A good friend of mine offers alot of great insights on marketing, social media, influence, and leadership. Check out Daniel Decker’s site which includes articles such as the following:
14 Ways to Expand Your Influence
Building Trust-Five of the Hardest Words to Say
25 Free eBooks & Manifestos for Business, Marketing, Blogging, Ideas, Productivity and More
What are some of your favorite new sites?
Recently I read The Biblical Story of Moses: Lessons in Leadership for Business by Paul J. Herskovitz and Esther E. Klein. The authors posed an interesting idea:
“Moses’ failure of leadership is the result of his failure to take into account the differences between the two generations.”
They suggested that Moses did not enter the Promised Land because he did not know how to adapt to leading a new generation.
To prove their point, the authors quoted Nathaniel Helfgot with the following:
“Moses, by hitting (the rock) rather than speaking (to the rock), responds to this current crisis in precisely the same fashion as he had responded to the problems of the generation that had left Egypt thirty-eight years before. It was not the sin and its severity that caused Moses to lose the privilege of leadership. Moses’ “desert response” to this second water-crisis revealed that he was not a leader who could address the concerns and crises of a new generation, one which would enter the Land of Israel. It was clear that he was still tied to methods and perspectives of leadership which, though proper for the needs and concerns of the generation that left Egypt, were ineffective and inappropriate in the new situation.”
We need to work hard to understand the issues we are facing AND the people involved in those issues.
I wonder, which issues are we currently mishandling because we are more focused on the issue than the people involved in the issue?
At Mosaic we seek to reach people and raise up leaders. Our staff mentoring process remains a big part of our efforts in equipping people to make a difference.
Seth Godin’s book Tribes is a nice little read filled with helpful insights. He writes:
“Leadership is scarce because few people are willing to go through the discomfort required to lead.
It’s uncomfortable to stand up in front of strangers.
It’s uncomfortable to propose an idea that might fail.
It’s uncomfortable to challenge the status quo.
It’s uncomfortable to resist the urge to settle.
When you identify the discomfort, you’ve found the place where a leader is needed.
If you’re not uncomfortable in your work as a leader, it’s almost certain you’re not reaching your potential as a leader.”
(For my notes on Godin’s book Tribes, send an email to me at eric@mosaic.org with “Tribes Notes” as the subject.)
For those of you willing to serve others by leading – thanks!
The Leadership Alliance of Leaders presents “How to Lead Like a Real Leader Leads”
Some of the “gems” to take away include:
Enjoy!
A couple of fun articles have been written drawing leadership lessons from the new Star Trek film (that even my wife enjoyed).
Insights from my friend Tony Kim from Newsong include:
“Original thinking comes at a high cost and can be a very lonely road.”
“When everyone is thinking alike, no one is thinking at all.”
Tony’s entire article can be found here.
Fast Company shares 12 leadership lessons which they drew from all the series and movies. Some of their insights include:
Be a leader.
Taunt your rival. 🙂
Allow subordinates to speak freely.
Several speakers, musicians, Andy Stanley, Brad Lomenick, Ben Arment, and the Catalyst team created an experience to help leaders become more effective in creating a better future.
Thoughts from Andy Stanley:
“Uncertainty is why we need leaders.”
“I will always be uncertain. I am certain of it.”
“Because of uncertainty, we need clarity and adaptibility.”
“Leaders can be uncertain but never unclear. Plans change but vision remains the same.”
“Sacrifice the plans for the vision.”
“Clarity will give you the energy and momentum to get through uncertainty.”
“Uncertainty is a great time to change bad plans. Blame everything on the economy and make changes!”
“Be honest with your leaders and followers. Confidently express your uncertainty. “I don’t know right now, but we’re going to figure it out.”
“Seek counsel. Leadership isn’t about making decisions on your own, but owning decisions once they are made.”
More Insights on Uncertainty from Andy Stanley from “Out of Ur.”
Our next LIVE teleseminar will take place on Tuesday, April 14 at 1:30pm – 2:00pm PST (4:30pm – 5:00pm EST).
I will interview Brad Lomenick, the Executive Director of Catalyst. During the call we’ll talk about leadership, some of the things Brad and his team are learning, and the evolution of Catalyst growing from one event to a multi-impact organization. We’ll also dive into what it’s like, from Brad’s perspective, to be mentioned in Seth Godin’s popular book, Tribes.
Make plans to join us for this LIVE teleseminar event. Time permitting we will open the lines up to allow you to ask questions and interact. You can also submit questions in advance of the LIVE call via email that we’ll try to address.
You can listen to audio recordings from previous teleseminars at https://ericbryant.org/teleseminar/, including our most recent conversation with TWLOHA (To Write Love on Her Arms) and Urban Youth Workers.
Join us next week in Orange County for Origins and Catalyst West Coast!