Top Posts of 2011 Countdown #3 - Rules for Creative Meetings

Top Posts of 2011 Countdown #3 18 Rules for Creative Meetings 

I've written before several times about rules for creative meetings, but wanted to create the "ultimate list of rules," all together in one place!

Creating an environment for "being creative" takes work. It takes energy and preparation. You don't just show up and flip the creative switch on immediately.

There is a reason that certain groups and organizations are ultimately more creative than others- it's because they are on purpose when it comes to creating the right kind of environment for creativity. They are intentional with creating the creative environment.

Here at Catalyst, we are very intentional about our creative process. It's part of our DNA.

When it comes to creating the right kind of environment, we've established some "rules" (suggested behavior) for our "creative" meetings:

1. Set the expectations for the meeting up front. Be very clear, even if there are no rules.

2. All ideas are welcome and needed. There is no bad answer. Ever.

3. Many times the great ideas end up being an average idea that was built on and built on and built on. Give the average ideas a chance.

4. The answer is always “yes, and” and never “no, but” in a brainstorming meeting. Debbie downer and Mr. No aren’t invited. NO has no place at the table. Ever.

5. No one person can dominate the conversation/meeting. Respect everyone's participation and their thoughts.

6. Allow for movement- standing up, walking, sitting down, whatever works for people- especially those with shorter attention spans!

7. Provide creative "extras", such as toys, sports items, collectives, visual effects and other "enhancers."

8. Take mental breaks every 30-40 minutes, and physical breaks every 90 minutes at minimum.

9. Take VERY detailed notes. Capture everything that is said and created. You have to have a dedicated notetaker. Record every idea that’s thrown out. Capturing ideas and then being able to find them later and put them into action is crucial. Everyone thinks they can remember the best ideas, but literally within a couple of hours you’ll have forgotten.

10. Always allow for rabbit trails, but have a facilitator who keeps things moving in a certain direction.

11. Keep the fun factor high. Keep the fun meter above 50%. If it drops below that, stop and re-establish the fun factor.

12. If you have anyone leaning towards operations or finance or asking the question of “how much will that cost” then they are banned and can’t ever come to a brainstorming meeting again. Unless they can think outside the box, keep the bean counters out.

13. Think/dream way bigger and with no limitations whatsoever. Try to develop ideas outside the norm and outside your industry or niche.

14. Make sure you do your homework. Research ideas, get on youtube for a couple of hours, see what others are doing, and intentionally find ideas and insight that will fuel conversations and idea development.

15. Music, vibe and atmosphere are crucial. Set a tone with the appropriate music, appropriate and energetic lighting, lots of snacks, and plenty of coffee and caffeine. A high energy environment makes being creative way easier.

16. Invite friends from outside your team. Most creative people love being invited to creative meetings with other teams, because they know it will be invigorating and fun.

17. If possible, make sure your facilitator is NOT a participant. It keeps them neutral and away from "liking" certain ideas and thus influencing the nature of what ideas seem to be the most popular.

18. The meeting is only the beginning. The best ideas typically are created, gathered, and decided on outside of creative meetings. Make sure your creative meeting is a Catalyst for ongoing conversations and creative ideas.

Hopefully these are helpful as you create, brainstorm and ideate in your own environments.....

Top Posts of 2011 Countdown #4: Great Leadership Books to Read

40 Great Leadership Books to Read  I love leadership. And I read a lot. So I wanted to provide you with a list of some of the books I recommend.

These are not the only leadership books you should read. There are hundreds of others that are great. But these are just simply 40 of my favorites.

So here you go. And please share this list with your friends, team, and other leaders who might benefit.

