are doing what God has called you to or just letting life carry you along?  Play along and post your priorities.

 

Start Today.

#EatThatFrog & #KillThatLizard. It's there for the taking. make it happen today.

Own the Mission

 

There is something special about the movement we are experiencing at TheBOD.tv and, through partnership, Lifechurch.tv.  It's connects, it engages, it calls people to rise up... to be on mission.  There is a passion and ownership of the mission by our partners unlike anything I have experienced.  

I've been looking for the words and the understanding of how this works for a while.. I'm slow... EPIPHANY! YES!  Or in my country boy lingo... "It dawned on me" that it's the difference in people "owning the church" and "owning the mission".  In many churches, well-intentioned people feel the need to protect and "own" the church.  This leads to legalism, restriction, back-biting, gossip, hurtful words, fussing and fighting... and eventually a guaranteed slow painful stagnation & death.  Often over the details that have absolutely nothing to do with being the church.  I'll skip the over-used fight about the color of the carpet illustration.. oops I just did it...  but the list is infinite as to what we could argue about and misses the point.  The point being, in doing so... WE MISS THE POINT.  The point is our mission.  Being the church... LOVING GOD, LOVING OTHERS AND GIVING OUR LIVES IN SERVICE TO GOD AND OTHERS.

We are the church and we own the mission... let me say that again so you get it... WE ARE THE CHURCH AND WE OWN THE MISSION... I love that.  It's liberating.  It frees us to fulfill our calling and leave the things of this earth, that will pass away, to the few who must carry the weight of the business side of things.  Their calling, sacrifice and service frees us to to be about the mission God has called us to.  For TheBOD.tv it's LEADING PEOPLE TO BECOME FULLY DEVOTED FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST.  

It is a movement of God and you are invited to play.  Soak in that... enjoy that... and then get to work.  I'm thanking God today for his call on our lives.  Enjoy the ride... we are the chosen few.  DON'T BLINK!

 

Trading the GOOD for the Best

Strategy to SHIP - Seth Godin

Just typed up and adopted a strategy outlined by Seth Godin in his book LINCHPIN for creating, developing, executing and SHIPPING a project.  Most great ideas are washed down the shower drain or buried on a napkin eventually discarded because most people fail to develop a plan to actually "SHIP" the project.  Read the book because this simple outline cannot do justice to his 236 pages of thought.  Even more importantly develop the system & habit of "SHIPPING" your ideas.  Many will flop but within those failures will be the great one that almost got away... DON'T BLINK!

Strategy to THRASH, OVERCOME “THE RESISTANCE” AND SHIP!

STEP ONE:  Write down the due date.  Post it on the wall.  This is the SHIP DATE, done or not.

STEP TWO:  Write down EVERY single notion, plan, idea, sketch and contact.  (Index Cards, Post-its, Moleskin, etc.)  This is when you go fishing.  Include as many people as you can.  This is the big chance.  This is where the thrashing and dreaming happen. 

STEP THREE:  Collate the cards (information) and read it aloud to the team.  Fill in the gaps.

STEP FOUR:  Create a database with the collected information.   Every card gets it’s own record.

                This is the thrashing playground.  Include words, images, sketches, links to other cards.  Rearrange.  Draw.  Sketch.   THIS IS THE LAST CHANCE TO MAKE THE PROJECT BETTER.

STEP FIVE:  Project leader (you) now takes the data and builds a complete description of the project.  It’s the blueprint of the project.  (Examples:  If it’s a book, then you’ve got a forty-page outline.  A website, then you have every single screen and feature.  A conference, then you have an agenda, a menu, a list of venues…)

STEP SIX:  Take this blueprint to the people with “sign-off” control, the people with money or your boss.  They can approve it, cancel the project or suggest a few compromises.

Then say, “If I deliver what you approved, on budget and on time, will you ship it?”

                                DO NOT PROCEED UNTIL YOU GET A “YES”. 

Once you get your yes, go away and build your project, thrash-free.  Ship on time, because that’s what a linchpin does. 

The Next Generation

 

I'm just sayin... it's time guys.

Meetings vs Action

If you've been around me long you probably know how much I despise meetings.  They are a black hole of TIME. Something of which I have very little to spare.  Most meetings result in a lot of talk, opinions, ideas, and on rare occasions creativity that usually lead to NOTHING.  Failure to walk away with an action plan from any meeting, even a "good" one destroys all that was accomplished.  Many may walk away thinking what a great meeting, but few walk away thinking now I need to do ____.  For me, as with most things, when it comes to meetings LESS IS MORE.  Less participants, less time, less often.  Scott shares some great insight on the subject.  I'll let him do the heavy lifting with this blog post.  

So some this day forward.... NO MORE MEETINGS!!!!  Well, OK,  only necessary meetings with limits in place.  Better?

Limited Resources + Vision = Innovation

Convinced that limited resources serve as a critical ingredient to real INNOVATION.  The problem is that most allow themselves to be stopped.  It's just easier to let it be someone else's fault they aren't soaring with the eagles.