Leadership & Market Place Ministry

Sunday, June 14, 2015

19 Leadership Quotes And Lessons From Jurassic World

Jurassic World is everything a summer movie should be. Big scenes. Big action. Big sound. Big villains. Some surprising twists. And nothing but sheer fun.
While there is an underlying message of greed and our society’s lack of wonder and awe, it is not in-your-face at all. This movie can be wrapped up in three words – Dinosaurs Chasing Humans!
The following are 19 Leadership Quotes And Lessons From Jurassic World:

Casting Vision Requires Connecting To Your Past Before Moving Into Your Future – The movie laid a solid foundation by opening with John Williams’s classic musical score from the original movie. Then throughout the movie, several scenes tethered you back to the original film.
Excellence Becomes Average When It Is All You Have – Claire, overseer of the them park and played by Bryce Dallas Howard, told a group of potential investors, “No one’s impressed by a dinosaur anymore.” This made me think. Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, lived a perfect sinless life, died, rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven. No other person or god ever did this. Why is this not impressive enough?
Leaders Are Never Satisfied – They are always looking ahead. Claire added, “Consumers want them louder, bigger, more teeth.”
New Generates Momentum – Claire continued, “Every time we unveil a new asset, attendance spikes.” If you want to see a spike in church attendance or business sales, launch something new.
Without Healthy Systems You Have Inefficiency And Anarchy – A system is anything you do twice. Lowery, a computer programmer in the Jurassic World offices, described his workspace as “A living system. Just enough stability to keep it from collapsing into anarchy.”
Great Leaders Relinquish Control – InGen CEO Simon Masrani pointed out what all experienced leaders know, “The key to a happy life is to accept you’re never in control.” Side note – the only control you will ever have in this life is to yield total control of it to Jesus Christ.
Great Leaders Are Humble – “Jurassic World exists to remind us how very small we are.” – Masrani
Poor Leaders Are Arrogant – When examining the cage Indominus Rex was housed in, Masrani asked, “So the paddock is quite safe then?” Claire responded by saying, “Yes. We have the best structural engineers.” To which Masrani replied, “Yeah, so did (John) Hammond.”
Decide To Build Quality Relationships Early – Owen, played by Chris Pratt, had built a relationship with the raptors by connecting with them as soon as they were hatched.
Not All Opinions Are The Same – Trust the experts, not the crowd. Though Owen was a Naval behavioral specialist and had trained the raptors since birth, others in the organization discounted his thoughts to their own demise.
Leadership Is Always Temporary – So steward it well. Pratt told the InGen medical staff, “You made them and now you think you own them.”
Struggle Is Necessary For Strength – InGen employee Hoskins reminds us a fundamental reality, “Struggle breeds greatness.”
Divorce Destroys Lives And Has Generational Impact – As two brothers were discussing their parents pending divorce, the older brother mentioned the benefits like receiving two of everything at holidays. Then the younger brother, played by Ty Simpkins, said through a stream of tears, “I don’t want two of everything.”
You Can Choose Your Decisions. You Just Do Not Get To Choose Your Consequences – As a Christian, I often tell people, “You can choose your sin. You just don’t get to choose your consequences.” When Indominus Rex escaped captivity and was headed toward the theme park and its 20,000+ visitors, Claire said, “I’m not going to turn this place into a war zone.” Owen noting she did not have a choice, “You already have.”
The Only Lasting Leadership Model Is Servant Leadership – InGen head scientist Dr. Henry Wu explained his decision to engineer different types of dinosaurs, “Monster is a relative term. To a canary, a cat is a monster. We’re just used to being the cat.”
Successful Leaders Play To Their Strengths – When asked to do something outside his skill set, Owen said, “I was with the Navy. Not the Navajo.”
The Importance Of Clarity – In an example of an extreme understatement, the public address announcer told the park’s attendees, “Due to a containment anomaly, all guests must take shelter immediately.”
Leaders Call Others To Greater Commitment – Claire told Lowery, “Why don’t you be a man and do something once in your life.”
There Is No Success Without Succession – If you are a fan of the Jurassic movies, I have great news for you. Everything is setup for a fifth installment. I am personally looking forward to it.

