Misc

A few links of interest

- Recent Catalyst Podcast includes a conversation between Tim Keller and Gabe Lyons. You'll want to check it out. - Do yourself a favor and go see the new Soul Surfer film that features the story of Bethany Hamilton, starring Carrie Underwood, Dennis Quaid, and Helen Hunt.

- 5 weeks until Catalyst in Dallas! Can't wait. If you are planning to attend, make sure and register this week. And you can use rate code FOB to save an additional 15% off your ticket price.

- Current reading list includes: Today We are Rich from Tim Sanders; Jesus, My Father, the CIA and Me from Ian Cron (advanced copy... doesn't release until June); Poke the Box from Seth Godin, and re-reading Five Dysfunctions of a Team from Patrick Lencioni

- Good article on how to reach Generation Z, those born between 1992 and 2010.

- Check out this great TED Talk from Morgan Spurlock;

The evolution of communication

Communication happens all the time, and has happened for a long time. Literally since the beginning of time. My take in terms of the advancement over time of the way we communicate. 1. Face to Face (verbal and non-verbal)

2. Written

3. Print

4. Phone

5. Radio

6. TV

7. Fax

8. Computer

9. Internet

10. Smart Phone (texting)

6 out of the 10 have been created in the last 100 years. What am I missing? What's next? Person to person without being face to face and through no device?? Telepathy?

Craig Groeschel is WEIRD

yep, that's right. I said it. And I can back it up!!

Craig Groeschel believes weird is good, and he's got a new book to prove it. The brand new book is entitled Weird: Because Normal Isn't Working. I've gotten to know Craig over the last several years and consider him a great friend. And I can tell you, this book is one of my favorites.

In case you didn't know, Craig is the founding and senior pastor of LifeChurch.tv, one of the most influential and innovative churches in the country, and around the world.

In the book, Craig gives advice and perspective on everything from debt overload to tech overload, and explains why normal isn't working anymore for so many Americans.

Do you want a meaningful life? Do you want to live a radical lifestyle? Then Craig's weird is for you- a different from what everyone else does weird with the goal of living according to God's grace and the truth of His Word. A Jesus kind of weird. "After all" he writes, "no one was weirder than Jesus."

Weird is good. And weird should be normal for us who call ourselves followers of Jesus.

I highly recommend this book! Buy it today.

Craig will be speaking at Catalyst in Dallas on May 12-13, and at the next Catalyst One Day event in Houston on August 25.

How High is Your EQ?

Measuring your IQ has been a standard for years and years. We determine how "smart" someone is by their IQ score. How about your EQ? Your emotional quotient. Your level of emotional intelligence. Your ability to read people, connect relationally, create long term friendships and relationships, etc.

Why is it that some folks just seem to have that sixth sense when it comes to connecting with people? Why is it that the one staff person can always talk the cranky accounting person into approving the difficult invoice that no one else can get pushed through? Certain folks seem to always get a yes, when you've tried and tried and get nothing more than a no.

This comes back to your EQ level. High EQ leaders typically are persuaders. They tend to move into influential positions more quickly and stay there.

There's no question that the higher your level of influence, the more relational equity you need to have. Most notable leaders throughout history have high EQ scores.

High level deals require high level EQ. High level positions require high level EQ. High level opportunities usually require a leader with high EQ. To make it work you gotta be able to connect.

The greatest salespeople in the world have off the chart EQ scores. They can easily connect with you and ultimately make you feel so positive about a conversation or a product or service that you just can't help but say yes.

The dominant voice on Emotional Intelligence over the last several years has been Daniel Goleman. Goleman's book Emotional Intelligence: Why it can Matter More than IQ is the classic EQ book. I highly recommend it.

Remember to work on your EQ as much as your IQ. Find others around you who are incredible at reading people and connecting with people and learn from them. Ultimately, just remember that your EQ factor is just as important as your IQ factor.

Free e-book from Tony Morgan

Go immediately and download this FREE e-book from Tony Morgan. Catalyst has partnered with Tony to make this resource available for free to leaders.

