It is with great joy I can tell you that Brad Kowerchuk has accepted our request to join the HTG advisory council. Brad brings a vast array of experiences from his business in Canada to our council. Beside the wonderful success and growth he has achieved in his company since joining HTG, his facilitation and hard work as an HTG4 member and advocate make him an obvious selection to help direct our program for the coming years. I am excited he has decided to join our team and look forward to introducing him to everyone face to face in Dallas. Brad joins other council members Brad Schow, Dan Hay, Lyf Wildenberg and Robert Lindley who provide the HTG team strategic direction and feedback.
With Brad's appointment, we bid farewell to Stuart Crawford who has served on the advisory council since its inception a few years ago. Stuart was part of HTG3 before moving to help us begin our first international group in Canada, where he facilitated HTG10 for a year and a half. Stuart has a passion to help people, and caught the Go Giver bug in ways that became contagious. He leaves us to pursue his passion around social media and the web. He is consulting for businesses in his hometown of Calgary and around the globe as he serves people and their desire to learn how to leverage the communication tools of the 21st century. Thank you Stuart for your hard work and contributions to helping HTG become what it is today.
As always, I am grateful for each of you and your passion to serve. That is what makes HTG what it is today – Go Givers who keep on giving. The measure of our receive is based on how well we give. Let’s keep it up – Brad will be a great addition to that cause!
Showing posts with label go giver. Show all posts
Showing posts with label go giver. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Monday, November 9, 2009
What a Week in Orlando
This past week HTG members and ConnectWise partners descended on Orlando for the HTG Q4 meetings and the ConnectWise Partner Summit. Both events were packed and very well executed (except for a little AV fiasco you had to be there to appreciate). HTG members spent two days working to drive business and personal growth by holding each other accountable. We have moved to using a standardized quarterly board review template that members use to prepare and present their quarterly performance. From that background information, the other 11 members provide feedback and direction for the future. Feedback on the change was very strong. We are shifting from being backward looking at historical data – to forward looking with strategy and the future in mind. This is a big change for most of us in the channel. Our default thinking is to be focused on the past and present – looking at execution and tactical items – rather than peaking forward at what is to come.
During the ConnectWise Summit, Verne Harnish – the growth guy – challenged all of us to change how we think. We need to become CEO’s if we want to truly lead our company. That means forward looking, future focused, strategy based leadership. It is a shift for many. But driving while always looking in the rear view mirror is a good way to assure you will go in the ditch. So the change is necessary and important. HTG has been focused on that transition for some time, and we are midway through the process using our tools – Service Leadership benchmarking, quarterly board reviews, ConnectWise PSA and a few others. It is a slow and tedious mindshift, but this quarter it seemed that lightbulbs were going on and members were starting to understand the need for the change.
Christy Sacco, Ken Shetler, and Scott Scrogin did an amazing job with our HTG event. Three packed days of content and learning with hardly a bump. The HTG team is top notch and dedicated to making things happen. Our new special interest groups on Wednesday were highly successful and received much praise. Partners want to get together and learn. That is the bottom line. People who are part of peer groups understand the impact and value, and can never get enough. And they know that being a Go-Giver is the key to making that success flow to everyone involved.
I will be writing about the breakout sessions, announcements and other important topics that were discussed in Orlando over the next weeks. For now, as always, execution is the focus. Take that one thing and get to work making it reality for your organization!
During the ConnectWise Summit, Verne Harnish – the growth guy – challenged all of us to change how we think. We need to become CEO’s if we want to truly lead our company. That means forward looking, future focused, strategy based leadership. It is a shift for many. But driving while always looking in the rear view mirror is a good way to assure you will go in the ditch. So the change is necessary and important. HTG has been focused on that transition for some time, and we are midway through the process using our tools – Service Leadership benchmarking, quarterly board reviews, ConnectWise PSA and a few others. It is a slow and tedious mindshift, but this quarter it seemed that lightbulbs were going on and members were starting to understand the need for the change.
