8 Tips for the Free Agents and Consultants

May 14th, 2012 by bradlomenick in Leadership Rules. 2 Comments

This post is for those who are TRANSITIONING or have already TRANSITIONED from an organizational environment to being a lone ranger, an entrepreneur, “consultant” or “free agent” - whether you are starting your own business, beginning a new season as a “free agent” or “consultant,” or just continuing to live life as a true entrepreneur.

I have lots and lots of friends who are in this season of life. More and more leaders I know are ending up in this space, because the opportunity is available like never before to be your own boss. They’ve decided to branch out on their own and chase the dream without an organization behind them. Whether leaving the corporate world, or the non-profit world, or leaving a ministry, or leaving a church environment, they have now decided to go at it on their own. Without the comfort and safety of an organization behind them.

We work with lots of these “free agents.” Our Catalyst full-time team is really small compared to the amount of people it takes to put on what we do, so we are constantly hiring free agents and consultants.

So, as someone who might be hiring you to “consult” or provide advice or be a free agent on my team, let me provide a bit of perspective:

1. You currently think you’re worth way more than you really are. Most of the time when you transition from a church environment or ministry environment, the first thing you want to do is make way more money than you did before. Let me give you some advice- until you prove that you can deliver, you’ll probably make LESS than you did before. Your get rich quick scheme has no legs, so wake up to the reality that you really have to deliver before the money will start pouring in.

2. You think you’re busier than you really are. You might feel busy, but are you really getting things done or just creating a lot of stir and hype? You’ve found this new found freedom in working on your own and having yourself as your boss, and the tendency might be to become a “40-hour workweek snob,” where you think everyone who works long weeks in an organizational environment is wasting time. Don’t tell me about how busy you are. Just get it done. Your quick reality is that time and normal will not be normal. You’re being hired to get things done.

3. You think everyone wants to work with you. Reality is, they don’t. Not yet anyway. You might have been the big man or big women on campus in your last season, but now you’re on your own, and there are LOTS and LOTS of other free agents and consultants ready to step in and steal your thunder.

So what are practical ways to deal with this tendency?

4. Hustle. Pure and simple. You are going to have to outwork, outthink, outcreate, and outhustle the other free agents.

5. Deliver homeruns on every project you’re working on. This is HUGE. And very important especially when you are starting out. No singles or doubles. Homeruns. You’re establishing your own personal brand, and expectations on what it will look like to work with you in the future. So OVER DELIVER. Regardless of who the client is or what the project is. The word will get around. Don’t worry.

6. Become an Expert and a Learner. Since you really don’t know it all, you should be incredibly intentional about trying to learn it all. Become an expert by learning from everyone.

7. Be HUMBLE. Again, no one wants to work with you if you are cocky and arrogant and full of yourself. They might for a while, but over time, the opportunities will dissipate and you’ll wonder why. I don’t care if you are the best in the world at what you do- if you are arrogant and difficult to work with, I’ll choose the other option every time.

8. Be Collaborative. It’s important you know how to work well with others, especially since you’ll many times be splitting time on a project with some of your competitors or folks who provide the same service. If you can’t partner well and be collaborative and work with others to get something done, you won’t get hired again.

A Few tips for Catalyst Dallas week

May 8th, 2012 by bradlomenick in Misc. No Comments

Catalyst Dallas is here! Starting today (Wednesday) through Friday. We’re excited to be in Dallas for the 2nd year!

A few tips for those of you attending Catalyst Dallas for the first time this year, or maybe it’s your 2nd time. Hopefully these are helpful and allow your Catalyst Dallas experience to be the best ever!

1. Arrive early. Especially on Thursday morning. The pre-show starts up at 7 am, so we’ll try our best to entertain you while you wait for the doors to open around 8 am.

2. Attend LABS. LAB sessions occur on Wednesday, May 9, and are a great way to dive deeper into practical topics. It is a different ticket and is NOT included in your Main sessions registration, but you can buy a ticket onsite. All of the LAB sessions will be great, and I recommend every session that we’ve created. But just want to give you a few names of some of the LAB speakers you may not know but we’ll want to hear:

Jonathan Merritt; Esther Havens; Jen and Brandon Hatmaker; Herbert Cooper; leadership panel with Jenny White, Jennie Allen and Lauren Chandler;

3. Bring food with you. Because parking is free, and there is plenty of it at Bent Tree, you’ll be able to get to your vehicle no problem at lunch and dinner. So with that in mind, plan to tailgate! Bring the grill, or just an ice chest and some extra food. It’s really a pain to drive somewhere for lunch or dinner, so just hang out and soak up the sun! We will also have Chick-fil-A for sale onsite outside, so that is also an option.

