Managing a Stagnate Company/Church

By Charles Scott
A recent article in Business Week gave the reflections of two senior executives and the lessons they learned in managing companies who were stagnating. These comments have great insight for leaders, even leaders in the Church.

Daniel H. Mudd, CEO of Fannie Mae:
“I’ve learned to be more humble and try to distinguish problems that are fixable from those that are not.”

Some vital lessons from this quote:

• Leaders must constantly guard against pride.
• Success can become the worst enemy for leaders.
• Leaders have blind spots. Great leaders surround themselves with people who care enough about the mission to help leaders see these blind areas.
• Some things cannot be fixed or solved. Mature leaders accept this and put their energy where they can be the most effective.
• Leaders must learn to deal with failure. Failure is part of leadership.

“I regret the couple of cases where we started with the outcome we needed instead of starting with the principle.”

Some vital lessons from this quote:

• Leaders can focus so much on results they forget integrity.
• Leaders must identify the core principles before working on projects.
• If leaders do not understand the principle no one else will.
• The most important task for leaders is to keep the organization focused and operating on principles.

Gregory Q. Brown, Co-Chief Executive for Motorola:
“We thought we knew what was best for customers, as opposed to listening in an unfiltered and unemotional ways to what customers were telling us.” Some vital lessons from this quote:

• Leaders must not fall into the trap of believing they have all the answers.
• People will praise leaders when they are successful and this can provide a false sense of security.
• Emotions can be dangerous for leaders. Emotions can taint a leader’s view.
• Leaders must remain in contact with the true needs of the people.

“We have to be more vigilant about ensuring that there is a healthy level of candour and transparency throughout the organization.”

• A leaders’ work is never done.
• Free-flowing healthy communication is the most important asset for leaders.
• Communication must flow inward and outward, not in one dimension.
• Miscommunication is a form of communication.

Living A Passionate Life

A passionate life is more than a philosophy—more than a pie-in-the-sky wish for happiness painted in the imagination. It is not a problem-free, fairy tale existence, and it does not promise wealth or fame.

Rather, it is a lifestyle chosen deliberately, designed purposefully, and lived responsibly. It is raising the bar on what you intend to accomplish. It is moving through each storm of life without hesitation and arriving in the sunshine wiser and stronger. It is continuously learning, loving, and growing.

A passionate life is a fulfilling life. It allows you to say, "This is important. It is what God has given me to bring to the world, and I'm going to give it everything I've got!"

A passionate life means taking full responsibility for your choices, actions, and experiences. It means moving forward from this day without self-imposed limitations, complaints or regrets.

Living a passionate life is living an enthusiastic life. Combine action and passion, and you will get enthusiasm. It is easy to share enthusiasm because enthusiasm is contagious.

Share your enthusiasm for life with someone today—a friend, co-worker, family member, or someone you've never met before. A passionate life is an inspiring gift that can brighten the world for many generations.

© Copyright 2006 by Steve Brunkhorst.
All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

From Achieve! 60-Second Nuggets of Inspiration
http://www.AchieveEzine.com

Vision Vitamins

Compiled by Charles Scott
Millions of people who long for eternity do not know what do with themselves on a rainy Saturday afternoon.
- Susan Ertz

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There are two basic choices in life: to accept conditions as they are or accept the responsibility for changing them.
- Denis Waitley

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A man can get discouraged many times but he is not a failure until he begins to blame somebody else and stops trying.
- John Burroughs

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MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR DAY! by Paul J. Meyer

When was the last time you complained that you had too much time on your hands? You probably cannot remember that far back. The truth is that most of us cannot squeeze into a 24-hour period all the items written on our daily planners. A common mistake most people make is to attempt to find time instead of make time!
How do you MAKE time?

FIRST, define your most important goals:

A burning desire to reach a specific goal motivates you to make time to take the required actions.

Write down specifically how you will use extra time. Will you spend it making personal calls, three-way calls, attending training meetings, making new contacts?

SECOND, chart your time:

Note how you spend each hour. Most time is wasted, not in hours, but in minutes. A bucket with a small hole in the bottom becomes just as empty as the one that is deliberately kicked over.

THIRD, organize your time to plug the time leaks:

Assume the attitude that every minute that does not work for you, works against you.

To make the most of your time, try these proven time savers:

• Examine the usual daily interruptions. See how many you can eliminate immediately, screen out, or delegate. Set aside a specific time for phoning people on your prospect list, making presentations, keeping up with the detail part of the job, attending training meetings, reading and sending emails and phone calls. These designated time blocks do not always work; emergencies occur, demanding flexibility in scheduling. But when you have a plan for organizing and investing your time, that extra hour of time each day will be available.
  
• Analyze your energy cycle. Determine when you tend to be at your best physically and mentally. Schedule challenging tasks during those times of peak performance and you will accomplish more in less time. I have more energy in the morning hours than I do in the afternoon hours, so I have always made the majority of my phone calls for sales appointments first thing in the morning. For some people it is just the opposite. They are evening people and work better in the evenings.
  