Christy Sacco, Ken Shetler, and Scott Scrogin did an amazing job with our HTG event. Three packed days of content and learning with hardly a bump. The HTG team is top notch and dedicated to making things happen. Our new special interest groups on Wednesday were highly successful and received much praise. Partners want to get together and learn. That is the bottom line. People who are part of peer groups understand the impact and value, and can never get enough. And they know that being a Go-Giver is the key to making that success flow to everyone involved.
I will be writing about the breakout sessions, announcements and other important topics that were discussed in Orlando over the next weeks. For now, as always, execution is the focus. Take that one thing and get to work making it reality for your organization!
Saturday, August 29, 2009
SMBA Keynote - Community is Important
Ingram’s SMB Alliance group just ended their annual event in Charlotte. It was a very well executed and valuable event for the couple hundred partners who attended, and in that mix were a number of HTG members who took advantage of the membership they have in SMBA because of the HTG-Ingram relationship and partnership. I was honored to deliver a keynote on Friday morning as part of the event, and would like to share a bit of the content I shared since many were not in attendance. I would encourage you now to put a hold on August 29-31, 2010 for the next event to be held in Orlando.
The first topic is the value of community.
HTS (our VAR reseller company) has grown to our present state because of our participation in community. We have been active in Ingram’s VTN, HTG, Exchange, CompTIA and others. Community gives us a lot of value and has been key to our growth. So what kinds of things do we get from spending time with our peers?
Community has provided perspective. Without it you don’t know what “good” is. So many partners operate their organizations in a vacuum and have no way to know if they are doing well or not. Both SMBA and HTG offer benchmarking opportunities provided by Service Leadership for members to be able to compare how they are doing with their peers. That information is critical to be able to make adjustments in how you run your business. Without it, you are guessing at best. The opportunity goes further in a peer group when you really “get naked” with each other and openly disclose and discuss those numbers and benchmarks in complete and total detail.
Community has provided relationships. Because of our participation in channel communities, we have been able to build deep and valuable relationships with key executives and staff at our distributors, vendors, peer organizations, subject matter experts and media folks. We would never have had the opportunity to even meet many of these people if it weren’t for the opportunity to connect through community.
Community has provided guidance. Without it the ability to stay relevant is more difficult. Through community we have been able to share and receive many best practices from companies that have already figured out the problems we were facing. There is no reason for anyone to figure out every mistake on their own. We need to learn from one another. In HTG we talk about the go giver version of SWIPE – share with intent and purpose every day.
Community has provided growth for us at HTS. We have completed 5 M&A’s as a result of relationships in communities we participate in. Good things happen when you spend time with others. It allows for sharing of values and life, and provides the opportunity to get acquainted with other business owners and find those compatible and interested in working together or even joining forces. The risk goes way down because there is a great trust level and deeper understanding of each other.
Community has provided success. That is the bottom line. Our company would be nowhere close to where it is today if we had not got involved in community. It takes work. It requires time. It costs money. But all things that matter do. And the more you invest, the more you will receive. Community is where the Go Giver mentality really works best. But thinking about getting involved, wishing you would take the step, pondering what it might do for your company – none of that matters. You have to take the time and be part of community to gain the benefits. Thinking about it doesn’t count.
The first topic is the value of community.
HTS (our VAR reseller company) has grown to our present state because of our participation in community. We have been active in Ingram’s VTN, HTG, Exchange, CompTIA and others. Community gives us a lot of value and has been key to our growth. So what kinds of things do we get from spending time with our peers?
Community has provided perspective. Without it you don’t know what “good” is. So many partners operate their organizations in a vacuum and have no way to know if they are doing well or not. Both SMBA and HTG offer benchmarking opportunities provided by Service Leadership for members to be able to compare how they are doing with their peers. That information is critical to be able to make adjustments in how you run your business. Without it, you are guessing at best. The opportunity goes further in a peer group when you really “get naked” with each other and openly disclose and discuss those numbers and benchmarks in complete and total detail.