4. Attend the evening session on Thursday night. Do not miss Thursday night. Matt Chandler, plus Gungor. It will be a great time. You’ll be tempted to go back to the hotel room and turn on the baseball game or Thursday night American Idol results, but stick around.

5. Bring a White Elephant gift! We are asking everyone to bring a White elephant gift (something really cheap) for Friday morning. It will require your “presence” for sure.

6. Meet other leaders. There is an incredible amount of wisdom and influence gathered in one place at one time, so take advantage of the other leaders who are present.

7. No reserved seating. Because there is no reserved seating, you’ll want to arrive early. And if you are attending Catalyst with a big group, make sure you bring some 5 x 7 cards or paper (and tape) to be able to tape on the seat so that you’ll remember where you are sitting!

8. Sing loud. 3,200 voices of leaders who are passionately worshipping God together is epic. Don’t stand (or sit) idly by with arms crossed and lips closed. Join in.

9. Catalyst Backstage- if you can’t attend, no worries. Join us on CatalystBackstage starting on Wednesday afternoon at 2:30 pm CST, and then on Thursday and Friday mornings at 8:30 am CST. We’ll have interviews with speakers, behind the scenes footage, and several live look-ins on some of the sessions.

10. Purchase t-shirts and jackets early at the resource centers. If you plan on buying a t-shirt or jacket, purchase them at the first break. They sell out fast, so don’t wait.

11. Bring items to give back and help others. In partnership with CitySquare, we want to serve those less fortunate in the community. We are asking EVERY Catalyst Dallas attendee to bring at least one or two items from the list below.

Donated items & gift cards will be collected in bins just outside the entrance. All Catalyst attendees are asked to bring the following items for donation (new and unopened):

Jump ropes & balls
Bubbles & side walk chalk
Baby Wipes
Water activity toys–water guns, water balloons, etc.
Mens’ and womens’ underwear (size: large)

Catalyst attendees are also encouraged to donate a new pair of kids shoes to be distributed at the Convey of Hope outreach in Dallas this Saturday, May 12. Donated shoes can be placed in the collection bins at the main entrance doors of the church. For more information visit dallas.convoyofhope.org.

12. Dress casual- jeans or shorts are great, and t-shirts work as well. The key is- Dress comfortable. High’s in the lower 80′s the rest of the week in Dallas.

13. Bring an extra bag for all the Catalyst swag. There are lots of great partners at Catalyst all around the lobby and outside on the grass. Bring an extra bag to collect all the goodies.

14. Hang out in the Reflective Worship area- allow yourself some time to hang out in the reflective worship area in the Family theatre on Thursday and Friday. Some of us just need a fresh dose of God’s provision and goodness, so take advantage of this area.

15. If u tweet, use the hashtag #CATALYST.

16. Purchase the Catalyst Experience Kit. Every year we try and put together the best of the best so you can take the Catalyst Dallas experience home with you. This year is no exception. You can purchase it before you get to the event and then pick it up onsite without having to mess with the lines. I highly recommend this! Includes all kinds of great stuff, including the talks from this event, plus the talks from this past October at Catalyst Atlanta.

17. Engage. Many of us tend to go to leadership gatherings and conferences and never really connect. We get distracted by things going on around us. This year we want you to truly Be Present. Laugh. Listen. Sing. Pray. Engage. Be Present.

A few gadgets every leader needs

May 7th, 2012 by bradlomenick in Misc. 2 Comments

We’re not necessarily talking know-how, or values, or character traits on this post. This is more about things that are tangible, and help you make ideas happen, and get things done, and manage the chaos and tension of being a leader.

So here you go, a few things all leaders should have:

1. a moleskine notebook (or other types, but some type of notebook) to write down your thoughts

2. a Google Reader account that lets you track/read tons of blogs and content feeds

3. Subscriptions to magazines, industry newsletters, newspapers, etc. Fast Company, Neue, Relevant, Leadership, GOOD and Fortune are a few of my favorites.

4. A simple system for getting things done. Recommend you check out Scott Belsky‘s book Making Ideas Happen and also The Action Method. You can also check out my system for getting things done. Homemade and customized for me, but it works pretty well.

5. Evernote for capturing ideas either on your phone or on your computer. Any time an idea comes up, wherever I am I can capture it on Evernote.

6. A Smart Phone that has camera and video capability for capturing moments, whether a pic or video.

7. A good set of headphones for cranking up the music or blocking out sound. I’m a big fan of Bose headphones. But there are lots out there that are great.