• Think about time the way you think about money. The more wisely you invest time, the greater the yield. Before you invest time in a given activity, ask yourself, "Is there something more profitable I could be doing?" And remember, making face-to-face contacts and presentations will ALWAYS be the most profitable thing you can do!!

Make the most of your life by making the most of every minute, every hour and every day!!

You can receive more information about Paul J. Meyer, as well save 20% on his audio tapes/CDs, including The Paul Meyer Collection and The Grandmasters of Success - visit www.yoursuccessstore.com.
Paul J. Meyer Copyright ® 1999 Paul J. Meyer ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Vision Vitamins

By Charles Scott
Don't spend most of your time on the voices that don't count. Tune out the shallow voices so that you will have more time to tune in the valuable ones.
- Jim Rohn

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Everything depends upon execution; having just a vision is no solution.
- Stephen Sondheim

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There is nothing so fatal to character as half finished tasks.
- David Lloyd George

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News and Trends from Mission America:

Church Affilitations
Baylor University researchers found that only 10.8% of Americans have no ties to a congregation, denomination or faith group. Previous surveys had put that figure at 14%, overlooking about 10 million people involved in some form of organized religion. Other surveys have also overlooked millions of evangelicals, because respondents who belonged to nondenominational groups or
mega-churches often report they had no denomination and were wrongly counted as unaffiliated. 33% of Americans are evangelical Protestant, just under 25% are mainline Protestant, 20% are Roman Catholic and 5% are black Protestant. 2.5% are Jewish and 5% belong to other faiths. The rest, though not involved in religious groups, are not fully secular. 60% of the unaffiliated believe in God or a higher power, and 33% pray at least occasionally. 11% believe Jesus is the Son of God. (The Globe and Mail 9/11/06)

Hispanics
There are now 44 million U.S. Hispanics (15% of the population) with an estimated spending power of $1.2 trillion. Nearly 4 million have annual incomes of $75,000 or above, per the U.S. Census Bureau. (Brandweek 7/14/08)

• People now give less than 2-3% of their income to charitable causes. It was 3% during Great Depression.
• The most recent Barna research shows only 5% of Christians are tithing.
• Megachurches make up less than 1% of the total number of U.S. congregations.

Vision Vitamins

Compiled by Charles Scott
Character, in the long run, is the decisive factor in the life of an individual and of nations alike.
- Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919)

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What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

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Conduct is what we do; character is what we are.
Conduct is the outward life; character is the life unseen, hidden within, yet evidenced by that which is seen.

Conduct is external, seen from without; character is internal--operating within. Character is the state of the heart; conduct is its outward expression.
Character is the root of the tree; conduct is the fruit it bears.
- E. M. Bounds

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Here are a ten ways that will help to build a strong character...

1. Practice patience when those around you are hurried.
2. Act with faith and diligence when others show mistrust or lack of commitment.
3. Be gentle when you meet with cruelty and harsh temperament.
4. Be courteous, even when others do not show courtesy.
5. Give generously to those who have nothing to give.
6. Communicate peace to those who are saddened or anxious.
7. Express gratitude for every experience and person you have known.
8. Act with self-control when dealing with those who are out of control.
9. Be encouraging to those who are discouraged.
10. Act with self-discipline, even when it is difficult to take correct actions.

Vision Vitamins

By Charles Scott
Vision is the desire to make the world a better place one day at a time.

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Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
- Mark Twain (1835-1910)

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Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.
- Ambrose Redmoon

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Hold on to trust; it is at the core of fruitful relationships that are secure and content.
Hold on to love; it is God’s greatest gift of all, for it shares, cares, and gives meaning to life.
Hold on to all that you are and all that you have learned, for these things are what make you unique.
Hold on to what you know and what believe is right and important; the heart speaks louder than words.

Vision Vitamins

By Charles Scott
Writing is the gold standard of communication. Learn to do it well and see more gold.
- Chris Widener

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I've traveled the world to the seven seas.
I've been up at the top and down on my knees.
I've been blessed with abundance and plenty of weeds.
But I've never stopped caring about others' needs.
- Denis Waitley

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For effective communication, use brevity. Jesus said, 'Follow me.' Now that's brief! He could be brief because of all that he was that he didn't have to say.
- Jim Rohn

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Success is dependent on the glands – the sweat glands.
- Zig Ziglar

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Before beginning a hunt, it is wise to ask someone what you are looking for before you begin looking for it.
– Winnie the Pooh

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The organization that can't communicate can't change, and the corporation that can't change is dead.
- Nido Qubein

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Barna Research revealed that in 2007 only 5 percent of adults in the U.S. tithed. Those most likely to tithe were evangelicals (24%) conservatives (12%); people who had prayed, read the Bible and attended a church service during the last week (12%); charismatic or Pentecostal Christians (11%); and registered Republicans (10 percent). The lowest rates of tithing were among people under the age of 25.
- barna.org, 4/14/08