Big Is The New Small

Insulation –  The act of covering, lining, or separating with individuals or materials that prevents or reduces the passage, transfer, or leakage of heat. The act of insulating something.

When it comes to leadership it’s important for the CEO, Executives or Senior leaders to be insulated from many things within the organization.  This insulation allows these leaders to lead at a high altitude and not get caught in the monotonous tasks and details that may hinder their leadership.

The same individuals whose purpose is to insulate a leader can be the same individuals that insulate a leader so much that it may become problematic.  These individuals become so used to protecting the leader, they end up insulating them from reality and even begin to loose track with what a proper reality even is.

Have you ever seen an organization or leader who has lost track of reality and you wonder how they got there.  The way they got there is their insulators provided improper insulation.

These insulators become the enablers that are unwilling to confront things that need to be confronted.  These insulators are the same individuals that inadvertently allow leaders to be removed from reality, become yes men, support poor decisions and ultimately contribute to the demise of both the leader and the organization.

It’s important to always check your insulation and sometimes it’s important to get new insulation. That which was designed to protect you may actually be hurting you and your organization.

Have you seen improper insulation negatively affect a leader and an organization?

We have all seen and walked through the automatic motion type doors at various businesses.  It’s a simple concept, the heat motion opens the door as you are walking towards the door.  The challenge for those doors, is that if you are outside of the motion area the doors won’t open.

In the picture to the left, if you are outside of those yellow barriers, there is a good chance the door won’t open.  When it comes to God opening doors, we have to make sure that we are in His motion, in His space, connecting with Him, reading His word, communing with Him, doing what His word says and not denying Him, in order for Him to better feel our motion.

“I see what you’ve done. Now see what I’ve done. I’ve opened a door before you that no one can slam shut. You don’t have much strength, I know that; you used what you had to keep my Word. You didn’t deny me when times were rough.” Revelation 3:8 MSG

God opens the door for the Philadelphians once he was able to feel their motion. It was an after effect. Let God see and feel what you’re doing in His name.  He will open doors that you don’t have the strength or ability to open and no one else has the power or ability to close.

Get In God’s Motion!

I was talking to an airline earlier and, upon verifying my information, the guy reminded me of the fact that, “this call may be recorded for quality assurance purposes.” I never really pay attention to that little statement or even give it an ounce of consideration. For some reason today, it caught my attention.

In the last couple weeks, I’ve heard of a couple pastors that had moral failures and other good Christian folks whom have made extremely poor choices. It got me wondering if those individuals ever thought they would find themselves in such precarious situations.

What if Christians embraced the fact that their life is being recorded for quality assurance purposes? Better yet, what if we truly embraced that we have someone who is speaking to us and guiding us in order to help ensure that we have a quality life.

“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.” John 16:12-15

Be Sensitive and Listen For Quality Assurance Purposes.

Thoughts?

Criticism is a one of those words that seems to cut most people like a knife.  Although the knife doesn’t seem as sharp when we put the word “constructive” in front of the word criticism; none-the-less the word still seems to pierce.

When I was growing up my mom would always tell me: “Son, you can’t control or worry about what people say… you can only control what you say and what you do.”  Later on in life, as a young leader I had a mentor that would always say “If you’re doing something worthy of people taking shots at you… they will.  I would much rather have a leader that people don’t always understand and who are occasionally criticized, than a “leader” that no one ever talks about.”   I’ve heard one of my old pastors say something like, “If you want to find the leader, look for the one with the arrow in their back!”

I tend to view criticism as neutral… “It Is What It Is!” I prefer to “Eat The Meat and Spit Out The Bones!” While chewing up the meat, you might find some pieces that are not cooked to you’re liking.  Although they are not cooked to your liking, it may be beneficial to go ahead and consume them.  Again, “Eat The Meat and Spit Out The Bones!”

If you don’t want to be criticized, I have some advice for you: Say Nothing, Do Nothing & Be Nothing!

