"Lead Me out of Dysfunction"

In a perfect world:

• I know the goals and purpose of my organization


• I know my role and how it fits within my organization
• Based on the organization goals, I collaborate with my team to create my initiatives
• I identify the tasks, calendar scheduling, and priorities to carry out these initiatives
• While keeping these initiatives visible to myself, I execute my objectives
• These newly completed projects are made public to key stakeholders within my organization
• I'm updated with other initiatives completed by my team
• I realign with the goals and purpose of my organization and leadership and repeat the process

In the real world

• Organizations don't have clear goals or a concrete vision of who they are and why they exist
• People are operating without a clear job description or clear measurable objectives of how they fit in the big picture
• Their team doesn't have defined roles either, so people really focus only on what they do
• People fill their days with tasks that keep them busy and they feel as if they are productive
• People continue to react to the day to day demands and feel like they are doing a great job because of how busy they are
• When asked what was accomplished, managers don't understand why "nothing is getting done" and why things take so long
• Edicts come down from management, people are frustrated and hate their jobs, organizations spin their wheels, there is no growth
• People realign with what perception they need to maintain to keep their jobs, get a paycheck, and wish they had other options

No matter what character you are in the story, as leaders, we must do better. We can lead up, lead down, lead across, and lead ourselves. How are you doing?

Watching Greatness

I absolutely love this picture. My daughter Emmi watching Tiger Woods walking up a fairway at the Buick Open in Michigan a week ago...

We had the opportunity to watch Tiger do what Tiger does.... when leading going into the 4th round, he is an amazing 35-1 only losing one time when in the lead on the final day (I believe when he was 20). He didn't disappoint, crowd was going crazy, and it will be a day I'll never forget.

What happens to you when you watch greatness?

It seems people respond one of two ways.... "I want to be like that... I want to be great at SOMETHING..." inspired to keep falling forward to find it...

Or.... people shut down... "There's no way I could ever do that... I'm just not that smart, talented, athletic...."

What triggers in my mind is about another great Person that walked down fairways... A sick woman did everything she could do to touch Him, Zacchaeus climbed a tree to see Greatness, and people ripped off roofs to help a friend get to Him. Jesus is Greatness.

What happens when you think of Greatness?

We were all made for more. For a purpose. God has a good, pleasing, perfect will for our lives...

Do you have drivers in your life that encourage you to your purpose or are you focused on the wedges that get in the way?

"It's Easier to be a Far Right Whacko"

It's easier to be a far right whacko. Whacko in the nicest sense of the word...

For that matter... any belief systems, sets of rules, political bent (whether far right or far left) that gives me my marching orders to live by regardless of the reactions and input around us is an easier road.

• If I alienate people around me, it's OK because my "cause" is bigger than them- it's OK if they think I'm a whacko because they're just wrong
• Slowly the people that disagree with me will gradually fall away and I'll be surrounded with people that think just like me
• If I do enter conversations, it's primarily to "help" people understand why what they believe is wrong with a smile on my face
• It eliminates confusion because EVERYTHING is black and white

What's harder?

• To live in the conversation. Am I creating more conversations or shutting people down when talking about my faith or issues?
• Building a friendship. Am I seeking to understand and learning about a new friend or am I offering premature, drive-by opinions?
• To be silent. Am I willing to process and filter statements made or do I feel the need to always speak my mind?
• Having my actions speak louder than my words. Am I living a life and carrying myself at work in a way that's attracting people or am I repelling people because of my engrained, rigid beliefs?
• Crossing the line and mistakes. Living in the conversation has me on a line at times that I screw up in what I do or say (and regret). Sometimes I can be too loose and managing the edge can be very difficult.
  

I believe we can be strong, bold and effective. I believe I'm forgiven for my mistakes. I want to genuinely love and care for people. But this is the much harder road.

If you're stuck on the word "whacko" still- point made.

"Why Knot?"

Knots restrict, discourage, block, confuse, entangle, stall, frustrate, slow, and disable.

Knots exist in our organizations, marriages, theology, and more.... only to prevent us from fulfilling our purpose, design, and experiencing opportunities in life....

What does it look like?

