Author Chris Brady's Leadership Blog

A High-Def Life

With the prevalence of High-Def television, video, photography, computer screens, and even smart phones, our modern eyes have grown accustomed to seeing things in clear focus. Going back to older technology is immediately noticeable, and seems fuzzy and ancient.

I find that this can be a metaphor for life. Some people seem to live lives that are clear and in focus, while others move through days of fuzziness with no direction. What is the difference? And what are some things you can do to make sure to live your own life in the vibrant clarity only high-definition can produce? The answer is intentionality; clearly defining what's most important and then deploying your time, talents, and resources toward those ends accordingly.

1. Understand Your Purpose: Knowing who you are begins with knowing whose you are.  Unearth, detect, and discover your God-given purpose and you will be giving your life the highest possible clarity.

2. Pursue a Dream: Knowing your overall purpose opens the door to dreams. As Orrin Woodward and I wrote in Launching a Leadership Revolution, clarifying your actions by aligning them in the direction of a dream can have massive motivational power.

3. Set Specific Goals: Dreams without goals set toward their attainment are mere fantasies. Those goals must be specific, believable, achievable, written and spoken, and have a target date for completion.

4. Follow a Game Plan: A game plan is a map that guides you through the obstacles and hurdles and gives you a route to your goals. What specific steps can you take to hit your goals? Who should you enlist to help and support you in that quest? What rewards will you allow yourself upon hitting your goals? These are just some of the elements that go into a produtive game plan.  

5. Execute: There is no substitute for hard work. Tim Tebow said, "It's not hard to beat talent when talent won't work hard." The most successful people in life are not the ones with the most talent, but rather those who have the ability to push themselves to excellence. Remember: You won't reach high if you won't push on.

6. Measure Your Results: Orrin Woodward is big on calling this step "Keeping Score." Having goals but not measuring your progress against them is like bowling in the dark. Have the courage to confront brutal reality and get a true, accurate measure on how you are progressing.

7. Adjust Intelligently: Analyze your results and make adjustments as necessary. These don't have to be huge - just smart. It is at this step where a mentor or coach can prove invaluable because often we are blind to our limiting factors and destructive tendencies.

8. Persist in the Process: Many times success is nothing more than hanging on long enough for it to show up. Stay the course. Be tough enough to stick it out. Once having put your hands to the plow, don't look back. Keep at it.

9. Enjoy the Journey: The cliches are flying fast and furiously now. But this is a big one. Life is a pilgrimage, not a destination. Be sure to celebrate your victories. 

10. Touch Lives Along the Way: If you only embodied #9, you would be a selfish Hedonist. But if you enjoy the journey while serving others, you will not only be more fun to be around, but will lift others in the process.  Remember: The selfish life is not worth living (and neither is the shellfish life, when you really think about it!)

11. Take Time Out: Be wise enough to know how you operate. Schedule in deliberate breaks for rest and restoration, so you can continue to function at peak capacity.

12. Keep Your Priorities Straight: This is good advice in two ways: a) for proper allotment of your time and resources as you strive toward excellence (thereby making the most productive use of what you've been given), and b) to keep you from losing track of who you are and what you are about. In those famous words from The Lion King as said to Mufasa, "Never forget who you are." 

13. Give glory to God: When it's all said and done, there is usually a lot more said than done. And the little we actually do accomplish is for, by, and through God's grace. 

These are the 13 megapixels critical for constructing a High-Def life. Challenge yourself to keep them in focus and enjoy the vibrancy that results! 

I hope this helps.

Chris Brady

 

Electronic FAST

All things in moderation, they say. Most of us would agree with that statement, at least in general. But who among us couldn't be convicted of extremism in at least one category or another? Consider cell phones and electronic means of communication, for instance. Statistics show that the average American checks his/her smart phone upwards of 150 times per day! Add to that the amount of time we spend online with computers and laptops, and our behavior of "being connected" could quickly appear to be extreme.

We live in fast times with microwaved food, drive through windows, express lanes, online banking, immediate wire transfers, and instant communication around the globe. Technology advances so quickly it's hard to keep up.  Fast, fast, fast - that's the word for today's times - fast.

But the word fast has an ancient definition as well. In Biblical terms, the word fast refers to a Christian's voluntary abstinence from food and other legitimate enjoyments for spiritual purposes. It represents a way of eliminating distractions and dependencies from our life for the purpose of momentarily seeking a greater degree of closeness with God. Fasting, in this sense, is for spiritual purposes and God's glory.