Go see Jurassic World. You will have a great time. Let me know what you think of the movie.

Saturday, June 6, 2015

15 Leadership Quotes And Lessons From San Andreas

San Andreas is why I love summer movies. It is a disaster movie whose only objective is to entertain you for two hours. It has a BIG star (The Rock Dwayne Johnson) and BIG action scenes. The movie is not trying to win an Academy Award or overwhelm you with great acting. It simply wants to entertain you. And because of this, I loved the movie.
Johnson plays Ray who works for California Fire And Rescue. When a massive earthquake hits the West Coast, Johnson puts all his skills to work in order to save his estranged wife Emma, played by Carla Gugino, and daughter Blake, played by Alexandra Daddario.
The following are 15 Leadership Quotes And Lessons From San Andreas:

You Never Have To Recover From A Good Start – Avoid slow starts whenever possible. Slow starts force you to play catch-up and dig out of holes. The movie got off to a great start with an opening scene involving the rescue of a girl dangling off a cliff after an intense car crash.
Great Leaders Paid The Price Of Preparation – Many leaders want to short circuit the training process. They want what others have without having to paid the price they paid to get there. Ray was effective at his job because he had spent years working on his craft. For more on the costs leaders must be willing to pay, click 12 Costs All Leaders Must Be Willing To Pay For Success.
Great Leaders Are Decisive – Indecisive leadership kills momentum. It causes projects to stall. Leaders who are indecisive lose influence. People do not trust indecisive leaders. Worse yet, depending on your job, indecisiveness can cost someone their life.
Great Leaders Take Calculated Risks – Ray had to do a helicopter move called “Tip The Hat” in order to save a young girl’s life.
Great Leaders Are Detail-Oriented – Small things make a huge impact. Ray noticed when a co-worker’s shoes were untied.
Poor Leaders Put Their Careers Ahead Of Their Family – Emma’s boyfriend Daniel Riddick, an architect, explained why he never had children, “I never had kids because I was so busy raising these (buildings).”
Leaders Either Wash Hands Or Wash Feet – In other words, leaders either serve others or serve themselves. Riddick cowardly ran from Blake when the earthquake began while Ray, her father, ran towards her.
Stay Calm During Times Of Crisis – It has been said to not show you are panicking during crisis situations. The key is to actually not panic in the first place. Nothing good every comes from panic.
Listen To Experts – Everyone ignored the seismologists until the earthquakes began. Successful people listen to the experts BEFORE the earthquake comes.
Smart Leaders Know Their Own Limitations As Well As The Limitations Of Others – Emma told Ray, “If you couldn’t save our daughter, no one could.”
Leaders Are Singularly Focused – The attention of successful leaders is never bifurcated. It is singularly focused. Emma said, “Let’s go get our daughter.”
People Trust Great Leaders During Times Of Crisis – When Blake was looking for a place to be rescued, she went against the conventional wisdom of others and said, “My dad said to get to higher ground so that’s what we’re doing.” For more on leading during crisis situations, click 11 Keys To Successfully Leading Through Crisis Situations
Great Leaders Creatively Find Solutions – One of my favorite scenes was when Ray and Emma had to unexpectedly abandon their plane and parachute into a baseball stadium.
Great Leaders Bring Stability And Security To Others – Ray told a group of frightened individuals to “Get up against something sturdy. Protect yourself.”
Great Leaders Are Always Looking Forward – Leaders are always advancing, always moving forward. Looking at a decimated San Francisco, Ray concluded the movie by saying, “Now we rebuild.”

What other leadership lessons did you take from the moving?