Community has provided relationships. Because of our participation in channel communities, we have been able to build deep and valuable relationships with key executives and staff at our distributors, vendors, peer organizations, subject matter experts and media folks. We would never have had the opportunity to even meet many of these people if it weren’t for the opportunity to connect through community.
Community has provided guidance. Without it the ability to stay relevant is more difficult. Through community we have been able to share and receive many best practices from companies that have already figured out the problems we were facing. There is no reason for anyone to figure out every mistake on their own. We need to learn from one another. In HTG we talk about the go giver version of SWIPE – share with intent and purpose every day.
Community has provided growth for us at HTS. We have completed 5 M&A’s as a result of relationships in communities we participate in. Good things happen when you spend time with others. It allows for sharing of values and life, and provides the opportunity to get acquainted with other business owners and find those compatible and interested in working together or even joining forces. The risk goes way down because there is a great trust level and deeper understanding of each other.
Community has provided success. That is the bottom line. Our company would be nowhere close to where it is today if we had not got involved in community. It takes work. It requires time. It costs money. But all things that matter do. And the more you invest, the more you will receive. Community is where the Go Giver mentality really works best. But thinking about getting involved, wishing you would take the step, pondering what it might do for your company – none of that matters. You have to take the time and be part of community to gain the benefits. Thinking about it doesn’t count.
Monday, April 20, 2009
HTG Summit 2009
This week over 400 people will come to Dallas to the Omni Mandalay for the Q2 meetings of HTG. All 19 of our groups are meeting this week. All our vendor sponsors will be here to engage with us. We have a keynote address from Bob Burg on Tuesday. Wednesday is filled with 18 breakout sessions featuring the best and brightest from within the HTG ranks as well as the industry as a whole. It is going to be a great week!
Today the core focus of HTG is in full swing. We have 11 peer groups meeting in their own communities tackling the problems that each face. That is the real key to HTG - a community of 12 companies focused on helping each other reach their goals and take their business to the next level. It is powerful stuff. Those goals may be growing their business, overcoming a challenge, tackling a life issue - it doesn't really matter what it is - the groups dive in and help one another. The value is in helping each other achieve and execute. As that happens, good things happen to all. It is the Go Giver in action.
Part of the focus for HTG is also beyond business. It is about life. This morning (like each morning this week), we began our day with over 30 attendees gathered for morning devotions in the Presidential Suite on the 28th floor at 6:30 AM. That is execution in full swing. We had a weekend prayer vigil coordinated by one of our HTG members where 48 people prayed for 30 minutes each to ask for God's blessing over this week of activities. There will be many other life interactions this week - some spiritual in nature - others around family, marriages and people - but all about relationship. That is really the bottom line for HTG. It is about the relationships we have. At work, home, play, spiritually - life boils down to relationships. We all need to focus on taking care of them whether they are with a customer, employee, spouse, child, banker, lawyer or God Himself - relationships matter and do create the outcome of our life. How are your relationships going? What score would those you are in a relationship with give you?
Today the core focus of HTG is in full swing. We have 11 peer groups meeting in their own communities tackling the problems that each face. That is the real key to HTG - a community of 12 companies focused on helping each other reach their goals and take their business to the next level. It is powerful stuff. Those goals may be growing their business, overcoming a challenge, tackling a life issue - it doesn't really matter what it is - the groups dive in and help one another. The value is in helping each other achieve and execute. As that happens, good things happen to all. It is the Go Giver in action.
