Here is some archive footage showing Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly in Back to the Future, before being replaced by the director after 5 weeks of filming.

We all know now that Michael J. Fox was born to play the role of Marty McFly in those movies. But at the time, the Director didn’t know that. He was under the gun of a tight movie deadline and had already invested countless hours and dollars over five weeks filming with Eric Stoltz.

After reviewing the footage he had a gut feeling that Stoltz wasn’t right for the role. Most people would have just stuffed those concerns down and kept shooting in order to complete filming before deadline. But writer/director Robert Zemeckis made the tough call to cut Eric Stolz and ask the studio for more time. That decision led to casting Michael J. Fox for the role and the rest is history.

Here’s the takeaway…

Never underestimate the importance of having the right people in right places in your organization (or, as Jim Collins says, are the right people on the right seats in your bus?). And, perhaps even more importantly, don’t hesitate to make the call if someone needs to be replaced.

I’ve been reading and re-reading my notes from Catalyst this year and I keep coming back to this one challenge issued by Craig Groeschel in his main session on Friday. It’s one of those kind of statements that just slap you in the face because you know God is speaking directly to you with a huge megaphone.

In his advice to young leaders, Craig said,

Don’t overestimate what God wants to do through you in the short term.

Don’t underestimate what God wants to do through you in the long term.

As young leaders, we’re so tempted to expect God to work on our fast-paced schedule. We’re not interested in slow-roaster approaches, we want a microwave.

The flip side to that coin is that because we are so focused on right now, we lose sight of just how big our God is and how much He wants to do through us in the years to come. Someone once told me, you can either view time as an obstacle or a part of the process.

What do you think of Craig’s challenge? Are you guilty of setting your sights too high in the short-term and dreaming too small for your future?

“So Jesus returned to the boat and left, crossing back to the other side of the lake. The man who had been demon possessed begged to go, too, but Jesus said, “No, go back to your family and tell them all the wonderful things God has done for you.” So he went all through the city telling about the great thing Jesus had done for him.” Luke 8:37-39

With each of the 12 disciples, he told them, “follow me” and yet this man who had been healed by Jesus and begged to go with him was sent away. As a casual reader we look at this story and understand why Jesus did this. He wanted the story of the gospel spread far and wide and realized that this man was better suited to be an evangelist than a disciple.

But put yourself in Jesus’ shoes sandals for  minute. Just a few verses earlier his disciples – who had seen Jesus perform many miracles and had been personally mentored under his leadership – completely freaked out in the middle of a storm. You can hear the exasperation in Jesus’ voice when he asks them, “Where is your faith?” (Luke 8:25).

So here is this man who owes his life to Jesus and is begging him to follow him and become his disciple. Let’s say that you’re Jesus – you’ve been kicked out of towns, viewed by large crowds as a mere source of entertainment and miracles and even your own disciples haven’t figured you out yet – why the heck wouldn’t you want to attract some new disciples? Maybe this guy, after having experienced Christ’s healing power first-hand, will be able to show a little more faith and backbone than the 12 guys quivering in the bottom of the boat.

And yet Jesus sent him away.

As leaders, we have to remember that sometimes God will send us followers to help us in our journey. But sometimes, He will send us people – maybe even very talented and qualified people – that we will have to send out into their own ministry. That can be a painful decision, especially when good leaders are in short supply.

It’s all about building and growing God’s kingdom, not our own. Some will follow us, others will be sent out to attract followers of their own.

When God sends you an amazing leader that you have to send away, can you do it?

Leadership Isn’t A Title

So many people wait to leverage their leadership ability because they aren’t in a position of leadership. They think that once they attain that position, get the corner office with their name on the plaque on the desk, then people will begin to listen to them. Leadership in its most basic definition is the ability to influence others and convince them to follow you. Getting a new job title may force people to obey you but it doesn’t make you a leader.