The e-book is titled Developing a Theology of Leadership. It's a great source of inspiration and practical application on the why of leadership.

Thanks Tony for making this great resource available!

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7 end of week thoughts for Next Gen Leaders

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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.

Interview with best-selling author Tim Sanders

My good friend Tim Sanders has a brand new book out titled Today We Are Rich. This book really serves as a prequel to Tim's first and best-known book Love is the Killer App. This is a book about confidence, and in the book Tim talks about 7 key principles that he learned from his grandmother Billye regarding confidence, essentials he considers life lessons that he promised to her he would never forget.

I had the chance to talk with Tim about the new book, the incredible legacy of his grandmother Billye, some of the ways he's struggled with confidence over the years and how he overcame those areas, what key principles from the book are most important for young next generation leaders, and his favorite music picks right now.

[vimeo]http://www.vimeo.com/21732932[/vimeo]

[vimeo]http://www.vimeo.com/21733418[/vimeo]

Also, Tim has made available an e-b00k with an extra couple of chapters for free on his website that you should definitely check out and download.

Thanks Tim!!

Catalyst is coming to Dallas!!

Catalyst is going to the BIG D, and I do mean Dallas!

I can't wait to be in Dallas on May 11-13 for our first ever multiple day Catalyst experience in Texas.

Catalyst Dallas is going to be an amazing time. 3,000 young leaders will converge on Bent Tree Bible Fellowship for an experience unlike any other.

Hear from leadership authorities including Andy Stanley, Matt Chandler, David Platt (author of Radical), Christine Caine, Donald Miller and Craig Groeschel , along with several innovative thinkers and practitioners like hip hop legend Rev Run, best-selling author Scott Belsky, International Justice Mission founder Gary Haugen, long-time activist Dr. John Perkins, ESPY winner Scotty Smiley, and charity: water founder Scott Harrison.

Plus, Catalyst Labs will feature innovative thought leaders like Michael Hyatt, Mark Batterson, Scot McKnight, Bob Goff, Mike Foster, David Kinnaman, Samuel Rodriguez, Amena Brown, Esther Havens, Shaun King, Dino Rizzo, Gayle Haggard, Jon Acuff, Lecrae, Margaret Feinberg, Chris Seay, Bianca Juarez, Jo Saxton, Vicky Beeching, Eugene Cho, Tyler Merrick, and Jenny White.

Musical guests include Lecrae, Gungor, and others.

Here's the deal- if you plan on attending, please make sure you register by tomorrow. After tomorrow- Thursday, March 31st - tickets will be full price. Call 888.334.6569 to speak to a Catalyst Concierge, or register online.

You can use Rate Code FOB for an additional 15% discount off your ticket price.

Hope to see you there!

 

Step out of your comfort Zone

We all have our comfort zones. Your home. Your office. The seat in the back right on the last row at Church. A certain restaurant you always go to. The same songs over and over again. Might be a group of friends that has been the same since high school. That favorite uncle you always play golf with on Saturday morning.

Whatever it is, we need to be leaders who take risks. And step out of our comfort zones. On a regular basis. This can be incredibly big life decisions, but many times it may just be a small decisions, or a small change in our usual routine, that can provide the momentum we need to consistently Step Out of our Comfort Zones.

Reality is, most of us by nature enjoy the same old routine, the luxury of the known, the safety of the convenient. Ultimately, it takes extra effort to step out, but if we're not risking and pushing ourselves out of the normal and routine, then we can't expect others around us who we lead to do the same.

Here are a few examples to get you thinking on how you can this week step out of your comfort zone.

1. attend a weekend service of a completely different religion than your own.

2. visit a local homeless shelter or soup ktichen.

3. walk somewhere instead of driving. Or ride a bike.

4. leave the TV off for one week straight.

5. read a book and download a song that you never would have before.

6. Call an old friend and get reacquainted.

7. Ask your neighbors how you can help them.

8. Take someone to lunch from your office who you've never had a conversation with before.

9. Go fishing, hunting, camping, or hiking. The key is outside.

10. Visit your local police station and fire department and take them food.

What are other simple ideas that help you step out of your comfort zone?

