Now is the time.

All of us have things we have said we would do.  Things we would try.  Things we would learn.  We get sidetracked with “will”.  Someday I will…

Someday, I will blog.

Someday, I will have a new web site designed.

Someday, I will try a new “social media” tool or platform.

Someday, I will read (or maybe write) a particular book.

Now is the time.

I am by nature a procrastinator.  Many of you can relate.  I have had to put those some-days to the side.  I have tried new things and learned much in the process.  Now it is your turn.  Try something new today.  Not tomorrow, today.  Please – do it for you!

Now, share in the comments what you have been saying “someday” to and what you will finally do today…

People who love God, believe in the mission and vision of your local church, and are willing to give gifts, talents, and time to fulfill that mission.  They are priceless.  You need them to serve God with excellence.

You need to appreciate them.  You need to acknowledge them.  They do not do what they do for recognition…but they are people.  All people want to be appreciated.

Take a moment right now, think of someone who serves in an area of ministry in your church – someone who you appreciate.  Have you told them lately that you appreciate them?

Please take a moment now – to do just that.

But are we?  In North America we are ever increasingly removed from our neighbours and often the communities in which we live.  Yet, people were designed (by God) to be in community.  In community with Him, and in community with others we live in proximity with.  Why?  Because we  are relational.  Some more than others of course but we are none-the-less relational.  We need others and we need community.

People today are craving community.  Mostly because they are not experiencing genuine community from the communities they live in.  So, the church can fill that void (and others).  I have watched many people become attracted to the community of a local church before they are attracted to God.  And that is not a bad thing.  Churches have an opportunity to show God’s love in action through community.  Help people experience healthy relationships and genuine, heartfelt community and they become open to listen to, learn about, and discover the source of that community.

Is your church showing “your community” what real community is all about?

Image via Flickr: Joe Lencioni

I just finished watching a hockey game.  My beloved Toronto Maple Leafs playing the New York Rangers.  The Leafs had been out shooting the Rangers but still trailed on the scoreboard by 2-0 with less than 10 minutes remaining in the game.  The Leafs young players continued to apply offensive pressure…and then came the momentum shift.

Five goals in less than six minutes – a powerful turn-around.  What happened?  We see this type of thing happen in sports all the time.  A surge of excellent play and a lot of things going right at just the same time.  One goal leads to another and the team that was once in command has the wheels fall off their cart.  Momentum shifts as one team builds in confidence when they begin to experience successful results while the other gets focused on the negative and begins to lose confidence.

This can happen in your organization as well. Whether your organization is a business or a church, it can and probably will experience a momentum shift.  The challenge for you as a leader in these times is to lead through that shift.  If the momentum starts to shift your way positively, you have to leverage it and get everyone excited and working with that momentum.  If the shift is negative, that is when you need to coach people through and try to push things in a more positive direction so the wheels don’t fall off you cart!

Momentum is a very psychoogical thing.  People’s emotions rise and fall so quickly when they see momentum shift.  A good leader can manage those tidal shifts for the good of the organization.  Keep building a strong team around you that can manage both of these ebbs and flows. Harness the effects of positive momentum and lead your organization to victory. It’s a challenge but the rewards are great!

When times get tough, when your passion for business or ministry is challenged, one of your greatest sources of encouragement and support are those who know you best and believe in your call. Treat them well because you will celebrate the victories with them and you will need their strength when you are in the valleys.

I truly believe that as passionate as you are about your business or ministry, it should never take prescedence over your family. Sure, there will come times when you need sacrifice some family time for the sake of business. However, if you value your family more strongly than what you do, and if you prioritze their needs ahead of your call, your integrity will shine through and ultimately you will be more successful because you are putting those you love most ahead of what you do most. Stay focused on what has the most lasting value.

I had the opportunity to participate in a leadership retreat this past weekend with our team at LifeBridge Church. Our core leadership team and spouses left town and went to a secluded camp (in the middle of nowhere) to spend 1 1/2 days reviewing the past year’s goals and achievements, our purpose, casting vision for the next year, and strategizing a plan for the future. It was a weekend of celebration, relationship building, and talking through where we are heading for the next year. It was very encouraging, uplifting, unifying, and simply awesome!