The Top 10 Leadership Posts I Read The Week Of June 1st

The only appreciable asset in a church or business is people. Everything else depreciates. People are so valuable Jesus died for them.
This is why this week’s Top 10 list is so important. Every post deals with people – life-giving people, people who suck the life out of us, people who bring us joy and inspiration. People. There is nothing better than people!
The following are The Top 10 Leadership Posts I Read The Week Of June 1st:

3 Organizational Changes That Multi-Site Churches Experience by Paul Alexander
Why Pastors/Teachers Should Be Shaken Up By NBC’s Brian Williams by Nancy Beach via Willow Creek Association
7 TED Talks Every Church Leader Should Watch (4 Ways To Use Them) by Rich Birch. Rich is providing some amazing content!
10 Reasons Why Humility Is Vital To Great Leadership by Brandon A. Cox
7 Of The Most Dangerous Church Cultures I’ve Observed by Ron Edmondson
7 Keys For Creating A Contagious Leadership Culture by Brad Lomenick
Some Weddings You Never Forget. As Much As You’d Like To by Pastor Joe McKeever
7 Kinds Of People You Can’t Afford To Keep by Carey Nieuwhof
It’s A Boy!!…And 3 Ways Life Has Changed by Tim and Consuela Parsons
How To Heal A Wound That Won’t Heal by Clarence E. Stowers, Jr

10 Ways Coming To Church Should Make You Feel Like You Are Coming Home

Last week I had a meeting with an incredible group of church leaders. As part of our initial time together, I like to ask each of those in attendance what brings them back to their church week after week. After all, in America, there is no shortage of churches to attend. Often, there is one on every corner. So I am particularly interested in what is it about this particular church that so connects you to the heart of God?
As we went around the room and I heard each person’s individual story, one response stopped me dead in my tracks. It was unlike any answer I had ever heard.
The gentleman looked right at me and very calmly but with extreme certainty said the following words, “You travel a lot. Do you know how you feel when arrive back at home? That’s how I feel when I come to this church.”
His words pierced my heart and have stuck with me all week. Going to church should feel like coming home.
As I gave it some thoughts, I realized there are 10 Ways Coming To Church Should Make You Feel Like You Are Coming Home:

My family, which I love, is at home. I should have a church family I love as well.
People are happy to see me when I come home. They welcome me home. People should be happy to see me at church. It should be as though they are welcoming me home.
I am loved unconditionally when I come home. I should be loved unconditionally when I come to church.
I am treated with kindness when I come home. I should be treated with kindness when I come to church.
I know my role and where I fit at home. I should know my role and where I fit at church.
I can rest and relax at home. I should be able to rest and relax at church.
I laugh and have fun when I come home. I should be able to laugh and have fun when I come to church.
I can sleep in my own bed at home. I am comfortable. I should be comfortable when I come to church.
I feel safe and secure at home. I should feel safe and secure when I come to church.
I matter at home. My life should matter when I come to church as well.

How do you feel when you arrive at church? Is it anything like I just described?

The One Trait All Successful Leaders Have

I have known many successful leaders in my lifetime. As I watch for the one thing that gives them lasting success, a single trait consistently emerges. The most successful, the most lasting, the ones who make the greatest impact, are extravagantly generous.
Not only are they financial generous, but they lead with an open hand. They are constantly pointing to others and promoting their success. They say, “Look over there. Look at what God is doing in their life, in their family, in their church.”
I was reminded of this principle when I reviewed this month’s Top 10 Most Read list. Five of the 10 posts promoted the work of others.
Posts of my thoughts certainly have their place. After all, it is my website. However, posts sharing the thoughts of others are consistently some of my most popular items. Generosity always wins out.
The following are the Top 10 Most Read Posts In May as determined by you the readers:

The following are four Hidden Gems which did not make the Top 10 but were personal favorites. I hope you enjoy them the second time around.

Thanks for visiting this site. I trust it has added value to you and your leadership.

Perhaps You Need A New Type Of Leader

Has your leadership culture become stale? Do fresh ideas seem like a thing of the past? Does your church, business, non-profit or athletic organization feel as though you are simply going through the motions?
If so, perhaps you need a new type of leader.
ESPN.com‘s Dana O’Neil wrote an interesting column on why NBA teams are looking for new types of leaders. You can read O’Neil’s article by clicking here. As I read his thoughts, I gleaned the 7 things you need to know when looking for a new type of leader:

People Are Craving A New Type Of Leader – An unnamed NBA executive said regarding open coaching opportunities, “Retread NBA coaches are going to be far less attractive moving forward.”
Organizations Need The Courage To Hire A New Type Of Leader – There is often not a proven track record of success for new type of leaders. For instance, only two of the last eight coaches, P.J. Carlesimo and John Calipari, hired directly to the pros from the college ranks have made the play-offs.
New Leaders Need Legitimate Opportunities – Those eight coaches previously mentioned were all hired by poor teams. They never had a chance to succeed. Rick Pitino said, “If you go to the pros, you have to make sure you do what Phil Jackson did — go where you can win.”
New Leaders Will Bring Fresh Thinking – Boston Celtics head coach and former head man at Butler U. Brad Stevens said, “The people I met in the NBA, the ones with the front office and especially the coaches, were able to spend a lot of time evaluating the game, thinking about the game.”
Old Leaders Can Become Complacent – Experienced leaders must work hard to avoid getting in ruts. New leaders are often hungry. Former Florida Gator and new Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Billy Donovan said, “Choosing comfort, familiarity, that’s always easy to do. But I wanted to stretch myself.”
New Leaders Want New Challenges – Donovan continued saying, “The allure for me was just the opportunity to see what it’s like to coach against the very best of the best.”
New Leaders Are Often Well-Prepared For Their Assignments – Just because a leader is new does not mean he/she may need a long ramp up time. New Chicago Bulls head coach spent 10 years as a NBA player along with two years as an assistant general manager. He is well-prepared for the coaching rigors of the NBA.

Does your organization need a new type of leader?

This Will Cause Leaders To Fail Every Single Time

Leaders focus on many things in order to be successful – Vision, Teamwork, Conflict Resolution, Passion, Character, Creativity, Competency, Preparation, Continually Learning, Character and several other items.
However, there is one skill which if you do not possess it, you will NEVER, EVER be a successful leader.
On the June 1st edition of ESPN’s The Herd With Colin Cowherd radio show, legendary NBA player and executive Jerry West said the following regarding young players entering the league out of college, “One thing people really don’t talk about enough is hard work. Hard work is a skill. I don’t care how talented you are or how gifted you are as an athlete, if you’re not willing to work hard in college where you play a 35-game schedule maybe, how in the world can you do it in the NBA when you play 82 games, maybe a 100 games a year if you’re lucky enough to get into the playoffs?”
Young players are entering the league not knowing how to work hard and it is causing many to fail. Can you relate?
West’s words resonated with me. Last summer I analyzed 60 blog posts I had written over a three-year period about leaders who are at or near the top of their professions. My goal was to identify common threads which contributed to their greatness.
The second most common trait of these Apex Leaders was HARD WORK.
The following are statements from 10 posts about great leaders and their commitment to hard work. Click each name to read the full article.

New England Patriots – Former star cornerback Darrelle Revis says, “Our work ethic gives us the opportunity to win.”
LeBron James – During the off-season (of 2012), James took hundreds of jump shots and practiced countless numbers of power moves on a daily basis. James also now frequently arrives to the game prior to his teammates to hone his skills.
Nick Saban – “Signing day is the culmination of a lot of hard work,” says Saban.
Albert Pujols – Pujols said, “When you’re here, you’re working. This is what gets you ready. If you want to have a championship ballclub, this is where it starts.”
Robert Griffin III – Griffin said, “First guy in. Last guy out. A lot of guys say that but I have to do it to be ready.”
Roger Goodell – “I learned in high school that I was going to have to outwork people…If I work harder than him, I’ll beat him. And to this day, I overprepare.”
Von Miller – During the (2013) offseason, Miller trained at Velocity Sports Performance in Irvine, CA.
Derrick Rose – “He lives in the gym he is so committed. He is in early, he stays late, he prepares, he studies, and he does all he can do to be the best he can be. His teammates see that, and they follow.” – Tom Thibodeau
Jason Kipnis – Cleveland Indians general manager says of second baseman Kipnis, “We kept hearing story after story from our scouts about how competitive he was. That drive came out when he worked extraordinarily hard to make the transition (from college outfielder to second base) work.”
Kemba Walker – “Every day, he plays like he doesn’t have a scholarship. Every day…That’s a challenge to be that consistent as a leader.” – UConn Head coach Kevin Ollie

Hard work was the second most common trait of Apex Leaders. Can you guess what the most common trait was?