8. Consistent exercise regiment. Work out, run, lift, hike, etc on a regular basis. You have to have energy to lead.

9. A place to think, dream, get away, and refresh. This might be a condo on the beach, or a cabin in the mountains, or a lake close by for water skiing, or a duck blind in the marsh of Arkansas (that’s me!). But have somewhere that you can intentionally get away and think/dream without distractions. You don’t need to own these places…. Leaders always have friends and connections with folks who are more than willing to let you use them.

10. Contact management system- whether it’s Microsoft Outlook, or Salesforce, or your Google account, or an excel spreadsheet, every leader needs a great way to keep up with all their relationships and contacts. My favorite is Outlook.

Are you a LEADER or a FOLLOWER?

May 4th, 2012 by bradlomenick in Leadership Rules. 7 Comments

Leaders are initiators. Followers are responders.

Leaders are willing to step up and take on the task of driving a project.

Followers have to be forced to drive a project by their boss. They wait on someone to give them direction.

Leaders are intuitive, and once they have a general direction for a project, don’t have to be told what to do every step of the way.

Followers want direction on a constant basis, so they make sure approval has been given and therefore cover their tracks if something goes wrong.

Leaders push for action, and are not content with simply sitting still.

Followers are content with the project sitting idle, as long as it’s not their responsibility or not their fault.

Leaders drive to the finish line.

Followers are pulled across the finish line.

Leaders don’t let fear or a strong sense of anxiety paralyze them. They attack fear. Head on. And are willing to lean heavily into the rough waters and push through.

Followers stop when things get rough. Rough waters tend to bring about dissension and cynicism among followers.

Leaders are innovators. They try new things. They are willing to fail, but fail trying.

Followers simply want to maintain the status quo. And very rarely are they willing to risk or try anything new.

Leaders embrace change. They invite change in their own lives and in the context of their leadership because they know change many times is the way we grow and improve.

Followers despise change, and do everything possible to resist it.

Leaders accept responsibility, and are motivated by more things on their plate and under their leadership, vs. less.

Followers avoid responsibility, and would much rather that someone else is “responsible” instead of them.

Leaders despise inaction. It drives leaders crazy to not make progress.

Followers move toward the areas of least resistance, and are comfortable with little or no progress.

Make sure you have a team of leaders who initiate at their core. It’s much easier to slow down a racehorse by having to pull back on the reins vs. having to spur and kick and get out the whip in order to move forward.

Are you a leader or a follower? An initiator or responder?

Faithful to the small things

May 2nd, 2012 by bradlomenick in Misc. 1 Comment

As Leaders, we live for the moment. The Big moments that are memory makers. The home runs. The winning “touchdown.” The deal that launches our organizations or business to the next level. The significant benchmarks in life that define us and shape us. The times that people will talk about for years to come. When the adrenaline is dialed up and we step in.

But ultimately, faithfulness looks most like being disciplined and faithful to the small things in life and leadership. The making of a leader takes time, and I believe is revealed and refined through the continual steadfastness in the small things.

Our character, our sense of who we are, is defined by the insignificant points in life when no one is watching, when no one really cares. The times when it doesn’t seem to matter. The points where it is difficult to actually finish the project. The pain points when we wonder is this what God has actually called me to do. The moments when it would be okay to cut corners but we stay committed to excellence. This is where the foundation of faithfulness and our character as leaders is created and solidified.

Jesus describes this in Luke 16:10 “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.”

Today, be faithful to the small things.

Back when you were 10 years old….

April 30th, 2012 by bradlomenick in Misc. 1 Comment

When you were 10 years old, what were you dreaming about? What did you want to be? What consumed your thoughts?

For me, a few things:

1. I wanted to be able to do a cherry picker on a bmx bike.

2. I wanted to beat Seminole in elementary football.

3. I wanted to marry Robyn Repass when we both turned 18.

4. I wanted to fly in an airplane for the first time.

5. I hoped to meet the Fat Boys and get to be in their rap group and sing Human Beat Box and Stick Em with them.

6. I wanted to get over 100K points on Pitfall on Atari. Remember you had to send a picture in of the TV screen showing your point total to become part of the Pitfall Club? That was epic.

7. I wanted to go on long vacation road trips with my family in our brown pimped out customized Scooby Doo like Van. Complete with the paneling on the walls and a refrigerator. I’m not kidding! BAM!

8. I wanted our high school football team to win the State Championship because my dad coached and I knew all the players. We made it to the state finals that year.

9. I wanted to someday be as cool as Ricky Schroeder on Silver Spoons. In the meantime I would just dress like him and have my hair cut like him.

10. I wanted to not be scared of storms. I was petrified of storms- if there were storm clouds in the sky, I would freak. It was horrible. True story.

11. I wanted to be a weatherman. So I could know exactly what was going on with storms and tornadoes. Just like Don Woods. The most famous weatherman ever in Tulsa, OK.

