It's why we call it the World Wide Web. Just yesterday, I was spending a few minutes reading blogs I like to follow. I started with Mac Lake, a blogger who writes about church leadership issues. He led me to Casey Graham, who writes about church finances. Casey led me to Mark Clement, a filmaker who uses his giftedness to shine God's light through media. And then I came to this article by Mark Clement: "I Couldn't Have Done it Without Him." In the article Clement mentions a fellow who I attended college with -- John Marc Green. It's a small world.
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As leaders, we often think in terms of vision casting. It's our responsibility to discern where God wants us to go and then to paint the picture for those we lead. In many respects, this is a top-down process. We hear from God, our churches/members/employees hear from us. I also believe part of our mandate as leaders is to help bubble up vision from within the hearts of those we lead. God doesn't speak only to me; he is constantly at work in our world to establish his kingdom. As a leader, I need to be sensitive to what God is saying to those around me. What are their dreams? What inspires them? What is gaining momentum in their lives? Casting vision isn't always about shouting from the rooftops; it's just as often about keeping an ear to the ground.
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One of the most important parts of being a coaching leader is learning to ask the right questions. Here's a good example. If something doesn't out the way it was supposed to, do you ask "Why did you ...?" This immediately puts the other person on the defensive and back-pedaling people can be dangerous people. A better question might be, "How can we ...?" This invites a solution rather than placing blame. It also involves the leader in helping ascertain the solution. Which question do you most often ask?
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Yesterday while scarfing down a quick lunch, I zipped over to the NY Times on my phone and read the techology section (ironic, I know). I came across this interesting article entitled "Study Shows People Ignore Generic Photos Online." The premise is simple: people are more likely to interact with photos of people they know or recognize than with generic stock photos. Using eye-tracking software, Jakob Nielson discovered that generic stock photos are largely ignored; even more so, they are considered to be annoying. What does this mean for websites that are in the "people" business? Stock photos are counter-productive. They not only do not contribute to the message, they may actually be subconsciously working against the message. It may take a little more time, effort, and coordination, but utilizing "real" people from your church, business, or organization may produce unseen (pun intended) benefits.
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One of the things I enjoy about living in Colorado is the changing of seasons. Don't get me wrong: having an average daily temperature of 70.5 degrees (as we did in San Diego) is not all that bad. But I enjoy the turning of leaves, a crisp morning, and a fireplace at a night. I'm not necessarily a big fan of shoveling snow - nor do I expect it to grow on me. Just as the world around us goes through seasons, we experience seasons in life. It might generational seasons, such as youth, adolosence, middle age, etc. It might life-stages such as marriage, parenting, or retirement. Spiritually-speaking, seasons may come in the form of dry bouts where we pray but nothing seems to happen. Or it could be a season of growth, a time of seeing God work in ways we never imagined. Leadership has its seasons, too. Any…
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