Tag Archives: leading

Going Beyond

Posted on by
Reply

I was just reading about American Shaun White’s gold medal run on the halfpipe on Monday and there’s one thing that stands out to me about his performance:  after securing a gold medal with his first run he went all out in his second.

He didn’t have to.

He could’ve just walked down the pipe for his second run and still would’ve won.

He could’ve sat on his snowboard and whooped it down the course, and still would’ve got the gold.

His coach even suggested to him to take it easy on the second run. Sound advice, after all there’s no sense in risking any injury.

But Shaun decided to go beyond that.  Not only that, Shaun performed the most difficult trick ever invented for the pipe (even the name of the trick is intimidating – Tomahawk).

This got me thinking.  How often do we settle for a win and glory in the win and even celebrate the win in our own lives and then decide that’s all we need to do?

When we:  

  • get saved (a HUGE WIN) and stop growing.
  • go on a missions trip and help a bunch of people and then just show pictures when we get home.
...This is a preview of Going Beyond.
Read the full post
(280 words, 1 image, estimated 1:07 mins reading time)

Catalyst Day Two – Chuck Swindoll

Posted on by
Reply

At Catalyst, Chuck Swindoll received the lifetime achievement award and was well recognized by the nearly 13,000 people in attendance.  It was a treat to get to hear what this Godly man had to share.   First up, he shared the TOP TEN LEADERSHIP LESSONS IN 50 YEARS OF MINISTRY.  The 10 lessons are from Chuck but the stuff in between are what I thought of with each lesson (which may or may not correspond with what Chuck shared. I’ve got to admit – when he mentioned each of these lessons my brain and heart were sparked with all kinds of insights…)

1. It’s lonely to lead

Yes it is. Why is this the case?  Because a true leader will sometimes make decisions that no one else understands but himself.  Also, a leader will often, by virtue of leadership, be out in front of those following.  Out in front is lonely.  However, while this is true – it is also why it is paramount that a leader doesn’t get stuck in his loneliness.  Good leaders will find others to grow with.  Good leaders will find ways to stave off the loneliness – recognizing that it comes but also staying out the the quicksand of its grip.  

...This is a preview of Catalyst Day Two – Chuck Swindoll.
Read the full post
(1235 words, estimated 4:56 mins reading time)

Keeping Momentum

Posted on by
1

Momentum is a tricky thing.  It can be positive or negative.  Positive momentum is movement forward in the right direction, negative momentum is moving in the wrong direction.  Positive momentum leads to growth, negative momentum leads to death.  The more momentum there is the quicker either will happen.

Every organization has momentum – I really don’t believe there is any such thing as the “status quo”.  When you are maintaining the “status quo” all you’re really doing is slowing negative momentum.  Here’s the thing – negative momentum happens when you do nothing.  Positive momentum takes a lot of energy to get going and a constant addition of energy to keep it going.  The key to keeping positive momentum is to focus your energy on the right things:  

  • Identify the momentum killers in your organization and deal with them. Quickly.  The sooner you do so, the longer the positive momentum will continue and the less energy you’ll expend to keep it going.  This requires the ability to see down the road and anticipate the things that might slow your positive momentum.
  • Identify the momentum builders and release them.  Ask the question, “What is keeping my momentum builders from building?”
...This is a preview of Keeping Momentum.
Read the full post
(247 words, estimated 59 secs reading time)