GiANT Perspectives

When Death is a Good Thing

2009-11-06T12:18:12+00:00

You may be confused, I realize that. Yesterday, I implored you to be Careful Not to Die. Today, I am communicating that death is good. I am not talking about physical death here, but rather the death of certain patterns and tendencies within leaders.

Here are some examples of when death is good:

It is good when a leader gets past their own ego.
When a leader dies to their own greed, that is a great thing.
The death of a conquering leadership style is great for a leader and their followers.
It is a good thing when a leader’s insecurities die in the confidence of their character.
When a leader gives up trying to be something they are not. That is when death is a good thing.

I guess I am saying there is a good death and, quite possibly, a bad death. It takes discernment to know the difference.

It is a good thing to die to yourself so that real life can flourish and others can be empowered through your leadership. That is a good thing - something to want for yourself and others.

Live Full and Free!

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Careful Not to Die

2009-11-05T12:56:28+00:00

Most of us are on the edge of death every day. No, we don’t see it, but you might possibly agree with me. It is a subtle death, the death of the soul. It seems to start in the little things, and while our hearts may continue to beat, our souls become dead inside of us. Careful not to die. This subtle death normally starts in three areas:

1. The Cares of this World - The bills, responsibilities, and general day-to-day living can enter in and choke the life right out of you if you are not careful. Careful not to die here.

2. The Delight in Riches - “Keeping up the Jones’” is deadly. The relentless focus on wealth will replace good intentions with ugliness like greed or, worse yet, apathy. Careful here.

3. The Desire for Other Things - I find that “other” things are just as addictive as negative vices. The issue is that “ok” things steal the spot of great things in your life. Careful.

Are you alive. Do you need to be revived?

I am being reminded of this personally. A leader asks themselves the hard questions and the heart questions.

“The cares of this world, the delight in riches and the desire for other things will enter in and choke the word and prove you unfruitful.” Jesus said this. (Mark 4:19)

Careful not to die.

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Video Perspective: "End of the Year Planning"

2009-11-04T13:38:43+00:00

"End of the Year Planning"

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Knowing You

2009-11-03T11:57:34+00:00

Do you know yourself? I mean do you know your tendencies and your patterns? Do you know how you learn and how your mind thinks?

It’s called self-awareness and it is a valuable asset to know yourself well, to understand how you lead and where you might fail as a leader. Do you know yourself? Here are a few questions to help you find out…

How do you learn?

Learn by reading?
Learn by talking out loud?
Learn by listening?
Learn by watching someone else?

How do you make strategic decisions?

Do you need time alone?
Do you desire advice and counsel?
Do you need large amounts of data?
Do you simply fire and then aim?

You get the drift, right? As a society we have so many different personality tests to help us know ourselves. We have books and studies that diagnose our neurotic tendencies. We have so much available. So why do so many of us fall apart? Why is it that leaders break from the inside out?

I think I know why. We don’t understand ourselves as deeply as we could. I am speaking from experience. The more I work to become a better leader the more problem areas arise. The more time I spend with my performance coach the more I see patterns that need some work.

Let me be even more real. I think of myself as a good communicator. It is when I desire to go deeper that problems arise. I have a pattern of not understanding the stages of others and, thus, over-communicating or under-communicating in specific limited situations. It has been bugging me. Yet, because I am figuring myself out with a desire to continue to improve, I am now at a place where I can work on my communication even stronger.

Do you know yourself? Do you know your patterns?

How do you lead when you get angry?
What do you naturally do when someone antagonizes you?
How do you communicate with someone you feel is a competitor?
How do you treat your family when you are tired?

These are the real issues. Leadership means that you are willing to go deeper to know yourself so that you can be the best you can be for others.

Know yourself for others’ sake.

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Airplane Thought: Before the Sun

2009-11-02T11:29:05+00:00

Peace is found in the morning hour. It hovers around the steam of a fresh brewed cup of coffee. Peace is real and it sits here with me as I hold my morning devotion as a man trying to lead well with all of my might for all those around me. I love the moments before the sun has found its setting place.

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Airplane Thought: For My Kids

2009-10-30T13:27:40+00:00

Kids, know that I love you. I am working hard to balance vision and ambition with being a great dad. Some seasons are easier than others. Lately, airplanes have been carrying me, but my heart has been with you.

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Winning the Battles that Must Be Won

2009-10-30T11:00:33+00:00

Article by Guest Blogger - Chris Carneal

George Washington, America’s greatest general, first president, and father of our country, was the greatest leader America has ever known.

