After losing my luggage last week and dealing with the inconveniences of not having all of my stuff, I realized how going without some things actually forces me to think differently, to think creatively.

No make-up… hmmm… I scrounged up some powder and an old eye liner and a different shade of lip gloss.  Guess that will do.  Maybe I could start a new ‘no mascara’ look.

No flat iron… well… I have hot rollers so I guess we’re going curly.  A new look that I haven’t been motivated enough to experiment with but got several compliments about (maybe they just felt sorry for me).

But in spite of all these trivial things, it got me thinking…

Oftentimes scarcity breeds creativity.  Think about it.

• As a little girl all I needed was a pair of mom’s high heels and a hair brush to be a superstar pop singer
• When the pantry is sparse, I often come up with the most creative meals
• No flat iron, go curly

What I’ve observed is that this often happens in businesses, organizations and churches too.  I think sometimes we are tempted to think that once we have this amount of money or that facility or those employees we’ll be able to realize the big dreams.

However, more often the most creative ideas come from those with who don’t have access to endless resources.  They are not relying on the big systems, budgets and technology to do great things.  Because of the lack of these resources, they are forced to think differently to accomplish their dreams.

I absolutely love this principle!

It reminds me to not get complacent with what’s comfortable.

As a person who is responsible for creating systems and processes for an organization, I try to be gracious with other companies and organizations when they aren’t getting it quite right.  But after my experience with US Airways last week and then hearing other similar stories I couldn’t help but share what I believe to just be a stupid business decision.

Decision: US Airways begins charging $20 per checked bag on all flights

Customer Response: Everyone opts to carry-on their luggage rather than checking their bags

Result: So many carry-on bags equals not enough overhead bin space.  As a result some bags have to be checked anyway

Problem #1: Frustration; travelers who are trying to be frugal and efficient are now forced to check their bags anyway

Problem #2: Checking bags plane-side is not efficient, paperwork is sketchy and bags get losted

Result: US Airways now has to pay a courier service to deliver last bags to frustrated customers.

I’m pretty sure that the cost of courier delivery, not to mention loss of customer loyalty, is more than the $20 they were trying to make by charging for checked bags.  Seems like a lose-lose to me.  That’s stupid business!

I was thinking about this today…

Build a brand that your successor will be proud to inherit, not one that they need to blow up and rebuild.

What kinds of brands are you building?  Are you investing yourself into things that others want to be a part of?

Yesterday Cross Point was featured on the front page of The Tennessean in an article about church branding.  Pete got the call about doing the interview and because marketing and branding is part of my background, we did the interview together.  Unfortunately the subject can be a little “touchy” for some people in church circles.  Sometimes the idea of branding or marketing seems like we are commercializing the gospel… I don’t think so.  First of all, branding is about your identity.  Each of us has a brand.  Think about it… if you asked your husband, wife, best friend and a colleague to describe you in five words I bet that at least three out of the five words that each person says would be the same or at least similar.  Why?  Because you are you, a unique individual with specific qualities and personality that are yours.  Remember when you were a teenager trying to be everyone but yourself?  Until we learned to accept who we are, we fumbled around and weren’t comfortable with ourselves (some of us may still be fumbling). 

That’s what branding is about to me.  It’s about identifing who you uniquely are and displaying that consistently.  Bottom line is that is authenticity.  So with that in mind, why wouldn’t churches “brand” themselves?  Why wouldn’t we discover who God has called us to be as a church and then display that for all it’s worth?