Tag Archives: vision

Catalyst 2009 – Labs

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Take Action!Thanks to a wonderful church family who believe in supporting their pastors in growing as leaders I was able to attend Catalyst 2009 (link takes you to Catalyst Backstage – a great way to follow what’s happening) this year.  I am so grateful – thanks friends!

Today was the day for the “Labs” sessions here at Catalyst.   They are called that because they are more concentrated sessions offered from a wide variety of speakers that you can choose from.   My mind was expanded today and my heart was stretched and I was inspired!  It was amazing.

I took tons of notes but here’s some takeaways that I want to highlight here (by the way, I was really hoping to post during the day but had little success in obtaining wireless access – dang company supplying access to the arena won’t take any of my credit cards {shrug}):

Perry Noble:

Perry was Perry.  I’ve never had a chance to hear him speak in person but let’s just say he has a way of saying things that dive through the veneer of superficiality and into your heart.  Perry spoke on “Four Convictions about Vision” and grabbed it from Acts 26.  Incidentally, I so appreciate Perry because while what everyone else said was good – Perry was the only one who you really got a sense started from the Bible and wrapped his message around it.  A great way to start the day.  Here’s some points:  

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…because of vision

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This is the final post in the series “Why? An Important Question”

In the last post we looked at the first good answer for the question why? …because there’s purpose.  However, another good way to answer that question is because of vision.

Purpose deals with the task at hand, vision is seeing the whole picture.  When you answer the “why” with purpose you are articulating what you want to accomplish immediately.  Vision produces purpose.  When you answer the “why” with vision, you are articulating what you are aiming for – what you are doing may not even seem to be connected but for the person with vision it is.

As I write this a classic scene comes to mind from the movie Karate Kid where Mr. Miyagi (played by Pat Morita) has told Daniel (played by Ralph Macchio) that he will teach him karate.   However, Daniel is given a series of seemingly meaningless tasks which includes among them the famous “wax on, wax off” line as Miyagi has Daniel wax his car.   To Daniel, the answer to “why?” he’s doing this seems meaningless, but Mr. Miyagi sees the whole picture and knows that in order to teach Daniel karate he has to teach him patience and good form.  So to Mr. Miyagi, why “wax on, wax off” is answered by vision.  

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…because there’s purpose

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In the last two posts in this series we’ve looked at some not-so-good ways to answer the question WHY you are doing something or making a particular choice.  For the next two posts I’m just going to quickly look at a couple good ways to answer this question.

The first is probably fairly obvious.  You should be able to answer the question WHY with a clear defined (and as simple as possible) purpose.  Not because it’s the way it’s always been done, or not because so-and-so is doing it but because in doing so I’m accomplishing or fulfilling a particular purpose.  Here’s the thing,  everything is done for a purpose but more is accomplished when you can articulate it.

Not only that, but when you can articulate the purpose that answers WHY – then when you complete what you are doing or carry through on your decision there’s a greater sense of fulfillment because what you did or decided had purpose.  

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…because “so-and-so” is doing it.

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The first “bad” answer to the question, “Why are you doing what your doing OR why did you make that choice OR why are you going to do what you are doing?” was “because that’s the way it’s always been done”.  The next is:

…because “so-and-so” is doing it (or does it that way).

And you can fill “so-and-so” with whatever fits be it a person or organization.  The problem with this answer is just because so-and-so does it that way doesn’t mean it’ll work for you in your situation.  Here’s some reasons why:  

  • so-and-so is usually always in a different context than you.  What may work in their context may not work in your context.
  • so-and-so who was successful had a reason why they were successful because they answered the “Why?” question rightly. Trying to shortcut the process by copying will leave you hanging when so-and-so fails (if what they did just happens to work in your context)
  • you (or you’re organization) are not s0-and-so – what works for them may not work for you.
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…because it’s the way it’s always been done.

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Whenever you set out to do something or make a life choice if you’re like most people you have a reason for what you are doing or the choice you’re making.  A reason that answers the question, “why?”

Even if you don’t have an obvious reason for what you do or a choice you make, there’s still a reason.

How we answer that question is important. For example:

Some bad answers to, “why”?

“…because it’s the way it’s always been done”

In a few cases, you can maybe get a way with this answer if the way it’s always been done is good and successful.  But eventually the way it’s always been done becomes a hindrance to actually getting things done or moving forward.  Remember, “the way it’s always been done” is a method not a value or message.  

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Keeping Momentum

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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?”
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