Mike Walker

Lessons learned from baseball

Every morning I head to Starbucks to grab a Venti Americano and catch up on my ESPN radio.

This morning the announcement came out that Major League Baseball is going to try out instant replay in their fall league. 

A lot of baseball purists are openly speaking out against it as technology shouldn't be a part of the game and it will slow it down (I guess they haven't figure out that it's baseball and there isn't much you can do to make it slower).

The radio host made a brilliant point. He said "do the purists not realize that a good number of people sitting in the stands at the game are working or playing on their PALM or BlackBerry device? They are likely listening to the game on SIRRIUS Satellite radio. They probably purchased their ticket online. And, they probably got to the stadium by using a GPS system. If the people you are trying to reach and connect with are in the 18-28 year old range then they are using technology."

What about in the churches, are you using technology to it's fullest? What audience are you trying to connect with? Are they a group that is tech savvy? If they are then take a leap and meet them where they are and figure out how to incorporate more technology (effective technology) and reach them.

It's ok to try a few things. Going back to some sports examples, the NBA tried enforcing a dress code which many thought would fail and it turned out to be a great thing. At the same time, they also tried introducing a new ball and it didn't last. Point being, try a few things and see where it takes you.

It ain't all about the gear...

I was recently brought in by a church that was experiencing some "technical difficulties" after moving in to their new building.

Upon arriving the staff informed me that they were fairly frustrated and they were not sure what to do. As the conversation moved on they kept expressing over and over how frustrated they were because they had just spent a huge sum of money and didn't feel like their systems were all that great.

After about 2 hours of letting them vent I began to dig a bit in to what all had been put in to play. What I found was that they had some pretty amazing sound, lighting, and video systems put in to play. In fact, they had very little to complain about.

I pulled a team of trusted friends together who were audio engineers, lighting programmers, and video engineers. We were able to come back in and run through a weekend with their staff while operating their recently purchased gear.

At the end of the weekend the staff pulled me aside to tell me how everything looked and sounded different that weekend and wanted to know what we did different. Imagine the surprise of the staff when I informed them that we didn't change a single thing. Which then posed the question....well...then what was the difference?

The ONLY difference was that we had great people at key positions. Great gear is only that....great gear. If you don't have properly trained people then you will end up with a very high priced frustration.

Take some time and do an evaluation of where your staff is and what they are really capable of. If you don't really know how to evaluate them then bring in someone who has a better idea how to bring some light to the situation.

If your staff isn't where you thought or hoped they are not all hope is lost. Invest in your people. Bring in a team of experts who can help bring out the most in your team....after all....it ain't all about the gear.

Buy in

I am currently working on a couple of larger production projects as well as working on buying a company. All of these things require large amounts of capital to execute.

I have a good friend of mine who is a venture capitalist that I went to for some advice while putting all my documentation together. The first thing he told me was "before anyone gives you a dime or buys in to your idea...they have to buy in to you. If you have a track record that will make it easier, but if you don't then you have to sell yourself...then, and only then, will they listen to your idea".

I have heard that said in a similar manner before, but it was a good reminder.

It got me to thinking later about employees. Sadly most organizations see them merely as that...employees there to serve "me" (the leader) to carry out "my" vision.

What if as leaders we viewed our employees as investors? What if we got them to buy in to the vision for the organization to help build it and grow it. What if the organization grew beyond the leader and we were able to grow something larger than ourselves? I think most would say they want that, but not many go out and DO that.

A side note on buy in...it's not fear. Having your employees fear you does not mean they buy in.

Some time ago I was an observer in a meeting. There was a new leader put in place to run a department. I just about fell over when he made statements to the effect (I will paraphrase) "it's now my department so it's my way. I have taken some larger leaders out and I won't hesitate to do the same to any of you if you don't buy in to my vision".

While yes it sounds absurd and cartoonish, but it happened. Consequently, the team, instead of getting on board and helping dig in to grow the vision they now, even to this day, do just enough. They do their jobs and nothing more. There is no buy in.

I have also sat in meetings where a new leader is brought in and clearly laid out the vision, told the team "this is your department. We will grow and develop as to the level you all buy in and contribute. If you are ok with being average then we will be average. If you want to be great then we will do it together."

I spoke with the leader of the organization just the other day and they are still growing leaps and bounds and morale is at an all time high. Everyone is working hard, but they are digging in and doing it together because they bought in to the leader then the vision.

Get the buy in and there's no telling where you can go...as a leader, as a team, and as an organization.

