“I wish I was in Austin
In the Chili Parlor Bar
Drinkin' Mad Dog Margaritas
And not carin' where you are”
For several years now I have wanted to experience this line from Guy Clark’s Dublin Blues.
Well …
Saturday afternoon Jennifer, Jordan and I drove to Austin to deliver on their birthday present: we had tickets to the Elton John concert Saturday night!
Before the concert we met our friend Nicci for dinner.
Then we drove over to the Erwin center and encountered a huge traffic and parking jam. Fortunately, my dear “Old Friend” Rick provided complementary parking at his facility on San Jacinto. Thanks Rick!
Seeing Elton John was at the top of Jordan’s Bucket List. So, we bought these tickets for her and Jennifer as their birthday present in March. I am not sure I have ever seen so much anticipation and excitement in my life. And when Elton came on stage Saturday night, I was seriously worried for the health and safety of all the people sitting around us!
All the anticipation was well worth it. This concert was by far the greatest live performance I have ever seen. For right at 3 hours, Elton played his guts out. The band actually took a couple of breaks, but he played on. A tremendous performance by a truly gifted artist!
And after the concert ... we went to the Chili Parlor Bar and drank a Mad Dog Margarita!
" A good idea at the time; I won’t be doing that again," but I will sing that line from Guy’s song with special affection from now on.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
The Road to Derailment - Part 1
Sadly, I have been watching some very influential leaders derail over the last couple of years. Its tragic ... and it could have been avoided.
All of us who take on the role of leadership are susceptible to derailment. So, I think its important to share some important preventive measures. To do this I am going to build on an acrostic I learned at the Fellowship of Christian Athletes camp in Estes Park Colorado in August of 1974.
(When Laura reads this she will say: "How is it you can remember something from August 1974, but you can't remember what I said 10 minutes ago?" So let me go ahead and make a preemptive plea: Guilty as charged.)
I don't remember who was speaking that August night, but he shared an important principle used by people in recovery groups: The H-A-L-T principle. Never get too hungry, too angry, too lonely, or too tired. When we are in any of those conditions, we are particularly vulnerable.
I want to expand the acrostic as a derailment preventative for leaders:
H: Never get too hungry. Don't let your physical hungers get out of hand. We understand that. Satisfied needs are not motivators, and unsatisfied needs are powerful motivators. But beyond physical hungers, don't let your hunger for positions get out of hand. And don't let your hunger for possessions lead you to be too greedy. Hungry leaders are vulnerable to temptations.
A: Never get too angry. The Apostle Paul offers great advice on this in Ephesians 4:26-27: “Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity.” Keep short accounts, resolve conflict constructively, and if its not a federal case, don't make a federal case out of it.
L: Never get too lonely. As leaders, we must not allow the stress of the job and the pace of our schedules prevent us from nurturing our most significant personal relationships with our spouse and our family.
T: Never get too tired. The race we are called to as leaders is a marathon, not a sprint. We must pace ourselves so that we can stay in and finish the race we have been called to. We must learn to allow ourselves the discomfort of taking time off. The organization will not go broke and no one will die if we commit to taking a date night once a week, a weekend get away once a quarter, and a full - technology free - vacation once a year. When we are depleted, our fuses are short and our decision making suffers.
E: Never get too entitled. Success brings it own downside for many leaders. After working hard to attain positions and build organizations, many leaders often feel they deserve extra benefits and compensation. Often, they begin feeling entitled to extra perks that often are in violation of accepted standards or prudent stewardship of the organization's resources.
R: Never get to remote. Leaders who lose touch with those they lead are setting themselves up to falter. I have challenged city managers and university presidents on this issue. Too often as leaders move up in their organizations they forget where they came from and lose touch with the people in the trenches. This isolation isn't healthy relationally and it also cuts off an important flow of information. Remote and isolated leaders are out of touch with the pulse - the heartbeat - of the organization. This becomes even more acute in organizations that consciously filter the information flowing to the top. The "palace guard" keeps the leader from knowing what's really going on.