“It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause, who at best knows achievement and who at the worst if he fails at least fails while daring greatly so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.” ~Theodore Roosevelt

I don’t ever want to find my place with those “Cold and Timid Souls.”

Criticism: “It Is What It Is!”

What do you think?  Share your thoughts!

Organizations tend to live and die by their Policy and Procedure Manuals.  There are policies and procedures for literally everything.  Just think about your organization and the number of policies and procedures that guide what you do.  Some policies and procedures are written, while others may simply be spoken or understood organizational mores.

There is one policy that in my opinion is the most devastating to an organization.  It’s the Behind Closed Doors Policy! You won’t find this written in your organization’s policy and procedure manual; however you will find it written on the faces of organizational leaders around the globe.

Some behind closed door meetings are appropriate and necessary.  There are many different types of Behind Closed Doors Policies that are detrimental to an organization, just ask Mr. Enron and Mrs. AIG. The Behind Closed Doors Policy that I’m referring to is this — What I say to you in your face is different that what I say about you behind closed doors.  This policy is a killer and often times it’s implemented without even realizing it.  This policy is born out of The Fundamental Flaw Of Leadership, which is rooted in not shooting straight with team members and not allowing them to know where they stand.

I remember changing supervisors one time at a particular job and my new supervisor brought me in his office and said this “Do you want to know what people say about you when you are not in the room?  Well here it is and proceeded to share.” That’s a great starting place and develops an Above Board Policy.

The policy that I have always incorporated into the culture of my various teams in ministry, non-profit and in corporate America is simply this:

• 1.  You will always know where you stand and never have to guess.
• 2.  I won’t say anything behind close doors that I have not or am not planning on saying to your face.
• 3.  I will be gracefully-brutally honest with you and when necessary, in front of the entire team. (this is not an issue of correcting in public; however some issues are are more effectively handled in a public setting, especially when the public group is involved)

Behind Closed Doors Policies born out of an unwillingness to openly confront the brutal facts and they are detrimental to the health and wealth of an organization.  Replace your Behind Closed Doors Policy with an Above Board Policy.  The Above Board Policy always lets people know where they stand and reduces the potential for the detrimental types closed door meetings.

Open The Door and Release The Potential!

Have you experienced negative implications of a Behind Closed Doors Policy?  Share your thoughts on Behind Closed Doors Policy and Above Board Policy.

I blog 5 – 6 times each week and it’s just a consistent part of my daily regimen.  People often ask me, “How do I come up with so many blogging ideas and so much blogging material?”  The answer to that question is simple.  The #1 Place To Get Fresh New Blogging Ideas is… Everywhere!

It’s truly that simple. There tons of blogging ideas everywhere, we simply have to look for them.  I’ll walk through a day for me and potential blogging ideas from when I wake up until lunch.

• My morning 3-B Time: Bible, Books & Blogs
• Conversations I have with my wife and boys over breakfast
• Clips & thoughts from the morning news channels
• Thoughts inspired from commercials
• Conversations with clients
• Things I see while driving to my lunch meeting
• Conversations during my lunch meeting
• Observations and business practices at the restaurant
• Front page newspaper articles
• People watching
• Social media interactions, quotes & observations that I’ve had prior to my lunch appt.

The bottom line is Fresh New Blogging Ideas are everywhere.  There is actually some research that indicates that individuals whom blog daily are smarter. This is attributed to the fact that on a daily basis they are forcing themselves to think about and interact with the world around them in a different context.

I simply keep a running note of thoughts in my iPhone yellow notes.  I can easily jump on a flight and knock out a couple of weeks of blogposts or I can simply get up each morning and knock out a post from something that’s fresh on my mind.

The key is to think and to think often.

How do you get fresh new blogging ideas?  Share your thoughts on The #1 Place To Get Fresh New Blogging Ideas.

Stop meandering around from place to place, thought to thought and opportunity to opportunity without landing on success.  Focus on the task, execute the game-plan and get to the finish line.  Upon arrival at the finish line of success, you must embrace the fact that it’s a temporary destination prior to your next successful journey.