40 leadership books to read:

1. Good to GreatJim Collins

2. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of LeadershipJohn Maxwell

3. Courageous LeadershipBill Hybels

4. The Next Generation LeaderAndy Stanley

5. Now, Discover Your StrengthsMarcus Buckingham

6. Love is the Killer AppTim Sanders

7. The Tipping PointMalcolm Gladwell

8. TribesSeth Godin

9. It: How Churches and Leaders can Get it and Keep itCraig Groeschel

10. IntegrityHenry Cloud

11. In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian LeadershipHenri Nouwen

12. AxiomBill Hybels

13. In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy DayMark Batterson

14. Five Dysfunctions of a TeamPatrick Lencioni

15. VisioneeringAndy Stanley

16. Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates UsDaniel Pink

17. Silos, Politics and Turf WarsPatrick Lencioni

18. LinchpinSeth Godin

19. How to Win Friends and Influence People- Dale Carnegie

20. Wooden on Leadership: How to Create a Winning OrganizationJohn Wooden

21. Leadership is an ArtMax Depree

22. The Leadership Challenge- Barry Posner and Jim Kouzes

23. Leading with the HeartCoach Mike Krzyzewski

24. unChristianGabe Lyons and David Kinnaman

25. True NorthBill George

26. Built to LastJim Collins

27. Execution- Ram Charan and Larry Bossidy

28. In Search of Excellence- Tom Peters

29. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective PeopleStephen Covey

30. The 17 Indisputable Laws of TeamworkJohn Maxwell

31. What the CEO Wants You to KnowRam Charan

32. ReworkJason Fried and David Hansson

33. The Experience EconomyJoseph Pine and James Gilmore

34. Made to StickChip and Dan Heath

35. BlinkMalcolm Gladwell

36. Making Ideas HappenScott Belsky

37. The Effective Executive- Peter Drucker

38. Emotional IntelligenceDaniel Goleman

39. On Becoming a LeaderWarren Bennis

40. Leading ChangeJohn Kotter

Top Posts of 2011 Countdown- #5 - Too Big for your Britches

The #5 post of 2011: 6 Warning Signs for Being too Big for Your Britches

This post ties in directly to the issue of Accountability. Having someone in our lives who will shoot straight with us is incredibly important.

Many times as leaders we start losing a sense of reality and get "too big for your britches," as my grandmother used to say when I was growing up. When that happened as a youngster, my grandmother would go grab a switch from the tree outside and I would quickly shape up.

Here are a few warning signs of this potentially occurring for leaders. The pitfalls of becoming too much of a prima donna.

1. You feel like you need an entourage. Everywhere you go.

2. You're unreachable. You have so many systems and handlers in place to shield you from the outside world that not even your closest friends can get in touch with you.

3. The only people who get any time with you are those who you need something from or who you see as further up the ladder of success. Anyone "below" you gets pushed off to someone else.

4. You speak and give advice WAY more than you listen and ask questions.

5. You quit laughing consistently, especially at yourself.

6. There are certain jobs or projects that you feel are simply "below" you. You would be offended if someone asked you to do some of these tasks.

7. Nothing is ever good enough or done well enough. A standard of excellence is one thing. But when nothing ever meets your approval or is good enough for you, you've crossed the line to being way too wrapped up in your own world.

Any of these consistently showing up in your world? If so, I recommend you take a chill pill and lighten up!

Favorite New Things December

1. New Song: Break Every Chain by Jesus Culture; Spirit Break Out and At Your Name by Worship Central 2. New Movie: We Bought a Zoo- a feel good family film.

3. New App: Star Wars. I'm nerding out a bit on this one, but it's really fun.

4. New Book: The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson

5. New Album: Austin Stone Live; Spirit Break Out by Worship Central; and Josh Garrels Love and War and the Sea in Between 

6. New Podcast: Carols from LifeChurch.tv. FREE album of great Christmas songs.

7. New Twitter Follows: Patton Dodd, Venture Expeditions, Krochet Kids

8. New Video: Tyler gets hit by Tony Romo at Catalyst Dallas earlier this year. One of my favorite moments ever at a Catalyst event!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hd0h-hFVtzs[/youtube]

Top Ten Christmas Songs

I've talked recently about the Top Ten Hymns of all time, and the Top Ten Modern Worship songs. So I thought I would put together my TOP TEN CHRISTMAS Songs, since it is Christmas Eve Eve. Here you go! Not making the list are such classics as White Christmas, I'll Be Home for Christmas, The 12 Days of Christmas, Do You Hear What I Hear?, and many others.