Part of the focus for HTG is also beyond business. It is about life. This morning (like each morning this week), we began our day with over 30 attendees gathered for morning devotions in the Presidential Suite on the 28th floor at 6:30 AM. That is execution in full swing. We had a weekend prayer vigil coordinated by one of our HTG members where 48 people prayed for 30 minutes each to ask for God's blessing over this week of activities. There will be many other life interactions this week - some spiritual in nature - others around family, marriages and people - but all about relationship. That is really the bottom line for HTG. It is about the relationships we have. At work, home, play, spiritually - life boils down to relationships. We all need to focus on taking care of them whether they are with a customer, employee, spouse, child, banker, lawyer or God Himself - relationships matter and do create the outcome of our life. How are your relationships going? What score would those you are in a relationship with give you?
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Check out this Go Giver Discussion
Today Stuart Crawford hosted Bob Burg, co-author of The Go Giver, and myself discussing the book and upcoming HTG Summit. Bob will keynote our event on Tuesday April 21 in Dallas as part of our Q2 events. Check out the recording at: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/smb/va/2009/03/18/the-go-giver-with-bob-burg.
HTG also announced today our Go Giver Economic Stimulus offer for the HTG Summit. If you haven't seen the details and gotten registered - check the newsletter that came out earlier today. Your HTG contact has it in their inbox.
Make sure to listen to the recording, find your Go Giver book, and bring it to the Summit so Bob can autograph it after the keynote. I look forward to greating each of you there!
HTG also announced today our Go Giver Economic Stimulus offer for the HTG Summit. If you haven't seen the details and gotten registered - check the newsletter that came out earlier today. Your HTG contact has it in their inbox.
Make sure to listen to the recording, find your Go Giver book, and bring it to the Summit so Bob can autograph it after the keynote. I look forward to greating each of you there!
Monday, February 9, 2009
The Importance of Investing in Team
HTS held it's annual company retreat (12th year now) last weekend at the Doubletree in Kansas City. We have been doing an off site for many years now and it is extremely valuable in many ways. We started when we were a much smaller company and it was important then, but now that we are multi-site in multi-states it is critical. Providing an opportunity to connect and learn is critical for company growth and success.
This year we wrestled briefly with the idea of cancelling the event. It is, after all, difficult economic times. There are plenty of reasons to not spend the cash. We take the team down and do a 1.5 day event so there is food, hotel rooms, transporation, evening activities - lots of cost and expense to pull this off. The world says to slash and cut things that are not mission critical. I don't buy it. I still remember Matt Medeiros from SonicWall stating that "you can't cut your way to profitability". I concur with that 100%. To follow the logic of the media we should have not handed out bonuses to our team, which we did, not given them each a book to read and share, which we did, and certainly not spent the money to do the event at a quality location like the Doubletree. But the media is wrong. Success during difficult times will come to those who stay the course and do the right things the right way every day.
We spent all Friday afternoon in training by functional teams. Good content relevant to job function was shared for our sales, technical, dispatch and admin teams. Friday evening we had a team dinner, our annual skit which this year was around The Price is Right theme, our HTS awards, and then we went bowling. Talk about knocking down walls and connecting people. There is no better way than to laugh and have fun together. That is what builds team.
Saturday we focused more on dealing with the situation we are facing - tough economy and never ending media attempts to destroy people's confidence in the future. Scott led us through the SWOT process on our company by location. We had an exercise where we broke down in small groups and came up with the value propositions HTS has to bring to our markets. Both were very good at connecting people in small groups to talk about what our 2009 needs to look like. We did address the economy head on, and I also talked about the importance of connecting and communicating with the customer. We have to stay close. We ended our time with a gift of the Go Giver book and a request for each of our team to read it, report on it to me, and then share it with one of our customers. Already I have had team members email me their thoughts and some even went to the bookstore already yesterday to buy more copies to share with people. Larry said it so well when he spoke to our sales team - we need to say a lot more thank you's and show our appreciation to those we touch.
Investments in team are never a mistake. Big orgs love to make it look like cost cutting and big savings when they cancel things like this. It doesn't have to be extravagent. We didn't go to the most expensive place in KC and eat the most expensive food. But we were together in a nice venue and focused on learning and growing and becoming a team. That investment will pay dividends for years. If you aren't doing it, you need to. If you are thinking of cutting back on team investment - don't. It is the best money you can spend!
