Collin Sewell Learning Leadership (As a man Thinketh & Interview Discussion)

The discussion between Collin and myself centered strongly around the book ‘As a Man Thinketh’ by James Allen.  In another post I have posted a chapter summary of the booklet.

 A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts.

Until thought is linked with purpose, there is no intelligent accomplishment.

-       What has been the most influential thought shaping process in your life for the good?

·       Stanley - 'Be Goals’ (podcast) (A ‘Be Goal’ is something you want to become)

·       Some of Collin’s ‘Be Goals’: faithful, steward, leader, generous, trustworthy

·       Without setting a 'Be' goal of being generous, Collin realized he would never be in the position he was today to be generous

·       Collin shared a great story of a man he has lead to faith in another city all because he wanted to be trustworthy.

-       What has been the most influential thought shaping process in your life for the bad?

·       Believing the Lies of Satan.  Allowing myself to get sidetracked from the routine that has produced positive thought processing.

-       How did you develop 'Be' goals?

·       'Its always a mistake to decide what your going to do before who you become'

·       Decide what you want to be known for:  What would ppl say at your funeral?

·       What are the adjectives that you use? Collin choose 7 so he could pray for one each day of the week in his own life.

-       How do you ‘think’ like someone who is successful and growing as a leader/person?

·       Define Success in thinking (Happiness (bad goal), fulfillment, accomplishing Gods plan, etc)

·       Collin had to make a choice that he would not be a perfectionist when it came to people.  He will be a perfectionist in processes, but NOT with individuals.

-       What are the best interview questions you have asked?  Greatest Differentiator?

Framework for Hiring: 

- Every person talks to at least 3 people, major positions would be more

- Each person has a list of questions - loading the lips of the candidates    

- Collin wants to take them to a meal and get them to pay to see how much they will TIP as well has how they appreciate the service, the waiter, praying in public

- ask situation questions, 'tell me a time' - get them to tell a story

- how do i know when your mad or upset?

- Tell me about a time when you had to do something more than you got paid to do...framework tells if they get pissed about the style of questioning.

- I want someone to interview who is not emotionally invested in the hire, be sure to have a non-bias -- it’s their best, which is why it is an interview (expect 80% of what you perceive at an interview)

- What do you consider on time? 

- Tell me about your study habits?

- Discover where people are, and develop a framework for how that would apply here.

James Allen 'As a Man Thinketh'

Below are some thoughts and quotes from James Allen in his book As a Man Thinketh.  It was a book aged well over 100 years and still selling copies.  He has a great story of business sucess that he dropped in order to follow his dream of writing.  You can find his booklet, one of his more popular here on Amazon.

Chapter 1:

A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts.

A noble and God-like character is not a thing of favor or chance, but is the natural result of continued effort in right thinking, the effect of long-cherished association with God-like thoughts.

Man is the master of thought, the molder of character, and the maker and shaper of condition, environment and destiny.

For only by patience, practice and ceaseless importunity can a man enter the door of the temple of knowledge.

Chapter 2:

A man’s mind may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild; but whether cultivated or neglected, it must, and will bring forth.  If no useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless weed-seeds will fall therein, and will continue to produce their kind.

Every thought seed sown or allowed to fall into the mind, and to take root there, produces its own, blossoming sooner or later into act, and bearing its own fruitage of opportunity and circumstance.

Men do not attract that which they want, but that which they are.

Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore remain bound.

…not until a man has extirpated every sickly, bitter, and impure thought from his soul, can he be in a position to know and declare that his sufferings are the result of his good and not his bad qualifies…

Suffering ceases for him who is pure.

A man only begins to be a man when he ceases to whine and revile, and commences to search for the hidden justice which regulates his life.

Let him encourage good thoughts, an no hard fate shall bind him down to wretchedness and shame.

Chapter 3:

The body is the servant of the mind.  It obeys the operations of the mind, whether they be deliberately chosen or automatically expressed.

Change of diet will not help a man who will not change his thoughts.  When a man makes his thoughts pure, he no longer desires impure food.  Clean thoughts make clean habits.

To live continually in thoughts of ill will, cynicism, suspicion, and envy, is to be  confined in a self made prison hole.

Chapter 4:

Until thought is linked with purpose, there is no intelligent accomplishment.

They who have no central purpose in their life fall an easy prey to petty worries, fears, troubles, and self-pitying’s, all of which are indications of weakness…

He who has conquers fear and doubt has conquered failure.

Chapter 5-7:

All that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve is the direct result of his own thoughts.

The higher he lifts his thoughts, the greater will be his success, the more blessed and enduring will be his achievements.

The dreamers are the saviors of the world.

Preaching Rocket Part Two

Preaching Rocket Module 2

What is a bottom line?

1) One big idea.

2) Central Theme

3) Your sermon in a sentence

4) A sticky statement

5) A phrase that pays

Why is a bottom line important?

1) Preparation

2) Force Clarity

- If were not careful, when it comes to sermon prep, were going to miss the opportunity to be clear in favor of           creating great volumes of knowledge.

3) Rememberability

If you want to create a good bottom line, you've got to:

P - Picture

R - Rhyme

E - Echo

A - Alliteration

C - Contrast

H - Hook

Change your condition, you change your position.

Your soul is more important than your stuff.

