It’s Monday!

May 6, 2012 in Monday Posts - 0 Comments

- Great weekend and we got a lot of stuff done around the house. Specifically my wife did an awesome job with our flower beds!
- My brother is graduating this weekend and I’ll be flying out to Huntington. Can’t wait to hang out with my family but to also spend some time with some old friends.
- Every now and then I look for some fun things to lighten up my day…most recently that has been through the blog “Texts From Dog”. If you haven’t been to this site yet, and you have a dog, you have to go. It’s worth it.
- If you like action movies, you should see the Avengers. I you like Marvel comics, you NEED to see the Avengers. One of my favorite movies in a while. The Marvel movies keep getting better and better.
- This weekend we hosted two churches at LCBC for something we call Saturdays @ LCBC. We do our best to share the “why” behind what we do. I got to hear the debrief session for the one church called Living Waters. They are in the middle of tweaking and changing some things at their church. Keep an eye on them, they have some solid staff and volunteers and a passion like I haven’t seen in a long time. They are going to be brining their best, I can just tell.

What’s new in your world?

The “C” Word…

May 3, 2012 in Leadership - 4 Comments

Culture. It’s this word that I’ve been obsessed with since high school. In college I tried to figure out how it worked on one campus (with so many cultures coming together). Now at an organization I’m trying to figure out how to influence it.

It’s hard to describe, but you have it.

 

About a month ago I came across an opportunity  to be a part of a WCA LIFT course. Check out the link for more info, but essentially these courses are 7 week intensives for ministry leaders. Online classes for them to take while “in the trenches” doing work, learning, discussing with others who are doing the same or similar things, and then bringing it to your context.

So far from my experience, it works, and the content is rich.

I decided to take the Shaping Culture course and it has been extremely challenging and stretching for me. I’m currently in the middle of it and have a few more weeks yet. So, back to culture.

One thing that has stuck out to me more then anything over the past few weeks is that I’m responsible. I’m responsible for the culture. You are responsible for the culture where you work. And, it’s something that’s there now. It’s always there. It can be healthy, it can be sick, or somewhere in between.

Here are a couple things that might be helpful for you. 

I came across this quote last week.

Brand is simply a lagging indicator of the culture – @DHMovementCEO

Are you taking the time to look at your organizational/staff culture and not just your “brand” or perceived culture?

Are you doing anything to influence your organizational culture in a positive direction

Try to create some space in your schedule, step away for part of the day, bring your team, and evaluate. Ask good questions. Start the discussion.

Here are some discussion starters:

  • What does your organization value?
  • How does it add to or take away from the organizations mission?
  • Is your staff healthy? Is there trust in your organization?
  • Do you have honest, open relationships with people throughout the organization (think different levels in chain of command) to know what the culture feels like from the top to the bottom of your organization?

What’s your organization’s culture like?

(Photo Props)

It’s Monday!

April 29, 2012 in Monday Posts - 1 Comment

It’s another week! Here we go!

  • This week was pretty eventful for us, our puppy got fixed. It was quite the experience as we learned how to care for her. But she’s back to her normal crazy self.
  • I love it when my friends or those I work with succeed!
  • I need to get back on my work out schedule and may need you to help keep me accountable. Any ideas?
  • We are about to jump into May this week and I have something big going on each weekend! It’s always a challenge to take time off in those busy weeks. I’m finding that learning how to manipulate my schedule and adapt is key to not burning out.
  • You know how I mentioned Jack White’s new album last week…yeah, it’s good. You should at least check it out and give it a try.

Here’s a question, I’d love to hear how you get your new music. iTunes? Spotify? Amazon? Let me know below!

What’s new in your world?

Resource Dump #3

April 25, 2012 in Creativity, Leadership, Social Media - 0 Comments

Hey, it’s a Wednesday post as promised! Thanks for being gracious as I work out a new blog schedule for myself and continue to try to write the best stuff for you to read! Usually in the resource dump posts I try to have different “mediums” of resources to share. Today they are all the same! Today’s posts contain three blogs that I HAVE to read. I don’t know about you, but I have a lot of blog I subscribe to. When things get busy I just skip over some of them. These three I will always read. Since they are that good, I want to share them with you!

JustinWise.net – I’ve been following Justin’s content (Blog/Twitter/Facebook) for a few years now. I’ve always found it challenging and filled with quality stuff. I don’t believe Justin would post or write about something that 1) he didn’t believe or 2) he felt shouldn’t be asked. I’ve certainly learned a lot about Social Media through Justin and also have really rearranged the way I do things because of him sharing the way he does his things. (Productivity for the Win!) Also, he finds the best stats!

History In The Making (Ben Arment) – Ben is a producer of people. He see’s things or hears of things that people are doing and figures out how to help them be better at what they are doing, or help others through what this person is doing. That’s just a personal commentary from what I’ve noticed afar. I like his blog. Simple, short and sweet. He shares things that he comes across in life and I find those things inspire me in what I’m doing. Also, check out a great conference he runs called Story and his “coaching” program called Dream Year.

Stephen Brewster – I’ve just started following Stephen’s blog in the past year. He’s the Creative Arts pastor at Crosspoint.tv. They put out killer stuff. So naturally, I want to know what he’s learning and sharing with his team. If you are involved in a creative process (anywhere) check out his blog. He shares some great tips and questions that help stimulate creativity or get you out of that rut.

These are just three of my must read blogs, I actually have a couple others to share down the road. What blogs are on your must read list?

It’s Monday!

