I am absolutely overwhelmed by this video…
… overwhelmed that this is real
… overwhelmed by the possibility that we could change the course of history
Odds are you’ve seen it, if not take the 30 minutes to watch it.
KONY 2012 from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.
Remember my post When Leaders Fail? This could be our moment!
Contentment is my One Word pursuit this year.
And as I journey towards contentment I repeatedly have to face my anxious heart.
Typically anxiety accompanies the weight of responsibility I feel. And usually I’m feeling so responsible because I’ve begun to try to control it all instead of remembering it’s all God’s. It’s not mine. I’m just a steward.
What I’m really responsible for is to be faithful. I’m not responsible for the outcomes. I’m responsible for being faithful to my part.
I must repeatedly remind myself to live with open hands gently holding the things that God has given me to steward. Not giving into the urge to clutch them with a death grip and assume all control, nor to throw up my hands in exasperation or indifference. Open hands that are sensitive to be guided by God’s direction for my life.
Contentment is an unusual place where responsibility meets restfulness. Responsibility for our part, but resting in His.
May I not be anxious, just faithful.
When do you feel the most discontent? When do you feel the most content?
Sunday afternoons include a lot of golf around our house. While my husband is watching the tournament of the week, I’m usually doing a little work, plugging away at some writing or tidying up the house. It’s funny how much of the sport I pick up subconsciously.
Mid-way through the last round of the Honda Classic yesterday, I said to my husband “that guy is kind of the new golden child” isn’t he? I was referring to Rory McIlroy. What I didn’t even realize was that he was playing for the win and ultimately the rank of #1 golfer in the world. (Sorry to those of you who are avid fans and are chiding me for pointing out the obvious.)
All of that at the age of 22.
I love it when the young kids win. I love their energy and youthful, uninhibited excitement for what they’ve accomplished. It’s all upside at that age. No one really expects it from you.
But in another 10 years, those wins will be expected. The fight for the top seed will be a lot tougher.
He’ll be playing to meet people’s expectations rather than playing for the sheer enjoyment of competition.
That pressure gets in your head and it can be one of the toughest demons to fight.
Whether you’re playing golf or leading a dynamic team you constantly have to fight success from getting in your head. A good day will be followed by a bad day. A good season will be followed by a drought. And rather than pressing forward because that’s what you’re called to do you’ll find yourself fighting to stay in the good graces of the voices of those who are judging you.
As leaders, we can’t let success or failure get in our head. Success one day or failure the next are not what defines us. It’s the consistent, patient pursuit of your calling.
Has it gotten in your head? If so, go back and recount the memories of your early successes… those moments when you knew you were doing what you were called to do. Remember the freedom you felt? Remember how everything seemed possible?
Go recapture the moment before it all got in your head. God’s dreams for you are bigger than the pressures you’re facing today!
I’m repeatedly struck by how much hope is an essential part of leadership.
Andy Andrews says it this way in his book The Final Summit
“Hope is the first task of a leader.”
“Hope is the captain of courage and the author of success. For the person whose hope remains unshaken has within them the power to do miracles. Hope sees what’s invisible, feels what is intangible, and achieves what most consider impossible.”
We often talk about the importance of vision casting as leaders, but perhaps we need to reframe it as “hope casting”.
Where could your team use some hope today?
Systems
You probably fall in one of two camps – you either love them or hate them.
Your personality type usually dictates your gut reaction to systems (A-types love them, free spirits hate them) but your experience speaks even louder about perception of systems. I’ve encountered A-types who hate them because of a bad experience and free spirits who love them because of a good one.
As the leader of your organization, department or ministry area it’s up to you to help everyone (including yourself) see the value of good systems.
Here are a few critical things that I believe you as a leader need to understand in regard to systems:
1) Systems must be scalable.
Don’t you just love the quaintness of small towns? Life moves smoothly. Everyone makes way for another. You’re lucky if the roads have stop signs or painted lines… somehow it just doesn’t seem that necessary. But picture yourself in the crazy streets of New York City with no traffic signs or crosswalk lines. Lack of systems would be a disaster in that setting.
The systems needed in a large organization are rarely needed in a small one. That’s why young, small organizations pride themselves in not being bureaucratic. You don’t have bureaucracy because you haven’t needed it yet. You haven’t needed a bunch of systems to manage work flow because you simply yell over the cubicle wall or across the Starbucks table.
