Champion Style Free Throws

Recently I witnessed the power of consistency at work in a significant way.

I am not a basketball fan, but I caught myself watching the NBA finals this past week as the Dallas Mavericks battled the Miami Heat.

As you may know now, Dallas won and are the current NBA champions.

A huge key to their success came from the accurate free throw shots made by power forward Dirk Nowitzki. Every time Nowitzki stepped up to the line it resulted in points for the Mavs. He never missed! Not once!!

The actual stat for Nowitzki's free throw performance was 94.1%!

Now that's consistency!!

As it relates to leadership, my question is: when we step to the "line" can we make the shot?

Consistency is getting the job done the same way every time. That is what the people we lead are looking for from us. More than being a "hit-or-miss" player, we have the burden of responsibility to be focussed and steady over the long haul.

1. Consistency says, "I'll be there"

2. Consistency says, "My character is rock solid"

3. Consistency says, "I'm the same person off the stage that I am on the stage"

4. Consistency says, "My emotions are in check"

5. Consistency says, "You can trust me"

I challenge us all to reflect on our consistency or lack thereof and see what our leadership-lifestyle is telling us and those we lead.

Drive...

Okay so we enter into part 2 of our theme: 3 words - drive, consistency, celebration

Thought for today: drive is the byproduct of passion

Think about this for a moment, no one has to pry you out of bed to do the things that you love doing. We rarely have to set alarm clocks for those events and activities that "get our motor running." If you are anything like me you will actually plan for and heavily anticipate those moments. We live our life constantly moving in the direction of our passions.

As leaders if we expect any drive we must learn to tap into our passions.

It's that simple. So from now on find out what makes you come alive as a leader and shift a great majority of your time and energy into refining those few things. Now don't misunderstand me there will be seasons that we must focus on other things that aren't as immediately fulfilling, but these are only "pacers" in our lives.

By "pacers" I am referring to things that help us regain our course and prepare for the next leg of the race. Being from the south I am constantly in contact with more than a few NASCAR fans (sometimes I think there are more NASCAR fans than people!). In NASCAR, just before the start of full blown 200 mph racing or whenever a crash happens the officials send out a pace car that keeps the race cars in check. Pace cars are in no way, shape, or form as powerful as the NASCARs but they serve a critical function: restraint.

Those things in our leadership that are not necessarily our passions, but are integral to the daily functioning of our organizations operate like pace cars in our leadership. Simply drop your speed, get in line, and get ready for the green flag to drop!

Now back to our passions...

I have heard said that whatever you obsess about you bring about. That is so true. If I obsess about being the greatest guitarist on the planet, I will spend my time and money making that dream a reality. If I obsess about being the skinniest person in my family, I will sacrifice eating fried chicken and cornbread so I can make that dream a reality. And in my leadership if I obsess about making quotas, gaining new ground, increasing sales, retaining members, etc. I will naturally find ways to make that/those dream(s) a reality.

Pause for a moment and make a mental list of your 5 greatest passions as a leader...

...I'll wait...

Now that you have those passions in mind ask yourself:

1. What will it take to make this a reality?
2. How much time/money will I have to invest?
3. What new skills/techniques will I have to learn?
4. What old skills/techniques/mindsets will I have to unlearn?
5. Who can help me make this a reality?
6. Am I willing to give up whatever it takes to achieve these goals?
7. Would I be able to sleep at night knowing that I am pursuing these goals?
8. Is my family 100% completely supportive of this venture?
9. Do I have the stamina to stay in for the long haul?
10. Is it really worth it?

These 10 questions will get you started as you whittle out a gameplan for your passions. I want to encourage you to stop looking outside of yourself for something meaningful to give your life to. The secret to your fulfillment is within your heart. Dig deep and find the dream that just won't die. Unearth the power of your imagination and let your heart provide the drive as you mine the riches of your passion.

Remember drive is a byproduct of passion. What the world needs is not someone who knows how to "be a leader." What the world needs is someone who knows how to be passionate about a worthwhile cause.

Passion brings promotion.

Passion brings productivity.

Passion brings purpose.

Passion brings pain.

Passion brings pleasure.

Passion brings power.

Unlock your passion and start driving today!!!

3 Words

Recently I have been a part of a "renewal" of sorts. I find myself once again faced with the reality of actualized passion and am forced to decide how I will respond. Will I let the habits and patterns that have defined me during my recent history continue to shape my future or will I chose to take the proverbial "leap of faith" and tread out into new territory.

I think I'll tread.

A few days ago, during a conversation with God I strongly sensed the voice of the Holy Spirit release 3 words into my heart that must be at the forefront of this season of my life. I believe these 3 words are not only helpful to me personally as a leader, but to all leaders in general. So with that in mind, over the next few weeks I will try my best to unpack what these words mean to your everyday leadership.

