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Re:Creating Leadership

Dan Cathy is the incredibly energetic and creative CEO of Chick-fil-A. His rapid-fire approach made it a bit more difficult to take notes during his talk than the other speakers at re:create 11.  Nonetheless, Dan’s talk was very inspirational and filled with all kinds of leadership nuggets.

Dan encouraged us as leaders to engage others in the skills that God has called them to do. When that happens, a team finds itself moving forward with joy, creativity, and passion.  He encouraged leaders to “get used to scary thoughts coming into your mind.”

Then Dan pulled out a leather bag filled with leadership “object lessons.”

  • Ear Plugs: Your ears pop when you’re in the swimming pool and you go quickly from the top to the bottom. Good leaders work both at the top and at the bottom.
  • Shoe Brush: Good leaders serve others…like Jesus washing the feet of His disciples.
  • Relay Baton: Dan has learned that it’s not necessarily the fastest team the wins the relay, but the team the gets the baton around the track first.
  • Oxygen Mask: Flight Attendants remind us, in the event of an emergency, to put our oxygen mask on before we put a child’s on. Good leaders take care of themselves first.
  • Conducting Baton: Like a conductor, orchestrate remarkable experiences.
  • Railroad Spike: Good leaders stay on track.
  • Jar of Peanut Butter: The freshness seal reminds leaders to “stay fresh” in their thinking.

Leaders of excellent organizations create raving fans! In business, the first mile is the transaction. The second mile is relationship. An example Dan used was a Chick-fil-A restaurant hosting a “Daddy Daughter Date Night.” Another example was of a Chick-fil-A restaurant providing caring and presence for a man who lost his wife and two of his three children in a car accident. Being “human” goes a long way as a leader.

Dan Cathy backed up my belief that going out to eat is one of life’s greatest pleasures. He said that the word “restaurant” literally means “a place of restoration.” An evening spent going out to dinner certainly restores me!

Creatives and leaders can learn valuable lessons from a fast food restaurant like Chick-fil-A. When we treat people with honor, dignity, and respect, we are restoring hearts. As Ben Franklin once said, “The handshake of the host effects the taste of the roast.” Stay engaged with people beyond just the initial transaction. Dan is taking his own advice to heart and encouraging participating restaurants to give customers a “back stage look.”  It’s all about the personal touch.

Dan spiced up his talk by giving each of us a slinky. He demonstrated how slinkies can “walk” down the steps. He proceeded to tell us that there’s a lesson in that for leaders:

  • Nothing happens until leaders go first. When you go first as a leader it might be awkward. On the other hand, when leaders go first exciting things can happen that have never been done before.
  • Leaders develop followers. They intentionally endear themselves to others. Leaders ought to lead in a direction people naturally want to go. Be authentic with people. “Sleep with the troops.”
  • Followers become leaders. If followers don’t become leaders, slinkies will never go down the stairs. When followers become leaders great things happen.

Dan closed his talk with some great advice:

  • Take a trip. Go taste, smell, feel, hear…discover something new; and take someone with you!
  • Build a team. Teams bring both harmony and dissonance. Don’t surround yourself only with people who agree with you. Bring in people whose strengths are your weaknesses.
  • Find a successor. Who will take your baton?

What lessons of leadership have you learned? How are they different…or the same…as Dan Cathy’s?

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Re:Creating Criticism

I have learned more about blogging and social media from Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, than perhaps anyone else. His presence alone at re:create 11 was enough for me to go out of my way to be there. One of the highlights of the conference was to have a one-on-one conversation at dinner one night with Michael. Another highlight was the thought-provoking talk he gave to all of us re:creators.

Michael Hyatt’s talk centered around a topic critical to creatives: criticism…and what to do with it. His talk engaged us immediately by giving background: “Who Am I?”; “What I Like”; “My Story”. Three excellent ways to draw an audience in.

