8 Things to consider when hiring someone new

1. Hire slow and fire fast. Many organizations are just the opposite, hiring fast and firing slow.

2. Look for heart and hands, not just mind and spirit.

3. Culture is key. As the leader, do you want to hang out with them? Hire people you want to be friends with.

4. Don’t just interview them. “intern” them. This is our system at Catalyst.

5. Hire a doer, not just a talker.

6. Benchmark the Experts. Who are the best people in the world at the position you are hiring? Figure out who that is, and contact them. For advice, suggestions, and to understand why they are so good at what they do. Learn from them and build a job description for your new hire from that.

7. Be wary of the “stepping stone” mentality. If you are another stop on the journey for someone, then run. Reality is – people are transitioning all the time. But that shouldn’t be their mindset going in when hiring them.

8. Do your homework. Have potential team members take personality tests, talk to their references, and spend as much time as you can with them.

10 Things that drive me crazy

A little Friday end of the week rant for you…..

A few things that drive me crazy:

1. Slow drivers in the left hand lane. Seriously, get over.

2. Laziness. Get up and get going!

3. Gossip. No place for it. Especially in the Church and Christian community.

4. Human trafficking. Unacceptable. More of a problem today than in recent history. Angers me.

5. Excuses and always blaming others. Childish.

6. Arrogance. You’re not as good as you think.

7. The DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles). Bureaucracy at it’s best. Doesn’t matter what state or city… always one of the most depressing places on earth.

8. Child poverty. We have to do our part to end this.

9. Settling for Average. God deserves our very best.

10. Current political climate. We need to get things done, not argue.

 

 

Which profession embodies leadership the most

For years and years, politics has been the de facto leadership profession. When people thought of leadership, they thought of politics. If you were destined to be a great leader, then you were probably moving towards the political scene in some form or fashion.

Lately, I’m not sure that’s the case. Seems the leadership landscape has shifted. But towards where?

1. Business- corporate arena.

2. Entrepreneurs- more leaders are just simply starting their own deal

3. Thought leaders, authors, writers and speakers

4. Technology- Facebook, Twitter, Google, Apple, Microsoft, etc.

5. Education- teachers, coaches, and educators

6. The Church- pastors, musicians and full time church staff

What say you? Which profession do you think embodies leadership the most?

Hit the Repeat Button

A reminder on Monday as we start a new week: Repeat. Let me say that again…. Repeat. 

One of the ways great teams become great is by repetition. Great sports teams thrive on repeating. Creating excellence through repetition. I can remember growing up around coaches, and I constantly heard “Run it again.” Over and over and over. And then again. Even if we ran the play to perfection, we heard “run it again.”

Think about the best communicators you know. They use repetition constantly to drive home a point. Think about great parents you know. They use repetition in disciplining and molding their children. Great coaches and great leaders and great communicators and great parents repeat.

Organizational leaders have to constantly repeat the vision for it to sink in. Sometimes we as leaders get too distracted, and bored, by repeating something. We think one time is enough. But great coaches, great leaders, and great teams have always seen the principle of “repeat” as something extremely important to success.

Consistency counts. Run it again.

Compassion trip to Ecuador

Back in May I had the honor of helping host a trip to Ecuador with Compassion. Amazing time. There were 10 leaders on the trip, and we got to experience the work of Compassion up close.

The below video is a snapshot of the trip and more on why I believe in the work of Compassion, and why I’m so excited and motivated to work alongside Compassion in encouraging leaders to sponsor a Compassion child. Truth is- partnering with Compassion allows us to not only lift children and entire families out of poverty, but also help truly equip the next generation of leaders in countries all over the world. And every child is connected to a local church body and a local project to ensure development and community.

I highly encourage you to get involved with Compassion and sponsor a child today.

 

New articles from Mark Driscoll, Margaret Feinberg, David Kinnaman, and more

The October issue of Catalyst Monthly is now out, and includes some great stuff:

1. Article from Mark Driscoll

2. Video clip from Jim Collins

3. Article from Margaret Feinberg

4. Video from Derreck Kayongo- please vote for him for the CNN Heroes Award!

5. New article from David Kinnaman from his brand new book You Lost Me

6. Article from Shawn Lovejoy