Foresight: Embracing Future Change for Bold Transformation
Hindsight brings insight which produces foresight. Strategic foresight professionals tell us the best predictor of the future is the past. In other words, past and present trends will continue unless something causes them to change. Humans are the perfect example: we’ll keep doing what we’ve been doing and we’ll keep getting what we’ve always gotten unless something changes. What causes us to change? It isn’t actually seeing something we want more. Psychologists tell us people change when the pain of change is diminished by the pain of staying the same. Change always feels uncomfortable, even painful. But we’ll do it when it looks preferable to what we’ve been doing…
Insight: From Disembodied Scrambling to Walking in Wisdom
Hindsight brings insight which produces foresight. Last week, we looked at how hindsight and reflection bring us important data about experiences we’ve had. Today, we’ll look at the next piece of the formula – insight – and how we can use that data to find God at work in our experiences and ourselves. When my youngest son was a teenager, our family traveled seven or eight months out of every year. Much of that time was spent hosting conferences, empowering Christians to become ready to speak. At one of these events, I walked into the staff room. As I looked around, about to comment on things that…
Connecting to Your Audience Through Pathos
There’s an old story often told in the United States that goes something like this: Once, a husband saw his wife preparing dinner and asked her: “Why are you cutting off the best part of the roast?!” His wife, a bit taken aback by the question, responded, “That’s how my mother always did it. I’m not sure why.” So they called up her mother and asked. Her response: “My mother always cut off the end of the roast – but I never asked why. Let’s call her.” So they did. When they questioned Grandma about it, she said: “Well, I don’t know why you cut it off, but my pan…
Is It Time to Click “Unfollow”?
Last week, we explored what it means to nurture your team into flourishing followers. But what should we as leaders do when our followers simply aren’t flourishing on our team? One of my team members – who had just had her first baby – shared this with me: In a lot of ways, new mothers today are really blessed with easy access to so many resources and tips. I can go on social media and follow lactation consultants, child psychologists, and speech therapists who share their expertise. But at the same time, it can be just as harmful as helpful. I’ve been following a really popular baby sleep…
Followers Who Flourish
Did you play the childhood game “Follow the Leader?” There is always a leader, but everyone else is both following and leading, until the last person in line. The people following you were following whoever you were following. If a follower goes rogue, their followers have to decide who to follow next. Watching children play this game is revealing. Sometimes there’s tension over being the leader. But most of the time, they are happy to follow. It feels safer. You don’t have to come up with all the ideas – the places to go or things to do. You just do what the person you are following does. Knowing who…
Who Are Your Followers Really Following?
Let’s play a little game. You’re at a Starbucks, and there’s a girl at a table nearby wearing a sundress, cowboy boots, and bright red lipstick. She’s laughing at something her friend says and responds, “Because I’m in my Fearless era!” A few minutes later you hear her say, “This song is giving Midnight Rain vibes.” Who is she following? Let’s try another. Your team is meeting with a new consultant about a product you want to offer. He comes in wearing a black turtleneck, jeans, and sneakers. His presentation about the product idea focuses on making it sleeker, minimalist, and a “user first” design. He pauses dramatically between…