Now, let's put the two concepts together.

To allow the solitude, quietude, and uninterruptedness necessary to foster greater spiritual awareness, prayer, Bible study, family time, thinking, and planning (not to mention sanity), would it not make sense to develop the habit of electronic fasting from time to time? Perhaps once a day for an hour? Just imagine: with a mere hour a day devoid of your phone, laptop, computer, and any other form of interruption or compulsion, you could actually get in touch with what's most important in life. By disconnecting, you just might be able to connect more deeply with what (and who) matters most. By holding an electronic fast, you just might be able to hold fast to things not electronic - in other words, the things that really aren't things at all.

Technology in many ways is wonderful. But it is also sneaky. It can creep into corners of our lives and consume our time and focus without us noticing how much of our private territory we've surrendered. Just because something can be done doesn't necessarily mean it should.

Here are some practical ideas for putting an electronic fast into practice in your life:

1. Try taking the first hour of the day without consulting your phone, email, computer, social networking sites, or anything that smacks of "communication" at all. Instead, read the Bible, look at a goal sheet, organize your day, pray, and simply think. 

2. Set aside some "family time" in which the phones all get shut off and nobody can be interrupted. Play games, go out together, or just simply talk. 

3. When meeting with a client or business partner, or a friend or subordinate in need of counsel or advice, shut off your phone, turn off your computer monitor, and allow yourself to focus upon the person sitting across from you. Feel free also to ask them to do the same.

4. Whenever you feel your stress level approaching the boiling point, shut everything down. Get away from it. Find some quiet. And maybe a good book. Perhaps THE good book. Sometimes "going dark" is the best way to find some light.

5. From time to time, try taking an entire day away from electronics and communication devices. Those of you who were tracking with me up to this point are maybe dropping away now. But trust me: it can be done; the world won't fall apart in your absence, and you won't believe the impact it will have on your wellbeing.

6. Learn that most things that seem urgent can wait. Learn to prioritize. Fight the temptation to be too connected. Figure out what's important, and then use technology to help you achieve those things. 

I know that much of this seems like modern-day heresy. But it's important that you learn to take charge of technology instead of allowing it to take charge of you.

Sometimes you've got to disconnect in order to truly connect.

 

 

Life Lessons

I like lists. In my journal are several pages for listing things such as trips I've taken, books I've read, and quotes I like. One such list contains an eclectic collection entitled "Life Lessons." This consists of things I've learned through experience that could possibly have saved me from the experience in the first place! Occasionally, I'll dust off this list and read through it, finding that these lessons learned often need to be re-learned. At any rate, they keep me sharp and spur introspection. One that struck me this morning is:

"The time is going to pass and be gone. You can't do it all. Sooner or later you have to figure out what you can't imagine not accomplishing and give everything you've got toward doing it. Learn to say NO to everything else."

Good advice?

Achievable?

What do you think?

What are some of your life lessons?

 

Shawn Achor and the Science of Happiness

Watch this fascinating video and learn the power of controlling what your mind focuses upon and the lens through which you see the world around you.

Dreams Have Ramifications

My first view of it came from at least a mile away, across fields and woods and colored by a setting sun. The spires of the Biltmore mansion stood proudly in a group, sticking up above the pines and pointing into the sky. Even from such a distance, it looked enormous.

I had tried once before to come here and tour this place, but instead a flu had me halucinating in a nearby hotel room bed. I fought off dragons and flew through black ink skies until our schedule forced us to move on - me in the passenger seat, curled into the fetal position. We left without even getting a glimpse. Now, four years hence, the glimpse alone was worth the trip.

The next day we gathered with dear friends and took the official tour. My favorite was the library, of course. Being a sucker for architecture and the creative process in general, I was taken in by George Vanderbilt's vision, his design, the attention to detail, and, obviously, the sheer size of the building. My mind went to thoughts of infrastructure and logistics, the complication of the build, and the cost. 125,000 acres, I thought! What an estate.