But the meat of the talk was to speak to creatives about their number one challenge: If you’re going to survive and fulfill your God-given calling, you must learn how to handle criticism and overlook offenses. Creatives, and leaders for that matter, must embrace three truths about “offenses”:

  1. Offenses are inevitable. We have daily opportunity to be offended. The book of James reminds us that we ought not resent “offenders” as intruders, but welcome them as friends. God allows people who cause offense to come into our lives because He has a purpose — a bigger story. Daniel Dafoe, author of Robinson Crusoe, once said, “God will often deliver us in a manner that seems, initially, to destroy us.”
  2. God intends offenses for our good. At the end of Genesis, after all the things his brothers have done to him, Joseph says to them: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good….” It’s not about us, it’s about the ones God wants to save through us. It’s easy to resent people for their offense…but what if God has a purpose?
  3. Being offended is a choice. Proverbs 19:11 reminds us that true glory is to overlook an offense. You don’t have to make every wrong right. Sometimes it’s wise to overlook offenses and just keep going. When Jesus was reviled “He opened not His mouth.”

When is it the right time to overlook offenses?

  1. Don’t overlook an offense when it is intended as a correction. Listen and evaluate. Proverbs 10:17 — “He who heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray” (NIV).
  2. When you discern that the other person was reacting because of something else. St. Tikhon of Zadonsk once said, “See him as a fellow sufferer.”
  3. When it is undeserved, but minor. Ecclesiastes 7:21-22 says: “Do not pay attention to every word people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you — for you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others” (NIV).
  4. When no one is affected but you.

How can you overlook offenses?

  1. Acknowledge that you’ve been offended. You can’t transcend what you don’t acknowledge.
  2. Remind yourself you have a choice. Between stimulus and response is possibility!
  3. Remember you are dead to these things. St. Makarios said, “Like the dead, take no account of either the scorn of men, or their praises.”
  4. Forgive the other person…and let it go. Resentment is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to get sick.

Creative people tend to be sensitive people. Criticism is difficult. But it can be overcome. Thank you, Michael!

How do you overcome criticism so that you can create your art?

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My Two Heroes

I met two heroes today. One is at the far side of life. The other is on the near side.

Hero #1 regaled me with stories about his selfless acts of heroism in the 4th Infantry Division in World War II. He gave nearly four years of his life to the Army. He was stationed in England during the German bombings of London. He landed at Normandy on D-Day.

Hero #1 spent thirty days living in a hole he dug himself in the middle of the German Hurtgen Forest. It was winter. For nearly all of the thirty days he was wet from his feet to his knees. At one point, his fiancè (now his wife) sent him a baked chicken in the mail (!), and he ate it with delight (It hadn’t spoiled!). He nearly lost his life at least three times. Once, a shell aimed at his jeep went right over his head and landed in a swamp, so it didn’t detonate. Another time, his assistant driver went out in his jeep on an assignment that was supposed to be his own, and was shot in the head. He saw people right next to him die in the midst of battle.

Hero #1 came home and got married. He got a 45 day leave to do so. Following his honeymoon he went back to camp and was supposed to ship out to invade Japan, but then the Japanese surrendered. He was sent home.

Hero #1 was just informed that he will be placed on an Honor Flight to Washington, D.C., in April. He, along with other heroes, will have an all expenses paid trip to Washington to see the World War II Memorial, amongst other things. He deserves it.

My hero.

Hero #2 can’t yet speak for himself so his mother spoke for him. He has been in the hospital for the majority of his not-yet-three-month life. Hero #2 has a rare disease called Hyperinsulinism. It means that in his young life his pancreas is producing too much insulin. They are finding it difficult to keep his sugars at the right level. He may need a portion of his pancreas removed and/or be on medication the rest of his life.

But that’s not all. Hero #2 has had rapid breathing since the day he was born, the source of which the doctors can’t seem to figure out.

But that’s not all. Hero #2 has a little dimple at the base of his spine that’s an indication that something might be “tethering” to his spine. It could hurt the development of his legs. If that’s the case, he will need surgery for it.

But that’s not all. Tomorrow he is having a CT-Scan and an MRI to determine whether his skull is developing correctly. If it’s not, they may have to do surgery to break the bones in his skull and set them properly.