12. I wanted the Cold War between the US and Russia to end. There always seemed to be the threat of Russia invading, just like they did in the movie Red Dawn. Wolverines!

13. I wanted to win the 4th grade free throw shooting contest and the 4th grade spelling bee. Which I did. Proving my well-roundedness…..

14. I wanted to win the Bible Bowl Student competition at the Church of God in Bristow, OK.

The simplicity of being 10…..How about you?

“It’s Not Yours” Leadership….You Don’t Really Own It anyway

April 25th, 2012 by bradlomenick in Misc. 8 Comments

I get asked all the time by young leaders “how do you handle the responsibility of leading something like Catalyst?” Good question.

Reality is, anyone who leads a Church, leads a company, leads a community, leads a non-profit ministry, leads a team, or even a family feels and knows the pressure of responsibility. And Responsibility is part of Leadership. Always. You’ve heard this before…..”You’re responsible for what happens…..Don’t screw up!” Right!!! We hear this all the time from our parents, from our boss, from our boards, from our friends, from our spouses.

So how do I correctly live with the pressure of Responsibility and Leadership? For me it always begins and ends around the issue of stewardship. The whole idea of stewardship relates back to the concept of watching over something for someone else. Taking care of something you don’t own. Ultimately, stewardship begins and ends with a very clear understanding of how you view your role, and who owns it.

Are you the owner, or simply the steward for the owner? Is this mine, or am I just taking care of it while the owner is gone? This will help you shape the framework for what correct Biblical stewardship looks like. Whether it’s your role in managing your time, your role in cultivating a dream, your role in leading an organization, your role in managing your money, and more.

So here are a few thoughts on Stewardship, and how it relates to leading whatever movement or organization or community or tribe or initiative or project that you’ve been currently given.

1. Hold things with an open hand, palms down. Picture that one in your mind. Versus the mindset of holding things with a closed fist, palms up.

2. You don’t really own it. God does. All of it. This is incredibly freeing, but also dauntingly important.

3. You don’t deserve the credit. It’s not you. God deserves the credit. All of it.

4. Don’t be naive. You are NOT the reason for the mission and vision of the organization or community you are leading. Those who you are serving are. Embrace that one.

5. Be others focused. Always. And not just when it helps you. Creating wins for others is more fun, and ultimately very strategic.

6. Building a movement is not your job. That’s the work of God. Your role is to be prepared to lead one if God sees fit. Thanks to my friend Perry Noble for this nugget.

7. You are not the first. And you won’t be the last. Others have done this before, and there will be others after you. Understand your role in the generational impact chain.

8. Be an includer, not an excluder. It’s more fun to win when others are involved. Collaboration and partnership are crucial to proper stewardship. You want both your staff and those outside of the organization constantly saying “our” not “your.” You as the leader must always be saying “we” and not “I.”

Are you a Bridge builder?

April 23rd, 2012 by bradlomenick in Leadership Rules. 3 Comments

Building a bridge is an art. Not literal bridges that you drive over, although those are incredibly important….

I’m referring to building bridges in business, friendships, co-workers, mentors, and key partnerships. I’m referring to building a new relationship with your neighbor. I’m referring to connecting with someone that you’ve wanted to meet with for a long time and only having 15 minutes for a meeting. How do you turn that meeting into an hour or more, and then eventually into a friend?

Many folks just think that showing up is half the battle. Well, sort of. But there’s more. When it comes to winning a client, or inking a new partnership, or developing a new friendship, there are some key things I’ve learned over the years that might be helpful.

A few thoughts:

1. Love people until they ask why. Let your actions speak so loud that people can not help but to see your authenticity, and ultimately demand an explanation for the reason you do what you do.

2. Prove your craft before asking for something. Excellence, skill and know how is key on this. Show that you are competent before you demand that they should partner with you.

3. Ask more questions than they do. I love this one. Many times asking great questions is way more strategic than giving great answers.

4. Spend lots of time listening. Once you’ve asked a great question, listen. And listen more. And listen more.

5. Find points of connection and shared interests, and be intentional. A crucial part of great bridge building. Find out what motivates someone, what their interests are, what they enjoy. Is it sports? rock climbing? history? Whatever it is, find out and then build on those areas of shared interests.

6. Connect them to others. Great connectors and bridge builders are always figuring out ways to introduce their friends within their circle. Claire at Twitter does this amazingly well. And here’s the key on this- the ultimate value for the connection is not for you, it’s more for others.

7. Follow up. This is the #1 step that everyone seems to forget. We have to follow up. Never assume that because you haven’t heard from someone, it means they are not interested. They’re busy, just like you. Take the first step and reach out. And then reach out again. And then again.