Seeing the servants' quarters, noting the scale of the kitchens and "working rooms," it occurred to me how many people must work to allow a few to be at leisure. What had Vanderbilt himself done, after all, to earn all of this? He was a third generation millionaire (billionaire in today's inflated dollar terms) who spent his inheritance on this dream home while his older brother carried on the family work. But then, who was I to judge? And who could begrudge someone using his means in a way he saw fit, that didn't hurt anyone, and that brought a lot of activitiy to a lot of people. Besides, there was also talk of his private contributions to charity. 

That's when I thought of it.

One part of the audio tour mentioned that Vanderbilt had 40 full-time staff to run the place in his day. Yet, everywhere we went on the property, from the inn to the winery, from the guard shack to the house proper, we were met and greeted and handled by friendly, smiling people. There are way more than 40 people working here now. One man's dream from over a century ago has provided not only enjoyment, but employment for countless others down through the years. 

Dreams, you see, have ramifications. Beauty has a special quality that, when shared, is free and contagious. It can be appreciated by everybody. But beyond the sharing of a work of art, such as the Biltmore mansion, dreams can be productive in employing others and providing a livelihood, too. 

Dream big. Dream in a God-honoring way. Dream of things you can do with your talents and abilities to bring joy, share beauty, and impact others in a positive way. Do no harm. Seek to do good. For you can never know for sure how far your dream will reach or last, and how many it will benefit along the way. Who knows, someone may just be writing about your dream 100 years from now!

 

Tearing Down the Play Set

We never met our neighbors on one side. By the time we bought our home the husband had already moved out. We saw the children once in a while, roughly the same age as our own, but that was about it. Otherwise, the house usually looked vacant.

Then one day I heard some racket and looked over to see a work crew dismantling the extensive wooden playset in the back yard. Piece by piece, it was being unceremonially hurled into the back of a rusty pickup truck. Soon, all that remained was a sad patch of woodchips where a happy playground had once been.

It was all a metaphor for the pain of broken relationships. My seminary professor, Dr. Doug Bookman, once made a profound statement about the deepest pain in human experience being relational pain. Contemplating this, I agreed with him. Nothing hurts more than a broken bond with another person. Hurt feelings are the strongest feelings of hurt we can experience. In particular, when a family breaks apart it is serious business. Pain flings itself in every direction and misses no one with its touch of lasting destruction. 

Watching those workmen that day, I thought back over my life and the empty patches of woodchips in certain backyards of my memory. I have been fortunate, as there are not too many of them, but the ones I do have are strong testimony to the truth of Bookman's comment.

Keep the playset in your backyard in good working order. Maintain it daily with love and affection. Be intentionally loving and serving in the lives of the people God has brought into your life. Guard your relationships with constant vigilance. It's much easier to maintain good relationships and mend frazzled ones than to let them be carried away in a rusty truck. Once that happens, all that is left is a lonely patch of woodchips quietly suggesting what could have been.

 

 

 

5 Lessons A True Leader Can Take Away From The VW Super Bowl Ad

I am excited to introduce the following article contributed exclusively to readers of this blog by Jason Monaghan from the University of Notre Dame Executive Online Education program. For a look at the ad in question, click here. 

Every year when I watch the Super Bowl, it amazes me how creative organizations can be in delivering their message.  One of the best ads this year (in my humble opinion) is the VW Ad featuring a dog who yearns to experience the new VW Bug.  The level of creativity is startling – especially given the success of their ad from last year – and it led me to think about how an effective leadership team must be just as creative on a daily basis. 

 

Here are a few takeaways I thought of from one of 2012’s top Super Bowl commercial contenders:

 Every “old dog” has the chance to learn new tricks.  Truly effective leaders are constantly courting change.  What changes they can't find, they invent, and they stick to their vision no matter what.  As soon as you resist change because it would involve giving up “what you know,” you are stifling the chance for development. 

 Times change – be ready.  Be prepared to adjust to opportunities as they emerge. Whether that means staying in shape physically or emotionally, or even pursuing extra education – like a leadership certification or an advanced degree – being in prime shape is critical.  Who do you want to be, the overweight dog that can't get through the door once opportunity comes knocking, or the one who is lean and mean, ready to chase that new opportunity? 

 Take a risk.  Effective leadership means constantly striving and reaching for new angles.  VW had arguably the best Super Bowl ad in 2011 – and they built upon that legacy.  The team for this year also knew the smart thing was not doing the “same old, same old.” Instead, they are aiming for new heights by creating a new memorable commercial experience while leveraging their success from last year.   