“Most people who want to get ahead do it backward. They think, ‘I’ll get a bigger job, then I’ll learn how to be a leader.’ But showing leadership skill is how you get the bigger job in the first place. Leadership isn’t a position, it’s a process.” – John Maxwell

Regardless of who has the title or position, the leader is the one with the power to command people’s attention.

Leadership Isn’t About Being Liked

A leader recognizes that people are fickle. The same crowd that shouted “Hosanna” when Jesus came into town on Sunday called for him to be crucified later that week. We cannot base our leadership on how well liked we are because often times we have to take the unpopular route for the good of the people or organization we’re trying to lead. Leaders have to be willing to make the tough decisions.

It’s important to recognize the difference between being liked and being respected. Anyone with a pleasant personality can get people to like them. A leader is more concerned about earning their respect.

Leadership Isn’t Inherited

We need only look through story after story in the Bible to be reminded of this fact. The mantle of leadership doesn’t automatically pass from one leader to the next. Leadership cannot be claimed like luggage at the airport. We can inherit titles and positions or even whole organizations but we can’t be given the influence of leadership. Leadership is always earned.

Leadership Isn’t A Solo Act

Many people in positions of authority confuse leadership with dictatorship. They choose to ignore the advice of others or the concerns of the people they’re leading and go with their gut. A leader who does this may even make the right choice a handful of times but their stubbornness will eventually catch up to them.

“Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” – Proverbs 11:14

Leadership cannot survive in a vacuum. As leaders we must surround ourselves with people (both inside and outside of our organization) that can give us valuable perspective and wisdom. Remember, a leader doesn’t always have all the answers, but he/she knows where to go to find them.

Leadership Isn’t About Your Successes

We often judge great leaders and organizations by how successful they are. True leaders, however, are proven more by how they handle their failures than their successes. Leadership is scary business. Every decision a leader makes runs the risk of changing things for the worse. And yet a great leader makes the tough decisions and recognizes that failure is a far better teacher than success.

“We tend to live in an avoidance society, where failure is often overlooked or ignored and we only focus on successes. That’s a mistake. Leadership comes from learning lessons taught by failure. People rebound from failure because they choose to learn from their mistakes.” - Bill Hobbs

You can always tell the maturity of a leader by asking them what made them great. An aspiring leader may point to their successes to validate their leadership but a great leader will recount their failures as the defining moments that helped them grow.

These are just a few things that leadership isn’t. Do you agree or disagree? What would you add to the list?

Lisa and I were on the way to an important meeting a few weeks ago and were discussing our hopes for the desired outcome. The ensuing discussion brought up some interesting points that I’d like to pose for thought and discussion.

Hope vs. Confidence

We all have important meetings we have to go to from time to time in our lives. Job interviews, business meetings with the higher ups in our company, a presentation or proposal for our business. Most of these meetings could have a short-term impact on our day-to-day lives but some of them have the potential to be truly life-changing.

Most of us tend to go into these meetings thinking the same thing: I hope they like me; I hope they like what I have to say;, I hope they hire me; I hope they buy my product. Wheter you realize it or not, when you think those kind of thoughts you cut your chances before you even walk into the meeting. Here’s why: out thoughts determine our attitudes and our attitudes determine our actions. When we walk into a meeting thinking “I hope…” we will come across as hopeful, maybe even needy and desperate.

Can I share an inside secret with you? I know how this is going to sound so put your judgments aside for a moment and hear me out.

When I walk into a job interview, business meeting, etc., here is what I’m thinking: I really am all that and a bag of chips. I’m not just good, I’m amazing and these guys are complete idiots if they don’t ______ (hire me, accept my proposal, use my services, etc.).

Change The Way You Look At Things

Proud and obnoxious? Absolutely. But remember, important meetings are no place for humility and modesty. You’re trying to convince a skeptic that you or your idea or product are worth investing in.

Here’s why I think that way. When I walk into a meeting thinking those kind of thoughts it bolsters my confidence and changes my whole mode of communication. It subconsciously changes the words you use and how you present yourself or your idea. It was Max Planck, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist, who said, When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.

