What are you REALLY doing?

Don't you hate getting "called out"? You know what I mean... you're making excuses that you think everyone will accept, and someone asks you a question that gets right to the heart of the matter. Sometimes it's a relief to be able to get a struggle out in the open and get help. Sometimes it's a reality self-check that isn't always pretty. Have you been untruthful with yourself? Hiding from responsibilities? Strangled by fear? Just plain lazy? Take a moment to examine yourself and re-focus your energies. You can save energy when you use your time productively, instead of using your time to hide or make excuses. Make it a priority - it's much harder to hear it from someone else.

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Excuse or reason?

This past weekend, I listened to Sue Rusch, who is a Strategic Consultant, Speaker, & Business Coach (and also very tall). Of all the wonderful information she gave (and there was a lot), the one quote that really struck home for me was, "We can look at family as an excuse , or a reason ." Ouch! It's so easy to avoid the work that I know I need to do, by saying "my family time is more important". But what am I calling "family time"? Sitting in a dance studio during lessons? Watching tv while the rest of my family watches another tv? Sitting on a field watching soccer practice? Dinner together (but barely half the family is there)? Choose what is important. And be there. Remember the reasons that you chose leadership. And if your leadership is important, schedule your activities. And be there . No excuses. Thanks to everyone who is regularly (or even occasionally) reading this blog. I've been cover...

It's about them

One of my leadership activities is being a business coach. I help others identify their goals and plan strategies to achieve their goals. Very often, the initial coaching goes something like this- "What are your goals?" "These are my goals." "What do you need to do to achieve these goals?" "I need to do a,b,c." "When do you want to have these goals achieved?" "By this date." And then off they go. OK- so there is more, but this boils it down to the essentials. Next coaching (after they have actually done some of the steps) sometimes goes like this- "No one will a or b." "What was their objection?" "I asked them to a or b for me, and they just said no." "What did you offer them?" "I offered them a or b and they said no." "What was in it for them?" "I didn't even get to tell them because they said no." "So why would they want a or b?...

People test

"If you do not pass the people test, nothing else matters. Promotion without connectivity is destructive. I often share with church leaders that most of the churches in the United States should not promote themselves. Why? Simple. If your current membership is not actively inviting people or visitors are not staying, there are reasons why. If you do an advertising campaign, you are asking people to come in your doors only to realize why no one wants to invite anyone to your church. They never come back and leave to tell all their friends what they did not like about your church. This is not good marketing. The heart of marketing is people. Don’t start with mailers. Start with people. Ask yourself, “What am I doing this week to learn how to reach people more effectively? It's time to evaluate. Are we creating an atmosphere that fosters growth or are we ministering unto ourselves?" http://www.beyondrelevance.com/index.cfm/PageID/913/blog_year/2010/blog_month/2/index.html...

Leadership Lessons

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