Brian Dodd On Leadership

If you could change the world, what is the first thing you would do?

Great leaders want to change the world.  At minimum, they want to change someone’s world and impact as many lives as possible.  By the time you are done reading this post, you will discover 14 Habits Of Highly Successful Leaders who do just that, they change the world.  And so can you.

My favorite sports writer is Peter King of Sports Illustrated.  In the February 11th edition, he described how young quarterbacks Russell Wilson, Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, and Colin Kaepernick are changing the NFL.  As I read his article, I discovered principles that are not only changing a game, but could change the world as well.

1. Highly Successful Leaders Who Change The World Are Humble – They check their egos at the door.  Traditionally, high school and college programs have mimicked the NFL game.  Today, pro coaches are studying best practices of college programs and even high school programs like Highland Park (Tx) and head coach Randy Allen.
2. Highly Successful Leaders Who Change The World Adapt Their Systems To Their Talent – Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll says, “We’re not trying to adapt quarterbacks to our system anymore.  We’re adapting our systems to the strengths of the quarterbacks we draft.”
3. Highly Successful Leaders Who Change The World Are Ridiculed – When former Dallas Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson started using smaller, faster lineman on defense he was ridiculed…until he won two Super Bowls.
4. Highly Successful Leaders Who Change The World Have Margin To Prepare – The faster pace of NFL offenses is creating easy scoring opportunities.  This is because the defense cannot substitute liberally and gets exhausted.  Once exhaustion sets in, the defense cannot get ready and makes poor decisions.
5. Highly Successful Leaders Who Change The World Remain Calm – NFL teams are willing to implement new ideas but this requires calm personnel with “field presence” like Russell Wilson.
6. Highly Successful Leaders Who Change The World Were Often Desperate – The invention of the pistol offense by Nevada head coach Chris Ault was out of sheer desperation for any innovation that would help his team win.
7. Highly Successful Leaders Who Change The World First Make Small Changes – Small changes compounded over time make a huge impact.  Ault moved the quarterback from the shotgun position (8 yards behind the line of scrimmage) to 4 yards behind the line.  Because of rush angles and the ability to better utilize the running back, defenses had no answer for this minor adjustment.  In essence, just 4 yards changed the game.
8. Highly Successful Leaders Who Change The World Have Many Options – One of the things leaders should strive for is the acquisition of options.  Options provide you opportunity.  In the pistol offense, the success of a quarterback is his ability to run, hand to running back, or throw on every play.  Therefore…
9. Highly Successful Leaders Who Change The World Are Unselfish – Nothing is as attractive in a leader’s life as generosity.  The quarterback’s success is determined by how well he gets the ball out of his hands, not how well he does with the ball in his hands.
10. Highly Successful Leaders Who Change The World Make Hard Decisions – Great change requires the courage needed to make hard decisions.  49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh replaced successful starting quarterback Alex Smith with the dynamic Kaepernick in mid-season.  The rest is history.
11. Highly Successful Leaders Who Change The World Lead By Example – King noted Seahawks G.M. John Schneider saw in Wilson “a combination of charisma, intelligence, and leadership by example.”
12. Highly Successful Leaders Who Change The World Are Self-Confident – If you don’t strongly believe in your idea, no one else will.
13. Highly Successful Leaders Who Change The World Make Adjustments – Carroll explained that “the greatest athletes of all-time have always been able to adjust.”
14. Highly Successful Leaders Who Change The World Think Unconventionally - If they did things like everyone else, they would get the same results as everyone else.  Conventional thinking does not change the world.

Be Humble, Adapt Your System, Endure Ridicule, Have Margin, Remain Calm, Embrace Desperation, Make Small Changes, Get Options, Be Unselfish, Make Hard Decisions, Lead By Example, Have Self-Confidence, Make Adjustments, and Think Unconventionally.  If you do these 14 things, you may actually change the world.

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There are some weeks when very important conversations are taking place.  Conversations that really get to the heart of our motives and what the real issues are.  This was one of those weeks.

Most of the posts below delve into issues and a level of authenticity we don’t like to talk about at parties.  I am so grateful these writers were willing to speak out on these topics.

With that said, the following are the Top 10 leadership posts I read the past week.

