You've Gotta FAIL If You Want To SUCCEED
Did you know that the average small business owner fails 2.7 times before finally reaching success? That means they have to publicly fall flat on their faces and lose everything over two times before they learn all the secrets necessary for full-time success! The term “Overnight Success” is an oxymoron.
I believe the same is true in ministry: you’ve gotta FAIL if you want to SUCCEED!
In failure:
You learn how not to treat the people you lead
Discoveries are made in scheduling and planning for major events
Emotional IQ is enhanced and increased
Persistence is stirred up for later reliance
WHO you can trust and count on during tough times is revealed
Humility is accepted as the pathway to greatness.
Every crisis is an opportunity.
Dream Again. Dream Bigger. Dream Better.
The Dream is the Distance: Everything looks different from a distance.
Even though you see empty seats, there is an opportunity for growth.
Genesis 41 tells us the following:
The dark room is where he develops the negatives.
The more God uses you, the more He humbles you.
Purpose Over Position -- Believe this and you will never get offended!
No Mess, No Ministry
No Drama, No Dream
God did not say this would be easy; He said He would be with you.
If you are currently experiencing or feeling failure, GREAT! It’s a necessary prerequisite to achieving greater ground for Kingdom expansion! Keep your chin up, your head low, and your posture as a servant-leader. In Christ, the best is yet to come!
Just Do It
In 1971, Phil Knight was teaching accounting at Portland State University.
One day, he overheard a graphic design student say that she couldn’t afford to take a painting class.
Knight paid her $35 to design a logo for his start-up shoe company.
When he saw the design, he said,
“I don't know if I like it, but maybe it will grow on me.”
Knight didn’t have time to fuss over the logo. "We had a deadline," he explains. He had signed a contract with a factory to produce 3,000 pairs of Nike's first shoe. "Production was starting on the shoe that Friday."
Before then, they needed a logo.
“You don’t like it?” Knight’s chief operating officer asked of the student’s design.
“I don’t love it,” Knight said, “but we’re out of time. It’ll have to do.”
Takeaway 1:
It's said that if not for constraints and deadlines, nothing would get made.
George Lucas, for instance, worked on drafts of the first Star Wars for years. "I never arrived at a degree of satisfaction where I thought the screenplay was perfect," he said.
But then he struck a deal with a movie executive from United Artists—"At that point, it became an obligation," Lucas said.
"If I hadn't been forced to shoot the film, I would doubtless still be rewriting it now."
Takeaway 2:
At Nike's IPO in 1980, Phil Knight gave the student who designed the Swoosh 500 shares.
She never sold.
Since the IPO, there have been 7 stock splits. So those 500 shares have become 64,000 shares. At the time of this writing, Nike is at $110/share.
$110/share x 64,000 shares = $7,040,000.
It makes me think of something Robert Greene once said:
“Above all else, focus on acquiring knowledge and skills. Knowledge and skills are like gold—a currency you will transform into something more valuable than you can imagine."
Jeff Deyo on LeaderShift
Jeff Deyo is a worship leader, author, pianist, songwriter, speaker, and professor. He is known internationally as the former lead singer of the Grammy-nominated, Dove Award-winning group, Sonicflood, and lives to help people grow closer to God.
It was a real thrill having Jeff Deyo on the podcast this week. His music is the soundtrack to my Calling from back in 2000 and meeting him was a true joy.
The guy is the real deal — authentic, oozing with joy and ready to pray at a moment’s notice. Listen to my conversation with Jeff Deyo on LeaderShift, wherever you get your pod’s OR watch at YouTube.com/JonathanHerron.
Do You Have the 8 Values That Make a Leader?
1 YOU NEED COMMUNITY YOU CAN BE VULNERABLE AND AUTHENTIC WITH
If you can start to get a place where you’re honest with yourself and others, you can grow and develop.
2 GREAT LEADERS SEE MORE THAN OTHERS SEE & THEY SEE BEFORE OTHERS SEE
This doesn’t mean they’re smarter than other people, it just means they can see the bigger picture, quicker.
