"My experience suggests that excellent execution of simple ideas will yield better results than great ideas executed poorly." -- Tanmay Vora
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I love this post from Will Mancini. "The System Down the Hall Trumps the Mission on the Wall" This line is from the stellar strategist, Andy Stanley of North Point Community Church. When my friend Caz McCaslin (founder of Upward sports ministry) first heard the “systems talk” at the Catalyst Reverb conference ( I think it was 2007), he called me and we discussed it for what seemed to be hours. As a piece worth pursuing, here is Andy Stanley’s flow of thought: God created systems Systems create behavior Our leaders and volunteers action are guided by the systems we inherit, adopt or create We overestimate our ability to guide change, when we are not thinking on the systems level Systems have embedded expectations, rewards (lack of), consequences (lack of), communication styles, and behavioral patterns of the people in charge The idea of integrating the mission and vision into the systems of…
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How do you determine whether or not a person has leadership potential? It's simple ... watch what they do when they don't have to do anything. Last night at church we cancelled our children's program and adult classes due to a fierce snow storm that dropped on us. Within the span of about thirty minutes the street in front of our church building was snowed over and cars were spinning out trying to climb the hill. As I'm inside answering questions, three guys went out and began pushing cars. Even more amazing, one hadn't been at church but came when he noticed the snow storm. When I finally could, I went out and joined them. For the better part of almost 90 minutes, these three guys directed traffic, coached drivers, and crawled under cars. It was a sight to see! When we ask, "What does a leader do?" we're assuming…
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When I worked as the ecommerce manager for Blue Haven Pools and Spas Supplies Direct, our customer service manager turned our leadership team on to a book called "212°" (that's 212 degrees). Here's the basic concept of the book: “At 211°, water is hot. At 212°, water boils. And with boiling water, comes steam. And steam can power a locomotive. The one extra degree makes the difference.” We often think that transformational change (or success) is a matter of making a major overhaul. Could it be that the difference between where you are now and where you want to be is simply a matter of one degree?
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One of the things I love about the web is how one thing leads to another -- unintended consequences. While reading a blog on leadership, I came across a link to something called "The Cult of the Done Manifesto." It reminds us to stay focused on the "doing." In business or at church, we can easily get caught up in talking and never take action. This post reminds us to get things done! The Cult of Done Manifesto There are three states of being. Not knowing, action and completion. Accept that everything is a draft. It helps to get it done. There is no editing stage. Pretending you know what you're doing is almost the same as knowing what you are doing, so just accept that you know what you're doing even if you don't and do it. Banish procrastination. If you wait more than a week to get an…
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