• The ‘New Legalism’ by Anthony Bradley at www.worldmag.com.  If I don’t sell everything I own and move to Africa, are you more spiritual than I am?  Let the conversation begin.
• Whatever It Takes, Short of Sin by Brandon A. Cox
• Spiritually Sexy?…5 Q’s Will Let You Know by Artie Davis.  It’s not what you think.
• My Adventure to Kolkata, India by Derwin Gray
• Examining Adoption Ethics: Part One by Jen Hatmaker.  Jen is just a sensational writer.
• World’s Worst Management Fads by Geoffrey James at www.Inc.com
• 10 New books You Should Read by Brad Lomenick
• 10 Politically Incorrect Reasons Why We’re Still Married by Tony Morgan.  An absolute masterpiece by Tony.  One of the best I’ve read this year.
• 11 Traits Of Churches That Will Impact The Future by Carey Nieuwhof.  Almost every one of Carey’s posts could make this list.  If you are not reading his blog, start today.
• How Many Posts Should a Blogger Post? [Pros and Cons of Daily Posting] by Darren Rowse at www.ProBlogger.net

Well that is my Top 10 for the week.  What else would you add to the list?

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“I’ve been second my whole life.  I was the second best player in high school.  I was the second pick in the draft.  I’ve been second in the MVP voting three times.  I came in second in the Finals.  I’m tired of being second.  I’m not going to settle for that.  I’m done with it.” – Kevin Durant

As a leader how do you feel about coming in second?  For some, you feel like Durant.  It absolutely stinks.  You almost achieved your goals and came up just short.  Second place feels like a missed opportunity.  Dale Earnhardt went a step farther.  He once famously said, “Second place is the first in a long line of losers.”

So how do you get over the hump?  What needs to happen for you to take the next step?  In the April 29th edition of Sports Illustrated, Durant is profiled.  His approach to becoming the best player and a NBA champion is something all leaders can learn from.  Here are seven things he is doing to go to the next level.

1. Continually Improve – Durant said, “I used to shoot 38, 39 percent from there off the catch coming around pin-down screens.  I’m up to 45, 46 percent now.”
2. Help Others Improve – Durant has been focusing on making his teammates better.  Hall of Fame player Bernard King recently said a championship was not in the cards because “he did not have the assets around him”.  76ers point guard Royal Ivey said, “Now he’s (Durant) helping the whole team.”
3. Attention To Detail – In the NBA, performance numbers are given to coaches but rarely to players.  Durant has made it a point of knowing every detail regarding his performance.
4. Sacrifice – Durant said, “If I miss a lot of corner threes, that’s what I work on the next morning before practice.”  Notice what Durant said.  This was not during practice.  This was before practice, often at 6:00 A.M.
5. Delegate – You can only multiply yourself by equipping others to succeed and then trusting them to do their jobs.  Head coach Scott Brooks advised Durant, “If you have a good shot and I have a good shot, I want you to take it.  But if you have a good shot and I have a great shot, you have to give it to me.”
6. Maximize Your Margins – During the 2011 lockout, Durant did not rest or waste time.  He viewed the off time as an opportunity and worked on all expects of his game.  He improved in the margin.
7. Hold Others Accountable – Durant and teammate center Kendrick Perkins have a standing 2:00 A.M. phone call each day to discuss the state of the team.

Continually Improve, Help Others Improve, Pay Attention To Detail,  Sacrifice, Delegate, Maximize Your Margins, and Hold Others Accountable.  If you do these seven things, you may not be in second place much longer.

Some leaders are very uncomfortable coming in second.  Others view it as part of the journey and process.  How does coming in second make you feel?

Subscribe here so future posts can be sent directly to your Inbox. As a gift for doing so, I will also send you a FREE copy of my brand new eBook 455 Leadership Quotes: Lessons From 2012′s Top Christian Conference Speakers.

I love blogs that wonderfully surprise me.  Most writers focus on a certain niche but within that niche are very creative.  Some of those writers are Carey Nieuwhof, Scott Cochrane, and a person I am spotlighting today Michael Lukaszewski.

In an effort to be fully transparent, Michael is also my boss but I loved his blog long before joining The Rocket Company.  If you do not read it regularly, click here.  I think you’ll like it as well.

