Leaders want to make a difference. They want to make significant positive change. They want to do something memorable and not feel like they have wasted time, resources, or opportunity. They want to leave a legacy of positive change and growth. I know that I do and I am sure you do as well.
As a 45-year-old man, I figure I have about 15-20 years of optimum energy left to make that a reality. That is assuming something negative does not happen during the interim. Therefore, I am always looking for new skills and ideas to help make that a reality.
In the December/January issue of Fast Company magazine, a group of “Disrupters” discussed how they pulled off significant positive change in the organizations where they worked when every tradition and profitability scale worked against them. Here is what we learn from them:
- Trust Your Gut – This is what Maryam Banikarim did as Marketing VP of NBC to solicit ideas from employees.
- Creativity Can Survive Compromise – Tony Salvador of Intel created a new product to sell in India. His boss wanted him to make changes to the design which would hurt sales there. Salvador said, “Well, if it’s not going to sell in India, let’s sell it to the rest of the world. And we did. The Classmate PC was not exactly what we wanted it to be, but it still had value.”
- Fight For Flexibility – Joichi Ito of the MIT Media Lab states, “That’s the problem with large organizations. They create roles and constraints, and sometimes people forget why they’re there.”
- Embrace Failure – “I love the idea of wrong thinking – of encouraging people who have ideas to go see if they work and not dismissing them just because they sound like the wrong solution.” – James Dyson, Founder and CEO of Dyson
- Respect Tradition But Give It A Twist – To twist tradition, Marketing SVP of Coca-Cola states this is done by “building authentic, meaningful campaigns around their (target audience) passion points.”
- Be Willing To Play Against Type – Dhani Jones does this by “self-representation, service, collaboration, and critical thought.”
- Court A-list Allies – For this to be done in a church, let’s replace term “A-list Allies” with “Influencers”. Monique Pean, a jewelry designer, tells us that when influencers buy-in to ideas then “our customers really do care about where their products come from.”
- Pitch The Right Crowd First – Many in your church are already doing very effective ministry. One of our goals as leaders is to have the insight to what is already working well and then multiply it.  Tumblr Founder and CEO David Karp says, “when we released our platform, we took it straight to the tumbleblogging community and said, ‘Hey, look, we built a real tool to make all the neat stuff you guys are doing available to more people.'”
- Defend Your Beliefs – And Prepare For The Consequences – Be aware. One step ahead of the people is a leader. Ten steps ahead of the people is a martyr.
- Blaze New Trails – Rather than introducing his artists through the traditional method of radio, Founder and CEO of Coalition Media Group Troy Carter utilizes all social media tools and influential bloggers. Pastors and church leaders, are you effectively utilizing a new type of leader who exists in your church, the social media leader to multiply and advance mission and vision?
I’ve got maybe 20 years of great energy left for leadership. Am I ready to do what is necessary to be a Disrupter in my local church? Are you?
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