The Aimless Wanderer will never see the finish line, because they are on a path that winds and zigzags to nowhere.

The Aimless Wanderer stands in front of The Stairway To Nowhere.

Stop Aimlessly Wandering.

I was trying to decide on whether to write a blogpost about leadership blind spots or write about Whitney Houston.  I had several people suggest that I simply write about both of them or merge the two.  So here it goes.

5 Leadership & Life Lessons From Whitney Houston

• 1. You Have What It Takes – Kevin Costner said that although Whitney Houston was hugely successful, she still asked this question, “Am I good enough, pretty enough & will they like me?”  His response was this, “You were great, beautiful & they loved you.”  You have what it takes, you must truly believe it deep down inside.
• 2. God Does The Fixing - Whitney Houston was quoted saying these words, “Any way you fix me Lord, I’ll be satisfied.”  There is a lot of power and humility in that quote.  Lord I’m broken, I know I need fixed, not sure what fixed means, but I so desperately need whatever help you can give me.
• 3. You Have To Step Out To Find Out – As Whitney Houston’s Musical Director Rickey Minor talked about his experience with Whitney Houston singing the Star Spangled Banner.  Rickey said they were trying to figure out how to make it special and they didn’t know what they were doing.  Rickey said you have to step out and he said it this way, “God said Go For It, Go Ahead… We did it and it changed my life.”  You have to step out to find out.
• 4. Stop Ridiculing & Give Love - Whitney’s death showed how easy it is for people to ridicule instead of seeing the bright side of things.  Many people were quick to point out her challenges and shortcomings instead of the positives of her life.  Whitney’s funeral showed what happens when people point out the positive aspects of someone’s life – It Inspires! Whitney’s bodyguard Ray Watson talked about what performers like Whitney go through just to give people a little entertainment.  His final words were, “Stop Ridiculing & Give Love!”
• 5. Your Life Can Be A Larger Impact Than You Know - Whitney will go down as one of the best vocalists in modern day history.  Whitney sold millions of records, in addition to making millions of people smile, laugh, sing and dance.  Although she made an impact on this world before she left this earth, it’s arguable that her funeral may have had the most eternal impact of any artist to date.  The world was watching as God’s orchestration of some of the most amazing communicators of the gospel.  During a moment that many thought was going to be a low or sad occasion, God used Whitney Houston’s Homegoing Celebration to lift the name of Jesus High.

We are naive at best if we don’t understand how much Whitney’s funeral impacted the world with the Gospel.

Share your thoughts on the above lessons or lessons that you learned from Whitney Houston’s Career, Life and Funeral.

I’m at the airport right now for a really long layover due to the fact that my flight which was originally scheduled for 6:50 a.m. was cancelled due to weather in Dallas. By weather I believe they are referring to fog, frozen fog and ice.  Not exactly sure what frozen fog is, but that’s what they were reporting at the counter.

I am headed for a television appearance in Atlanta and now I will have really tight connections.  I decided to have them pull my bag and go back through security so I could grab my clothes, just in case my connection is too close for comfort.  Sometimes things are out of your control and you simply have to go with the flow.

While sitting here, I was reading through some of my old favorite quotes for some inspiration and I ran across this oldie but goodie from Mr. Nunchucks Bruce Lee.  I have self-titled this quote: Not Knowing Where The Limit Lies.   I hope it inspires, encourages and blesses you!

“I am learning to understand rather than immediately judge or to be judged. I cannot blindly follow the crowd and accept their approach. I will not allow myself to indulge in the usual manipulating game of role creation. Fortunately for me, my self-knowledge has transcended that and I have come to understand that life is best to be lived and not to be conceptualized. I am happy because I am growing daily and I am honestly not knowing where the limit lies. To be certain, every day there can be a revelation or a new discovery. I treasure the memory of the past misfortunes. It has added more to my bank of fortitude.”

~Bruce Lee

Share your thoughts on this quote.