3 A GOOD THOUGHT WORKS AT THE END JUST AS WELL AS THE BEGINNING
It’s not about being heard first, its about serving people.
4 IF YOU’LL HELP PEOPLE GET WHAT THEY WANT, THEY’LL HELP YOU GET WHAT YOU WANT
It’s not about recruiting people to yourself, but leading them into their passion. Put people first!
5 A GREAT LEADER HAS A FORCEFUL WILL AND A HUMBLE HEART
Leaders don’t get distracted with what’s around them but carry an appreciation for who’s around them.
6 THERE’S A FINE LINE BETWEEN MOTIVATION AND MANIPULATION
Manipulation is leading for your advantage, motivation is leading for OTHER’S advantage. When you lack values with people, this gets backwards.
7 IT’S ABOUT THE COMPOUND OF CONSISTENCY & VALUING PEOPLE
Focus on getting better daily. The anticipation of helping people will keep you in the game!
8 YOU'RE NOT DOWN, YOU'RE EITHER UP OR GETTING UP
Don’t let failure define you. Failure is momentary, and a sign that you’re moving!
LAUGH YOUR MASS OFF
Colin Mochrie Reflects on Over 30 Years of Whose Line Is It Anyway?
Vulture has a great interview with Colin Mochrie, the improv phenom who has been making us all laugh for 30 years.
As you know, improvisational comedy has many “rules” that apply to business, leadership and life, as revealed in my book, Holy Shift.
Here are some highlights from the article:
On improv entering the mainstream:
“There are still times I think, How did they pitch the show to a network and have it get picked up? There’s four guys you have never seen before, and we don’t have a show until the end of the taping, and it’s 22 episodes of that. I’m proud that it got improv into the public mind-set.”
Anybody can improvise:
“Like any muscle, it has to be worked and exercised. Because, I mean, basically, we’re all improvisers. That’s what our lives are. We have sort of a rough framework; we know how it’s going to end. Everything in between now and then is just totally improvised.”
Why improvisers hate Hoedowns:
“Well, they’re horrible! First of all, is it even a song style? It’s like, “Oh, let’s hear the hoedown stylings of …” Who? No one. And there’s no good place to be in line. The first person: You get this suggestion right away, you have no time to think. And then the rest of the time, you’re just hoping no one will take your verse. There’s some topics we think, All I’ve got is one thing. If somebody does that verse … And when they do it right before you? I can’t even describe the feeling. It’s just loss and despair. And the fact that the Hoedown was invented? It’s horrible.”
Comedian Kevin Farley on LeaderShift
Comedian Kevin Farley joins me on a new episode of LeaderShift! Farley has been bringing his signature brand of upbeat entertainment to fans around the world for over three decades. Kevin got his start at the famous Second City in Chicago. Soon after he starred in films such as Black Sheep (with his older brother Chris) and The Waterboy (with Adam Sandler), as well as roles on Curb Your Enthusiasm, Comedy Central's Drunk History, and Netflix's F is for Family.
In this episode of LeaderShift, Farley shares shifts and insights from a stand-up comic’s perspective that apply to your leadership including:
Trust your instincts — Don’t second-guess yourself.
Don’t judge yourself.
The one thing every audience really responds to.
How to deal with rejection in your business.
The gold of authenticity in communication.
Connect with Kevin Farley on his official website, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
Listen to LeaderShift now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Amazon Music.
3 Ways to Make Your Week More Productive
My oldest son is a decent soccer player... and the team he is on is fantastic!
The reason is his coach. This guy teaches, loves and leads those boys in ways I have learned from.
During a parent meeting early in the season I heard him say multiple times that he has a "system" he uses coaching. Each practice had a predetermined purpose. If a child missed practice, they missed that element and were left out.
Being a nerd for systems and processes that work, this made me happy. Processes bring purpose to every moment, even 15 and 16 year old soccer.
Today I want to share with you a system I use for one area of my life: Time Management.