This year we wrestled briefly with the idea of cancelling the event. It is, after all, difficult economic times. There are plenty of reasons to not spend the cash. We take the team down and do a 1.5 day event so there is food, hotel rooms, transporation, evening activities - lots of cost and expense to pull this off. The world says to slash and cut things that are not mission critical. I don't buy it. I still remember Matt Medeiros from SonicWall stating that "you can't cut your way to profitability". I concur with that 100%. To follow the logic of the media we should have not handed out bonuses to our team, which we did, not given them each a book to read and share, which we did, and certainly not spent the money to do the event at a quality location like the Doubletree. But the media is wrong. Success during difficult times will come to those who stay the course and do the right things the right way every day.
We spent all Friday afternoon in training by functional teams. Good content relevant to job function was shared for our sales, technical, dispatch and admin teams. Friday evening we had a team dinner, our annual skit which this year was around The Price is Right theme, our HTS awards, and then we went bowling. Talk about knocking down walls and connecting people. There is no better way than to laugh and have fun together. That is what builds team.
Saturday we focused more on dealing with the situation we are facing - tough economy and never ending media attempts to destroy people's confidence in the future. Scott led us through the SWOT process on our company by location. We had an exercise where we broke down in small groups and came up with the value propositions HTS has to bring to our markets. Both were very good at connecting people in small groups to talk about what our 2009 needs to look like. We did address the economy head on, and I also talked about the importance of connecting and communicating with the customer. We have to stay close. We ended our time with a gift of the Go Giver book and a request for each of our team to read it, report on it to me, and then share it with one of our customers. Already I have had team members email me their thoughts and some even went to the bookstore already yesterday to buy more copies to share with people. Larry said it so well when he spoke to our sales team - we need to say a lot more thank you's and show our appreciation to those we touch.
Investments in team are never a mistake. Big orgs love to make it look like cost cutting and big savings when they cancel things like this. It doesn't have to be extravagent. We didn't go to the most expensive place in KC and eat the most expensive food. But we were together in a nice venue and focused on learning and growing and becoming a team. That investment will pay dividends for years. If you aren't doing it, you need to. If you are thinking of cutting back on team investment - don't. It is the best money you can spend!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Go Giver Movie
The Go Giver Blogsite has a post that includes a link to a short movie that is bound to make you smile this Thanksgiving season. http://www.spiritualcinemacircle.com/scc/ecs/public/main/validationMovie.html It tells a story we all need to remember, and really highlights the essence of being a go-giver. Take some time over the holiday to watch this 15 minute movie. It will bring a smile to your face and remind you how grateful we all should be during this Thanksgiving season for the blessings we have in life. It is the people that make a difference. We need to make sure we are go-giving so we light up someone else's day! Happy Thanksgiving!
Saturday, September 20, 2008
The Go Giver Update
Yesterday I was blessed to be on blogtalk radio with Stuart Crawford and Bob Burg to discuss the book "The Go Giver". You can catch the show at this link: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/smb/2008/09/19/The-Go-Giver
We spent a little over an hour talking about the 5 laws of stratospheric success and real world examples of how these principles can be lived out in life and business. It was a great discussion and one I encourage you to listen to.
Along those lines, this week at the Connectwise conference, I moderated two breakout panels where we discussed these principles as well. Serving and sharing their experiences were Brad Schow, Jeff Howard, Erik Thorsell, Stuart Crawford and Jeff Wood. These guys opened up their businesses and personal stories to help people understand that there is another way to live rather than blindly following the common wisdom the world shares with us. If you haven't read the book, please take time to do so, about a two hour read which is great for a plane ride. The bottom line is that these principles can really change the way you look at business and ultimately life. Being a contrarian often has some hidden value and can lead to even more success!