Instead of asking them to consider my service, I’m giving them the opportunity to purchase my expertise. Instead of simply hoping they hire me, I’m displaying poise and confidence in my abilities. When you begin to change your mindset, everything about you begins to change.

I cannot begin to tell how important this mental posturing has been for me through the years. Remember, this kind of attitude takes time to grow and develop. Confidence doesn’t always come overnight. And of course, it always helps when you have the goods to back up your claim, but that’s a subject for another post.

I’d like to know what you think. What is your mental state when you walk into important meetings? Have you ever experienced the opposite of your desired outcome because of hopefull or worried thoughts?

In spite of those announcements and the return of Apple CEO Steve Jobs, Apple’s stock fell $1.79 by the end of the day on Wednesday. The reason? Disappointment that the company “did not add as many new features as some analysts predicted.”

Forget about the fact that Apple has already sold 220 million iPods to date making it the most popular portable music player in the world by a huge margin. Nevermind that Apple bucked industry trends and partnered a mobile phone deal on their terms which has since over 30 million iPhones. Nevermind that iTunes is the #1 music retailer in the world selling over 8.5 billion songs.

On all accounts Apple has done an amazing job of reinventing itself over the last ten years. They did it by amazing innovations that have left competitors scrambling to catch up.

However, the challenge of creating a culture built on change and innovation is that your people begin to expect it. More change and more innovation = higher expectations.

The Challenge Of An Innovative Culture

The title to this post is a little misleading. Success through innovation isn’t necessarily a problem. However, it is a challenge that churches and organizations need to be aware of when creating a culture of change.

Initially people resist change. Just ask all the market analysts who said the iPhone would never sell (“There’s no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. No chance.” – Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer). But soon they begin to tolerate change and then eventually come to expect it.

Just remember as you build your organization: every building block of change and innovation that you lay on your foundation of excellence increases your chances of success, but also exponentially increases the expectations of your followers as well as their disappointment when you fail to live up to those expectations.

Thoughts?

We all struggle with it at times. It’s that little voice on our shoulder that reminds us how stupid we were to leave an established job and move to a new city to pursue a dream God had given us.

It questions our talents and abilities, reminding us how many more qualified people there are who could pull this off.

It points out how woefully inadequate our resources are and begs us to walk away while we still can.

Self-doubt plagues the thoughts of every leader in their journey to accomplish something great. I’ve grown to accept self-doubt as not only normal, but necessary.

Self-doubt can be an ally. This is because it serves as an indicator of aspiration. It reflects love, love of something we dream of doing, and desire, desire to do it. If you find yourself asking yourself (and your friends), “Am I really a writer? Am I really an artist?” chances are you are.

The counterfeit innovator is wildly self-confident. The real one is scared to death. - Steven Pressfield, The War of Art

How Do You Process Your Doubts?

My question for you isn’t, “Do you struggle with feelings of inadequacy or self-doubt?” because I think most leaders and innovators do.

I want to ask this instead…do you have people in your life (beside your spouse) that you feel comfortable discussing and processing your doubts with? When you start asking yourself, “Am I crazy?” do you have a safe environment to get those thoughts out in the open?

My suspicion is that few of you feel comfortable discussing your doubts openly with others but I could be wrong. Feel free to post your comment anonymously if you need to.

Chime in…

Update: I’m talking here about processing doubts in a safe environment. If we’re not careful, our doubts can lead to insecurity which is devastating in the life of a leader. For more on that read Pete’s post from today.

In the course of a conversation last week with a new coach he briefly touched on something that I’m still wrestling with. He very bluntly told me that, as a leader, the courage to make the crucial decisions that affect the long-term health of your organization can only be found when idealism dies.

This challenged me to re-think the idealism I’ve clung to through the years and wonder whether it can survive in the arena of difficult decisions that leaders are faced with.

