Misc

Young Influencers List- February edition

Here you go, the February edition of the Young Influencers List. You can also check out the Archives of past months. Remember kids, order of the list does not mean anything... there is no ranking system in order here in terms of which names are where.... now, back in the pool.

February Edition:

1. Barton Damer- motion graphics, animation, designer and illustration guru. Follow his blog here. 

2. Wendy Kopp- founder of Teach For America, an amazing organization that places recent college graduates as teachers in poor communities and underperforming schools across the country. 

3. John Bishop- pastor of Living Hope Church in Vancouver, Washington. This guy is the real deal. 

4. Kristian Stanfill- many of you are probably aware of Kristian. A talented songwriter and worship leader who recently released a new EP. Leads at North Point, Catalyst, and Passion events regularly. 

5. Jon Gordon- best-selling author of The No Complaining Rule and The Energy Bus. He is impacting major influencers in the business/corporate community. 

6. Austin Gutwein- founder of Hoops of Hope, and one of my heroes. Austin has impacted more people at 14 than most of us will during our entire lives.

TED Talks

I am a big TED fan. Love the diversity and depth of speakers they gather every year for the annual TED Conference. What's great is they post the talks from the event on their website for all to enjoy. 

Do yourself a favor and find a couple of hours of free time.... pop yourself some popcorn, sit down on the couch, and watch some of the talks. I highly recommend Bill Gates most recent presentation, as well as Sir Ken Robinson on creativity, David Merrill on digital blocks, and Benjamin Zander on music and passion. 

There are many, many more to take in besides these. Thanks TED for providing such a great medium for learning - for all of us.

Off the Blogs Evening with Carlos, Anne, and Jon

Off the Blogs on Feb 26 in Buckhead. 7:00 pm. This will be a great evening. Three influential bloggers- Carlos Whittaker, Anne Jackson, and Jon Acuff, with worship led by Aaron Keyes and the conversation moderated by Pete Wilson. You need to attend. Register Here right now. And if you are attending the Catalyst One Day event at North Point on Feb. 26, your registration for the Off the Blogs evening is included. Just pick up a wrist band during the day at North Point.

Interview with Guy Kawasaki

Check out the latest Catalyst Podcast featuring an interview with Guy Kawasaki, mega-blogger and twitter extraordinaire, managing director of Garage Technology Ventures, former Apple Fellow at Apple Computer, and author and speaker. Guy will be a featured speaker at Catalyst West Coast. 

You can stream the interview from the Catalyst website or download from itunes.

Recent Office Videos

It's Wednesday. Thought I would provide a little lighthearted entertainment from the Catalyst offices over the last few days. First, a visit from an NFL legend, Mr. Morten Anderson, the all-time leader in points scored in NFL History. That's right, NFL history. The greatest kicker of all time. And pretty good at tossing the ole bean bag as well.  And the second video, just our team acting like 8th graders, trying to see who can outperform the other at push ups. Let's just say yours truly was the favorite....

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Are you competent?

Are you a competent leader? Competent- having suitable of sufficient skill, knowledge, and experience. Doesn't seem like a stretch to try and be competent at your job and as a leader. Another definition of competent- adequate, but not exceptional. Wow, sign me up.... every since a child dreaming about what I would be when I grow up I dreamed of being adequate.... yeah, not real inspiring, huh.  How about being Exceptional as a leader? How about being the best in the world at your skill or area of expertise. How about being #1 in your industry as an organization. That seems a bit more inspiring than adequate, average or suitable.

Being competent is the norm. Being exceptional is the unusual.  

Websites you should check out

I've run across some great websites recently. Not necessarily for the content on the site, but more for the design, layout, aesthetics, and overall feng-shui. If you run across something on any of these sites that is not uplifting, sorry. I didn't scan the sites to make sure they were rated G.  Check these out in your free time today between meetings: 1. Chichov

2. Kenya Imagine (thanks to Guy Kawasaki for the link on this one)

3. Work At Play

4. C3 Conference

5. Konigi 

6. White House (great design for a government site)

Interview with Pete Scazzero and Jon Gordon

Check out the latest Catalyst Podcast, featuring a recent interview with Pete Scazzero, the Senior Pastor of New Life Fellowship in New York City and author of Emotionally Healthy Spirituality. Pete shares some really wise insight on the issue of being emotionally healthy and living in rhythm, plus tells the story of his church and the role they play in the heart of Queens, NY.  Also on the podcast is a profile interview with Jon Gordon, the best-selling author of The Energy Bus and The No Complaining Rule. 

Download from itunes or stream on the Catalyst website. And if you are a pastor, check out the Emotionally Healthy Conference that Pete will be hosting at New Life Fellowship on May 1-2 in New York City.

Speed of the Leader, Speed of the Team

Been reading Bill Hybels latest book Axiom. It is a great resource for leaders. Basically includes short chapters with 2 or 3 page thoughts from Bill on a number of leadership areas. 

One particular lesson that stands out to me is the principle of "Speed of the Leader, Speed of the Team." As Bill writes, "If you cannot say 'Follow me' to your followers - and mean it - then you've got a problem. A big one." This is a great statement. Leaders must never expect from others anything more than they're willing to deliver themselves. The leader should set the tone. 

Speed of the Leader, Speed of the Team. Don't expect your team to give or fight or sacrifice or Love or Forgive or Stay focused more than you are. 

Lead by Example.