Often in corporate environments, leadership teams will do something similar, but it doesn’t always happen there either. Small and medium sized businesses often neglect this activity altogether, and non-profits (especially churches) miss the boat here most of the time. You do not have to be a large corporation to engage your leadership team in a vision-casting retreat. Our group at LifeBridge was only 8 people in total and it served to be a very up-lifting and beneficial time for us as individuals and it will pay big dividends for the organization. In some ways, the more focused your organization, the easier it is to review and re-cast vision. For non-profits, because their leadership teams are often made up mostly of volunteers, this is even more important so you can get everyone on the same page. Your volunteer leaders are not necessarily working side-by-side every day like they are in a business environment.

I can not underscore the importance of casting a strong vision, setting goals, and reviewing them every year. If you don’t set a plan like this in place, how will you measure where you want your organization to go and determine whether it is making progress? This whole exercise rises and falls on leadership. If a strong leader is in place, they will want to chart a course with a clear vision and ensure that every leader is on board. It fosters unity. If you are practicing the leadership retreat concept, congratulations and keep up the good work. If you are not currently doing this, then I seriously encourage you to try it. I am confident that your team will reap the benefits of stronger relationships, growing as a team, drawing closer together in unity, and your organization will achieve more measurable results as everyone marches to the beat of the same drum. It fosters a healthy environment and leads to greater organizational success. What are you waiting for…plan your retreat today!

I welcome your comments and feedback if you have ever taken part in a leadership retreat.

(Image courtesy BuffaloGeek)

Then the realization…there is a weasel in my house! (Fortunately my wife was not home at the time…she would have freaked!) How on earth did that get in my house? I spent the next 40 minutes coaxing this creature from room to room until I had him confined to one room with an outside door. I then waited patiently for him to make his way back to the great outdoors. To this day, I have no idea how he got in. He must have sneaked in through the front door when one of us was coming in or out of the house that morning.

In your organization…has something unwanted, unexpected, or disruptive sneaked in when you were not looking? How is the morale among your employees? How is the culture in your organization? Have you veered off course from your original set of goals, mission, or purpose? Usually things like this happen and we have no idea how they got in there. Check your organizational house. Make sure that there is nothing unnatural going on and that there are no unwanted or unexpected surprises. It would be worse to let them go on without being dealt with than to take the time now getting things cleared up immediately. Get the weasel out of your house!

In a woman’s college baseball game last weekend between Western Oregon and Central Washington, Sara Tucholsky hit the first home-run of her college career. Unfortunately, in her excitement rounding first base she missed touching the bag. As she turned to retrace her steps, her right knee buckled and she fell to the ground in pain, unable to get up. Two opposition teamates consulted with the umpires and offered to carry her around the bases so she could complete her home run celebration. How excellent is that?

So often in life and in business we are too self-centred. How many of us would have even considered such a gesture? Of course, we would love to think we might do the same, but the reality is that few of us would have. That’s why this made the news…it is unusual. Those two opposition teammates…they are real leaders! Those two women Mallory Holtman and Liz Wallace, made a split second decision that defines their character and their leadership. They sought justice and wasted no time to see it enacted. Interestingly, they lost the game because of it, but that outcome never entered their mind in the moment. The simply did the right thing.

I hope we can all learn from this moment in sports history and apply this leadership and character principle to our lives and into our organizations. It’s not all about me. Let’s celebrate the accomplishments of others and reach out to those in need. Let’s play fair, seeking justice, and fairness. When a split-second decision needs to be made, may we be strong leaders and make the right choice.

Share your thoughts with me on this application to leadership and you can read the complete New York Times article here.

Update May 7th: Here is a video clip of the 3 women on Ellen:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImGl6IsakR8]

How is this like business? Well, it depends on what angle you look at. Sure, I lost all three games. Losing is never fun. But, in all three games I was right in it to the end. A worthy competitor.

I have learned in 18 years of sales and marketing that sometimes even when you are a worthy competitor you still lose. Sometimes numerous times in a row. When you lose in sales, there usually is no prize for second place. No silver medal if you will. So what do you do? You have to assess what went wrong, what your deficinecy was or is and try to correct that in the next sales situation. If you keep repeating the same process and not winning, you are essentially spinning your wheels – and going nowhere. The other really important thing is to keep a positive perspective and attitude. The losing gets worse when negativity creeps in and that can effect morale in your organization.

So, keep positive, focus on improvement, and keep building on your strengths. Focus on the task…look at all the angles and sink that 8-ball!