Throughout my 38 years on this earth I’ve had a number of seasons where my travel schedule was, well let’s just say heavier than others.  Over the last few years that schedule has increased drastically and in the last year it’s super-crazy.  When you are a consultant and speaker, super-crazy is actually a good thing, so I’m definitely grateful.

I get to travel around and work with some of the most amazing churches, non-profits, organizations and brands in the country.  One thing I have come to recognize is this: If you are going to travel, you should always have some great travel tools and systems in your toolbox.  I have come up with a list of my Top 5 Travel Tools.

1. Tripit Pro – This is by far my favorite travel tool.  Tripit Pro is like having a personal assistant that has inside information from every aspect of the airlines and airport.  I will try to sum up this tool in a few sentences and I’ll share some key features.  You can get regular Tripit for FREE and Tripit Pro is $49.  (It’s worth every penny)

Tripit Pro – Scans my email and automatically adds any confirmation emails from airlines, hotels, rental cars etc. to my account.  I have my wife and my Executive Assistant added to my account so they can always be aware of my itinerary or changes to my itinerary.

A couple of key Things I like about Tripit Pro is the fact that it will text me just prior to 24hrs. before my flight and let me know it’s almost time to check-in.  The day of my flight I get a reminder text of my flight number, gate information and any applicable changes, delays and cancellations.  Speaking of changes, I’m not sure how they do it but Tripit Pro always notifies me of flight changes before the airlines.

As soon as I land, I receive connecting gate information via text, even if my flight is early. (No more checking terminal screens or listening to flight attendants talk about connecting gates).  Another feature that generally pays for the cost of Tripit Pro is the fare reduction notification feature.  If there is a drop in fares from your original purchase, Tripit will let you know.  You can simply call the airline and get a credit for the difference.

One last feature is a tracking mechanism for all of your travel accounts.  I have my entire airlines; hotel and car rental rewards accounts and point totals in one location.

I could go on and on, this is by far the #1 travel tool.

2. Waze – Waze is the best iPhone GPS App on the market and it’s free. I would definitely pay for this app. I have used several awesome paid GPS apps; however I have really come to appreciate Waze.  Waze is a very easy to use voice-guided, turn-by-turn navigation app. When you download Waze, you not only get a free traffic & navigation app, but also become part of the local driving community in your area, joining forces with other drivers nearby to outsmart traffic, save time, and improve your travel or daily commute.

After you enter your destination, as you are driving you can participate in the driving community with the touch of one button to notify the app and community of traffic jams, police speed traps, accidents, speed cameras, hazardous road issues, map issues and more.

3. Eagle Creek Packing Cubes – I use various sizes and types of the Eagle Creek Pouches.  I am able to maximize space by putting my t-shirts, underwear, socks, jeans, shirts etc. into these cubes.  I even use some of these pouches to pack up cords and other things.  I also use some of the travel sacs, no matter what you use, their packing and travel tools are all great additions to your travel repertoire.

4. iPad 2 -  I don’t really need to give a lot of detail to this tool because it speaks for itself.  I use my iPad to:

• Speak from (embed my notes into pages)
• Read books
• Watch movies
• Face-time over wifi with my family both with in-flight wifi and at the hotel
• Capture thoughts
• Write blogposts
• Create keynote presentations
• The list goes on and on like the Energizer Bunny

The iPad is a must have travel tool.

5. Beats By Dre Studio – Outside of having some gum on hand to make sure your ears don’t clog up or pop while in the altitude, having some good headphones is a must.  I have several good in-ear headphones; however I have come to appreciate having the fully enclosed Beats By Dre Studio noise canceling headphones.  It cancels all of the noise from babies, jets, wind and overall airplane and airport noise.  Additionally you can listen to your favorite movie or favorite artists with unimpeded clarity.

I have a number of other travel tools that I will share in the future.  For now these are my Top 5.

What are your top travel tools?  Share your thoughts and experiences on any of these Top 5 Travel Tools.