Those words are: drive, consistency, and celebration.

As a leader without drive you will never go anywhere. Regardless of whether your organization is a 1976 Ford Pinto or a 2011 Zo6 Corvette, if you don't drive you don't move.

So I ask you: how is your drive?

As a leader without consistency you will never accomplish anything with staying power. Simply put, to leave a legacy full of staying power your leadership must exemplify staying power.

So I ask you: how is your consistency?

As a leader without celebration you will never fully appreciate how far you have come and how far you can go. We must make it a very high priority to celebrate EVERY win. Both big and small. A win is a win. And wins are the fuel for organizational momentum.

So I ask you: how is your celebration?

Check back regularly and let's weigh in on these 3 powerful points of leadership!

Unicycles and Bowling Pins

As many of you know I am an avid Georgia Bulldogs football fan.

With that being said, I recently heard an amazing story about star (sadly former) wide receiver A.J.Green that simply blew me away.

A. J. is a multi-talented player on the football field, but what many people don't know is that he has also mastered the art of juggling. Now that doesn't impress many people these days, but consider this: he juggles while simultaneously riding a unicycle!

Yep...a unicycle. We're talking full blown Wringling Brothers stuff here.

I can't think of a better picture of what everyday leadership looks like. You and I have answered a high call to be out front blazing the trail of our organizations. We take many hits and make many decisions all looking into the future success of our teams. There are countless meetings, conversations, goals, and people that we constantly are forced to juggle in order to make the whole thing flow.

Our ability to keep everything in the air is nothing short of miraculous! My encouragement to you in this season is to keep juggling. It may seem like you are trying to balance a unicycle and keep a bazillion bowling pins from hitting the ground, but keep juggling.

That's kind of the definition of management. Now for years many people have thought that management was a bad word in the arena of leadership, but this is false. You show me a great leader and I'll show you a great manager. The two are inseparable. So brush off those people skills, get your daily planner out and make it happen. I have come to learn that often it is in the juggling that we are silently driving our organizations forward. So you may feel like a clown at the circus, but the "greatest show on earth" is your group gaining new ground and making things happen positively for your team.

Getting back to A. J. the big thing about his amazing talent of juggling while unicycling is that he started doing it to do something "cool" and to improve his hand-eye coordination. As a wide receiver in division 1 college football (and the NFL where he is headed) hand-eye coordination is crucial.

Realize that your juggling is actually making you a better leader. You're not juggling for juggling's sake, you are getting better everyday.

A Lesson From a Tree

I recently had one of those days that we all hate. One of those days where everything that can go wrong does!

I was late to work. All day the boss was less than pleasant. Spent a bunch of money on a battery for my wife's car...only to have the car break down two blocks from our house. Had to skip dinner to go to church. Worked on the car after church...as the snow started falling (still with no food in my belly!).

We all have those days. It is somewhat comforting to me to know that even people like Bill Gates and Donald Trump have days where everything seems to fall apart.

The significant thing that I want to mention here is this: How do you deal with adversity?

As leaders we all face hard times. People quit, the new idea flops, we can't get any volunteer help on weekends, etc. Chalk it all up to adversity.

As I was standing there next to my wife's newly broken down car (as the fresh snow began to fall all around me) I just so happened to glance across the street where I gained inspiration. I saw one of the largest "Christmas" trees that I have ever seen in my life. This thing was enormous. It shot up toward the heavens with great girth and it's limbs were broad and strong. There were more layers to this tree than in any tree that I have ever seen in my life.

And here it was teaching me about leadership.

I want to be that tree. I want my life to stretch toward heaven. I want my impact to be broad like the limbs of that tree. I want to show strength to all who are sensitive to notice. And here is the catch: in order for that tree to be impressive it had to persevere through many storms.

I would never have thought about perseverance that night had the tree been blown over by the first wind that passed through town. And the same is true of our leadership. We will never make a significant impact until we have the currency of perseverance.

Let me say that again...

We will never make a significant impact until we have the currency of perseverance.

Our roots must go deep and we must grow stronger as we go higher. Realize that you have been planted on this earth and the goal of life is to leave something meaningful behind.

Let your roots grow deep EXACTLY where you have been planted. Stand tall through whatever adversity you are facing now or in the future. Set your gaze toward heaven and spread your influence EXACTLY where you are planted. Stick it out. It ain't as bad as you think it is right now and it ain't as good as you think it is on the other side of the fence.

Your life and your leadership is what you make of it.

Stick it out believing that you are growing into the strongest tree that you can be. Earn the currency of perseverance by setting your roots deep. You can make it!

When You Do It, I'll Do It

Recently during a time of prayer I was crying out to God about my heart. If you are anything like me you know the feeling of "not good enoughness" that tends to creep in from time to time. I mean as much as I understand grace theologically I should be the first to embrace it practically.

