We want to eradicate Bible poverty. We had an idea about 12 years ago. We created a website called YouVersion.com. Nobody used it, including us. We were a couple of weeks away from unplugging it when Bobby Gruenewald said Apple was creating an app. We created an app. In the first week, 81,000 had downloaded the app. 10 years later over 1/3 billion have downloaded.
What if…what if…what if…
How do we anticipate where things are going so that we can make decisions today that will work in the future.
The difference between a good leader and a great leader is one who learns to anticipate rather than react.
Gretzky – “Most skate to where the puck is. I skate to where it is going to be.”
The lifespan of your structure and system is diminishing as we speak. If you don’t believe me, just ask Kodak, Blockbuster, Warner Books, taxi cab companies.
What you “know” may be wrong. Where you are absolutely convinced may be your bigness weakness.
It’s dangerous to be called an expert. If we think we are experts, we’re vulnerable to the curse of confidence.
When Twitter came out, I was convinced that no one would care about anything I said in 140 characters or less. Same with Instagram. It’s a fad. Nobody will care about this stuff.
When we’re overly confident, find it difficult to receive feedback.
When we’re overly confident, often answer more questions than they’re asking. I stop asking questions and stop growing in abilities and knowledge.
When we’re overly confident, we assume too much and stop innovating.
Develop situational awareness.
We need to honestly and accurately assess the true current state of our organization. We have to accurately understand our own leadership. So many of us just don’t know what we don’t know.
I had hand motions that I didn’t realize. My wife said put down the box.
Self-awareness is incredibly difficult. Organizational awareness is difficult.
The Dunning -Kruger Effect – it’s difficult to know your weakness. Those who rank themselves as the most skilled are usually the least skilled. Those with the most confidence are the least competent.
The inverse is true as well. Those who are most capable don’t know it. The best indicator of potential is true humility. Fight for humility.
Most leaders could learn from their mistakes if they weren’t so busy denying them.
Organizationally look honestly and have integrity to tell the truth. Leaders lie. How are things going? Amazing.
Look at the culture and the health of the teams.
Look at the front door. Look at the back door. Do we have diversity of impact? Look at the spiritual climate.
Dive in. If something is not working, ask why. Have the courage and the guts to assess why its not working.
“If you don’t know why something is working when it is, you won’t know how to fix it when it’s not.” – Andy Stanley
When you’re diagnosing something, you want to ask 21 questions. Doctor asked question after question. I trained myself to never go with assumptions. I trained myself to ask 21 questions. Why 21? It’s 1 more than 20.
You’re not asking questions to confirm your bias, you’re asking to get to the root reason of why something is working.
Become an expert at truly diagnosing your situation.
Kodak did not fail because they missed the digital age. They created the first digital camera. They thought they were in the film business. They were really in the memory business.
Emerson – “The man who knows how will always have a job. The man who knows why will always be his boss.”
Discern future threats and opportunities.
What is a threat to one organization is simultaneously a threat to one organization and opportunities to other organizations.
Develop thinking outside your field of expertise. Think forward.
I have a theory that younger generation may start to reject social media. There is a hate-love relationship currently.
I have a theory about higher education. The cost-benefit might lead to a change in how its done.
I believe that cars will become driverless.
I believe that grocery stores will anticipate and deliver goods to us.
5G is coming. What does it mean? I’m not sure but a lot. It’s coming.
Embody healthy skepticism. Lead with bold optimism.
Harvard Business Review case study on LEGO. 66 years never had a down year.
Fear is a choice. So is faith. New challenges always equal new opportunities.
LEGO signed deal with Lucas Films to make Star Wars LEGO. LEGO started creating their own movies. Now they’re walking around the office singing, “Everything is awesome!”
When you see a problem, you train yourself to think opportunity.
Your greatest ideas are often born out of greatest difficulty.
Your greatest limitation leads to your greatest innovation.
How did we develop multisite? It came when we showed the video when my son was born on a Saturday night.
“Innovation is seeing what everybody else sees and thinking what nobody else is thinking.” – Albert Szent-Gyorgyi
Disrupt what is with what could be.
The greatest innovators break all the rules.
Uber – transportation company without any cars; Air BnB – hospitality company without any properties
Is there something you see? We had a dream to eradicate Bible poverty.
I think people want less cool and more Jesus. They’re seeking something the world does not have. Contemporary is the new traditional. Style is not the key. Substance is the key.
We need to go where they are with the message of Jesus rather than getting them to come to us.
People go where they are needed and known.
The greatest need in discipleship is not more head knowledge. There should be a lot less Jesus and me and a lot more Jesus and we.
You’re not just saved from your sins but saved for a divine purpose.
We need to give them a safe place to belong, even before they believe.
The best days of the church are coming. We are far better when we are united, not divided.
What do we do from here? Three big questions to help you anticipate:
What is the true, current state of your organization? Your leadership? Why are you successful? Flat? Struggling?
If you were starting now, what are you currently doing that you would not do? Why are you still doing it?
If you were starting over today, what would you attempt? When are you going to attempt it?
Leaders you have influence and you are leaders. Don’t complain and whine about what is. Create what is suppose to be.
If you wait until you are 100% sure before you try something new, you will always be late!
How about you? In our world there is so much at stake. Like never before, our world needs strong, consistent, bold, courageous, integrity-infused leaders. This is your calling. This is your time. We will lead with profound humility. We will have a heart to care, a passion to inspire, courage to be honest and truthful. We will strive for excellence. We will ask for wisdom for difficult calls and apologize when we get it wrong. Our world needs you.
Because Christ lives in you, you can be that leader. Do not waste your life on things that do not last. Leaders change the world!