STRATEGY CENTRAL

I love the spirit of this video.  I linked to it 3 years ago.  Still one of the most popular pages here at StrategyCentral.

Are you a leader?  Are you the leader?  If you are, you need to be listening to Andy Stanley's Leadership Podcast.  In his most recent talk, Stanley talked about the importance of being a listener and what listening has to do with attracting and keeping other leaders.  Believe me…for many of us this is a huge lesson.  Learning this lesson will make a difference in the way things work.

Three statements jumped out in this 26 minute talk.  Take a look:

• "Leaders are attracted to environments where their ideas and opinions are heard."  This seems intuitive, but when you analyze your environment…is it really true?  More importantly, is it consistently true?  Is it true after you've recruited someone?  Or just when you recruit them?

• "Leaders who refuse to listen will eventually be surrounded by people who have nothing important to say."  This is a pretty scary statement.  This is probably a statement that every one of us who are a leader ought to have where we see it all the time.  Brace yourself and think about this: If you're already surrounded by people who have nothing important to say…does it say something about you?

• "If you want to attract great leaders you need to create a system where their voices are heard."  Stanley is a big believer in systems.  You ought to be one too.  Systems make it possible to move consistently in the direction you want to go.

Great stuff!  I'll say it again, you need to be listening to Andy Stanley's Leadership Podcast.

Everyone has a core message.  Sometimes it's a very faint bleating sound.  Other times it's like U2 belting out Pride (In the name of love).  But…everyone has a core message.  Mine, at least in part, is the reality of the Inside-Outside Disconnect.  I first had a name for it when I read John Kotter's A Sense of Urgency.  It is essentially the idea that those on the inside become so preoccupied with their own comforts and "necessities" that they forget about the needs and interests of those on the outside.  In fact, they have a harder and harder time even acknowledging that the interests are different.  It just never comes up.

So…my last post, on Developing and Maintaining an Outside-In Perspective, is just a new manifestation of my core message.  There…I've diagnosed myself.

What's your core message?

In January of 2008 the news came out that Gene Appel had left Willow Creek.  An earlier post I had written on the A2 conference came up very high in any search for news about Gene.  I edited the original post heading to include a link to better info.  Here's a interview I tripped across today that tells where he landed…and good for Gene!  It's in So Cal!

Whether you're a beer enthusiast or not…you need to watch this video.  Not to spoil the experience, let me suggest that you listen for passion, sense of purpose, vision and mission.  Can you talk this way about what you do?  If you can't…you may have a job as opposed to a passion-driven pursuit.  I'll go further.  If you can watch the video and not feel your heart beating a little harder…your heart might be getting a little harder.

I Am A Craft Brewer from I Am A Craft Brewer on Vimeo.

Always look forward to reading the latest from Bill Taylor over at the Mavericks at Work blog. He's got a great post today contrasting the leadership styles of Connecticut's Jim Calhoun and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center's CEO, Paul Levy.  It is an amazing contrast.  In the middle of today's crushing leadership vacuum…this is an article that you don't want to miss.  Here's the link: Should Your CEO Take a Pay Cut?

Mission statements get some deserved criticism.  Only a few really drive organizations.  Most are simply wishful thinking and a collection of borrowed concepts.  And then you trip discover the power of one that is a direct hit.  An example of a direct hit?  "Helping people find their way back to God."  HPFTWBTG.  That one is absolutely spot on and it drives the activity of Community Christian Church

Need further clarification?  You can see it in Dave Ferguson's recap of yesterday's activity.  Community Christian Church is an organization that exudes a tight connection with the mission.  Awesome to see…even from a distance.

If you haven't added Andy Stanley's Leadership Podcast to your development program you are missing a great resource.  To date he's covered:

• Assumptions
• Mutual Submission
• Trust vs. Suspicion
• High Performance Teams
• Systems

These short podcasts (25 to 30 minutes) are packed with very transferable ideas that will change the conversation on your team.  And…they're free.  Take a look: Download

Kent scooped us again.  For a look at the 15 largest churches in America, check out his post.   Fascinating to see the changes in a year.  In the list he also tracks their ranking in 06 and 07.

I have certain tapes, CDs, podcasts, etc. that I must listen to periodically in order to stay on the right path strategically.  I found a new one last week and it is rattling my cage.  If you’re in this business to make a difference you have got to hear it.  It’s not free.  It’s $8.00.  But I’m betting you’ll get way more than your money’s worth.  You’ll find it right here.