10. (tie) Hark the Herald Angels Sing/Deck the Halls- Deck the Halls gets added just because of the great scene in the movie A Christmas Story at the end of the film eating Duck on Christmas Day....

9. Jingle Bells- sang in every 2nd grade class across the country.

8. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer- also sang in every 2nd grade class around the country.

7. The First Noel- classic.

6. Away in a Manger- much different meaning now that I've been to Bethlehem.

5. We Wish You a Merry Christmas- sung at every Christmas party.

4. O Holy Night- man, always powerful.

3. Silent Night- one of my personal favorites.

2. O Come All Ye Faithful- tough to put this at #2....

1. Joy to the World- hopeful, powerful, and singable. A worthy #1.

What would you add?

Questions to ask for reviewing 2011

I posted this last year, but wanted to go back to it as a very practical resource/application for the end of the year. It's important we take time as leaders to reflect and look back over the last 12 months, as well as looking forward to the next 12 months and beyond. Year End Review Questions:

1. What are the 2-3 themes that personally defined 2011 for me?

2. What people, books, accomplishments, or special moments created highlights in 2011?

3. Give yourself a grade from 1-10 in the following areas of focus for 2011: vocationally, spiritually, family, relationally, emotionally, financially, physically, recreationally.

4. What am i working on that is BIG for 2012 and beyond?

5. As I move into 2012, is a majority of my energy being spent on things that drain me or things that energize me?

6. How am I preparing for 10 years from now? 20 years from now?

7. What 2-3 things have I been putting off that I need to execute on before the end of the year?

8. Is my family closer at the end of this year? Am I a better friend at the end of this year? If not, what needs to change immediately?

Treat your customers like Celebrities

It's important you treat your customers, your tribe, your clients, those you do business with like celebrities and VIP's. What do I mean by this? If Tom Hanks, or Denzel Washington, or Oprah showed up at your office, what would you do? How would you talk to them? What would be your body language? Would you be too busy with other things to say hi to them???....

A few thoughts:

1. Make your customers feel important. Shower them with encouragement and act like they are the only person in the room. Listen to them, and look them in the eye.

2. Show an amazing attention to details. Remember their names, their kids names, their favorite color, where they went to college, favorite movies, favorite snack, etc. And when they request something, even if very small, make it happen and execute.

3. Create a "customer rider." Celebrities have riders, that provide demands on quirky stuff. Same with customers. Allow your best customers to create a "rider," thus providing a way for you to get to know them better.

4. Truly be interested in what they are interested in. If they like the ballet, then learn about ballet. If they like sports, take them to a game. If they like art, give them a painting for their birthday.

5. Be eager to serve them. Your mindset should be to drop everything you are doing to take care of them. If Denzel or Beyonce walked in your house or your office, you would get them a diet coke and not be worried about the spreadsheet you are working on.....

6. Provide them swag. Celebrities get swag all the time. So should your customers.

7. Refer them to your friends and make connections for them that are win/win. Celebrities get tons of opportunities many times because people are always willing to introduce them to their friends. Make those same connections for your customers.

8. Respond immediately. Call them back the same day, return their emails in 24 hours, those kinds of things.

End of Week things to Know

1. Check out my interview with Bill Hybels on the latest Catalyst Podcast. You can listen here or better yet download for FREE on iTunes. 2. Here are some FREE songs courtesy of North Point Music and Catalyst. From Todd Fields, Eddie Kirkland, and Casey Darnell.

3. Speaking of FREE songs, over 30 songs and other great resources are available for FREE on the Catalyst West website. Just click "open your FREE present" at the top right of the page.