The following is a great post he wrote about Andy Stanley teaching middle schoolers.  No one communicates leadership principles better than Andy.  He is simply the best.  Andy is a featured speaker on the FREE online webinar called Preach Better Sermons airing this Thursday, May 16th from 4:00-8:00 PM EST.  You can register by clicking here.  Over 15,000 church leaders watched this two weeks ago.  This is a can’t miss event!

Now on to the communication lessons all leaders can learn from:

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NorthPoint just started a new series called You’ll Be Glad You Did.  The kickoff message on February 24, 2013 was actually recorded by Andy Stanley on the previous Friday evening.  It was the opening talk of a transit weekend retreat.  Andy taught the message to a room full of middle school students, knowing it would be shown on Sunday morning in church.

Andy was teaching junior high school students, knowing the message would be shown at area churches on Sunday.  As he walked off the stage Friday, a camera followed him as he addressed the adult service. It was like the Inception of sermons.  Communicating to two audiences is a difficult task for any communicator.

I couldn’t help but think how many parents appreciated the look inside the message their kids are hearing at NorthPoint.  But I also couldn’t help but jot down some notes on communication from Andy’s message.  It was masterful.

Here are seven things I learned from Andy Stanley’s sermon to students.

1.  Andy used a ton of  humor.  The message was all about labels, and how we accept labels from other people, and miss out on the fact that only our maker has the right to label us.  Andy told stories from his own time in junior high school.  He talked about getting the nickname “Sabertooth Andy” because his teeth were so messed up.  (I bet a lot of people could relate to that). He talked about being labeled “not smart” after his teacher just wrote “NO” in red ink on a math test.  Andy didn’t talk about all his successes in junior high…he made fun of himself.  And whether you’re teaching junior high kids or senior adults, this is a great way to make a connection.

2.  Andy built tension into his talk.  I’ve seen him do this time and time again, but this message was a great illustration.  There was a time when he wanted everyone to think about the question he was going to ask.  Think about it, not answer it out loud.  He spent several minutes baiting the crowd and setting up this moment, so by the time he put the question on the screen, it just hung in the air.  Too many times, we assume people are interested in our message.  Work on the tension early on and they will lean in.

3.  Andy introduced an idea and then brought it back at the end.  I’ve seen comedians do this throughout the course of a set, and it’s a great way to weave a major point through an entire message.  In this case, Andy said that manufacturers, owners and purchasers had the right to label something.  This came in the first few minutes of his talk and then he moved on.  Later, he came back to this idea and said that God – the one who made you, owns you and purchased you – is the only one who has the right to label you.  When you tease and idea or set it up early, you can come back to it later.  Done right, it can be a great a-ha moment.

4.  The message was short.  The message was about 30 minutes.  This might be longer than you think middle school students could handle (it’s not…you just can’t waste their time and you have to be on your game.)  30 minutes seems like the right length for most sermons.  It’s not a hard and fast rule.  In general, I think we need to say what needs to be said and then stop talking.

5.  Andy started with them.  I believe that while sermon preparation should start with the scripture, the sermon itself should start with the audience.  The goal is to teach the Bible, but in order to do that effectively, we have to start with where people are.  What are their hopes, dreams, fears, thoughts and desires?  What are they thinking in that moment?  The first minutes of Andy’s talk were not wasted…He was building a connection by starting with where they live and what they deal with on a daily basis.

6.  Andy made the audience the hero.  Here’s a secret….your audience loves to feel smarter than you.  When you talk about the things you mess up, the people can relate to you.  When you make them into the hero, they connect and pay attention.  In this message, Andy referenced the room of adults listening (remember…this was an Inception style sermon!), and said, “Right now, there is a room of adults who are saying – I wish someone had told me these things when I was a kid.”  Andy told the students they could get this right the first time.  Without putting down anyone, Andy made a room full of junior high students feel like they could do something better than their parents.

7.  Andy taught one passage.  Andy got to Romans 12:1-2 and unpacked some meaning from that verse.  It was a bite-sized teaching time – He knew it didn’t have to be the final word on the topic.  He didn’t jump all around the Bible and confuse people with a bunch of verses.  He taught one passage, and he taught it well.   Of course, he used a sticky statement to tie it all together.  The bottom line of this message was “The labels people put on you could cause you to miss God’s plan for you.”