Over his 30 year military career, Washington led his men into 9 battles. Can you guess how many battles Washington won? The answer is 3. That’s right! 3 out of 9.

No one is about to call Washington a loser anytime soon but the fact is, he lost twice as often as he won! He lost 6 times. In fact, his 6 losses were near massacres and almost resulted in the end of the American Dream.

America’s daring ‘great experiment’ of a Republic that would expand a continent was held together during the Revolutionary War primarily by the will and character of one man: George Washington. The ‘American Moses’, that every President, military leader and politician emulates lost more than he won. How then did America win the war and why is Washington so idealized in the minds and hearts of so many?

Washington won the right battles at the right time. Washington won the “battles that must be won.” The 3 victories at Trenton, Princeton and Yorktown were decisive victories at exactly the precise moment for the ‘Glorious Cause’ to endure.

So, here’s the application for us today…

We will fight many battles in life. We fight hundreds a day: financial, social, physical, emotional, spiritual, professional and personal. Every challenge, decision and obstacle is a battle. But not all battles need be won in order to secure ultimate victory. For us to have success we don’t have to win every battle we face or make every decision perfectly; rather, we must prevail in ‘battles that must be won.’

What are the 3 battles you must win? We must know what they are so that we can prepare for them. If we are not ‘battle ready’ we certainly won’t win when the enemy charges.

For me, the “battles that must be won” are:

Integrity
Family
Leadership

If I win these three, I feel I will have achieved victory and lasting impact for my family, friends, heritage and legacy. These are daily battles. Warriors prepare victory daily!
What are the “battles that must be won” for you? Start preparing now!

Get ‘battle ready’ and go Change The World!

Chris Carneal is President of Booster Enterprises, a financial and leadership development company for over 350 schools in the Southeast U.S..

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Video Perspective: "Emotional Intelligence"

2009-10-28T13:36:21+00:00

"Emotional Intelligence"

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Small Beginnings

2009-10-27T11:35:16+00:00

When my wife, Kelly, and I bought our first home we were given some great advice - plant trees. The advice came from a guy who had moved into a home and five years later had wished they had shade in their back yard. They started planting trees, but it was too late. They soon thereafter had to move for a job transfer. Imagine if they had planted a few trees in their first week. They would have had at least a couple of years of shade.

We have taken this example to heart, not only in our homes, but in our businesses as well. It’s about small beginnings. We have chosen not to despise them, but rather enjoy them.

Here is a personal example…

After we acquired Maximum Impact and moved to Atlanta, we immediately started building out our basement in order to have a place for guests. We also started working on small things around our house (a treehouse for the kids, furniture for our back deck, a garden in our backyard). All of these little things took time. Now after almost three years in Atlanta we are so glad we committed to the small things in addition to the big things in our first few months. We have now had years to appreciate and enjoy them.

The same can be said in our organizations, especially over the past year. Too many leaders have given up on the small things because they are looking for the “home run” initiatives to find large amounts of cash. Small beginnings have been overlooked or ignored in the process. Yet, it is the small beginnings that bring life to organizations years later.

What are you doing that is a small beginning? Where are the future areas of growth that need to be started today?

Here are some examples of small beginnings:

Investing in your leaders - Starting “Lunch and Learns.” Having leaders in your home for dinner. Investing in their personal dreams.
Starting alliances - Serving companies you want to connect with long-term. Starting conversations for future opportunity.
Connecting with your family - Take your kids on one-on-one outings. Write letters and leave them in hidden places.

I hope you get the idea. Do the small things now that will bloom into great things in the future. Invest in little things and watch them turn into great things down the road.

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3 Minute Monday: Spice Meetings Up

2009-10-26T12:58:07+00:00

It’s Monday, and Mondays are normally filled with meetings for most business people. Take the next three minutes and think about how you can spice up your meetings and make them mean something.

Here are a few simple ideas to have more fun.

1. Ask people what they hope to accomplish by the end of the meeting. If it is weak, tell them they should expect more.

2. Add a “good of the order” section in the beginning. This is basically a round robin of sharing things that each person is excited about.

3. Start out by thinking of one good thing each person has done over the last period, and tell them out loud.

4. Go somewhere different than you normally go (Starbucks, another office, outside, etc.). Change it up.

5. Don’t settle. If something is not good, say it. If something is great, celebrate. Bring some positive emotion into your meetings.

Life is too short and meetings are too long. Change it up and lead a bit better. Have fun!

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