4. Friend and designer Barton Damer won the Creative Catalyst design contest put on by Veer and also sponsored by OneDotZero. Check it out here.

5. If you are a college student, better get your tickets for Passion now. Only 2 weeks until thousands of college students gathered in Atlanta. Check out this great short film created to highlight a focus of the event this year- combating modern day slavery.

6. Got this from Tyler Stanton's blog. Tyler has a way of finding the ridiculous. I love reading his blog. And this is awesome.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFt6MyiVx54[/youtube]

Young Influencers List, December Edition

Here you go, the Young Influencers List for December. Last one for 2011! You can see all the past editions here. 1. Ben Cantelon- worship leader at Holy Trinity Brompton in London, and part of the Worship Central team.

2. Claire Diaz Ortiz- director of social innovation and philanthropy at Twitter, blogger, and author of Tweet for Good.

3. Ryan Shove- talented videographer and founder of Retro 8 Films.

4. Beth Murray- National Network producer for The Today Show.

5. Matthew Soerens- Church Training specialist for World Relief and co-author of Welcoming the Stranger

6. Pedro Garcia- senior pastor of Calvary Chapel Kendall in Miami, FL. Creator of the One Conference.

7. Trip Lee- rapper, hip hop artist, preacher, writer and blogger.

 

Leave a comment below if you have suggestions for upcoming Young Influencers editions.

12 Organizations worth a Year End Gift

Okay, here's the deal. I wanted to recommend a few organizations that I think are worth a year end gift. All of these organizations are ones that I'm invested in- both in terms of giving gifts and supporting them, as well as knowing the staff and the people behind these organizations. So as you think about year-end giving, I would recommend any of these organizations as a great place to invest.

1. Word Made FleshRun by my good friends Chris and Phileena Heuertz. I love what they do in serving the poorest of the poor all over the world.

2. Compassionsponsor a child. I sponsor several. I've seen their work up close in Rwanda and Ecuador. Your money is being stewarded well.

3. Young Lifebeen involved with Young Life since college. No one creates better experiences for teenagers and introduces the Gospel in such a compelling and loving way.

4. Gift Card Giverfull disclosure on this one- I serve on the board so I'm a bit biased. But there is literally no overhead and you can give a gift or a gift card to help out.

5. Convoy of Hopethey've brought their trucks to Catalyst the last several years, sponsored the Present: Hope Bike Tour earlier this fall, and their disaster relief and community development is amazing.

6. International Justice MissionGary Haugen and the team at IJM have been fighting sex trafficking and human slavery for the last 17 years. Rescuing victims as well as bringing justice to areas where no justice exists.

7. HOPE Internationalrun by good friend Peter Greer, HOPE Int provides micro-finance loans all over the world, helping give dignity and lift people out of poverty. A $100 gift goes a long way.

8. charity: waterperhaps my favorite non-profit organization in the world. Scott Harrison and team have revolutionized the concept of providing clean water globally, and are only getting started.

9. One Days WagesEugene Cho makes it easy to see the impact of giving up one day of your salary. And he leads by example.

10. First Response Team of America- good friend Tad Agoglia and his team provide help and hope at times when communities need just that- following disasters such as tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes and floods.

11. Atlanta Mission- an amazing organization focused on ending homelessness in the city of Atlanta.

12. Your Local Church- make sure you are giving regularly to your local church body. That is the place to start.

8 End of week thoughts for 20 somethings

1. Learn it, relearn it, and then learn it again. Just because you are out of school doesn't mean you quit learning. Be a lifelong learner. 2. Being an expert is quickly fading in the current culture. Everyone is an expert these days because of technology and connectivity. Don't put your hope in being an expert, since now more than ever there is someone else who knows way more than you do.

3. We have to reclaim a sense of Biblical understanding, wisdom and practice. Our Biblical illiteracy as a generation is staggering, sobering and frustrating. Gotta get back in the Word. This starts with pastors and Christian leaders embracing and constantly teaching the Scripture.