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Jack Dorsey and Dave Ramsey from Catalyst Backstage

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Here's a couple of great interviews from Catalyst Backstage, earlier this month at Catalyst West. Featuring Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter; Dave Ramsey, best-selling author, financial expert and national radio host, and Jon Acuff, acclaimed blogger and author of Stuff Christians Like and soon to release book Quitter.

Enjoy!

Watch live streaming video from catalystbackstage at livestream.com

Watch live streaming video from catalystbackstage at livestream.com

6 Warning signs of being too big for your britches

This post ties in directly to the previous post on 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.

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.

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

Who are You Accountable to?

Leaders: Who are you accountable to? Who speaks truth into your life? Your spouse? Your best friend? Your boss? Your co-workers?

Who has the right to honestly tell you when you are wrong, and make sure you stay in touch with reality?

Do you have someone, or a group of people, who will challenge you, tell you when you are wrong, confront you on the tough issues, make your aware of areas where you might be missing the mark?

If not, figure this out. Quick. If you are surrounded by only yes people, you're probably unaware of things that could be jeopardizing your leadership.

We all have dysfunctions. Every leader does. But our healthy response to our own dysfunctions depends on how much we let others "in" and give them full access to pushing back and kicking us in the tail if we are off base.

For many leaders, the greatest threat to our influence is our tendency to read our own press clippings, and continually put a "wall" up around us that protects us from any kind of honest feedback.

Don't do this. Avoid the temptation to "remove" yourself from healthy accountability.

We need people around us who will tell us what we don't want to hear, when we don't want to hear it. Identify these people in your life, and give them full access to keeping you in check.

Motivation Matters

Watching VCU (Virginia Commonwealth University) storm through their first 3 games in the NCAA Basketball Tournament reminded me just how important MOTIVATION is to each of us accomplishing the goals we have in front of us. Motivation Matters. Just ask the team members from VCU.

If you're not familiar with what happened, here's the short synopsis: when the 68 team field was first released last Sunday, March 13, VCU was one of the teams that every basketball pundit was convinced shouldn't have made the cut into the tournament. Not good enough, couldn't guard, no quality wins, competition wasn't good enough, weak conference, and on and on and on. Well, the VCU team took those stabs and cuts and harsh words to heart, with a pure motivation to prove everyone wrong. And now we look back one week later and see three wins in a row, all by more than 15 points in each game. Their magical run through the tournament continues into this week in the Sweet 16.

Motivation matters. It fuels us. Gives us the staying power, and the drive to overcome.

VCU felt like "it's us against the world" and they proved everyone wrong.

As leaders, we have to constantly be aware of the current motivation factors in place for our teams. Maybe for you it's "us against the world," or maybe it's simply trying to beat last month's #'s? Whatever the case, it's important that we put motivational triggers in place to fuel a sense of accomplishment and focus.

Interview with Eugene Peterson, writer of the Message

Recently at Catalyst West, we had the chance to hear from Eugene Peterson, longtime writer, pastor, leader and translator of the Message Bible. We also presented Eugene with the Catalyst Lifetime Achievement Award. Our good friend Rick McKinley, pastor of Imago Dei in Portland, OR, had the chance to interview Eugene.

[vimeo]http://www.vimeo.com/21067990[/vimeo]

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Young Influencers List, March edition

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Here you go, the Young Influencers List for March. You can see all the past editions here. 1. Dominic Balli- songwriter, pop/hip-hop/reggae musician and performer. Recently performed at Catalyst West.

2. Jarrod Shappell- helped start a church in San Francisco called IKON. Also involved with the Faith Amplifier Project.

3. Jason Petty- otherwise known as Propaganda, a talented rapper, writer and spoken word artist. Recently performed at Catalyst West.

4. Amanda Peck- founder of ReSurface Art, creating custom art on vintage surfboards, with a cause- portion of proceeds go to clean wells in partnership with World Vision.

5. Rebekah Weigel- c0-writer and producer, along with her husband Josh, of the recent blockbuster short film The Butterfly Circus.