We spent a little over an hour talking about the 5 laws of stratospheric success and real world examples of how these principles can be lived out in life and business. It was a great discussion and one I encourage you to listen to.
Along those lines, this week at the Connectwise conference, I moderated two breakout panels where we discussed these principles as well. Serving and sharing their experiences were Brad Schow, Jeff Howard, Erik Thorsell, Stuart Crawford and Jeff Wood. These guys opened up their businesses and personal stories to help people understand that there is another way to live rather than blindly following the common wisdom the world shares with us. If you haven't read the book, please take time to do so, about a two hour read which is great for a plane ride. The bottom line is that these principles can really change the way you look at business and ultimately life. Being a contrarian often has some hidden value and can lead to even more success!
Sunday, August 24, 2008
The Go Giver Weekend
Saturday August 23/24 will go down as a great weekend on the farm. About 50 people gathered to discuss a little book called “The Go Giver” that teaches five stratospheric laws to change the world. This event was really about looking at these laws through the context of scripture, and we spent the entire day reviewing how they can make a difference in life and business.
Jim Burnette led a worship team throughout the weekend that brought us into the right mindset for learning. We sang a mix of old and new praise songs and hymns and entered the day in the midst of God’s perfection – a cool gentle breeze which made it very comfortable in the tent.
The day was scattered with personal testimonies from a number of people – Jeff Penland from CNS in St Joseph, Brian Smith, Ken Shetler, Jeff Hundt and Steve Britt from Harlan, Mitch Miller from Dynamic Computer in Topeka, Hal Stevenson from Atlantic, and Pat Dolan from Dallas. These guys shared their heart and lives with us and dealt with the reality that life sometimes deals us some difficulties we need to endure, but there is an answer to all life’s issues. (see the agenda at www.arlinsorensen.com/farm.htm to see how the day played out.
As we dug into the meat of the event Brad Schow from Compudyne led off. He discussed the law of value which says: “Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment”. That is not the normal wisdom of the world. Brad walked through the reality that life is about giving without any concern to what we will get in return. We do this not because we are great people, but because we have been truly blessed and are called to give. God takes care of the details.
Mike Martin from Walnut continued with law #2 – the law of Compensation. “Your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them”. Basic customer service 101 right? Not exactly. We need to serve and over serve and continue to serve people. We need to do it joyfully and find ways to do it more. As we do, we will be blessed, maybe not right then and there, but at some point. We need to lead and serve like Jesus. It is about building a servant’s heart. It is all about relationship.
Peter Sorensen from Pioneer spoke on the third law – the law of influence. That law says: “Your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people's interests first”. Whoa – that is not the conventional wisdom. Here we go with that other people first mentality again. But it is the reality of how life works. When we put aside our own interests and focus on others, good things happen. If we truly want to influence, and that is what leadership really is all about, then we have to learn to put others first. We have to focus on their interests.
Phil Kenealy spoke on law four – the law of authenticity. “The most valuable gift you have to offer is yourself”. In our world today, authenticity is sort of a lost art. People don’t want to let anyone know what is really happening. They don’t want the world to see their warts and shortcomings, they just want to have it all seem just fine. But we all know that is not the case. God not only created us but He has a perfect plan for us. He knows what can happen in our lives. He wrote the playbook. It is up to us to understand who really is in control and live that way.
I finished the fifth law by talking about the law of receptivity. “The key of effective giving is to stay open to receiving”. We need to learn to receive. One of the key things in my life is prayer, and I pray this prayer daily: “And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou would’st bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested”. (1 Chron 4:10) Receiving is the key to giving actually happening. Too often we don’t want to let anyone help us – we resist their efforts to give. It stymies the cycle and prevents those who want to give from being blessed. We have to get this right. We have to receive what others want to give so the cycle can occur.
