I decided to take each of the sections (pages 110-117) I was responsible for, use the header and write my thoughts on what I read. I know most folks participating here are doing so from and with a church perspective. I take that angle, too, being very much interested in how this relates to the Church today, but also relate to it from a business perspective as well. We work with small/medium business, churches and non-profits, but we really have a passion for helping churches and non-profits learn the benefits and power of all the amazing tools now at their disposal to connect with members of their tribes.

Thanks for reading and, please, join in the conversation.

Possibility of Risk

One take-away for this section is what many of us already know: the biggest risk is playing it safe, not taking the risk. This idea has been communicated many times, many ways:

“It is better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all.”

“No risk, no reward.”

“No pain, no gain.”

“Every man dies. Not every man really lives.”

The simple truth in all this is that life is risk. There’s equal risk in doing something as there is in doing nothing. Doing nothing allows you to continue dealing with issues and problems that you are comfortable with while doing something different opens you up to new issues and problems. But it also provides opportunity for growth and change. Opportunity for something extraordinary to happen.

What is something you, your church, or your organization is continuing to do the same for fear of the perceived risk of changing it? What are you going to do about it?

When Tribes Replace What You’re Used To

Business as we know it has changed. Church as we know it has changed. They are continually changing and evolving. At least the ones that are thriving are changing and evolving. Those that aren’t are dead or dying. The Internet has played and continues to play perhaps the most significant role in this evolution that we are in. Evolution? Or is it revolution? Thomas Friedman, in his book The World Is Flat 3.0: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century, details the reality of our interconnected world and paints the picture of a world with no boundaries. Real-time collaboration – audio, video, data-sharing – between a team in the US and a team in India, or multiple teams from the UK, Japan, and Russia take place daily because of the Internet. LifeChurch.tv has real-time online worship services with attendees from over 100 countries around the world. These aren’t your Dad’s companies and churches.

When “new tribes” replace what you’re used to, how do you react? What do you think is the key to leading and being a part of the replacement tribe

Initiative

The Barbara Barry anecdote that Seth gives is an awesome example of taking initiative. Her initiative seems to me like a cross between confidence and faith. A belief in her vision and confidence in it’s execution led to an amazing success. Is there a direct application for churches or nonprofits that can model her approach? Why is it that the organizations or churches “that need innovation the most are the ones that do the most to stop if from happening”? Does it take a heretic to lead with a little bit of initiative? Does it take confidence, maybe “healthy” arrogance, and faith to take initiative.

Stuck on Stupid

My wife loves Dr. Phil. I think he’s got a good common sense approach to many things, but one thing I like, that I’ve heard my wife repeat, is the question “How’s that working for you?” It’s usually asked of someone who apparently is “stuck on stupid”. Someone who continues, as Seth says, “playing today’s games by yesterday’s rules”. Doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. Isn’t that a definition for insanity?

Where is your church or organization “stuck on stupid”? How can you move forward?

Mark Rovner, Nonprofit Heritic

Do you have to abandon the old ways today? Of course not. But responsible stewardship requires that you find and empower heretics and give them the flexibility to build something new, instead of trying to force the Internet to act like direct mail with free stamps.

Seth Godin – Tribes: We Need You To Lead Us – page 117

That is in response to the story Seth tells of Mark Rovner and his insight that the Internet, and even technology itself, isn’t the end-all-be-all for connecting with your tribe. It also isn’t just the next method of distribution that allows you to continue doing things in the same way, just modified for the Internet. The real nugget of truth here is this: without empowering your tribe members to become the next tribe leaders the movement will eventually fail. In the church we call that discipleship. In business it’s called selling the corporate culture and training your replacement. Either way, we must engage and encourage our members to lay claim to the vision and take up the cause. Even if that means mutiny at some point. Just this week I listened to an Andy Stanley Leadership podcast that talked about this. Look for the one titled Becoming A Student.

The Posture of a Leader

What’s your posture as a leader? Is it a posture that blames others for not getting the vision? Do you believe that your “followers” aren’t trying as hard at following as you are at trying to lead? These are great questions for us to consider. I like what I remember from Steven Covey in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. I’m paraphrasing, but the concept is simple. Seek first to understand, then to be understood. I’ve tried to apply that in my life, both personal and professional. Rather than get frustrated or angry with someone to whom I’m trying to communicate something, and it seems they aren’t getting it, I try not to blame them. I try to take a look at how I’m communicating my message. Am I understanding where they are and am I presenting the message to them in the way in which they need to hear it? Maybe an oversimplified analogy, but if I’m talking English and my subject only understands Spanish I’m not going to get my message across clearly, if at all. It’s not their fault I’m delivering my message in a language they don’t understand.

What’s your posture as a leader? What’s the posture of your church or organization when it comes to leadership? How do we change poor posture?