Godin on persistence:

“Persistence isn’t using the same tactics over and over. That’s just annoying.

Persistence is having the same goal over and over.”

That was brilliant!

It sort of reminds me of this often-quoted definition.

Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result.

Are you persistent, annoying, or insane?

Filed under: Business, Life, Quotes | Post a comment

Leaders lead regardless of a job title or position. I’ve seen this time and time again in my time in business, the military, and in ministry. Some of the top leaders in my life don’t have any authority over my life- but they do have a lot of influence in my life.

Authority can make you in charge- but influence makes you a leader.

The key for any organization, whether business, military, or church, is for the influencer’s to be the one’s with authority.

Authority + Influence = Maximized Leadership
(I’m sure John Maxwell said this somewhere).

One thing I’ve discovered about leadership is this: Most of us, if not all of us, have leadership potential.

Disagree with that statement? So did I. I used to think only a select few had leadership abilities- but I’ve learned that’s not completely true.

The moment I became a dad, I became a leader. Every parent is a leader! Some are just better than others. That doesn’t mean that you have to be a parent to be a leader but it does prove that leaders aren’t just born- they’re developed.

My hope is to continually grow into a better leader. To develop other leaders- not just a following. To inspire people to see beyond what is- and live out what could be. To not just influence people by my words- but also my example.

For me, the best lab to develop as a leader is in the petri dish called home. As I grow, my hope is that my influence will pour out into the rest of my life.

Filed under: Business, Church Planting, Family, Leadership, Life, Military | 3 Comments

I opened a new stick of deodorant this morning and imprinted on the top was this message.

Do you think it was a sign?

I’m not sure how much it cost to add a message to the top of Degree anti-perspirants/deodorants, but this is a cool touch.  Clever (and remarkable) product enhancement.

Filed under: Business, Cool Stuff | Post a comment

Scanning through some values of innovative businesses, I ran across this interesting site from Yahoo!

Their values statement is Excellence, Innovation, Teamwork, Community, Customer Fixation, and Fun.  While those are great, it didn’t really stand out from any other business.

But what did catch my attention was what they don’t value.

I loved it! It says even more about the mission, people, and culture, and personality of the organization than the values statement. What else would we expect from a company that has a “Chief People Officer.”

Here’s a snapshot.

Yahoo!’s “What We Don’t Value”

	Bureaucracy		Entitlement
	Broken links		Too big for your britches
	Ho-hum		All work, no fooz
	Decaf		ALL CAPS
	Losing		Closed doors
	Good enough		Same ol’ same ol’
	Boring		Vaporware
	Arrogance		20/20 hindsight
	A stick in the eye		Fads
	Discrimination		Swashbuckling
	Status quo		Early meetings
	A cog in the wheel		Missing the boat
	Formality		Behind the curve
	Bugs		Head in the sand
	Irrelevance		Following
	Sloth		Bad apples
	CD-ROMs in the mail		High horses
	Pop-ups		Impossible
	Quick fix		One size fits all
	Passing the buck		Playing catchup
	Shoes worn at all times		Yesterday’s news
	Micromanaging		All bark
	90%		Spam
	Additives & preservatives		Shoulda Coulda Woulda
	Hurry up & wait		Typos
	Bad grammar		Rear view mirror
	Monday morning quarterback		Punching the clock

Thanks for the inspiration Yahoo!

Filed under: Business, Cool Stuff, Technology, Websites | Post a comment

Up by 4 points. Just over 2 minutes left in the football game. Wins have not come easy for your team this season- but this one’s just in your grasp. Let’s hope it doesn’t slip away like other losses this season.

You get the ball and break free. You’re gonna score! Not only that, you’re going to add yet another touchdown to your Pro Bowl stats. But you realize that a lot of time remains on the clock. You stop at the one yard line and take a knee- stopping short of the end zone. By doing this, you’re able to win the game by running out the time on the clock.

You sacrifice your touchdown so that your team can secure a victory.