• Withholding key information from a team member (lack of communication). KNOT.
• Fear. KNOT
• Analysis Paralysis, studying all the variables but never get to the "doing". KNOT.
• Being full of all the reasons "why not". KNOT.
• Nitpicking theology only to discourage people trying to do something good. KNOT.
• If you find yourself blowing holes in people's opinions or methods you might be a... KNOT.
• Waiting for all the stars to be aligned... KNOT.
• Ignoring inefficiencies. KNOT.
• Really smart people full of theories but no action. KNOT
• Employees that are better than nothing. KNOT.
• Disregard for policies and procedures. KNOT.
• Overkill policies and procedures. KNOT.
• Not telling your spouse what really frustrates you. KNOT.
• Complaining about all the knots. KNOT.

You want to be a "differentiator" as an employee, volunteer, spouse, or friend? Be great at identifying and un-doing the KNOTS that exist everywhere.... and DO.

"What"

Who you'll be in five years depends on:

• what friends you surround yourself with


• what you read


• what you eat


• what you watch


• what you hear


• what you change
  
• what you let go


• what you plan for


• what new thing you try


• what new places you go


• what you believe about God


• what you believe about yourself


• what you believe about others


• what you invest your time in


• what you volunteer for


• what skill you're learning


• what courage you have to make mistakes


• what mistakes you'll make


• what you'll learn from your mistakes

So WHAT are you doing today?

Focus: A Great Differentiator

To see Mt. Rushmore in a magazine is one thing, to go there and see it in person is amazing, but to focus in with binoculars (as my son Easton is doing here) gives one a whole new appreciation of the detail that went into sculpting this monument. It took Gutzon & his son Lincoln Borglum 14 years and 400 workers to complete this work of art.

In our workplaces, ministries, and even small day to day encounters, the ability and power of focus can be a maximizing, life-changing differentiator.

Most of us fall into rock-skipping. We're busy, trying to consume only what we absolutely have to, and are sprinting an inch deep and a mile wide at work and in life. We've all heard "focus", but what can that really look like?

• At work.... The nature of my job is to be an inch deep and a mile wide as Operations Manager...however, our initiatives won't get done without focus. Bill Hybels talked about having a "6 initiatives in 6 weeks" approach to your critical items. I find this very helpful to be able to say "no" to important things but will simply have to wait. Here are my current "6" that are my focus to April 15th at Pinnacle as an example:
  Web strategy with blog- initial steps to build a contributing writer team for future blog
  Video research for online snippets for training and solutions for clients
  Bootcamp- 2 week training curriculum developed for new sales executives/employees
  Chief Technology Officer strategy as more companies are looking to outsource IT
  Marketing plan rolling with client experience focus
  Existing Customer process defined
• Freakanomics is a good read about focus. It shows how much common knowledge we all believe to be true is actually false when someone takes the time to dig into the data/details. (Like, is it more dangerous to have a gun in your home or have a swimming pool?) Real information is power, it takes focus to find real information.... Focus= Power
• Every day interactions. When we take time to stop and focus on a person (maybe at the grocery store or with a neighbor), we can make a real impact rather than having a relationship of news/sports/weather. Rob Wegner delivered a great message on this available here for $4 http://www.wiredchurches.com/s.nl/it.A/id.2717/.f His statement: Small intervention + Focus= BIG IMPACT Small intervention + No Focus= Little or no impact.
• I get overwhelmed with the amount of information available to me. I can't read all the blogs, books, or attend enough conferences to keep up. I find myself "wishing" I knew more about scores of subjects. I'm learning..."it's OK not to know it all, take a deep breath, pick my target, and focus on something to be an expert in..." Having great people around you with their expertise' will fill in your gaps of information.
• Ever been to a Cirque du Soleil show? You'll see what crazy, amazing ability can come from focusing on one talent. To see how fast and how many bowling pins two people can fire off at each other without dropping a single pin was staggering. I admire their focus to a single craft.

The people around me that are changing the world are focused on specialties. They are not spread thin, Jeopardy wanna-be-winner, know-it-alls. They are satisfied with being great at tackling a single problem/challenge, in a single area, for a single company/organization at time. They know what they can and cannot do. The employees I see that make a real impact have the ability to focus and be a real expert in their field...they do not skim the surface. Great Mom's and Dad's are taking time to focus with their kids in small interventions.

Are you focused or are you just trying to keep up?

Choose Alignment

I don't always agree with my leadership. That goes for work, church, government, or any other organizations I've been a part of... I have an urge to make sure my peers around me know that I don't "agree" with some decision being made or roll my eyes at the latest "edict" from above... but that may be dead wrong.

Most of the time, business plans, ministry methodology, or Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) plans are not revolutionary. They're not flashy. They're just OK. I'm guessing most of yours are too.