Every Senior Pastor should teach students from time to time.  It will keep you on your game and will force you to work on your craft.  Adults will often sit through a boring message because they are supposed to…students usually will not.

As someone who cares so much about helping people communicate God’s Word authentically, passionately and effectively, it was great to see how Andy did so in front of junior high students.  It was refreshing to see a Senior Pastor willing to communicate to junior high students.  And a church willing to give show a message in the adult service on the weekend.

I learned a lot from Andy’s message.  Not just about finding my identity in Christ, but how to connect with students.  I don’t know if I’m an expert in communication, but I do love serving churches by helping the pastor preach better messages.  That’s one reason I devote so much of my time to thePreaching Rocket Core Coaching Program.  I don’t know of a better way to work ON your calling and your craft.

Subscribe here so future posts can be sent directly to your Inbox. As a gift for doing so, I will also send you a FREE copy of my brand new eBook 455 Leadership Quotes: Lessons From 2012′s Top Christian Conference Speakers.

For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for His name in serving the saints. – Hebrews 6:10

We all want God to fondly remember our efforts.  That is why I love that passage from Hebrews.  And that is why I love serving pastors and church leaders.  God promises us that He will remember the love we show in serving the saints.

As a member of The Rocket Company, the following are 10 ways that I attempt to show love to and serve pastors and church leaders:

1. Start A Conversation – People often come to pastors with suggestions and answers to all their problems.  It is far more productive and disarming to start conversations with church leaders prior to making suggestions.
2. Tell Their Stories – If you are a regular reader of this site, you know how much I love profiling church leaders and telling what God is doing through their lives.  Point to them and promote them.
3. Be A Great Listener – The most underrated skill great leaders have is listening skills.  Pastors love talking about their churches.  Don’t interrupt them.
4. Ask Great Questions – Wisdom is found in great questions, not answers.  One of my favorite questions to ask church leaders is “Pastor, what issues are you currently facing that you are hoping The Rocket Company can be a solution for?”  And then sit back and be a good listener.
5. Put Energy Towards Forward Progress – As churches grow, their problems become more complex.  Think about it.  An amoeba (small, single-cell organism) thinks only of forward progress.  Human beings focus on staying alive.  You have to move church leaders beyond survival, beyond simply meeting budget.  Listen to the church’s mission and vision and then leverage energy towards forward progress.
6. Check Your Personal Motives – Today at www.ChurchLeaders.com, Brian Orme wrote these words: “Much like Judas, hucksters have little — or nothing — invested in the spiritual truths they market, and at the end of the day it’s about the popularity and prosperity — not the prosperity of others, but their own. In reality, the religious huckster is a form of atheism — belittling the powerful message of grace with no real belief in a sovereign God.”
7. Honor Those Who Refer Others – We do a great job of thanking the new pastors and church leaders we serve.  I am about to lead a charge of showing extravagant gratitude to those who refer others.  No one should be more valued than those who invite their friends to church and who refer you business.
8. Understand What The Christian Community Wants And Needs – In the last 10 years alone, we have seen the explosion of church plants, mutli-sites, the birth and death of the emergent church, and the rise of pastors like Perry Noble and Steven Furtick.  The church of Jesus Christ is always moving forward, always advancing, and I must love her enough to grow and change with her while not abandoning my core beliefs.
9. Provide Solutions – After listening to pastors, understanding their needs, and hearing their story, there comes a point in every conversation when I say, “Pastor, based upon what you’re saying, here’s what I think we ought to do.”  I then ask the pastor if I’m on the right track because I could be wrong.  A pastor’s time is too valuable to waste.
10. Bring Closure - Pastors and church leaders do not want to sign up for something that never ends.  Give them a timeline for when they can realistically expect solutions to take place.

If you do these 10 things, you will be a person who shows pastors and church leaders love and serves them well.

I would like to hear from pastors and church leaders on this one.  What are other things people can do to serve you?  And pastors, if you haven’t signed up for the free online preaching conference shown below, click the image and get registered today.

Subscribe here so future posts can be sent directly to your Inbox. As a gift for doing so, I will also send you a FREE copy of my brand new eBook 455 Leadership Quotes: Lessons From 2012′s Top Christian Conference Speakers.