Honestly, I hate using the word "management" in conjunction with time. I don't have enough time to manage, I need it to be maximized! This process will set your week on fire and you will accomplish more than you thought you could.
Here are 3 ways to make your week more productive.
1. Plan your week on Sunday night
Too often we roll into Monday with no plan. Planning ahead squeezes every ounce of potential out of your time.
One way I determine if a leader is responsible or flippant is how they respond when I ask, "How does your calendar look?"
Effective people plan.
Every Sunday I take 15-30 minutes to think through my week ahead. In short, I identify my 3 major accomplishments for the week. And I write them down in a convenient Goal Planner I bought from Ramsey Solutions.
Once I add tasks and actions to this, I have a workable plan.
2. Kill your "to do" list
I hate to-do lists. Some of it is personality, but I believe to-do lists impede productivity.
Without focus, to-do lists give the illusion of effectiveness. To-do lists do not necessarily produce results, but they always create busyness.
Instead of endless lists that pile up, I calendar what needs to be done. Often a to-do list exists outside of your calendar, so combine the two.
Schedule appointments with yourself to execute what needs doing and stick to that plan. Productivity doesn't happen when you create boxes to check but appointments to keep.
3. Give each day a purpose
Having a unique theme for each day keeps the week fresh for me and guards from boredom.
Every day has its own flavor and focus. This brings that extra 10% of intensity to your week in measured doses.
Here is how I attack the week from a thematic standpoint:
Momentum Monday
Kick off the week by moving something. I have a goal of advancing 3 things down the field each week.
On Monday I get them started by having conversations or emailing details to those who need to be in the know.
Since I have a Board I work under, I need to make sure I am creating momentum around the things they care about as well.
This means a couple of things:
First, I cannot have all 3 of my weekly objectives be things that I want. Get used to that, or go start something so you can do everything you want.
Second, I float multiple things out to them on Monday, see what sticks, and chase that. It keeps me in touch with what they have placed energy around as opposed to guessing what they want.
Tackle Tuesday
Tuesday challenges my grit. Tuesday is when I do the tough work needed to make things happen.
Since progress does not occur without resistance, I tackle that on Tuesday. Difficult conversations, meetings that grind through details and pulling away alone to write a process all take place on Tuesday.
In church work Mondays are often bad days to expose holes in weekend services. Your team is tired. The issues are still fresh on Monday.
Let them breathe.
Tackle those issues on Tuesday. If they can't handle it then it means they're being emotional and they'll get over that.
Another reason I focus this type of work onto one day?
If I am constantly in everyone's crawl about things I earn the reputation of being a jerk. Measure how often you are pushing against everything or people will see you as combative and argumentative. Leaders can be this at times, but not all the time.
Work on it Wednesday
You cannot spend every day executing and working in the weeds. For your church or organization to improve, you need focused time working "on it" instead of "in it."
Create space to rise above the details and think about bigger picture things. Since this is a discipline for me, especially during busy times, I dedicate a day to have it shaping every meeting or conversation I have.
Ask questions about processes, big picture goals, push people out of being lost in details, and refocus people on "the why" behind what you are doing.
Thank You Thursday
I am terrible at slowing down enough to cultivate gratitude in myself or others. It is a weakness of mine. Therefore, I give it a day.
The higher you rise in leadership the more "thank you's" you need to say. On Thursday I schedule zero meetings so I am free to walk around our offices, sit down with people, find out what they're doing and tell them they are awesome. All of the thank you notes I write happen on Thursday.
Keep a running list of people who do good things all week and express your gratitude on Thursday.
Finish strong Friday
Our team is off on Friday. We do not work.
That is my focus and how I finish strong on Fridays: I do nothing.
Rest matters to leadership. It is the fuel to keep you going for the long haul. Things I do on Fridays are work out, read non-ministry books, listen to podcasts, sit in the deck with my dogs, or fall asleep in front of the TV. I finish strong by resting.
Your turn
Adopt this system or one similar to make the most of your week.
Do not wait on a perfect process, adopt one today and work it until it works for you. Embrace the day.