Do you have a derailment halter?
All of us who take on the role of leadership are susceptible to derailment. So, I think its important to share some important preventive measures. To do this I am going to build on an acrostic I learned at the Fellowship of Christian Athletes camp in Estes Park Colorado in August of 1974.
(When Laura reads this she will say: "How is it you can remember something from August 1974, but you can't remember what I said 10 minutes ago?" So let me go ahead and make a preemptive plea: Guilty as charged.)
I don't remember who was speaking that August night, but he shared an important principle used by people in recovery groups: The H-A-L-T principle. Never get too hungry, too angry, too lonely, or too tired. When we are in any of those conditions, we are particularly vulnerable.
I want to expand the acrostic as a derailment preventative for leaders:
H-A-L-T-E-R.
H: Never get too hungry. Don't let your physical hungers get out of hand. We understand that. Satisfied needs are not motivators, and unsatisfied needs are powerful motivators. But beyond physical hungers, don't let your hunger for positions get out of hand. And don't let your hunger for possessions lead you to be too greedy. Hungry leaders are vulnerable to temptations.
A: Never get too angry. The Apostle Paul offers great advice on this in Ephesians 4:26-27: “Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity.” Keep short accounts, resolve conflict constructively, and if its not a federal case, don't make a federal case out of it.
L: Never get too lonely. As leaders, we must not allow the stress of the job and the pace of our schedules prevent us from nurturing our most significant personal relationships with our spouse and our family.
T: Never get too tired. The race we are called to as leaders is a marathon, not a sprint. We must pace ourselves so that we can stay in and finish the race we have been called to. We must learn to allow ourselves the discomfort of taking time off. The organization will not go broke and no one will die if we commit to taking a date night once a week, a weekend get away once a quarter, and a full - technology free - vacation once a year. When we are depleted, our fuses are short and our decision making suffers.
E: Never get too entitled. Success brings it own downside for many leaders. After working hard to attain positions and build organizations, many leaders often feel they deserve extra benefits and compensation. Often, they begin feeling entitled to extra perks that often are in violation of accepted standards or prudent stewardship of the organization's resources.
R: Never get to remote. Leaders who lose touch with those they lead are setting themselves up to falter. I have challenged city managers and university presidents on this issue. Too often as leaders move up in their organizations they forget where they came from and lose touch with the people in the trenches. This isolation isn't healthy relationally and it also cuts off an important flow of information. Remote and isolated leaders are out of touch with the pulse - the heartbeat - of the organization. This becomes even more acute in organizations that consciously filter the information flowing to the top. The "palace guard" keeps the leader from knowing what's really going on.
Do you have a derailment halter?
Monday, April 5, 2010
Servant Leader or Self-Serving Leader?
Leading Like Jesus
"You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them."But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."
Servant leadership was modeled by Jesus and is applicable to every arena of our lives:
Family – as Spouses and Parents
Church - serving God by serving people
Work – with or without formal authority
When we embrace the concept of servant leadership, we will understand that it is:
A Responsibility, not a Rank
Involves Sacrifice at the expense of Selfishness
Is a Duty, and there is no room for Domination
Is Intentional about Developing Others
Is Measured by Changed Lives
Are you a servant leader or a self-serving leader?
Sunday, April 4, 2010
The Books of March
The reading pace has slowed significantly. I haven't found anything really exciting in a while. This is the list from March:
- Roses, Leila Meachum
- Credibility: How Leaders Gain it and Lose It and Why People Demand It, Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner
- The End of an Era, John MacArthur
- Leading When it Hurts, Jeff Iorg
The new book from Craig Groeschel came Friday - The Christian Atheist: Believing in God but Living as if He Didn't Exist. I am excited about that one. Groeschel is a very authentic speaker and author.
I am close to finishing a good novel, On the Corner of Bitter and Sweet.
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