Sunday we concluded with some teaching from Rick Bahl from Chicago on living your faith through work, Dave Boettger from Harlan on supporting leaders, and Jim Burnette on building a life plan. The event wrapped with people heading back to put to work the things they had learned. That will be the measure of success. Vision without execution is hallucination.
Stuart Crawford has captured and written about the weekend in his blog: www.stuartcrawford.com.
He also posted some videos on YouTube.
Day One - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InuIMsRHr8I
Day Two Part One - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knYiRsNh7vg
Day Two Part Two - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mdd-zhJptfY
Day Two Part Three - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOlprUyIcsw
Life is all about giving and you can learn some important principles in the Go-Giver book. Check it out and put it in action - it will change your life!
Jim Burnette led a worship team throughout the weekend that brought us into the right mindset for learning. We sang a mix of old and new praise songs and hymns and entered the day in the midst of God’s perfection – a cool gentle breeze which made it very comfortable in the tent.
The day was scattered with personal testimonies from a number of people – Jeff Penland from CNS in St Joseph, Brian Smith, Ken Shetler, Jeff Hundt and Steve Britt from Harlan, Mitch Miller from Dynamic Computer in Topeka, Hal Stevenson from Atlantic, and Pat Dolan from Dallas. These guys shared their heart and lives with us and dealt with the reality that life sometimes deals us some difficulties we need to endure, but there is an answer to all life’s issues. (see the agenda at www.arlinsorensen.com/farm.htm to see how the day played out.
As we dug into the meat of the event Brad Schow from Compudyne led off. He discussed the law of value which says: “Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment”. That is not the normal wisdom of the world. Brad walked through the reality that life is about giving without any concern to what we will get in return. We do this not because we are great people, but because we have been truly blessed and are called to give. God takes care of the details.
Mike Martin from Walnut continued with law #2 – the law of Compensation. “Your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them”. Basic customer service 101 right? Not exactly. We need to serve and over serve and continue to serve people. We need to do it joyfully and find ways to do it more. As we do, we will be blessed, maybe not right then and there, but at some point. We need to lead and serve like Jesus. It is about building a servant’s heart. It is all about relationship.
Peter Sorensen from Pioneer spoke on the third law – the law of influence. That law says: “Your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people's interests first”. Whoa – that is not the conventional wisdom. Here we go with that other people first mentality again. But it is the reality of how life works. When we put aside our own interests and focus on others, good things happen. If we truly want to influence, and that is what leadership really is all about, then we have to learn to put others first. We have to focus on their interests.
Phil Kenealy spoke on law four – the law of authenticity. “The most valuable gift you have to offer is yourself”. In our world today, authenticity is sort of a lost art. People don’t want to let anyone know what is really happening. They don’t want the world to see their warts and shortcomings, they just want to have it all seem just fine. But we all know that is not the case. God not only created us but He has a perfect plan for us. He knows what can happen in our lives. He wrote the playbook. It is up to us to understand who really is in control and live that way.
I finished the fifth law by talking about the law of receptivity. “The key of effective giving is to stay open to receiving”. We need to learn to receive. One of the key things in my life is prayer, and I pray this prayer daily: “And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou would’st bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested”. (1 Chron 4:10) Receiving is the key to giving actually happening. Too often we don’t want to let anyone help us – we resist their efforts to give. It stymies the cycle and prevents those who want to give from being blessed. We have to get this right. We have to receive what others want to give so the cycle can occur.
Sunday we concluded with some teaching from Rick Bahl from Chicago on living your faith through work, Dave Boettger from Harlan on supporting leaders, and Jim Burnette on building a life plan. The event wrapped with people heading back to put to work the things they had learned. That will be the measure of success. Vision without execution is hallucination.
Stuart Crawford has captured and written about the weekend in his blog: www.stuartcrawford.com.
He also posted some videos on YouTube.
Day One - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InuIMsRHr8I
Day Two Part One - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knYiRsNh7vg
Day Two Part Two - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mdd-zhJptfY
Day Two Part Three - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOlprUyIcsw
Life is all about giving and you can learn some important principles in the Go-Giver book. Check it out and put it in action - it will change your life!