Systems have to be scalable. What works now with 2 employees won’t work later with 20 or 200. It might be fine that you’re averse to systems now, but don’t hurt your organization by being resistant to them when they are necessary later.
2) Systems Need to be Strategic
Systems should streamline and organize the normal, mundane, routine work of your organization. Systems create a structure for the “necessary evils” of the job.
Without good systems for routine, your team works in circles. You feel perpetually behind. Small things are inadvertently missed.
That’s why systems need to be strategic. Systems should solve the constant, recurring issues. You don’t need a system for everything. You need a system for the right things.
Systems for the right things:
3) Systems Enable Creativity
Because systems address the normal routine, they free up your team for focusing on the new and creative ideas that need to be developed.
If you feel like you never have time for creativity, perhaps there are some systems you need to create to manage the busy work.
One Word of Caution:
The greatest danger of systems is that they can squash relational interaction. Too many systems can hinder good communication. If you have a system for everything, you inadvertently keep your team from talking and working through problems. Not everything needs a system (point #2). As the leader, you must discern where you want to leave some un-systematized tension so that you force your team to work together to solve an issue.
Systems have the potential to create enormous value in your organization. I believe they are necessary and it’s a huge part of a leader’s responsibility, but the grey leadership tension that you must manage is: enough vs too much.
How has a system helped your team succeed? Where has lack of systems hindered you?
Have you ever told someone your job title only to have them ask you what you really do? I get that all the time. Sometimes it’s just impossible to capture the essence of your job in a one or two word description… or maybe we’re just conditioned to be too formal or professional.
Recently we posted a job opportunity at Cross Point for a “Graphic Storyteller” (aka graphic designer) and we completely threw people off.
I love organizations that have some fun and get creative with their job titles:
At Subway you’re a “Sandwich Artist”
At Apple you’re a “Genius”
According to BrazenCareerist.com,
New trends show that typical titles such as “manager,” “web developer” and even the elusive “CEO” have become blasé. Punchier, more creative handles are taking over.
According to MOO.com, a company that creates business cards, this exercise in originality can make you stand out among a sea of boring, traditional titles.
Here are just a few of the top modern job titles MOO.com has come across:
- Happiness Advocate
- Social Media Trailblazer
- Head Cheese
- Digital Dynamo
- Copy Cruncher
So if you could change your job title what would it be?
Instead of Executive Director, some days I think Chief Problem Solver, Referee or Chief Aggravator or simply Mom would be more appropriate.
How about you? What would you change your title to today?
I’m sure it’s no surprise that I’m still processing my trip to India. Jet lag has been a beast this time. I crash every day around 5pm and fight to keep myself awake until bedtime only to be wide awake again at 4am. The physical effects of the trip on my body serve to keep this experience top of mind. In conversations with the rest of the team, everyone is trying to figure out what to do with our experience and how to allow it to change us. It just doesn’t seem right to come back and meld right into our normal extravagant American lifestyle.
We’re not all going to take a vow of poverty or quit our day jobs or utterly change our lives, but I do think these experiences must be a catalyst for a perspective shift. I think we have to take our new knowledge and apply it through the filters of our own lives and experience.
For me, that’s leadership. So here’s my lesson and the perspective shift I’m processing:
One of the most common reactions to a missions trip experience is anger. It’s difficult to see extreme poverty and not get angry about the injustice.
I can’t help but get angry at the lack of leadership.
When did leaders fail?
Somewhere along the way leaders failed to provide hope, possibility and opportunity. It’s the only thing that explains why some parts of our world – in fact the majority of our world – lives in poverty. Somewhere a leader failed to take responsibility and lead people to a better future. Somewhere a leader neglected their responsibility. Somewhere a leader turned a blind eye. Somewhere a leader gave into corruption. Somewhere a leader became more obsessed with themselves, their power and their prestige over truly being a servant.
And I’m not just talking about political leaders. Government doesn’t fix everything.
Great leaders who led movements that changed the face of history emerged without political position. Consider Martin Luther King Jr. or Mother Teresa.
My fear for us as leaders is that we give up too easily if we don’t see immediately great impact. Our need for immediate gratification distracts us from seeing a vision for the long haul. If poverty and injustice look the same or worse in another 100 years that’s on our heads. And I don’t think any of us want to be responsible for that.
So what are you doing? How are you leading for the long term?