4. Humility rules.No explanation needed.

5. As always, making it happen and "shipping" as Seth Godin says is still an incredibly fashionable attribute. If you can execute on a project... if you can get things done.... if you can take an assignment and drive it to completion.... You're still valued and incredibly needed.

6. Put the Xbox up, turn off facebook, get out a book (or your iPad), and start reading. Seriously.

7. Understand what you are FOR. Don't be defined by what you are against, but instead by what you are for.

8. Honor the elders and sages who have laid the groundwork for your influence. We might have different strategies and styles, but those who've gone before us deserve tremendous respect. Give it to them.

A How to for a Great Interview

So someone asked me recently to talk about the keys to being a great interviewer. I'm by no means an expert, but I'll try and provide some thoughts. Here you go:

1. Do your homework. You would be amazed how many people show up to do an interview and have no clue about who they are interviewing, and just try to wing it. It shows. Believe me.

2. Ask the question behind the question. Get under the surface. Dig deeper. Not to uncover gossip or something that is not relevant, but because someone has probably already asked the question you are thinking about asking. So ask a better one.

3. Shutup. No one wants to hear your answer to the question, otherwise the tables would be turned. Your job is to pull great content out of the interviewee, not to give your opinion.

4. Create a conversation, not just a serve and volley. When appropriate, give the sense to your listeners that you are sitting in a living room having coffee and catching up. Creating conversation is different than just giving your opinion or an answer to your question. Conversations require context, which means you have to have 20 or 30 questions ready to go for an interview that would usually be around 10 questions.

5. Don't interrupt unless you need to, keep your hands off the table, and save your "ums" and "uh-huhs" and "oh-yeahs" for after you're done. For audio or video purposes, your agreeing by saying something just muddies the water. It seems like the thing to do in person- giving your interviewee verbal feedback, but just stick with non-verbal. Sounds better when you don't respond. And hitting or tapping the table is picked up by microphones- seems obvious, but everyone forgets.....

6. Listen. Seems obvious, but great interviewers actually listen to an answer being given, instead of preparing for the next question and not actually hearing what the person is saying. Listening creates great follow up questions. And creates trust with the interviewee.

7. Provide your questions beforehand. Send your questions to the person you are interviewing before the interview so they can prepare.

8. Study the best. Watch Charlie Rose, Bob Costas, Barbara Walters, Oprah, etc. Learn from their style.

Tuesday Links of Interest

- To Write Love on Her Ams is up for 1 Million Dollars. Help out our friends at TWLOHA and founder Jamie Tworkowski. VOTE HERE. Voting ends this Thursday, December 8. Winner will be announced on NBC this Saturday. - New Catalyst Podcast interview with John Piper. Check it out. Stream here or download from iTunes.

- Great article from Jason Locy and Tim Willard on Manhood on the Relevant website.

- Love this article from Ian Morgan Cron- "Is Jesus just background music in your Life?"

- New Album entitled "Spirit Break Out" from my friends at Worship Central is great. Tim Hughes, Ben Cantelon and the gang. Download it!

- Am reading Mark Batterson's new book The Circle Maker right now. Loving it!

- Download a great Christmas Album featuring Christmas carols from LifeChurch.tv on iTunes for free. Featuring 12 great Christmas songs!

Building a Team

John Maxwell has famously said "teamwork makes the dream work." Teams are incredibly important in accomplishing a vision. And as the leader of organizations, projects, initiatives and churches, maybe the most important thing you do is select, equip and release leaders.

We talked a few posts ago about hiring new team members, so here are a few thoughts on building a team. Several of these points have been constructed and edited based on thoughts that Brian Houston from Hillsong Church shared with a few of us in a retreat setting a couple of years ago.

1. Live and lead so that your team is an overflow of your leadership. Your team will reflect your leadership. What you see in them is what you're modeling to them. Overflow to your team in a healthy positive way.

