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A constant tension in my life is to “do less for more”. In other words to try and focus on the most important things in life, the things that bring the most value to myself and others. This doesn’t mean that I have less to do it just means that I spend more time on what is most important. Here are a few things I do to try and carry out this principle:

1. Prioritize. To do what is important I first have to determine what is important. 

2. Delegate. There are certain things I need to be doing and certain things I shouldn’t be doing. I try to delegate the things I shouldn’t be doing.

3. Pause. It helps me to take breaks to identify if I am doing “more for less” or doing “less for more”. Change of Pace + Change of Place = Change of Perspective

4. Listen. One of the best things to have is the voice of others helping you to stay on track with what is most important. No man is an island. 

What are some things that you do to help stay focused on what’s most important?

The following is an excerpt from my Pastor’s blog:

“One of the mistakes many leaders make is they let go of knowing the details too soon. When you are dealing with a developing leader, you need to let them prove themselves first by getting some wins before you totally turn them loose. As you develop leaders, you have to have the wisdom to know when you can let go of knowing details. If you let go of knowing too soon with a developing leader, you will be blindsided, and you’re not doing your job well because things are always falling through the cracks. This kills so many leaders because they don’t develop people, they just hand out assignments and think a developing leader will produce results.”

On Thursday I will have the conclusion of this post.

To view the original post in its entirety click here to visit herbertcooper.com.

The following is a list of items that I gave my assistant when she first started working with me. These are few things that I have found helpful in keeping our department running efficiently during our day to day operations.

1. Be solution minded. With every problem give 3 or 4 possible solutions. With every question submit multiple choice answers.

2. Use proper lines of communication. No drive-by meetings. Schedule a time to talk or send me questions using the multiple choice format. When you call someone ask, “Is this a good time to talk”.

3. Communicate clearly and directly. Be tactful, direct, and to the point. Stay on point.

4. Lead through volunteers. Do the 20% that only you can do. Delegate effectively - this includes follow up.

5. Keep workspace and facilities clean and clutter free. Includes hallways and open areas. Organize desk before leaving at the end of the day.

6. Be considerate of other departments. We are not in competition with other departments. Be a team player. Ask permission before using equipment, volunteers, facilities, etc.

7. Give feedback in private. Never correct a volunteer or co-worker in front of someone else. The right thing at the wrong time will produce unwanted results.

8. Under promise and over deliver. Do not promise performance unless you can deliver.

9. Apply the “no surprise rule”. Keep me in the loop; let me know what you are doing

10. Be a good steward. Find the best price and manage resources well (volunteers, money, supplies, etc.).

11. Never miss a deadline. If it looks like you are going to be late, negotiate and change the deadline. If you can not change it, get help.

12. Do not assume. Do not guess or assume if you do not know something.

In the book Everyone’s a Coach by Ken Blanchard and Don Shula, there is an acronym that helps us think about how we’re doing as leaders.

C stands for Conviction-Driven: Do people understand what your values are and where you’re going? Because leadership is about going somewhere. Lead with conviction.

O stands for Overlearning: There’s no such thing as teaching a good thing too much. You want to prepare your people so much that they really know their responsibilities and they can make something good happen. 

A stands for Audible-Ready: Don’t get stuck with a plan if for some reason it’s not working. Let people bring their brains to work; let your kids use their brains, too. Be open to the thoughts of others. Be ready to change your mind if a new and better idea comes along.

C stands for Consistency: This isn’t about behaving in the same way all the time; it’s about behaving the same way in similar circumstances. Be consistent. Praise progress and cheer people on when they’re doing well. If there’s a problem, you can redirect them and get them back to their goals. 

H stands for Honesty-Based: This one is all about walking your values. Act with integrity at all times.

Questions to ask yourself:

• Are you leading with conviction? 
• Are you really trying to always do our best? 
• Are you adaptable and innovative and ready to change? 
• Are you consistent in  your behavior and are you walking your talk?  

The following are some key points from a talk that Andy Stanley gave at the Drive Conference entitled The Opposable Leader: Why organizational tension is essential to progress. 

The idea of this talk is that as a leader, you have to differentiate between tensions your organization will always manage vs. problems that need to be solved.

Every organization has problems that shouldn’t be solved and tensions that shouldn’t be resolved.

• For example: What’s more important, excellence or stewardship?
• If you “resolve” any of those tensions, you will create new tension.
• If you resolve any of those tensions, you create a barrier to progress.
• Progress depends not on the resolution of those tensions, but on the successful management of those tensions.

The role of leadership is to leverage the tension to the benefit of the organization.

• Identify the tensions to be managed in your organization.
• Create terminology. (Tension is something we manage not resolve.)
• Inform your core. (Teach your leaders.)
• Continually give value to both sides. (Example: excellence vs. stewardship)
• Don’t weigh in too heavily based on your personal biases.
• Don’t allow strong personalities to win the day.
• Don’t think in terms of balance. Think rhythm. (Balance is equal amounts all the time. Rhythm understands there is a season for everything.)

