Here is a principle you must understand for organizational efficiency:
Sometimes the best person for the job may not be the person who (you think) can do the job best.
Let me explain…
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When we were in Sierra Leone Africa earlier this summer we saw some of the most unique and beautiful beaches I have seen anywhere in the world. Interestingly, the people don’t seem to appreciate or enjoy the beauty they have right next to them as much as one would think they do. I can’t help but think if I had this beach in my backyard that I’d be on it frequently. We baptized people at the beach who lived a few hundred feet from the water yet had never been in it before.
On one trip to the beach, as I stood mesmerized by the beauty of perfect blue skies, sand, ocean waves, boulder-sized rocks and mountains in the background, I couldn’t help but ask a pastor friend how it all formed in his mind. The rocks that line the ocean appear to have developed by volcanic activity. I ask him if he knew the make-up of the rocks and how they formed…and if he knew of any volcanoes in the vicinity.
He looked at me with complete sincerity and said very simply, “God is great!”
I was quickly humbled in my search for answers and reminded of a few truths:
People watching is such an art. It takes discipline and practice. If you aren’t careful you might miss something good…or you could scare people away.
In one people-watching day recently I saw…
Think you have a great idea….sleep on it…
If you read this blog regularly, surely you have learned that I’m a risk-taker by nature. I love to encourage big dreams and I want to be a catalyst for idea generation and innovative thought. I’m even a church planter!!! Talk about risk…
In spite of that tendency in me to act quickly, I have learned one principle of leadership by personal experience…this is one of those wisdom learned by mistake kind of things…so listen closely…
According to a recent survey, 40 percent of professionals want to quit their job. I’m curious, is that higher than you would think? I’d love to know what percentage on our staff feels that way….(hopefully not that high!)
As one who studies and writes about organizational health, these numbers frustrate me. What can be done to improve job satisfaction? I love the interview Brad Lomenick did recently with Tony Hsieh of Zappos about their corporate culture. Check it out HERE. Zappos appears to be a place people want to work and one that is remaining very profitable.
According to the Nashville Business Journal, here is a list of reasons U.S. professionals cited for wanting to quit their jobs this year, accompanied by the percentage of respondents who cited the reason:
I tweeter recently a question. What is one non-negotiable characteristic of a leader you are willing to follow?
Here are some of the responses:
Do you like summer? Are you ready for the season to change? I am always ready for change and as a runner, it has been especially hot. As an optimist by nature, however, I decided it was best to reflect on the things I like about summer.
Here are 10 reasons I love about summer:
I love exploring Ted.com for exceptional videos. I don’t get to very often, but when I do, I find great stuff.
Here’s one you should consider watching. It’s about 17 minutes long, and honestly he rambles at times, but you’ll get some great wisdom and reminders from a great man. Here’s John Wooden on the subject “What is True Success?”
Someone used the term “expert” in regards to a person and social media recently. It sounded good at first, but then I started thinking. Is anyone really an “expert” in a field that is barely five years old and changes literally every day?
One definition of the term expert reads: a person who has a comprehensive and authoritative knowledge of or skill in a particular area. I guess someone could qualify under that definition, but it also seems to me that as soon as one gains authoritative knowledge about the field of social media that everything changes. Everyone involved with social media must be in a constant learning mode.
It does seem, however, that we are living in a day where the term expert is coined much faster than in days past.
This is a silly post with an important principle…
The other day I was on a Skype call with missionaries from Costa Rica. I serve on their ministry board and this was a board meeting. As with most meetings, I get bored easily, so I began to doodle on a piece of paper in front of me. What started literally as doodling with no intended purpose turned into a masterpiece…as you can see from this picture.