The Idealist Vacuum

I’ve heard it said that “idealism is something you have until you actually start paying attention.” Idealists are often scorned for their ideas and yet we love them for envisioning something different. You need only look at the host of true-life stories that are turned into movies, books and television specials to recognize our love affair with the idealist. We romaticise them and cheer them on against the cynics and realists that try to bring them down.

Julia “Butterfly” Hill was a fairly prominent environmental activist. She is the person who sat in an old-growth (which she called “Luna”) as an act of non-violent civil disobedience to protect a portion of the environment. Hollywood is currently making a movie about her experience but what often gets overlooked are the facts that A) the surrounding forest still got cut, B) her organization ended up simply buying the land, and C) the tree she “saved” eventually ended up having a chainsaw taken to it and only stands today because of giant metal braces which were attached to it.

The problem with idealism is that it is often presented in an intellectual vacuum and often starts to crumble when presented with the most basic opposition. The idealist can describe the perfect world that they see to you without having any realistic way to get there.

We admire the Julia “Butterfly” Hills because of their idealism but we don’t make movies about the lobbyists, businessmen and corporate executives who fight the same battles in the “real world” every day. Their stories, I suppose, are less than inspiring.

Short-Sighted Idealism vs. Long-Term Impact

I’m not saying that all idealists need a cold, hard dose of reality to get them to their senses. On the contrary, we still need the idealists so that we don’t lose sight of what could be. It’s the idealists who stand up against the status quo and envision a world free from the problems and difficulties we currently face. But it is the morally courageous leader who has to translate that idealism into long-term change.

I’m still wrestling with last week’s conversation and I wonder if perhaps there’s not a happy medium between idealism and the courage to act in a leaders life. I wonder if the best leaders still filter their decisions through idealists glasses while recognizing that often, the necessary decisions for the good of the organization are far from “ideal”.

Perhaps the best leaders still have a little idealist left in them.

Then again, that could be my idealism talking.

What do you think?

Does idealism prevent leaders from making difficult and necessary decisions?
Can you be both an effective leader and an idealist?

The first thing I’d like to look at is the important principle of selection. When Jesus came to earth he chose a dozen men to be his disciples (Luke 6:13-17, Mk 3:13-19). They weren’t scholars or men with special talents. In fact, one might say that he chose individuals woefully inadequate for the job of starting a worldwide movement.

It’s worth pointing out though that regardless of their abilities, or lack thereof, Jesus devoted large amounts of time to invest in those leaders he selected. He regularly got away from the crowds and spent time teaching them and answering their questions.

Raising Up Next Generation Leaders In The Church

While some churches are doing an outstanding job of leadership development, many still struggle with releasing the next generation of leaders. Instead of following Jesus’ example of reproducing himself in the lives of his disciples, we see churches today that function more like a tightly run corporation with high level leaders guarding trade secrets.

Why are our churches doing such a dreadful job training up new generations of leaders? When will we learn that we’ll accomplish more when we continue to invest in the next generation and allow them to fly further than we ever could have.

Here’s some things to think about:

• Are you looking for individuals that you can train to replace you?
• Can your ego handle it if you train up leaders who are better than you?
• Do you intentionally pour into the lives of those who serve under you and give them the tools to succeed?
• In what specific ways are you investing in the next generation of leaders?

Feel free to jump in and add your thoughts. Have you had someone who has poured into your life as a leader? If so, how has it helped you grow as a leader?

[photo: japi14]

As I sit here at Starbucks with so many thoughts going through my head I’m reminded afresh of the life that God has called us to live. We were never meant to be safe, comfortable or even secure in this life. The kingdom of heaven is promised to those who violently lay hold of all God has called them to do.

I’ve adapted this quote that I feel best defines my philosophy for living life.

Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely and comfortable in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly spent, having exerted every last ounce of energy and leaving a mark on this world that people will talk about for years.

Will you join me in praying that God gives us opportunities to violently spend ourselves for the things that matter in the economy of His kingdom? Pray that our lives are marked, not with comfort and security, but with the holy discomfort and brokenness that God feels when He looks at a world full of those in need.

I want my journey to the grave to be a wild one.