Don’t be a leader who fails future generations because you gave into the need for immediate gratification.
Post Update: Congratulations to Brooke Widmer who won a copy of from Blah to Awe!!
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I wish there had been a Jenna Lucado Bishop when I was growing up… someone I looked up to, admired and who wrote about real life issues with a sensitivity to the anxious questions of a teenager girl.
In her new book From Blah to Awe: Shaking Up a Boring Faith
“The goal of this book is to shake you up a little,” shares Jenna. “No matter where you are in your faith journey—whether you are new to this God thing or you have known what a relationship with Jesus is like your entire life—when you finish this book, I want you to stop settling. Stop settling for a faith that is dull, boring, blah. So many of us get stuck in a lifeless faith and just stay there, thinking that this is what life with God is about. No! God wants more for us!”
If there’s a teenage girl in your life, be sure to check this one out.
In fact, I’ve got a copy to giveaway!
Just leave a comment telling us what you think is the greatest challenge teenagers are facing today.
*I’ll randomly select a winner on Monday, 2/20.
I’m excited today to have a guest post from Cross Point’s Creative Arts Pastor (and my friend) Stephen Brewster! Be sure to visit his blog stephenbrewster.me for other great thoughts on creativity and leadership.
It’s a little intimidating to blog for your boss…but it sure is a lot easier when you know she is on the other side of the planet and maybe won’t have internet. 
Really, I am honored to get to contribute to the amazing content that Jenni produces daily here at JenniCatron.TV. So, let’s dive in!
Eleanor Roosevelt once said: “You can never really live anyone else’s life, not even your child’s. The influence you exert is through your own life, and what you’ve become yourself.”
By the very nature of being a leader, we often are forced to learn to handle influence. Great leaders learn how to handle influence the right way without allowing influence to go to their heads or change who they’ve always been. Great leaders understand that how we use our lives to impact our organizations and our surroundings will impact our influence and measure our leadership legacy. Andy Stanley says: “Leadership is Stewardship.” Influence, the byproduct of leadership, also requires stewardship. I believe there are five major traits of influence that we have to measure and steward if we’re going to use our influence to positively impact our leadership and organizations:
1. Influence comes with a cost. Leaders have to manage the cost of influence – and it’s not free. We will constantly be cashing in more and more of our “freedoms and liberties” with the more influence we gain. This isn’t a bad thing at all, but it is reality. A lot of young leaders do not realize the power that comes with influence and believe that they can continue to act, react, and live the same way they did when they had no accountability for their influence. When they make this mistake, they start to deteriorate the exact influence they are trying to grow.
2. Influence is dangerous. As our influence grows, it’s so important that we work harder than ever on our character. Talent often acts as fuel for influence. More times than we would like to admit, we’ve seen talent take people to places that their character is not ready to go. Focus on character and let influence take care of itself.
3. Influence tempts us to manipulate. With influence comes power and the ability to control situations. It also often brings people into our lives who desire to help us and our organizations. Just remember that manipulation is kryptonite to great leadership.
4. Influence grows when we lead by example. Never ask anyone to do something we would not do. That’s pretty simple. People are watching how we act. When we are reactionary rather than responsive, we’re not building confidence with our followers as to how we will handle adversity. Every action speaks loudly. Make sure we’re saying the right things.
5. Influence champions others. What’s the use of influence if we don’t use it to raise up others? Influence becomes multi-generational when we use it to champion those without voice or position. Great leaders understand legacy is built around leveraging their leadership for others. When we do this, we chip away at our own pride that can quickly attach itself to influence.
None of these traits should intimidate us. As leaders, we have to understand that stewardship is often the work of leadership. God has called us to lead and has positioned us for this time and season to leverage our influence to help continue to grow and develop our organizations. We need you to be the best leader you can be so we can all win.
What are a few ways you have learned to manage your influence?
As a leader are your creating fans or followers?
Fans are fickle
Followers are loyal
Fans need to be coddled & catered to
Followers need to be inspired & challenged
Fans bail out when you have a bad day
Followers stick with you through the good and bad
Fans want to win so they give up on you when you lose
Followers also want to win but they want to win together
You’ll probably always have some of both depending on the environment you lead, however remember when I talked about influencers vs. leaders? This is where that distinction starts to take shape.
Influencers create fans
Leaders create followers
Be a leader!
