Enough fluff, Let's Talk!

Interview with Seth Godin

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Last week I had the opportunity to connect with Seth Godin to talk leadership. Here’s a recording of our conversation. It’s less than 15 minutes, so I’d encourage you to pause and be stretched by Seth’s current thoughts on how we may need to approach leadership differently. We hit on topics like leading artists, authority, faith and religion. I think you’ll enjoyed the conversation.

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If you’re curious to hear more, here’s my Amazon link to Seth’s newest book on this topic, Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

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fyi… Seth isn’t paying me to endorse his book. I’m inspired by his writing, and thought you might be as well. His publicist sent me a free copy of the book, and I devoured it. I think you will too.

Most Popular Posts of February 2010

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In case you missed them, here are the posts that generated the most traffic last month in order of popularity:

  1. Hiring a “Chief Launch Officer”
  2. Does the Church Need a Building?
  3. Win 2 Tickets to Catalyst West
  4. How to Start a Movement
  5. Change
  6. TobyMac Livestream
  7. Hiring an Executive and Children’s Pastor
  8. How to Deal with Change
  9. Are You a Linchpin?
  10. Doing, Saying or Leading?

This top ten list is brought to you with the help of Google Analytics. It’s the easy, free way to track stats for your website. (And, no, they don’t pay me to say that.)

Holographic Technology

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I had a fascinating visit last week with the guys at Clark at their home offices near Atlanta. They took me into their new theater where I was able to see a demonstration of their holographic technology. It’s very likely the future of video for churches that are embracing technology to deliver content to multi-site locations.

holograph

Check out the picture above. That’s me on the right. That’s a holograph on the left. It’s my first time sharing the platform with a holograph.

Pricing is coming down quickly to the point that I won’t be surprised if we see this technology implemented in churches within the next 12 months. Interestingly enough, this solution that Clark is offering is unique in that churches don’t have to use special cameras to capture the content and deliver the holographic images.

I love these days we live in. It’s amazing to me how quickly technology is shifting the way we interact with each other.

God is Good

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I had the opportunity to meet and hire Zac at NewSpring a couple of years ago. Here’s Zac’s story. I hope it challenges you to consider where you are in your relationship with Jesus.

Are You a Linchpin?

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I just wrapped up the newest book from Seth Godin called Linchpin. It was a gift from his publicist, and much appreciated. Great read for those of us who want people to find fulfillment in their life including their careers. If more bosses grasped the value of linchpins, the world would be a much better (and happier) place.

Here are some of the thoughts that grabbed my attention:

  • “A genius looks at something that others are stuck on and gets the world unstuck.”
  • “The compliant masses don’t help so much when you don’t know what to do next.”
  • “The world works too fast for centralized control… It turns out that pushing decision making down the chart is faster and more efficient.”
  • “Art is never defect-free. Things that are remarkable never meet spec, because that would make them standardized, not worth talking about.”
  • “Every day, successful people race to give away their expertise and to spread their ideas.”
  • “It’s impossible to make art for everyone. There are too many conflicting goals and there’s far too much noise. Art for everyone is mediocre, bland, and ineffective.”
  • “If you don’t pinpoint your audience, you end up making your art for the loudest, crankiest critics.”
  • “Discomfort brings engagement and change. Discomfort means you’re doing something that others were unlikely to do, because they’re busy hiding out in the comfortable zone.”
  • “The temptation to sabotage the new things is huge, precisely because the new thing might work.”
  • “It’s not an accident that successful people read more books.”
  • “E-mailing is fun, but it rarely changes the world.”
  • “Great bosses and world-class organizations hire motivated people, set high expectations, and give their people room to become remarkable.”
  • “Telling people leadership is important is one thing. Showing them step by step how to be a leader is impossible.”
  • “Real change happens when someone who cares steps up and takes what feels like a risk.”
  • “A team at rest tends to stay at rest. Forward motion isn’t the default state of any group of people, particularly groups with lots of people. Cynics and politics and coordination kick in and everything grinds to a halt.”

This is just a tease. I think you’ll love the rest of the book. If you’re interested in checking it out, here’s my Amazon link.

ps – Seth, thanks for the kind acknowledgment. That was a fun surprise. You inspire me.

“Average Joe” Starts on This Week

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I’m pretty excited about the new “Average Joe” series that starts this Sunday at West Ridge. The series will focus on the common issues and extraordinary life experiences of Joseph, the most famous “Joe” in the Bible. Check out this message trailer:

If you attend West Ridge, invite your friends. If you aren’t in the area, you can check out the series messages on Vimeo.

How to Deal with Change

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When I talk with church leaders across the country, one of the most frequent questions I get is about processing change. Though I love change, I know most people don’t. Even when good change happens, it’s sometimes hard to handle.

West Ridge is going through some changes right now. We’ve experienced growth in the last several months that has necessitated changes. We’re planning for more growth, so more changes are coming. With that in mind, Brian shared a message today on “How to Deal with Change.” If you’re a leader, particularly in the church, I’d encourage you to watch it. It provides a great example of vision-casting and change management. If nothing else, it’ll help you understand Brian’s heart for the mission of West Ridge Church. Honestly, I think it’s the best message on “change” I’ve heard at a church.

Pray for us as a ministry. We’re experiencing opportunities and challenges that we’ve never faced before. We want to do what God wants us to do, because we know people’s lives are at stake. Sometimes what God wants, though, doesn’t involve just pushing the “easy” button. I think this is one of those times.

Thank You TonyMorganLive.com Sponsors!

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Here are the folks that are making things happen at TonyMorganLive.com this month:

The Change Group – offers a web-based system that allows churches to outsource all aspects of day-to-day financial management

Church Volunteer Central — provides church leaders the tools and resources to invite, train, motivate, and retain great volunteers

Clover – provides websites for growing churches and ministries

Collision Media – a creative design studio that provides web design and other media related services for churches and businesses

FaithSearch Partners — an executive search firm focused on faith-based hospitals, healthcare systems and ministries

Rockbridge Seminary – 100% online program for earning your seminary degree without leaving your current ministry assignment

Vicky Beeching – the newest EP from Vicky Beeching and Integrity Music

The Whiteboard Sessions – 1 day, 7 influential leaders, 30 minutes each on May 21 in Virginia Beach

If you’re interested, we still have advertising spots available for your organization. Email me for more details. I’d love to have you join our team!

Doing, Saying or Leading?

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Ron Sylvia shared this quote in one of his Next Coaching Networks. This comes from Bob Russell who was the senior pastor for 35 years at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville. During Bob’s tenure as senior pastor, the church grew from 100 people to more than 17,000 in attendance every weekend. Bob shared:

“My first few years here I was the pastor. I did all the weddings, funerals, hospital visits, etc. Then my role changed to preacher, and I mostly led through my sermons from the platform. It has only been in the last few years that I have become the leader.”

Interesting perspective. I’ve seen lots of pastors in all three categories. This isn’t just a “senior pastor thing” though. We all need to step back and assess whether we’re doing it, saying it or leading it.

Gathering for Church Planters this Sunday

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This Sunday evening, February 20, West Ridge Church is hosting a gathering before the gathering. There are a lot of church planters attending the Velocity Conference hosted by Mountain Lake Church. We thought it would be a great time to invite the guys that are connected to West Ridge Church through church planting or those that might want to connect with us. You’ll have a meal and a time to connect with Brian and me as we share about the future of church planting at West Ridge.

If you’re interested in attending, dinner starts at 6 p.m. and we will end around 9 p.m. We need to prepare for dinner. If you plan to attend, please register with Jim by the end of tomorrow, February 18.

Hope to see you on Sunday!