2. Don’t think too much, or too little, of yourself. You aren't the hero, but you're also not the goat. A healthy balance on this is the right direction.

3. Create a structure and system that allows people on your team to flourish. Can people flourish on your team, or does your personality or stature or the system get in the way? If someone can't flourish, why would they stay? Find structures that release people.

4. Don’t just look to people, look thru them. What is the next generation? Who will replace you? Constantly build layers of leadership – think generationally.

5. Hire heart before head every time. I want a hustler, not a know it all.

6. Slow and steady, not fast and furious. Building leaders takes time, but is always worth it. You may not always be able to find the right people, but you can always build into them. It's a marathon, not a sprint in terms of developing people.

7. Constantly fight the bureaucracy as you grow. People are not the problem, sometimes it’s the structure or systems. Even in large organizations, things happen with 3-5 people working closely together. Where there is bureaucracy, the team perishes.

8. Model strong leadership, and not controlling leadership. Your team doesn't want a dictator.

9. Create a culture where things are out in the open. Don't let issues fester too long.

10. Be consistent yet customized. Create an environment that is predictable (security) but innovative (creative).

A few tips for authors, thought leaders and experts

I knew Jon Acuff when..... Actually, I knew Jon Acuff way before he became the best-selling author of Stuff Christians Like and Quitter, and of course a popular speaker and blogger. Before he moved to Nashville, we used to occasionally get together for dinner and have great conversations around several issues, and Jon would always ask some great questions- one of which at the time was "what should I be aware of as a soon to be first-time author?"

I really respect Jon's willingness to learn from others, and to seek out folks in his life that can keep him grounded.

So here were the six big points I gave him on the issue of becoming an author and being a thought leader. But these points I think are applicable to any of us as leaders who are already experts or soon to be experts. Here you go:

1. Actively Build a Support Network- including those who can help you on the journey, and those who will be real with you regardless of what you become. Beware of CEO disease, the temptation to surround yourself with people who only tell you what you want to hear. Keep honest people in your life so that you can stay grounded in the reality of your experiences.

2. Don't think You've Arrived- Banish the phrase, "I'm done" from your vocabulary. The best leaders never stop learning and see every opportunity, success or failure, as a learning opportunity.

3. Don't take yourself so seriously. You're not a big deal. Seriously. I don't care who you are. Humility is way more attractive than arrogance.

4. Celebrate Your Rivals- Jealously is natural, but how you respond to it is not. When you find yourself tempted to speak ill about a rival or secretly wrestle with jealousy, flip that emotion on its head. Find ways to celebrate your rivals and when you run into a new one, let the first question you ask yourself be, "How can I help this person win?"

5. Be Generous. Both with your time as well as your expertise and experience. Don't forget- you were once a greenhorn who didn't know anything. As soon as you are an expert or a thought leader, it's time to start passing on what you know to others younger or less experienced than you. It's NOT the time to become arrogant and protected and sheltered by an assistant or entourage.

6. Flow between the five stages of creative development. Don't get stuck in one. Taken in concert, these five stages can be healthy, important parts of growing any creative endeavor. Isolated and obsessed on, any one of these stages can cripple your best intentions. Focus on moving between them. The key is to not just hang out in the "caretaker" stage, where you protect and defend everything you've developed, but instead keep returning to the "craft" stage, constantly creating new ideas, projects, organizations and impact.

STAGE #1- Craft – You create something out of passion for the art of it.

STAGE #2- Crowd – An audience discovers you're good at your passion.

STAGE #3- Commission – You earn money for the thing you love to do.

STAGE #4- Career – You turn a passion into your profession.

STAGE #5- Caretaker – You protect and nurture the thing you've created, and do everything you can to "defend" your turf. A dangerous phase.

We First Branding Seminar with Simon Mainwaring

I recently interviewed Simon Mainwaring for the Catalyst Podcast. Check out the interview here. Simon is the best-selling author of the book We First, and has helped some of the leading brands in the world with strategy and social media, through his consulting firm We First Branding.