However, if you apply an aligned team to mediocre plans- great things can happen. The same is true of many products. Average restaurant food with a great staff can= a great experience.

Our leaders need our support despite their mediocrity at times. Whatever we choose to be a part of, we should choose to align with its leaders so greatness may happen.

• It's been said, "leadership teams can yell and scream at each other within the boardroom but when they come out...they should choose to align to the vision/plan regardless of their personal views"
• Sometimes, brown-nosers and "yes" men are absolutely right
• My church doesn't need another critic, it needs me to jump in and be part of the solution
• My owners don't need me to buck their initiatives, they need me to be a driver
• Choosing to be "aligned" is a conscious choice that is made daily to every organization you've chosen to be a part of
• Alignment is knowing when and how/whether to voice your ideas, concerns or disagreements
• I need to know who my "first" team is and be completely aligned with them
• My frustrations need to have a neutral, healthy outlet (or as Wayne Cordeiro would say, a lightning rod) so I don't bring negativity to the team
• Normal is being a water cooler critic, a maximizer aligns with a vision

The day we can no longer align with our team may be the day we need to move on to a different vision, job, or church. And if you leave, leave well without leaving landmines or toxicity to those who remain. I'm assuming you had a reason to be where you're at today... are you a supportive, aligned driver or are you the hurdle, elephant-in-the-room dissenter?

Part of maximizing our lives is maximizing the things we've chosen to be a part of... sometimes it's simply choosing to align.

"Lessons from Nuke"

"The world is made for people who aren't cursed with self-awareness." - Annie Savoy (Susan Sarandon) Bull Durham

Have you ever observed anyone that seems to be clueless to the perceptions of the people around them? They push their idea or entertain in front of a crowd and seem to completely miss the rolling of eyes all around them... Yet, five years later, they seem to have "made it" or have progressed to be an amazing talent despite their critics.

What can we learn from Nuke (Tim Robbins, left from Bull Durham) or others we know like him?

• Critics are wrong... often...
• We talk ourselves out of great ideas
• If that doesn't work, people close to us will talk us out of those ideas
• Persistence and hard work can take mediocrity to greatness
• What other people think is really not as important as we make it
• Be willing to look foolish and make mistakes while we're learning
• Practice driving ideas... take them 3 steps farther or push 3 months longer than normal
• Don't over analyze our choices, offer our opinion when asked
• Offer our ideas freely even if they get shot down... they may lead to the next, better idea
• If you love doing something... do it and work hard at it
• Leaders regularly will be criticized for wrong choices, great leaders adjust and keep falling forward

I don't want fear to limit my future, my purpose, or my leadership.

Purpose Cube: Finding Your Purpose

We have a choice. We can drift through life, work in jobs we really don't enjoy, meander through relationships, fill time wondering when the next cookout is, play taxi driver for our kids, and simply grow old. These are potential traits of the mixed-up, purpose-lacking Cube of Life.

The danger is, our busyness can feel like we're really doing something... but in actuality, we may simply be spinning our wheels.

The alternative? Be an expert in You. Study You. Watch what you do. (I can attest, I genuinely love thinking about me, studying me, and trying out different things with me... I...Love... Me.) To find our purpose, we need to be intentional about eliminating things that aren't our passion and narrowing the focus on the Design of who we are. As you work on your Purpose Cube, your colors will eventually take S.H.A.P.E. One side will be completed as you continue your twists and turns in jobs, volunteer roles, and relationships...

Here are a few tips & tools to explore:

• Personality Tests: This link has a wide variety of options


• Talk to people close to you that you trust, ask them for input on what your talents, passions, and tendencies
  
• S.H.A.P.E. Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, Experiences all weave a story of who you are and wiring
  
• Strength Finder Test : Highly recommended. Everyone should take this... it's about $15 for a book, a quick 30-min online test that gives you your Top 5 strengths as a guide... (My top 5 were Responsibility, Belief, Learner, Input, and Maximizer.... thus MaxiMeyer :)


• Volunteer on various teams and different missions, you'll find you love some more than others which will give you more insights.... Experiment, try new things...

I'm learning that much of my purpose is a daily function of who I am, how I'm wired, and how that can play out in my day to day with the people I interact with. We were made for a purpose... Romans 12:2-

Work like everything depends on you to find your purpose in this short life, pray like it depends on God. My hope for all of us is that we will find our good, pleasing, perfect plan He uniquely has for each of us and the cube comes together...

By the way, I have a strong sense I'm not a dancer.