Hero #2’s mom and dad, grandma and grandpa are getting to know far more medical terminology than they ever wanted to know. They are getting to know the hospital staff far better than they ever wanted to. They are getting tired of leaving Hero #2 at the hospital every night so that they can go home and get some sleep.

Hero #2 was just informed that he will have to be put on an Honor Flight of his own. He has to go to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to have a test and possible surgery for his Hyperinsulinism. It’s an Honor Flight Hero #2’s parent’s would rather he not have to take.

My hero.

Through it all, the only way you can say it is that he has been a “little trooper.” Between the tears, fears, and frustration, Mom and Dad, Grandma and Grandpa, have been trusting and faithful through it all. They are my heroes, too.

Two heroes: One on the far side of life, the other on the near side. But both heroes to me. I am thankful for them both, and praying for them both. They have both taught me that life is a precious gift of the Creator.

It’s not often you meet two heroes in one day.

Who are your heroes, and what have they taught you?

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A Story of Grace

A true story:

Once upon a time there was a faithful school principal. Like most every school principal in his day and age he faced shrinking receipts and growing bills. Mr. Faithful Principal’s school provided quality education for children who came from far and wide. Despite shrinking receipts and growing bills the school was appreciated by grateful parents. It was a godsend.

One such set of parents had sent their little first grader to Mr. Faithful Principal’s school. He hadn’t done well at his previous school, so these parents thought a change of venue might help the child. 

Lo and behold, Little First Grader made great strides.  It was not only the change of venue that brought improvement, it was the quality teachers and staff. Little First Grader’s Father called Mr. Faithful Principal to see if there was anything he could do for the school.

Mr. Faithful Principal invited Little First Grader’s Father to his office to discuss this generous offer. In the conversation Mr. Faithful Principal noted that the school was looking to upgrade its math curriculum the following school year.

Little First Grader’s Father asked what would be the price of such a proposition. Mr. Faithful Principal said that it would be in the realm of $10,000 smackeroos.

Little First Grader’s Father got out his checkbook and wrote a check. It was in the amount of $11,000 smackeroos (Note Well: ELEVEN thousand) to Mr. Faithful Principal’s school. The End.

That’s the abundant nature of God’s grace: Always more than is hoped for, expected, or deserved.

How have you seen God’s abundant grace in your life?

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Re:Creating Life

In this ongoing series I am recapping the incredible speakers I experienced at re:create 11, a conference for “creatives” in Franklin, Tennessee. If this blog were on a piece of paper you would probably see tear stains on it. Ken Davis is certainly in the top five public speakers I have heard or witnessed in my life. For me it wasn’t so much what he said (although it, too, was fanstastic), as it was how he said it. And it brought literal tears to my eyes.

I noticed that the notes I took during his talk mostly failed me, because I was so enthralled in what Ken was saying and how he was saying it. Nonetheless, here are some of the things I jotted down:

  • There is an exhilaration you feel when you’re doing what God had in mind when He spoke you into existence.
  • Irenaeus: “The glory of God is man fully alive.”
  • Ben Franklin: “Many men die at 25 and aren’t buried until they’re 75.”
  • Switchfoot: “I wanna wake up kicking and screaming.”
  • This life is not a waiting room for eternal life.
  • A sign of life is discipline.
  • Do what you do to live, not because it’s a living.
  • The opposite of discipline is death.
  • If you proclaim anything you will be criticized.
  • Fail quickly; get it over with.
  • Failure is the ticket to success.
  • Confidence is using your giftedness according to God’s purpose.
  • Take chances and risks.
  • “Signs of life” are relationships.

At this point, Ken began to speak about his own relationships. He introduced us to his family and his grandchildren. He told us about what he called his “Fairy Granddaughters.” He spoke about them with humor, passion, compassion, and the kind of love only a grandfather can have for his grandchildren. He engaged us by allowing us to get to know them all. I was drawn in deeply because I saw my own family in his.