6. Drew Holcomb- singer/songwriter/rocker out of Nashville. Currently on tour with his band "Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors".

Do you know of other young leaders who should be featured as part of the Young Influencers List? If so, leave a comment with name and organization.

Are you hiring or firing?

Hire or Fire. Adding or Deleting. A fairly good indicator of what is happening in general within your organization. We ask this to each other all the time. Sometimes it's direct and specific, and sometimes it's more generic in nature.

"How's business?" "You all adding anyone to the team?" "You got any openings?" "Wow, I can't believe you had to let so and so go." "You guys are really expanding." "Times must be tough since ....."

These are actually not just specific questions for leaders, but more of a mindset.

An outlook. A point of view. A way in which we approach the year. A philosophy or principle of management and leadership that permeates throughout your team and your organization.

Are you growing and multiplying, or are you reeling and cutting and removing folks from the organization? Are you risking and pushing for more opportunities, or are you focused solely on cutting costs and scaling back? Do you see this year as a chance to expand, or as a chance to minimize?

Most of the time, if you are hiring, that means you are growing, which in turn means you are doing well and need more folks on the team to accomplish the mission. Right?

And if you are firing, that means you are cutting, which in turn means you are not doing well and need less team members because you are not hitting your numbers and need to slash costs in order to hit the budget. Right?

It's not that simple. But still a really good indicator.

Now, in regards to team members, think of your team right now in terms of three types of team members- those that are irreplaceable, those that are integral, and those that are expendable. Get rid of the expendable ones, absolutely value and honor the irreplaceable ones, and equip and grow those that are integral.

5 Ways to Grow as a Leader

5 Simple Ways to Grow in your Leadership: 1. Read- leaders are readers. Pure and simple. I recommend business books, Christian living, historical biographies/autobiographies, and magazines. And of course the Bible as your #1 source.

2. Serve- jump in and help wherever needed. Ultimately, just keep Leading- more and more and more. The more you lead, the better leader you will be. And believe me, if you keep asking to take on leadership in your organization, you will continue to have more responsibility piled on you.

3. Watch- and learn from those around you. Who are more experienced, wiser, and have something to offer. Find a few leaders who you want to learn from, and seek them out. Ask them for advice.

4. Pray- the prayers of a righteous man accomplish much. Pray for wisdom, pray for favor, pray that your influence will be expanded. And pray for humility.

5. Connect- hang around other leaders. Go where other leaders are. Catalyst, Leadership Summit, Leadercast, etc. Local gatherings. Small roundtables. Large conferences. Lunches. Receptions. Whatever. Osmosis really does work when it comes to growing as a leader. And getting outside of your "norm" is essential to growth- many times just hearing how another leader is handling a situation will bring great clarity and perspective.

What is your treasure?

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:21 Where is your treasure? Is it in your house, your clothes, your possessions, your job?

What is your treasure? Is it fame? Is it power? Is it comfort? Is it belonging?

Or is it in the Kingdom of Heaven, and the things of eternity?

David Platt rocked it at Catalyst West, and challenged us to consider where we are storing up treasures. Either treasures on earth, or treasures in heaven.

Are we willing to trade in all of our possessions in order to receive the Kingdom of Heaven, as the man does in Matthew 13:44? Upon finding the treasure in the field, he goes and sells all that he has, in order to buy the field and own the treasure that is hidden in the field. A treasure so immeasurably amazing that it's worth sacrificing all in order to receive it.

Where are you investing? Where are you spending? Where are you sacrificing? It all gives an indication of where your heart is. For where your heart is, there also is your treasure.

Catalyst Week is complete!!

Been out on the West Coast all week in Orange County at Mariners Church for Catalyst West. Been an amazing time, with 3500 leaders together ready to Take Courage. We were broadcasting all week from Catalyst Backstage. If you weren't able to tune in, you can still watch all the interviews and segments on our archive page. With all the speakers, guests, musicians, and more.

Also check out a few of the great pics from Catalyst West.

Take Courage to step into all that God has created you to be!

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