Jimmy Evans from Octane Conference

Here are my notes from one of the sessions with Jimmy Evans at Gateways Leadership Conference:

-Excellence deals in all 5 senses
-Materialism deals only in visual
-Society concentrates on outward appearances as opposed to inward
-Excellence is not legalism
-God is a good steward and He does not waste – what do we need to do so that God knows we will be good stewards with what he gives us?
-Its not what you can make happen....can you keep it happening?
-Excellence is an excellent billboard and witnessing tool
-Excellence is a teachable spirit – be teachable – excellence is always learning – its never enough until God has called me to do all I am called to do
-Excellence is the spirit of the servant
-Some people think excellence is too difficult – it’s actually easier to do it right – it’s easier to work at your marriage as opposed to not work at it
-If God brings more people to a mediocre church he is endorsing mediocrity
-In the process of establishing excellence you will lose some people....you will gain more and better people
-People want to know the secret to Hillsong success...one word....Work
-People will measure their view of God by us

Apple is changing the game

Apple announced yesterday that there is an update to Apple TV coming in the next few weeks and months. You will soon be able to rent movies directly from your Apple TV device. I hate going in Blockbuster stores so this is huge for me.

This news started my brain going. I have been doing some extensive research and reading on the topic of broadcast culture versus digital culture. Here's how it relates in this instance. Broadcast tv, radio, etc...decides what's going to be the show you will watch or the program you will listen to at a certain time. In a digital culture the options are more wide open. Imagine you being able to tune in whatever you wanted when you wanted. I could elaborate more on this, but I'll leave that for later.

So what does that have to do with church?

Most churches have audio, video, teaching materials, etc...that the public can go online and access. In some cases there is a cost involved and in some it's free information. What if...WHAT IF....the public could access all your material at any given time, watch it when they want or read it when they want? What if we were able to basically set up our own networks so people could access it and build their own playlist?

Think about it, not only would this allow public to listen to or watch what they want from your organization when they want to, but think about what you could learn about your audience. Your audience will automatically tell you what THEY think you are great at communicating about. The information that would be collected could drastically tell you how well you are doing with branding...if you are branding at all.

Again, I could go on and on about this....and I will be.....but I think the possibilities of thinking in a digital world open whole new spaces for us in the church world to start considering.

Wikinomics

I have been reading a book called Wikinomics. The book talks about a whole lot more than what I am going to write about. Below are some thoughts I have been jotting down as I am reading so I thought I would share.

"Net Generation" Leader - my thoughts on Wikinomics and how it relates to culture and leadership

Born 1977-1996
First Generation to grow up in a digital society – we are probably about 5 years from seeing the emergence of the leaders of this generation.

They grew up more in a digital culture than boomers or genexers did.

We grew up socializing in malls, burger joints, etc….this generation is connecting on the web.

Yesterdays web was a noun – todays web is a verb

University of Berkeley-based social scientist Danah Boyd research online social behaviours. She states that sites like Myspace and Facebook allow young people to reclaim private space. It’s like inviting someone in to your bedroom except that with Myspace you can invite them in 1000 at a time. They lack control at home and they don’t see home as private space.

Online offers safer solutions for teens. Malls and 7-11’s wont allow them in unless they are accompanied by parents.

Academic studies show a massive decline in interest and enthusiasm related to school work. Everything else is so much more engaging. We are still learning through reading and regurgitating.

A younger generation doesn’t trust advertising or media as much as they do peer-to-peer opinions and social networks.

Net Geners workplace needs – speed, freedom, openness, innovation, mobility, authenticity, and playfulness

They are on a quest for “newness”

It’s a new day…Leadership models are changing, marketing changes, delivery methods are changing…..we keep trying to “keep up with the cultural changes, but what we are really addressing are cultural symptoms. We end up a day late and a dollar short. We HAVE to innovate not only our delivery methods, but also our developmental methods. We are missing it right now as a church culture. We all have websites. Many of us have Myspace or Facebook pages, but we are failing in our attempts to be “relevant” to our culture because we have failed to understand the changes that have taken place. We are trying to lead and grow from an old model that has already begun failing us.

If the N-Generation doesn’t trust advertising or media then they probably don’t trust leadership…and they probably don’t trust the church.

It’s been interesting to watch the Grassley investigation unfold. There are those in the Christian Community who want to know why more Christians aren’t outraged and screaming out against it. Maybe, just maybe there is lack of trust in todays church. Maybe, deep down people aren’t crying out against the investigation because, while they want the allegations to be untrue, maybe they think they COULD be true.

As a side note, I have worked with Joyce Meyer on a couple of occasions and I will be shocked if anything comes out negative on her. My experience with her organization has been that they try to make sure everything is above the bar in all areas of their ministry. She really just wants to reach people. The others that were on the list and made public I do not have experience with so I will refrain from commenting on them.