Simon has just announced his first ever We First Social Branding Seminar to be held in Los Angeles on Feb.1-2, 2012. The seminar is specifically designed to help you define and articulate your organization/brand's purpose in a way that will emotionally connect with your community, and then to scale and amplify that message using the most effective social media strategies and tactics. Plus, every attendee gets to invite their favorite non-profit for free which is amazing! The early bird pricing ends next week so register now. I'm confident you'll get so much out of it.

Pastors, Church leaders and non-profit leaders- again, you can attend for FREE if accompanying a regular attendee. So check out this great seminar, listen to the podcast interview, and buy the book!

Keys for starting something New

Are you starting a new organization? A Church Planter? Entrepreneur? Involved in a small organization just getting started? Here are some tips for getting started:

1. Act like you've arrived. No one needs to know you're just starting. When you're small, act and think big. When you're big, act and think small.

2. Hire people you like. Look for chemistry first in terms of creating your initial core team.

3. If at all possible, don't work with your family. Start with competency, not relatives. And stay away from taking loans, venture capital, or seed money from family members as well.

4. Establish your values and organizational culture immediately. Build your organizational DNA early and often. And repeat.

5. Work hard, play hard. Have fun. Get things done.

6. Lean into interns. A great way to build capacity quickly. And to keep you young.

7. Establish partnerships. Look for opportunities to collaborate at every corner. Seek to build joint ventures.

8. Create benchmarks. Understand clearly who you want to be like, both personally and organizationally. Once you know, learn from them.

9. Celebrate constantly. Find the small wins as well as the big wins.

10. Seek feedback and accountability everywhere. Learn from everyone, and intentionally ask for input.

11. Create a board or advisory group, regardless of your corporate structure. You need this regardless of whether a church planter, entrepreneur, small business owner, or sole proprietor.

Face in the Mud Leaders

As leaders, many times we have to lay down, with our head face down, in the mud, in order for things to get done. Face in the Mud Leadership. Face in the Mud Leaders. What does this mean?

1. Instead of standing up and leading forward, many times we have to lay down and get out of the way.

2. No one likes to step in the mud, much less lay down in it, much much less lay down with your face in it. But sometimes as leaders we are called to sacrifice and get dirty.

3. Just because you may have to lay down in the mud, doesn't mean everyone else on your team has to do the same. Not all of your leadership principles being lived out aren't meant to be modeled by those around you.

4. Servant leadership sometimes means someone else walking over our back to get to the next big thing. And not always someone from your team- many times it could be you're getting walked over by the person you might have been arguing, competing, or at opposite ends with. You may have to serve truly as a bridge between side A and side B.

5. Face in the mud means no expectations or sense of "returning the favor" by those who might walk over your back or see you as the bridge to get somewhere. It's not a means to an end philosophy. Anything other than pure motives with this kind of leadership lived out will quickly be seen as unauthentic.

6. Face in the Mud doesn't mean you are wimpy or not willing to stand up- just the opposite. Face in the mud leadership is quiet strength. And being confident and competent as a leader.

(originally posted by me in 2009).

Young Influencers List, November edition

Here you go, the November edition of the Young Influencers List. Also, check out past names/lists from the last 4 years. 1. Brad Russell- founder of the Washington West Film Festival outside of DC.

2. Tripp Crosby- founder of Green Tricycle Studios, video producer, half of Tripp and Tyler, and awesome host.

3. Darius Wise- pastor and founder of Fresh Church Denver.

4. Jennie Allen- speaker and author of Stuck and Anything, resources focused on next generation women mentorship.

5. Chance Craven- founder of DRADT (Disaster Relief), traveler and entrepreneur.

6. Rachel Cruze- speaker and daughter of Dave Ramsey, she's motivating teens and students around leadership and money.

7. Future of Forestry- creating some great music. One of my favorite songs "Slow Your Breath Down."