Catalyst ONE Day

Really excited about the next Catalyst One Day event coming up later this month at North Point here in Atlanta on Thursday, February 26th. Just had a meeting with Andy yesterday regarding the program and content flow. Andy and Craig Groeschel combined for one day of leadership content and practical nuts and bolts application is a home run. I believe these are two of the leading voices in the Church today, and both have wisdom for all leaders, young and old. Lots of time for Q and A, which is obviously unique and much different than the larger Catalyst event environments. And great worship led by Steve Fee, Todd Fields, and Eddie Kirkland, all regular leaders at North Point.  If you plan on attending, make sure and register by end of day TODAY (February 5) so you can get the best rates available. 

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Also, after we are done with Catalyst One Day at North Point, plan to join Carlos Whittaker, Anne Jackson, Jon Acuff, Pete Wilson, and Aaron Keyes for the first ever "Off the Blog" Gathering the evening of February 26th at 7:30 pm in Buckhead. More details to follow.

The tension of Ambition

There are a number of things in our lives that live in tension. As leaders, most of us are ambitious by nature, and this seems to be a constant source of tension. Not necessarily bad tension, but tension none the less.

Ambition. Seen by many as a negative word- way too secular and worldly. Not something that always gets mentioned at the annual church or non-profit awards banquet when introducing the volunteer of the year. There's lots of evidence of bad ambition in our worlds- too many ambitious folks we know have ended up burning out, burning up, or leaving a path of destruction.

If you are a leader, especially a type A, you feel this constantly. I know I do. Wanting to move forward and conquer the next hill, but also knowing that the greatest way to get there is not necessarily by leaving everyone around you in the ditch. Many times it seems the best way to make something happen is to do it myself- a classic sign of the ambitious type. The question is what does GOOD ambition look like? Ambition that allows for things to happen, for new ideas to be launched, teams to excel, etc. 

For me, I have learned a couple of ways to try and manage the tension, and the best way to explain is with a concentric circle model- what I consider the Inner, Middle, and Outer Circle Influence principle. First, I have a few folks around me who keep me in check regarding my ambitions- this is the inner circle. Why are you doing this? Is this for the organization's benefit or for your own? Who will be impacted by this decision, and in a positive or negative way? How are you growing as a leader? Second, I try to make sure that my leadership is accessible as possible to those I interact with regularly- both to my team as well as to partners, vendors and associates-this is the Middle Circle. I have learned (and watched) that many times ambition goes sour and turns negative when Type A leaders push everything in their lives towards being as private as possible. This is a mistake. It doesn't mean that you have to broadcast every part of your life, but it does mean that you should be upfront and authentic with those around you, especially those you are working with or partnering with on a regular basis. Third, don't worry about what others say who don't know you- this is the Outer Circle. Many of us struggle with ambition because we are trying to please or gain credibility with people who really don't matter or ultimately could care less. And too much of our energy gets used on trying to get noticed by those on the far outside of our "influence" circle. Stick to the basics.

Hope that is helpful.

Start of the Week

A few thoughts as we begin the last week of January 1. Wow, how about the historic events of last week. A great moment in history. Now the work begins. In the meantime, check out this amazing pic that Los tracked down. I spent an hour looking at it. Seriously. 

2. How are you doing with your New Year's resolutions?

3. Working hard on the speaker lineup for Catalyst East in October. I am really excited about who we have so far, and who is in the works. Several favorites will be returning for the 10th year anniversary.

4. Heading to Dallas this week for the Innovation3 Gathering being put on by Leadership Network. Really looking forward to it. If you are going to be there let me know. Would love to say hello. 

5. In honor of all of the award shows happening in Hollywood over the next several weeks (and tonight), I think I am going to start asking everyone I talk to "who are you wearing today?" 

6. If you are a twitter user, make sure to follow Guy Kawasaki and Robert Scoble. Between the two of them, you'll get all the info you need on staying up to date with all things in technology and innovation. 

7. Great article in Fast Company on Shaun White, the skateboarding/snowboarding mega superstar. 

8. Saw Cirque du Soleil on Friday night. Amazing. The creativity and attention to detail within the program is off the charts. A great book on the innovation within Cirque is The Spark. It's been out for several years, but if you haven't read it, I highly recommend it.

Are you a Finisher?

I love people who execute. Who get it done. When it comes to hiring new employees, no other characteristic is more important than someone who can finish. It is the #1 trait related to work ethic that I look for in a new hire.  Anyone can come up with a new idea, a new concept, a new pithy word, a new organization, or a new perspective. What ultimately matters is were you able to take an idea from concept to completion. And to do that, you have to have finishers on your team. The folks who are intrinsically wired to make things happen, and bulldog their way to the finish line. They find joy in checking things off the list. But not just a task machine. Anyone can take an order and then go complete it. What matters is whether you can carry the ball all the way down the field and cross the finish line. 

Take a moment and think about who that is on your team. If you don't have someone in this role, go find them immediately. This is incredibly important if you are the leader- you have to have someone on your team in whom you have ultimate confidence that if you hand them a project, they will get it done... and without your constant management of them. The answer can't constantly be "we're still working on it....". That is an excuse for either being lazy or unfocused. You're either moving forward or backwards.

For our team here at Catalyst, it is imperative that everyone plays the finisher role. Now some have to more than others, but no one can only be the "idea" guy. Everyone is required to execute and own projects from start to finish. It's a non-negotiable. We take incredible pride in being able to take a concept and turn it into a finished project. This is a distinctive part of our culture here. We're serious about it. It's part of our DNA. 

And for all you type A's, you can't do everything yourself, even though you think you can. Find someone who can carry the load alongside you.

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