And he told a story. It was a story about his granddaughter getting lost on a mountain in Colorado. The story was captivating because it was filled with “real life” situations, humor, tension, humor, exhilaration, humor, relief, and humor. This is the part of the talk when I found myself wiping away tears. I was identifying completely with the speaker and feeling the arms of the story being wrapped around me. I saw my own love and passion for my children, the way Ken has love and passion for his grandchildren.

It was a bold and blatant reminder that one of the greatest reasons to be alive is to be in relationship with those closest to you: your own family. I wasn’t taking notes at this point, but while his granddaughter was lost Ken said he found himself out in the woods on his hands and knees praying something like this: “Take my property; take everything I own; take my health; …take my life…but please bring back my granddaughter alive.”

What parent or grandparent wouldn’t pray that same prayer in a similar situation? My family is more important to me than life itself. I guess that’s why I found myself in such an emotional state at that point of the talk. I saw others wiping tears, as well (fellow re:creators, you know who you are!).

I guess Ken’s point was: God gives life in this world purpose. That purpose is filled full in many ways. One of the greatest ways is by the very people with whom we laugh and cry, sing and shout, live and breathe…the people that we call our family.

When the room was, at the end, still with the silence of incredible appreciation, Ken finished his talk with words I will never forget: “Live. For God’s sake. Live”

  • Ken had set us out to sea with self-deprecating humor.
  • He floated the bait by using interesting quotes.
  • And he set the hook by using his own story to get us to think about our own.

As Irenaeus said, “The glory of God is man fully alive.” What is it that makes you feel fully alive?


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Re:Creating Empathy

Randy Elrod is the passionate, artistic, creative entrepreneur who formed and shaped re:create, and has nurtured it over eleven years. In my continuing series of quotes from the re:create conference, this post is focused on Randy’s presentation about empathy. Believe me when I say that it generated much discussion at the conference.

Randy’s empathy was on display throughout the conference as he shed real, empathetic tears on more than one occasion. In other words, he knew that of which he was speaking.  Here are some quotes:

  • Ether = Quintessence = “The 5th Element”; Ether was known as the purest essence and was thought to permeate everything. We have a God who is “quintessence” in the greatest sense.
  • Use one word to describe yourself: that word is your brand; your “brand” is who you are not what you do.
  • The first verb of the Bible is “created”!
  • Empathy comes in three types: Cognitive, Emotional, and Compassionate.
  • Cognitive Empathy = To know another person’s feelings; to take them and use them for or against a person.
  • Emotional Empathy = To feel what another person feels.
  • Compassionate Empathy = To respond compassionately to another person’s distress.
  • The progression of these three types of empathy goes like this: I notice you…I feel with you…I act to help you (that’s what the Good Samaritan did).

Once we determine what type of empathy we most regularly practice, we can be aware of the gift from God that it is, and use it in service to ourself and to others.

  • The Creator God can recreate our past because He is the “quintessential” Father. He is ever-present in and through His Word.
  • When you feel yourself getting tense, assess it; you’re trying to be God in that moment.
  • The up side of being an empathetic person is passion, intuition, and communication.
  • The down side of being an empathetic person is that one can become an emotional sponge.
  • Be present to your God-given emotions “for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose” (Phil. 2:13).

What does empathy have to do with creativity?

  • It helps to understand that even our minds have been redeemed; understanding the spiritual “mind” that has been placed in us is key to seeing life through the eyes of Christ.
  • Christian contemplation is a commendable practice.
  • Practice imagination!
  • Practice remembering what you’ve forgotten, a la Madeline L’Engle who reminds us that every child is an artist.
  • Practice charisma, that is “the ability to make people feel comfortable in an uncomfortable space.”
  • Give people the gift of God’s presence in you.
  • Be optimistic and curious.
  • Focus on others: Pay attention to the person in front of you (listen to listen…not to fix and solve).

People do their best work when they are allowed to make progress. Give the people around you the opportunity to make progress.

As a result of this talk I’m going to work on being a more empathetic person, being more “present” to those in my life. I also want to use the gift of empathy to foster my creative spirit (see the last group of bullet points).

How do empathy and creativity work together to produce art in your life?