Check out these two new iPhone Apps that are sure to overload your brain with ministry knowledge.

1. Orange Leaders App - Orange Leaders is a gathering of leaders who are passionate about engaging churches and families to influence the faith and character of the next generation.

Here is what you can do on this app:

• Listen to free podcasts
• Read and comment on blog posts
• Keep up with current news and events
• Interact with all of the tweets coming from @OrangeLeaders
• Watch videos from their site
• You can even order books, CDs, and other resources!

2. Catalyst Leaders App - The core vision of Catalyst is to impact the next generation by shaping leaders in the Church.

Here is what you can do on this app:

• Read articles and follow the Catalyst blog.
• Listen to the Catalyst podcast
• View videos from Catalyst events
• Fully integrated with Twitter, Facebook, and email.

Here are some great blog posts and articles that I’ve come across recently:

• Asking the Right Questions via Andy Stanley
• 5 Tips for Brainstorming via Brad Lomenick
• Required Reading for Creatives & Storytellers via Dan Scott
• Thoughts on Systems via Coach Shef
• What Do You Measure? via Tim Stevens

Today we celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr. Through his life he had many historical speeches and sermons includeing his I Have A Dream speech. Many would consider him a “great” man. I think deep down inside we all want to become men and women of greatness. Here is an excerpt from a sermon he preached addressing the issue of what it means to be great.

“And so Jesus gave us a new norm of greatness. If you want to be important—wonderful. If you want to be recognized—wonderful. If you want to be great—wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. That’s a new definition of greatness.”

“And this morning, the thing that I like about it: by giving that definition of greatness, it means that everybody can be great, because everybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don’t have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don’t have to know Einstein’s theory of relativity to serve. You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love. And you can be that servant.”

Greatness is something that we can choose and not something that is chosen for us. I pray that through the grace of God that we would all choose to be people of greatness by following in the steps of Christ and serving others.

What book had the greatest influence on your life in 2009? For me it would have to be Wild Goose Chase by Mark Batterson. I read this book last year and it was as if every word was speaking directly to me. It’s on the topic of pursuing God and the first chapter entitled Yawning Angels is worth the purchase price alone. Here is an excerpt from the book:

Celtic Christians had a name for the Holy Spirit–An Geadh-Glas, or ‘the Wild Goose.’ The name hints at mystery. Much like a wild goose, the Spirit of God cannot be tracked or tamed. An element of danger, an air of unpredictability surround Him. And while the name may sound a little sacrilegious, I cannot think of a better description of what it’s like to follow the Spirit through life. I think the Celtic Christians were on to something…

Most of us will have no idea where we are going most of the time. And I know that is unsettling. But circumstantial uncertainty also goes by another name: Adventure.

If you’re looking for a good book I highly recommend this one. You can check out a sample chapter here.

What was one of your favorite books of 2009?

Inspired by Chris Brogan & Terry Storch I have summarized my goals for 2010 into three words. Here’s how Chris Brogan explains it:

“If you want to try the process, it works something like this: think of how you want to be successful in 2010. Then, try to think in even broader terms. Extrapolate on the broader terms, and find one word to hang the idea on.”

“Try setting your three words far out on the horizon, but such that they can lead you to your goals every day. Meaning, can you use the same word to get you started, but have it still be relevant when you’re almost at the big goal?”

The words don’t even have to make sense to anyone else as long as they point you in the right direction. My 3 goal words for 2010 are…

1. Discipline - Be a more disciplined person in every area of my life. (i.e. physically, spiritually, financially)

2. Generosity - Give more to individuals (friends, family, strangers), charitable organizations and other opportunities that come my way.

3. Purpose - To fulfill my God-given purpose DAILY.

Brad Lomenick, the Director of Catalyst, had a great series of posts on “Producing Events”. Brad knows what it takes to produce events that will draw people back. Since inception, over 90,000 leaders have made the annual trek to Atlanta to participate in the Catalyst Conference experience. Here is a little bit of what Brad had to say:

Content is king. It all starts with content. Without great speakers who can deliver, you’re climbing uphill.

In programming, focus relentlessly on transitions. Many times producers focus so much on the speaking, or the key production parts, that they leave the transitions to chance. It’s essential to have transitions that are seamless, experiential, and connect with the audience.

Learn from those who are more talented, have more money, create bigger events, and know more. Regardless of industry or background, learn from those who are the experts. We’re never too good or too big or too experienced to learn from someone else.

Engage all of the senses. Taste, Touch, Smell, Seeing, Hearing. Hit all of them as much as possible. Most events or experiences only focus on Seeing and Hearing. Disney is the best I’ve seen at this.

Check out more on Producing Events by clicking on one of the links below:

Part One

Part Two

Part Three