 Watch carefully and apply.  Be creative in your approach and watch what resonates with your team, clients and customers. VW recognizes the trend in reality television has a few strong threads that resonate with the American audience, and one of them is the life transformation from shows like NBC’s The Biggest Loser. They built this into the new direction for this year’s ad while tying into their former success at the end – kind of like getting two ads for one. Don't be afraid to try a new tactic if you think it will appeal to your audience or team. Your leadership and willingness to try could create an entirely new trend, rather than responding to those already in the marketplace. 

 The “force” is a creative, visionary skill, not a coercive tool.  The last scene where the little Darth Vader reacts to criticism is definitely not the way to respond to dissention.  Don't use the “force” to force people to agree. Surround yourself with those who share your passion and your vision and let their ideas and opinions be the force that drives you. Leaders can create an empire by fostering an environment that readily accepts change, new ideas and trust. 

 

Even with the fun and excitement of the Super Bowl this weekend, there are serious leadership lessons to be learned.  Excellence in leadership means that change is part of the daily pursuit of organizations who are striving to stay relevant.  VW accomplishes this by taking its own twist on the “force” of business.

This guest post was provided by Jason Monaghan with University of Notre Dame Executive Online Education. Jason works with the faculty and staff at Notre Dame Online to develop skill sets for the leaders of tomorrow in Negotiations, Leadership and Management and Business Administration.

Top 10 Reasons People Quit Something Worthy

For nearly twenty years I've worked with people in an entrepreneurial setting, encouraging and coaching them to fulfill their dreams and goals. I've seen people come and I've seen people go, and through it all there emerges a pattern of behavior. I've often been asked, "What's the difference between those who 'make it' and those who don't?"

Giving this some thought recently resulted in what I'll call my "Top 10 Reasons People Quit Something Worthy." This isn't revelation from God, it's not infallible, and it's probably not even complete. But it is mine, and now it can be yours, too.  I hope it helps!

10. Pride - uwilling to "look the fool" while going through the necessary failures along the way

9. Besetting Sin - an addiction or something destructive in their lifestyle that tears their life apart

8. Lack of Character - they have to take their "game" elsewhere because they've been "found out"

7. Distractions - men fail by "broken focus"

6. Comfort - the "lure of lesser things"

5. Dream Not Big Enough - without a powerful dream there is no focus, no passion, and no long term vision

4. Relational Challenges - can't get along with others

3. Unwillingness to Accept Personal Responsibility - blame others for lack of results

2. Self Doubt - can't see themselves having the big victory

1. No Mental Toughness - don't have the discipline and/or courage to hang in there when times get tough

Of course, we could debate the order of these items, and even add a few more to the list, but the point is to provide some thought starters you can use to hold up against your own life. Also, don't get me wrong. Part of success in life is knowing what to quit! You can't do everything, and in order to succeed mightily you must focus. So quitting "unworthy" or "lesser" things is actually a part of success. The situation to which I'm referring in the list above is when people quit something worthy, something central, something that has been their heart's desire, something into which they've poured hours and energy and hopes.

Now, a couple questions:

Are you chasing something great in your life?

Are you seeking to live a life of purpose and meaning?

I hope the answer to both is a hearty "yes," and if so, then perhaps this list can help you identify weaknesses you can shore up against failure. Figure out where you're susceptible and do something about it. It's these ten you'll have to beat if you're going to "make it."

 

Preparation

I love watching people who are at the top of their game.  Whether it be the type of performance readily seen (such as sports, preaching, musical performing, acting, or public speaking), or those which can best be known by observing the finished product (such as architecture, great writing, and painting), people who rise to such levels of greatness have a tendency to "make it look easy."

Looks, however, can be deceiving. No one can really perform "that well" without thousands of hours of unseen practice. No one is "gifted" as much as we sometimes wish to think in our efforts to comfort ourselves why we aren't that good. Certainly people have areas of gifting. Certainly there are different levels of endownments given to each one of us in different areas. But there is still a difference even among those equipped with similar inate ability - and that difference is preparation.

It never ceases to amaze me the lengths to which people will go in order to avoid preparation. Given relatively equal abilities, the more prepared person will win nearly every time. I don't know about you, but I think I can almost always tell when someone is "winging it."  This always makes me wonder. Why wouldn't someone choose to give an endeavor all they've got? Why wouldn't they prepare? Is their heart not in it? Are they just lazy? It may be they simply haven't been convinced that preparation is a competitive advantage.