We can become upset over this fact OR we can understand that this is where this generation is. This is how they think and feel. What we need to do is figure out how to connect with them. Take away all the smoke and mirrors and give them something authentic to look at. We all talk about being an authentic church, and while WE talk about it…what are the people outside our staff really saying? Do they see us as authentic or do they wonder if it’s all real?

Here is the thing about your brand….it’s not what you say it is….it’s what THEY say it is. What do the people walking in the door have to say about you? What do the people NOT walking in the door say about you?

Again, we are missing it. Once things go well we think we have it figured out. The toughest thing for any team to navigate is success. Success makes you forgive things that would otherwise be sins.

What we end up doing is that we think we have stumbled on to a magic formula and that anything we say or do will be successful. We quit paying attention to the thing that got us there in the first place. For many of us, we have forgotten about our customer. Yes, that’s right the customer. Every time someone comes in the church, tithes, engages with you online, etc… they are saying yes to you and no to someone/something else. We have forgotten our passion and why we got involved in the church in the first place.

What does all this mean in the grand scheme of things? I think I have more questions than answers, which is to say I don't know that I know right now, but it certainly provides some great things to think about....

Live Programming 101

I talked recently with a large church here in the Dallas area that is putting together their plans for their Christmas production. They asked me about different technologies to use...LED lights, LED video panels, moving projection, sets, etc....

My first questions were, "what story are you telling and what feel do you want?". THe answer was "we aren't real sure, but we wanted to see what you recommended for our production".

For the record...that is a REAL good recipe for failure. What you will end up with is a great looking program that goes no where. A friend of mine referenced a fairly popular Christian TV show as the best looking show no one watches. It is, hands down, one of the best looking shows in the industry but no one cares and no one watches. It looks great and says nothing. The problem is they having their tech folks looking at their program with a tech first attitude and not a perspective of how to most effectively reach people.

Principal #1 - Technology is a tool....not the message. Figure out what you want to say, how you want to say it, what the "feeling" of the message and delivery needs to look like and feel like. This will determine your tech needs. Otherwise all we end up becoming is Las Vegas, which has great delivery and absolutely nothing to say.

I just did an event for Bishop and First Lady Jakes. As a tech guy there were some technologies that I wanted to use, but after hearing the feel and the vision it totally changed my direction. The story is always more important than the technology.

What's Next???

A good friend of mine once told me that a great leader knows 3 things:
1 - What's Next
2 - Why it's important
3 - What does it take to get there

I see and talk with so many organizations that forget to look at these questions. What I see happen most often is that they start out with some good ideas to grow and gain momentum....then...they arrive.

After months and sometimes years of sweat and hard work the picture looks like what they thought it would. Great news, right? Here's the problem....what's next?

The people that have bought in to the vision are now looking for you to keep it going. In the old testamant the Isrealites provide us a good picture of what happens when you don't keep pressing forward and keeping a moving picture in front of people. Once they started getting in a mode of "arriving" they started complaining. Their point of "arrival" came when they just got out of Egypt. God had more them, but they failed to look and see "what's next". Because they failed to maintain their eyes on the promised land, many of them missed out and ended up in the wilderness for 40 years.

If things in your life or your organization are getting stale start asking and answering the question...what's next? From there figure out why it's important and then work out how you get there...just don't ever stop asking what's next.

It's not about you

Flying is my favorite time to shut down and read. I can completely check out from the world and focus on the material in front of me.

I was recently on a flight and read a great statement regarding branding. "Your brand is not what YOU say it is..It's what THEY say it is". In branding you can influence your brand, but you can not control it. At the end of the day a person or group of people's perception wins out.

Knowing this, an imporant thing to remember as you are marketing and interacting with your audience is don't market to yourself.

I see organziations all the time that build their messaging (websites, direct mail, signage, etc...) around messages that they would like to receive and almost everytime they end up hitting the mark with themselves and missing the mark with their audience which ends up limiting their growth and reach potential.

A friend of mine used to ask me "when you go fishing, what do you put on the end of the hook, what you like to eat or what the fish like to eat?" Unless all you are trying to do reach is yourself the spend some time figuring out what your audience is interested in.

Workers in most organizations often become insulated to the outside world. The very thing that attracted them is what they end up losing sight of because they get lost in the day to day. Take some time and see what is happening outside the walls of your own organization. I also recommend getting an outside perpective on your organization...it's always good to know what others think and say since they do have a unique perspective.

Creating a GREAT website

Seth Godin had a great post on doing a great website. I am in the process of relaunching my own website and came across this so I thought I would share it with you all.

www.sethgodin.typepad.com