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Go Giver Revisited
At our HTG3 meeting this week in Vancouver, we had an assignment to read the book titled "Go Giver" and share a book report on the topic. I assign books to the groups fairly regularly, and there is the normal difference of opinion on what people think. Some books don't get read because they are too long or just don't captivate people. Many books get skimmed and barely touched. But every person had read and enjoyed this little book. Most said once they started they couldn't put it down. It just captivates you and draws you in with the common sense and basic principles of life that work.
The reports were pretty similar - the book doesn't give a lot of room for, nor need to, think deeply and try to disect the truth. It is right there - in five clear laws that apply no matter what the relationship. And the foundation is all about giving. That is the basic building block for any relationship, be it with your spouse, your employees or your clients. The more we give, the more we will recieve. But that is never the motivation, or shouldn't be. It is just the reality. The key is not to keep score. That comment came out a number of times during our three days. People tend to want to keep score and determine who owes who what. But the basis of giving has nothing to do with the score. It has to do with the desire to provide something to someone else without strings attached.
I have recommended it before, but am doing it again. This is a book that gives a great view of how to live life and make a difference in people's lives. The story is focused on money, but it is the concept that is key. It is the investment in others that really will make a difference. We need to be intentional and look for significant opportunities to really impact one another. When we do, everyone gains so much.
The reports were pretty similar - the book doesn't give a lot of room for, nor need to, think deeply and try to disect the truth. It is right there - in five clear laws that apply no matter what the relationship. And the foundation is all about giving. That is the basic building block for any relationship, be it with your spouse, your employees or your clients. The more we give, the more we will recieve. But that is never the motivation, or shouldn't be. It is just the reality. The key is not to keep score. That comment came out a number of times during our three days. People tend to want to keep score and determine who owes who what. But the basis of giving has nothing to do with the score. It has to do with the desire to provide something to someone else without strings attached.
I have recommended it before, but am doing it again. This is a book that gives a great view of how to live life and make a difference in people's lives. The story is focused on money, but it is the concept that is key. It is the investment in others that really will make a difference. We need to be intentional and look for significant opportunities to really impact one another. When we do, everyone gains so much.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Servant Leadership
My buddy Stuart Crawford writes in his morning blog today about the leadership triangle. It has been a while since I read, studied and taught the lessons on leadership that are brought to light by Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges in their book "Lead Like Jesus". I taught their material to several groups a couple years ago and found it to be very valuable and so very true. Our church has hosted their simulcast a couple times and they have announced the event for the fall of 2008 to be held on October 17 and broadcast all over the country. I would encourage you to mark that day and try to join a simulcast somewhere in your region. Ken Blanchard teaches much about the concept of servant leadership. I had the discussion yesterday with one of my sales people as he shared the success he was having by serving customers rather than trying to first see what he can get from them. He shared a story of how he followed the principles of giving (as I shared a few weeks ago from the great little book called "Go Giver") and made sure he provided far more value to a former customer (who had decided to purchase a solution from a competitor who failed to implement it correctly) than this customer deserved. We have won back this customer and will make far more money cleaning up the mess than our original proposal, plus we will have them for life now. When we serve and give to people, we will succeed. Sure some will take advantage of us and take all they can. But most will appreciate our honest desire to serve and give, and they will then become customers or actually transform to be clients for life. My definition of a client is one who no longer is looking around to be sure he is being treated well. Servant leadership and living the giving principle will make that transformation happen sooner than later. It always works. We will succeed based on how well we learn to serve others and give what we have been given. Life is not at all about how much we can accumulate. It is about how well we take care of what we have recieved and then give it away. Are you a servant leader? Are your customers and clients at the top of your upside down triangle. Believe it or not, life is not about you or me. It is about others. We need to lead and live like that!
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