April 22, 2012 in Monday Posts - 0 Comments

Here’s what’s new and fun in my world….

  • Lights has been my go to music lately. I love listening to her while driving, working, sleeping… ok, just kidding about sleeping.
  • Her album may get bumped soon, because I pre-ordered Jack White’s album and I’m very excited about it. (Also you can stream it on iTunes)
  • This series of videos from Irving Bible Church on the story of Hosea are incredible. Extremely moving with just music and acting, no words.
  • I’ve been pretty much stretched to new limits when it comes to leading lately. Mostly, I’m trying to continue learning how to influence an organization and mindsets while not being in the meetings where big decisions are made. I’m also learning how to focus on strengths when leading and pulling them out instead of weaknesses.
  • Along that thought, how many meetings do you usually have in a weeks time?
  • I’ve been in a season of re-organizing my schedule and I’m starting to wonder if I should be doing this quarterly, annually, etc.
  • If you are looking for a quick jump into some Bible passages, or want to learn more about praying, you should check out LCBC’s A.C.T.S. Bible Reading Plan on YouVersion. It’s real short, daily prayer’s and reflections.

What’s new in your world? I’d love to hear an answer to my question above. How many meetings are you usually in during the weeks time?

It’s Monday!

April 15, 2012 in Monday Posts - 2 Comments

Well, here we are at the start of another week! I hope you had a good weekend and hope even more that this is the start of a great week and maybe something new. Here’s what’s been going on around my neck of the woods.

  • This weekend I ate Taco Bell for the first time in 6 years. See you at the border in another 6!
  • On Saturday I changed my power steering fluid and reservoir in my truck. It took me about 1.5hrs and maybe saved me $150?
  • In other news, I have a new found appreciation for mechanics.
  • If you haven’t heard about or seen Cain’s Arcade yet, check out the video below. It’s worth the time and will inspire to you to create something. (HT: Creatives)
  • Make sure you follow SlickDeals on Twitter. You never know when something will pop up that you’ve been waiting for. Last week I ordered a ZaggMate Keyboard Case for my iPad. Usually $99 and I got it for $25! Boom!
  • Last week we took out puppy Lola for her first haircut. We went to Kathy Bair at Pampered Pups and she did a great job. If you follow me on Instagram you’ve probably seen plenty of pictures of Lola and her new haircut.
  • Last week I started the Shaping Culture course through the LIFT online classes that Willow Creek Association offers. One week into it and lots to think about already. Check out their class options here.
  • The weather has been getting a little bit warmer around here and it’s been nice to spend sometime outside. Can’t wait for us to bust out the patio furniture and have our first porch party of the year. When it gets nice out what’s your favorite thing to do outside?

What’s new in your world?

It’s Monday!

April 10, 2012 in Monday Posts - 1 Comment

Except, it’s Tuesday. I would have posted this on Monday but a lot of people were off and probably wouldn’t have caught this post. ANYWAYS… I’m going to be tinkering around with a new blog post idea here on Mondays and have the normal content for my blog post on Wednesdays. So, I won’t be changing content wise what my blog is about, but Monday will be more of a run down of 8-10 things from the weekend or past week. Also, the name might change for the Monday posts.

So, here’s the first It’s Monday! post!

 

  • Easter was this past Sunday. I put in a lot of hours at work and I’m beat.
  • Speaking about work, I recently added another role to my job. Director of Campus Producers. I’ll probably explain more of the down the road. (Or you can ask me if you see me)
  • Facebook bought Instagram. Yeah???!!!
  • Our cute puppy has loved gnawing on my hands. I’m hoping it’s a teething phase.
  • I tried to do a home improvement project on our patio this weekend and failed miserably.
  • My friend Rene was telling me about Skrillex. I downloaded it and love it! Maybe I’ll learn how to dub-step next.
  • I think Tweetbot is becoming my new iOS Twitter client of choice.
  • It’s a four day week! (For some people)

What’s new in your Monday (Tuesday) World?

What’s Your Map?

March 26, 2012 in Social Media - 6 Comments

What’s your map? Do you even own a map anymore? That’s the question I should be asking! Most likely you have a smart phone or some type of mobile device that you use to help you get places. A GPS, Google Maps, Mapquest, etc…they are all tools and structures to help us get somewhere.

All the new tools do the thinking automatically for us, which can be a good thing, but I do think we miss out on something too. Back in the day (whenever that was) it was probably more common to find someone who had multiple maps in their car. Maybe a county map, state map, probably a map of the country. If you had one of those maps, you probably sat down before you went on a trip and picked your starting point, picked your destination, and then plotted your course. You had your plan. You had a course of steps and pre-determined decisions to help you get to where you were going.

I think this concept of plans, or mapping your course, can sometimes be a lost one for us. I believe it’s essential to have plans for the things we engage in daily. For the sake of this post I’m talking about Social Media. What’s your plan? Do you have a personal plan in how you engage online? Does your business have a strategy for social media?

Often times we start these journeys without a real destination in mind. Maybe you do have a destination but you are relying on a GPS to get you there, which they don’t make for social media by the way.

So what do you do? Where do you start? Take a few minutes today and ask yourself, “what’s my goal for engaging online?”. Ask it for yourself or the organization you represent. Once you have that down, start plotting your course. Make the pre-determined decisions for where you are going.

To get an idea on what a personal social media strategy looks like, check out this one here from Justin Wise.

I’d love to hear if you already are doing this. What’s your strategy? What’s your goal?

(Photo Props)

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