Jerry Rice, the most decorated wide receiver in pro football history was famous for his hours of prepartion and grueling workouts, even into his forties!

"Sweetness" Walter Payton said he gained his advantage in his offseason training and by running up and down a sand dune near his house.

Stephen King wrote that he forces himself to follow a rigid writing routine every day and won't leave his desk until he's written at least 2500 words.

Throughout his remarkable business career, Sam Walton was famous for walking through competitor's stores in search of even little ideas that could be copied and improved upon, and was known for digesting reams of data prior to his legendary Saturday morning operations meetings.

John Wooden pre-scripted every single minute of every practice in every season of his coaching career.

Napoleaon would sleep a mere three hours a night, utilizing the rest of the "quiet hours" to pour over maps and battlefield reports so that he would be the most informed commander on the battlefield.

One of my favorite quotes is by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow:

"The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward through the night"

In what area of life are you striving for excellence?

Would a court of law be able to convict you of that fact by observing your preparation?

Take time today to consider what more you can do to prepare, so you can blossom into the professional you were meant to be.

Remember, the best make it look easy, but it's not. Excellence is always hard, and it is forged on the anvil of preparation.

Now get to work.

"How Are You?" at Greetings?

"How are you?"

"What's up?"

"Morning."

These and perhaps hundreds of other greetings are muttered throughout our culture with no thought and even less sincerity.  We have almost a knee-jerk reaction to seeing someone and respond by robotically throwing out a perfunctory salution. But this is better than some, who instead walk into a room and nearly ignore everyone there out of shyness or self-absorption.

As a father to four children I have tried to teach them against their natural tendencies to enter a room and make eye contact, greet people, and show a heartfelt interest in others. Nothing is more common than a mute child who won't acknowledge adults and won't speak audibly when spoken to.  Some of this is understandable in children, of course, they being new to the art of human relations and easily intimidated by tall people who have hair growing on their face (especially when they're women). Nonetheless, we parents must make an effort to train them to notice and interact with others. It is at least as important as getting them to eat their spinach.

The sad part, however, is that so many children don't really grow up, but merely grow bigger. They reach "maturity" without even rudimentary people skills or manners. This is not only unfortunate but annoying, and it even finds its way into driving habits - but then, I digress.

To come at it from a positive side, I was recently making my way into a public place when I realized how glad I was to see a certain individual. We greeted and began chatting amicably and time passed without notice. Afterwards I reflected for a bit on just why this person holds such a pleasant spot in my mind, and it occurred to me at once that it was at least in part because of his greetings. Having taken note of this, I watched more carefully at our next interaction, and witnessed this same person breaking the silence barrier by approaching newcomers to our circle and offering his hand as an introduction first. His face lit with a smile, his eye contact was warm and direct, and his voice was all welcome.

Greetings, I thought. A moment in time. A brief second, perhaps. A lifetime of goodwill fostered.

Could it be that simple?

Well, certainly if it's backed by a pure heart and good intentions. After all, sincerity is impossible to defend against. But given good intentions as a constant, the person who makes a sincere, hearty greeting, either to a stranger but especially to a friend or acquintance, will carry the day every time. How can we resist someone who lights up at our appearance? How can we harbor ill feelings toward someone who is outwardly glad at our arrival? How can we resist wanting to become better friends with this fascinating, and obviously intelligent creature?

I would suggest that in our cell phone world this principle is equally important for telephone greetings. I don't mean the word "hello," but the reaction to the knowledge of the caller's identity. "Oh, Mike! Glad to hear from you! How have you been?" You get the idea. This stuff is so simple and obvious it is hardly needs mentioning. Or does it?

So consider the following questions:

1. How are you at walking into a room and taking notice of the individuals there?

2. Do you make eye contact, provide heartfelt greetings, and introduce yourself to strangers?

3. Upon seeing an acquaintance or friend, do you light up and project gladness at seeing them?

4. Do you introduce others into your "circle" and make efforts to connect people and make them feel accepted?

5. Do you likewise exude warm greetings on a telephone call?

These are simple but extremely fruitful concepts to make habitual in our lives. Other people matter. The Bible tells us to esteem others higher than ourselves. One of the easiest, cheapest, and simplest way to do this is with proper greetings. 

So, when it comes to greetings . . . 

How are you?