Closing Ideas:

Don't use all the ideas in one bottom line.

Get some outside opinions. (Preaching Rocket Forum)

Preaching Rocket Part One

Structuring a Message

Why the Work is Worth it:
#1 Your calling demands hard work.
#2 Your congregation demands hard work.
#3 Your topic demands hard work.

The FIVE parts of a sermon:
1. Introduction
Connection not information makes the difference.
Create tension.  Force people to lean in.  Must happen in the introduction.
Need to show people they can trust and relate to us.
In any presentation there is a gap, this must be closed in the introduction.
2. Body
Spend most of your time.  Answering the tension you created.
3. Illustrations
4. Applications
5. Conclusion
The goal is to feed people on a weekly basis equipping them on a weekly basis.

Two Types of Message Outlines:
1) Inductive - starts with the problem and unpacks it
2) Deductive - starts with the tease, and reveals in the end
--Switch between these two types of message, one is not better than the other.

Before you start writing, answer these four questions:
--give yourself permission to write bad content
--lower the bar for starting out, define the win as simply having something
1. What is my message about?
--starting without a destination often creates rambling
2. Why is this important?
--answer looking through the eyes of the congregation
--really have to love the people we get in front of...What do we want for the people we will be in front of?
--Charles Stanley -- "If you don't have a burden for the message, your not ready to preach."
3. What do I want them to do?
--'If you forgive everything else...'
4. What is the single most persuasive idea?
--Information Age vs. Attention Economy

A Framework for the message:

With answers to those four questions in hand, it's time to start laying out the message. I'm going to give you a framework for a message hat works in most circumstances.  This isn't a fill in the blank template for every message.

Let's think of your message in three boxes:

1.  This first part introduction.
--create connection point
--create common ground
--tension, problem
2. The second part of your message is scripture.
        You need to unpack scripture.
        You need a memorable bottom line. (Water Cooler moment)
        You need stories and illustrations.
3. The third part of your message helps people imagine.
--Imagine if we were all financially free.

A Framework for the week:
Monday: Answer the four questions
Tuesday:  Building the Boxes - Apply the Framework
Wednesday:  Write your first draft
Thursday:  Make it better
Friday:  Say it out loud
Saturday: Leave it
Sunday:  Preach it
Next Week: Look back and evalutate

Marc Rylander Talk 1.22.15

"Alignment Leadership Resources began from the overflow of a passion for people. Founder Marc Rylander spent two decades leading teams, developing people, and speaking to countless groups in a variety of business and ministry platforms. Traveling across six continents and working with people from multiple cultural settings, Marc identified several characteristics at the core of every person and successful organization." (Website Summary)

Here are some thoughts that Marc gave our staff in a staff meeting back in January.

Every Staffer Should have the same 3 goals to start their goal list each year:

1) Provide every member, guest, and prospect with a knowledgeable and unparalleled portfolio of the programs and services we offer.

• Be able to regurgitate 3 things that are going on at CrossRoads NOT in my ministry area.
• Important to LEAD like a MANAGER but LIVE like a MINISTER.

2) Deliver unmatched customer service that meets/exceeds the full range of peoples expectations.

• Too many churches today exist for professional Christians.  
• Is what were doing geared toward those who are not here yet?

3) Follow up in such an unprecedented way that the people see you're heart of service consistent with the message you are selling.

• Every Monday Marc encourages his staff to write 5 notes, make 5 calls, and send 5 e-mails recognizing those who have served faithfully.

Marc's 10 to WIN:

1. Accelerate Innovation
2. Support growth without complexity
3. Respond to unpredictable demands
4. Deliver highest service levels
5. Use every communication channel to deliver information
6. Improve flexibility
7. Do more with less
8. Enable engagement
9. Encourage your teams
10. Measure/discuss successes and failures 

Andy Stanley Leadership Podcast (Staying Current Summary)

Andy Stanley

Leadership Podcast

Staying Current in the organization (employee evaluation).

The following are some questions the staff at North Point utilize to gain current staff cultural information from evaluations.  This set of questions is not intended to replace traditional questions, but rather intended to use in conjunction with.

1) What are you most excited about right now?

2) What do you wish you could spend more tie on?

3) What’s most challenging?

4) Anything bugging you?

5) What can I help you with?

Andy Stanley is a leadership expert and Pastor of North Point Community Church in Atlanta, GA.  He does a monthly leadership podcast that provides some great insights to those who are interested in learning both non-profit and for profit leadership.  Below is an outline of 2 podcasts that addressed the staff culture and set the trajectory for the new generation of leaders.  You can check out the podcasts here:

Andy Stanley Leadership Podcast

Staff Culture Principles (NPCC)

1)   Make it Better

i)     What am I doing to help the organization personally?

2)   Take it Personally

i)     How am I personally engaged in our mission and vision?

3)   Collaborate

i)     Where am I leveraging the talent and skills of those outside my team?

4)   Replace Yourself

i)     If you replace yourself, there will always be a place for you.

ii)    Who am I empowering?

5)   Stay Fit

i)     How am I taking care of myself, spiritually, emotionally, physically,  relationally, and financially?

6)   Remain Openhanded

i)      How do I manage the tension triggered by new ideas, innovation, and change?

Additional Consideration (from Kenny):

The most dangerous phrase in the English language is ‘ that’s what we’ve always done.’