But there lies my problem...grace is good enough to cover everyone else's sins except mine.

Now I don't go right out and say that to myself, but under the surface I believe it to be true. I understand that God is love and that Christ's outstretched arms on the Cross are proof that I am special to him, but I know what I do on a daily basis. I'm there sitting in the front row of my life witnessing every negative thought, every slip of the lip, every frustrated moment, every day-dream of killing my boss, every selfish argument with my wife, every time I pull the dogs' leash a little too tightly, every time etc.

I wish I had a restart button.

It was during this "God my heart is crap and so am I" prayer that I was reminded of something that I had advised our church recently (I hate it when my own words are used against me), James 4.8 says, "Draw near to God and he will draw near to you."

That's the answer!

It's so simple...

...a little too simple...

So you mean to tell me this whole time that instead of waiting on God to spiritually thump my heart and make me "on fire" again all I have to do is make the first move?!!?

It was then that I heard God's voice speaking to my heart. "When you do it, I'll do it."

Don't wait on "God" or whatever lame excuse anymore! Get up, get out, and make something happen. Stop rolling over in the mud of your daily sins and struggles. Throw them at the foot of the Cross and make the first move!!!!

Why?

"When you do it, I'll do it!"

The Pain Chart

Have you ever gone to the hospital for a check up or to get medicine for a sickness?

If so you've probably noticed the pain chart that hangs in every doctor's office on the face of the planet. It's that simple little chart that lists the severity of a patient's pain on a scale of 1 to 10 using various expressions of the classic "smiley face."

On pain level "1" the face doesn't contort to much and doesn't seem to be in too much pain. Pain level "10" is a totally different story though. On level "10" the smile is gone from the "smiley face" and the actual color has changed from a pleasant yellow hue to a harsh red full of pain and suffering.

I bring up the pain chart today because it teaches a great principle of leadership that we all must learn to appreciate and appropriate if we are ever going to be successful in our endeavors. We must learn to assess our level of pain and understand how to deal with it.

Dr. Sam Chand says that, "A leader's level of leadership is directly proportionate to his or her threshold for pain."

What a telling statement.

It is not that we're only as good as what we produce, but rather we're only as good as what we can endure. In short, what level on the pain chart are you at?

Leadership is a painful experience. People can't see as far as you can see, people can't hear as clearly as you can hear, people can't believe as fervently as you believe, etc. People will misunderstand you and misinterpret your efforts to drive the organization forward. People will lose faith and trust in you. People will betray you.

What level on the pain chart are you at?

I've said it a million times before: we must learn how to properly process pressure. In our context for today it is equally valid to say: we must learn how to properly process pain. We must realize that pain is a part of the process of leadership. Once you grasp that simple insight you will be better prepared to deal with the various challenges and trials of leadership.

Remember the greater your vision, the greater the guarantee of pain. All great visions attract great pain. Alexander the Great conquered the known world by the time he was 30...he died before 40, Martin Luther tacked his 95 theses to the door at Wittenburg...he was excommunicated from the Church and labeled a lifelong heretic, the American settlers battled against the tyranny of English rule and reign in order to secure a country of their own...they fought and died for the cause in the American revolution.

All great visions attract great pain.

With this in mind we must prepare ourselves to endure more pain. If we know that pain is a part of the process of leadership we would be smart to develop greater dexterity for the pain that we are guaranteed to face.

I. Have people around you that you can talk with.

I cannot say this enough: friends are your most important assets when dealing with pain. Bring a handful of people that you care about and that care about you into your life and allow yourself the opportunity to cry on their shoulders. Let these people be the lateral leaders around you that care not about securing your position, but about lifting you to a higher place of leadership.

II. Remember the vision.

This is probably the most cheesy of the tips, but we have got to continually place the vision before us so that we don't lose heart while we face various trials and tribulations. If you have a vision worthy of the pain you will be able to endure. Always remember your suffering is not in vain, but rather is a pothole on the road to fulfilled vision.

III. Journal the journey.

Some of the greatest and most inspiring tales in life are the chronicles of the great explorers. Their journals from the travels around the world have inspired people for generations. The reason is because people can identify with the humanity of the journey. We should take a page from their playbook and journal the journey. Every time you find yourself in the midst of a painful situation take the time to write out what's going on and how you feel. I know this may feel a little counselor's couch-ish, but trust me it is a very therapeutic way to help get your thoughts together and better understand how to deal with the pain you are experiencing.

These three steps are intended to motivate you to find closure for the painful encounters of leadership. While leadership can be painful at times it is the most rewarding thing any of us have ever done. It is the wind in our sails and the desire of our lives. To be pregnant with a vision that will change the world means that when the delivery time comes there will be great pain. Only as we deal with this pain can we bring new life into the world around us. We must know where we are at on the pain chart and be ready to properly process pain so that we can birth our destinies into the earth in our generation.