The Exponential eBook – Leadership Learnings from 20 Top Leaders/Bloggers

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Freebie Week 1 –

One of my favorite leaders out there right now is Mark Batterson.  He is Lead Pastor of National Community Church in Washington, DC.  He put out a great blog with a powerful resource linked to it.  Here’s what he had to say:

My friend, Todd Wilson, along with the Exponential Team has put together a really cool resource for leaders. They surveyed thousands of posts from a handful of leadership blogs. The end result is this free eBook.

For what its worth, the posts they choose from my blog are the ones I would have chosen myself. Whoever read all of our 2008 posts deserves a special crown in heaven!

Here are a few of the contributers. Some of my favorite people and favorite bloggers! By the way, this is probably the most links I’ve ever had in a single blog post.

Ben Arment
Chris Elrod
Dave Ferguson
Mike Foster
Seth Godin
Craig Groeschel
Alan Hirsch
Scott Hodge
Gary Lamb
Brad Lomenick
Shawn Lovejoy
Tony Morgan
Perry Noble
Ed Stetzer
Tim Stevens
Tullian Tchividjian
Jud Wilhite

This is an amazing resource and I’m enjoying everything I’m reading.  In case you missed it, here’s that link again:

Free eBook

Try – Fail – Learn – Adjust

Craig Groeschel is one of those guys who is doing IT.  Lifechurch.tv is a dynamic new way of doing church and is reaching people in ways no one else in history has ever done.   They are using cutting edge media and technology to lead people to become fully devoted followers of Christ.  Check out this video and let me know what you think…

What stood out most to you?  Do you think the church has been afraid to fail for a long time?  What does this mean for your own life and leadership?

For more information from this great church, visit www.lifechurch.tv. For their great free resources, check out open.lifechurch.tv.

Leadership and Car Fresheners…

I have this love/hate relationship with car fresheners.

I always enjoy having that new car scent when I step into my vehicle.  There’s just something about that smell that makes me feel like my granny car is actually a brand new beamer.  Of course, when I try accelerating to 60 in under 5 minutes, I’m reminded of my humble estate.

Despite enjoying the rush of a fresh smelling car, I often forget that weekly maintenance is required for a lasting aroma.

Sooner or later, a different kind of aroma sets in…Something quite different all together. One day the stench of last week’s Big Mac meal mixed with sweaty gym clothes mixed with mushy banana peels hits me like a tidal wave. 

Looking up and shaking my fist at my worthless car freshener, I realize it’s been 4 months since I followed the instructions printed clearly on the back. Something about opening it gradually each week?  Little lines marking the little tree’s trek to freedom…

In my frustration, I tug on the plastic and what do you know…it comes all the way off.  Now, I know I’m not the only one that deals with this because try as I might, the same thing happens to me every time.

And really, here I must pause and thank whomever the flip it was that decided car fresheners had to be in the shape of little trees.  Ya, they’re cute.  Sure, I imagine the shape of an old sock wouldn’t sell as well.  But seriously, that has GOT to be the most impossible shape to re-insert into a skinny plastic preserver!

So there I sit; plastic cover in hand and the overwhelming scent slowly permeating my car.

Everyone who takes a ride with me holds their nose or rolls down the window. I even become nauseated while driving. The freshener has outdone its purpose and my impatience and need for change has driven it past its usefulness.

I’m convinced that many of us unknowingly approach leadership in a similar way.

Some of us approach our next position of leadership–whether in ministry or in corporate America–with an idea that we’re going to change things for change’s sake.  We’ve got grand visions for freshening the air and bringing a newer, more innovative scent to our church/company.  Especially for those of us of a younger persuasion—we despise the stale smell of stagnant strategies, old-fashioned philosophy, vague vision, and empty purpose statements.  The tendency is to make a drastic tug in hopes of seeing sweeping changes…

Unfortunately, we end up with similar reactions to those of my nose-plugging passengers.  The lack of tact, grace, and propriety leaves our would-be supporters scrambling for the exits.  If we do not walk into change with an understanding of proper timing, we end up swinging to the extremes.

As we all know, too much of a good thing is not much of a good thing at all.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge proponent of change, innovation, and creativity. But timing, discernment, collaboration, and intentionality must be at the bedrock of the changes we make. 

So it comes down to this:

1)       Be attentive to the fragrance of your environment—This requires regular and deliberate evaluation.  Follow the directions for consistent maintenance.

2)     Don’t pull too hard at the protective packaging—When the need for change is apparent, consider the appropriate course of action that doesn’t shift to an opposite extreme. Don’t overcorrect.

3)     Consider your passengers—In humility, value the wisdom and insights of others on the road to accomplishing your vision.  Not only that, but recognize how your decisions will impact them along the way.

If you find yourself out of balance on any one of these points, take some time to pause.  Remember that it’s a whole lot harder to put the wrapper back on than it is to rip it off.

Next time you glance at that little tree hanging from your rear-view mirror, remember the lessons that even the simplest things in life can teach us about leadership.