It’s an unusual situation to win a game by not scoring but that’s what Brian Westbrook did this past weekend in the Philadelphia Eagles victory over the Dallas Cowboys.

Had Westbrook scored, over two minutes would have remained on the clock. And with the success of the Cowboys this season, that lead could have disappeared and another win could have slipped through the fingers of the Eagles.

I want people like Brian Westbrook on my team. People who will sacrifice their personal glory to do what’s best for the team. That’s what a team is all about. That’s what friends and family should be about.

Unfortunately, Brian Westrbrook’s are not only rare in football, they’re rare in every walk of life.

Where have all the Westbrook’s gone?

Filed under: Business, Cool People, Leadership, Sports | Post a comment

CNN has a story up about toxins in iPods and iPhones.  Actually, it seems the earphones are the most toxic. You can watch the report here.  The gist is this- don’t eat your iPod.

What was funny was this little ad underneath the story.  Notice the promotional giveaway item.

Filed under: Business, Current Events, Humor, Technology | Post a comment

Apparently today is National Boss’s Day.

I typically think holidays like this are pretty cheesy.  I always picture these days being made up at Hallmark as a reason to sell more cards.  But I have to admit, I’m growing fond of them.

The highlight of my day was when my team surprised me this morning with very thoughtful gifts.  I got balloons, almonds, and a Starbucks gift card (they know me well).  The Happy Boss’s Day card from Hallmark was great too. 

I truly have an all-star team.  There’s nothing sweeter to a manager than having talented people who care. 

Blogged with Flock

Tags: boss’sday, team, leadership

Filed under: Business, Leadership | Post a comment

All over the country today, production is down. Thousands of people, primarily men, are calling in sick.

Deadlines aren’t being met, McNuggets aren’t being fried, cars are not being repaired, tickets are not being written, flight lines aren’t being guarded, pastors are on sabbatical, construction jobs are unfinished, rock stars are suffering from “exhaustion”, comics aren’t being read, tables aren’t being bussed, patients are waiting in lobbies longer, the government is doing little (wait, that’s typical), blogging is light, programs aren’t being written, more treadmills are free at the gym, and tomorrow won’t be much better.

Why? What epidemic has caused this? Why are all these people calling in sick?

Madden 08 was released today.

If you don’t know; now you know.

Blogged with Flock

Tags: Madden, Madden 08, sick day, work

Filed under: Business, Cool Stuff, Current Events, Sports | Post a comment

I was saddened to read about the death of Bill Walsh, the former San Fransisco 49ers head coach who dominated the NFL in the eighties. Walsh was a football genius who masterminded the west coast offense but the greatest legacy he left behind was one of leadership.

While its true that you can tell someone is a leader because they have followers; the best leaders develop other leaders.

Many who served on his staff ended up being successful head coaches themselves. The names of those who can trace their coaching lineage reads like a who’s who in the NFL. Successful coaches like Mike Holmgren, Jon Gruden, Mike Shanahan, Andy Reid, Brian Billick, Tony Dungy, Lovie Smith, and George Seifert. Like Walsh, these men have won championships (AFC, NFC) and themselves developed leaders in the mold that Walsh did. In fact, there’s no end in sight for where Walsh’s leadership influence will end.

It makes me wonder if we as leaders are developing leaders. How many of us are too insecure and prefer to hoard our knowledge and experience? Imagine if Walsh would have done that? What would today’s NFL coaches look like? For that matter, what would the NFL look like?

I don’t know about you, but I want my leadership to have a legacy too. I want those I lead to themselves be leaders who develop leaders. If we approached leadership like this, how many teams and organizations could live beyond the life of its leader. Too many teams, organizations, businesses, and ministries collapse because of a strong leader who couldn’t develop other leaders. Once the leader is gone, so goes his/her hard work. That’s a shame.

Thanks Bill Walsh for being a true leader. Let’s hope your real legacy goes beyond the gridiron and into the hearts of leaders everywhere.

[Click image to enlarge the Bill Walsh Coaching Tree]

Filed under: Business, Leadership, Sports | Post a comment