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Re:Creating Story

Last week I spent a few days at the Re:Create Conference in Franklin, Tennessee. It was probably the best conference I have ever attended. I was surrounded by fellow “creatives.” Every speaker was first rate. The music and media were sublime (and live!). The fellowship and learning opportunities were incredible. And the food was the best conference food I’ve ever had.

Best of all were the words of wisdom that I am still pondering and contemplating. Over these next few posts I’m simply going to share some quotes with you. I like thoughtful quotes and quotations. When they are easy to remember they have an impact. The best quotes spur me on to action.

Here are some quotes from our first speaker, author and communicator extraordinaire, Patsy Clairmont:

  • If you have a loss it gives you the opportunity to realize the benefit of that loss and make up for it.
  • We want to know people’s stories because: 1) In their story we want to find answers for our own life, and 2) We want to know the story-tellers’ secret to success.
  • Own your story: Be consistent with who you are and what people see you to be.
  • Creatives are good at making something that isn’t right sound good (touchè!).
  • Clairmont quoted Faulkner: “The past is never dead; it’s not even past.”
  • Make opportunities to look back and see how God has worked in your life.
  • We are closest to being most fully ourself when we are functioning in our gift.
  • Ask questions that matter; get to the heart of things.

I suppose one of the points is to pay attention to our own story, and to learn from the stories of others. Through it all, God works to carry out His own narrative, and to have His own impact on our life. As a result of this talk I hope to reflect on how God has worked in my life in the past, what it means for today, and where it’s going to lead tomorrow.

I’m also going to try and ask better questions…questions that matter. The Faulkner quote reminds us that who we are today is a product of our past. God is still working. He has used people, places, and things to mold and shape us. Ultimately, it is the narrative of His own Word that shapes us in the way the matters most: He takes sinners and makes saints.

What can you learn from your own story, and what have you learned from paying attention to the stories of others?

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“Stolen” Creativity

Recently I have run across a number of people carrying out ideas that I thought were my very own. They had the vision to get their ideas up and running, and I’m left behind to consider where I went wrong, or why I wasn’t quick enough to get out there first.

It’s a frustrating thing for anyone who considers him or herself a “creative.” What if someone gets there first? Why couldn’t I put my idea into action quickly enough? Where am I falling short? Am I a creative failure?

Actually, it’s a good thing to have someone beat you to the punch every once in a while. Here’s why:

  1. It provides motivation to do what blogger extraordinaire, Seth Godin, always encourages: “Ship!” Don’t dwell on your idea. Make it happen, and get it out the door!
  2. It gives you the opportunity to refine your idea.  Maybe the way the usurper carried out the idea had room for improvement. How can it be refined and rededicated according to your purpose and vision?
  3. It means impetus to keep dreaming, creating, and visioning. There are more ideas from where those one or two came that are equally, if not more, unique and ready to be revealed to the masses.
  4. It tells you to tone down your (ok…my) envy and jealousy and work to make something that will have others longing to be a part of.
  5. It’s actually affirmation that what you have been thinking, dreaming, and creating is something that indeed can be carried out to execution and consumed by the general public.

So when you see someone taking one of your ideas and running with it, toss aside the envy and jealousy and get back to work! Your day will come. I promise.

How do you deal with someone else using, stealing, or borrowing your idea?

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Irrational Passion

OK, I admit it. On the eve of the NFC Championship game featuring the Packers and Bears, my passion, nervousness, and anticipation is irrational. I know that there are those who would never understand it. I even admit to this particular neurosis. I don’t expect people to accept it. As they say, “It is what it is.”

For the past few weeks I have been living and dying with every play of each Packer game. When injuries decimated the team early in the season I felt as though I could relax and simply enjoy any victory that they might achieve the rest of the season. But as the team stepped up, as they began to win, as they made their way into the playoffs, my irrational passion rose to the surface once again.

For the last two games of the regular season and the first two games of the playoffs I have worn a path in our living room rug. I have been spitting and fuming; I have been lamenting and rejoicing; I have leaped off the couch at the very high highs, and pounded my fist at the very low lows.

At the start of the playoffs I stated that it didn’t matter how far the Packers made it in the playoffs. It would all be icing on the cake. I lied. Now anything less than a win is going to be far more than a huge disappointment. It won’t only ruin my day. It will take me months or even years to get over it. I know. It’s just a game. It’s irrational.

Everything changed when it turned out that the Packers would be playing the Bears. You see, Green and Gold literally runs in my blood.  My maternal grandmother and grandfather lived in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, just miles down the road from Lambeau Field. They followed the Packers most of their lives. They read everything they could read about their beloved team. My great aunt had season tickets for more years than I could count. My parents are both rabid fans. My mom won’t even stay in the room if the game is close (just in case you wonder where I get it). My son and daughter, nieces and nephews bleed green and gold, too.

I grew up pretending to be Bart Starr scoring the winning touchdown with just seconds left in the game. When I wasn’t Bart Starr, I dreamt I was my favorite player, running back John Brockington, sweeping around the corner for a 40-yard run. I suffered through the Lynn Dickey years, the Forrest Gregg and Lindy Infante years, and more recently the Ray Rhodes year. I still shed a tear and get chills when I watch Brett Favre and Reggie White winning the 1997 Super Bowl, and can’t even bear to think about the 1998 Super Bowl. To this day I can’t stand the Denver Broncos.

Now it comes down to a game with the Chicago Bears in order to proceed to the Green Bay Packers’ first Super Bowl appearance since 1998. Really? Did it have to be the Bears? Did it have to be that team from south of the border that has been the arch rival since time immemorial? Did it have to be the team so appropriately dressed in villain’s black? Did it have to be the team from the city that produces more obnoxious fans per capita than any other? (OK. They probably feel the same way about the fans to their north; but, still….)

So if you listen closely tomorrow, you might hear my screams, cries, or shouts. I’ll be lunging my body forward with James Starks on the Packers running plays, and oomphing along with Clay Matthews as he makes a tackle. I’ll be wincing when Aaron Rodgers gets hit, and putting a little bit of my leg into Mason Crosby’s kicks. I’ll be cheering each fumble and interception given up by the dreaded black and orange, and hoping against all hope that my beloved Green Bay Packers will pull out an improbable run to the Super Bowl.

But if they lose, please give me my space. And if they lose, I don’t want to hear from any of you Bears fans. I know, it’s just a game. It’s irrational passion. But I am who I am. I can’t help it.

Go Packers! Please win. Please?

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Creative Discussion

I had lunch today with an author who has published two books and numerous articles. I’ve been watching him do his work over the past couple of years as he has followed around an organization in which I am intimately involved. I have seen him fly in and out of town; sit through meetings; attend events; take notes; and mostly listen.

Today we talked again about an idea he took from someone else that I’m hoping to take from him in the very near future. The idea is a “discussion group.” My writer friend lives in the Washington, D.C. area, and once a month invites together a group of people for lunch (usually about 25 or more). Along with the “regulars” my friend invites a special guest or two.

The special guests come from the realm of politics, the arts, journalism, and many other disciplines. The guests spend the first ten or fifteen minutes presenting a topic and then the rest of the time is spent asking questions, discussing the presentation and issues, and simply listening. They meet every month of the year except for August.

People move in and out of the group, but there are about 15 people who are there just about every month. They like to learn. They like to debate. They like to question.

This monthly meeting is a great filling station for creatives of all kinds. That’s why I want to start a group like this. Creativity can go fleeting away very quickly if there isn’t anything to fill the creative tank.

Books and articles that I have read on the topic of creativity certainly support this. For instance, Julia Cameron says in The Artist’s Way that any type of creative person ought to take him or herself on a “creative date” each and every week. She says to go all by yourself to a movie, museum, or even a five and dime store to simply observe, think, and be filled.

I’ve tried it, and it works very well. But I think I like this idea even better. Get together with others. Pick their brains. Discuss. Debate. Take some notes. Fill the tank. Simply listen.

I’d love for you to join me in a group like this. What kinds of ideas do you have for filling one’s creative tank?