Becoming a Change Maker Leading Now, and Leading Well

 Becoming a Change Maker Leading Now, and Leading Well Brad Lomenick Session 3 Notes Becoming a Change Maker | Leading Now, and Leading Well Session 3 Lessons from Leading Catalyst: influence among the next generation Catalyst has been creating experiences for leaders for the last 14 years in a variety of settings. I love leaders, and especially next generation leaders. Specifically those leaders who are currently in their 20's and 30's. And I’m incredibly hopeful regarding this next wave of leaders. Incredibly excited and hopeful and expectant. Expectant that they are going to take the reins and move things forward like no other generation before them. Let's face it-­‐ young leaders are the future of your organization. Whether you like it or not, they will soon take over and be running the show. Your show. My show. If you aren't attracting young talent, then the days are numbered for your influence and the legacy of your organization. So why are there certain organizations and certain leaders who always seem to attract younger leaders to their team? Whether a pastor, entrepreneur, CEO or non-­‐profit Executive Director, there are certain leaders, certain teams and certain organizations that EVERY young and ambitious leader wants to be a part of. What is it about THIS leader and the organization they lead that attracts young leaders? Such a draw that young guns are willing to jump on board with them and storm the castle. Regardless of pay, structure, environment, city, setting, or future opportunities, young leaders want to be around these types of leaders and be a part of what they are doing. You want young leaders on your team? Here are a few traits I think young leaders are drawn to: Trends in Leadership | 9 New Realities of Generational Leadership 1. Calling and Career Looks Different. a. CALLING looks different for younger leaders b. Have to Live it out c. Two callings on your life-­‐ salvation and vocation-­‐ We are talking about the call to vocation. Our purpose in life. no excuses in today’s culture for doing something you hate or you are not good at. d. Definition of Calling: God’s personal invitation for me to work on His agenda, using the talents I’ve been given in ways that are eternally significant. e. The essence of calling is—where my greatest strengths and deepest passions intersect. i. Talent and passion -­‐ that is the core. Gifts/skills colliding with your deepest burdens. f. New and current realities of calling. i. Projects, not Careers. Calling and purpose in today’s culture is being defined by multiple seasons of vocational assignments. Calling today is more seasonal, all about projects instead of one career. Seasonal and about projects. ii. Looking for options. Like free agents. iii. Going forward: New reality: Multiple “seasons” of vocation that make up your career. iv. Free agent generation. • By 2020 40% of us will be in free agent environments. Working for ourselves. Seasons of career, assignments and projects, not a career. • Imperative to lead yourself first, especially in a free agent generation. v. Called but not equipped generation-­‐ young leaders are stepping in before they are ready-­‐ we have to embrace this-­‐ new reality of leadership-­‐ what used to be expected at 40 is now expected at 25 and 30. vi. Have to push for perseverance and longevity-­‐ overnight tendencies-­‐ have to fight against this. Focus on creating crock pot leaders. Crock pot leaders, not microwave leaders. Change requires leaders with deep character. Rely on your crock pot leaders. It still takes time, the process is what defines us. Can’t put pressure on millenials to change the world by the time they are 30-­‐ give them permission to use their 20’s to figure out their calling. vii. Secular vs sacred-­‐we’re all called!! • We each have a specific vocational calling on our lives. Calling is work specific. God is at WORK. About a vocation. something specific. You've been placed where you are TODAY on purpose. Understand your calling. • wherever you are, God put you there. Recognize that God is in charge of you. Counting on you to do something phenomenal for his glory in the middle of wherever you are. • GOD has something significant for you. You’ve been designed for a specific calling and purpose. God wants the best for us. Have the courage to pursue it! • The extraordinary life is not about just going through life enduring and boring. No God wants us to experience the extraordinary life. • Don’t settle 4 just going through life enduring five days of the workweek 2 only have as ur greatest goal 2 make it 2 the weekend. Love what u do. • True Calling is: The place where our greatest strengths and deepest passions intersect. Where passions and gifts and God¹s plan align perfectly. g. ACTION: Write down 3 greatest strengths, 3 greatest passions. Once we understand our calling then we are responsible to be great. 2. Collaboration is IN. a. Want to create something that is bigger than all of us. Creates momentum so everyone wants to be involved. b. Collaboration, Unity and Generosity are strong currencies in culture today. i. Next generation of leaders are not interested in drawing lines. Want to work together to accomplish something significant. ii. Partnerships are the norm now, not the exception. c. Collaboration and partnership are crucial for success going forward. Working together is more and more the norm. Shared office, shared staff, partnerships, mixed use environments. Other EX and trends-­‐ open source movement in technology. d. Young Leaders don’t care who gets the credit. It’s way less about WHO and way more about WHAT. i. It's more difficult to spread your net wide and be an includer than it is to make something exclusive. ii. Mergers and streamlining within industries. Continues to happen with more regularity. iii. STORY: Cross Pointe Church and Gwinnett Church. Should be the norm, not the exception. iv. Speak FRENCH!-­‐ we, we. Instead of me, me. e. As you grow, make room for folks to join you. i. Broaden the circle. Know what you are about, but be willing to partner with lots of folks. Are we both pursuing Jesus? Then let’s work together. f. Generosity and sharing are the new currencies of our culture. GENEROSITY is in!! In business, relationships, networks, platforms, technology, distribution, content delivery, etc-­‐ Open source is the new standard. This new wave of leaders has tools/resources such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Flickr, Instagram, and tons more social media tools that make influencing much more readily available. Generosity and sharing are the greatest forms of influence in social media. The currency with all of these social mediums is being generous. You want more twitter followers? Be generous and share more great content links with your followers. Sharing your ideas, sharing links, sharing friends, sharing networks. This is a complete paradigm shift from 30-­‐40 years ago. g. Understand what you are FOR. Not defined by what you are against. willing to work together. 20 and 30 somethings are more willing to collaborate than any other generation before. They trust each other. Really. And see collaboration as the starting point, not some grandiose vision of teamwork that is far off in the distance. Collaboration is now the norm. Next generation is not interested in drawing lines. h. Be generous. Share. Serve others. i. Collaboration means you are a leader who celebrates others' victories along with their own. ii. When you have arrived you have to be willing to stoop lower and lower. Give away what you have. Don’t care who gets the credit. About why, not who. Leverage influence for others. iii. All about the larger win, not the personal small gain. Young leaders in general have an abundance mentality instead of scarcity mentality. iv. Us vs They-­‐ stamp out the “THEY” mentality in your organization. It’s all us. We vs me, and Us vs They. v. Once you become the expert, your responsibility is to give away what you know and what you have. Once you are the big fish, you have to be willing to help others out and up. vi. A rising tide lifts all boats. When you succeed, so should others around you. vii. STORY: At Catalyst-­‐ we always try to prefer our “competitors.” And help them out. Willing to send out emails and speak of them at our events. Orange-­‐ promote their event at our event. Drive Conference, Leadership Summit, Passion, etc. viii. The CHURCH should be the most collaborative industry ever created. 3. All about the Experience. a. Events/gatherings/environments/products must be about the "experience." b. Content is a commodity now. i. Can get it anywhere. No longer the reason folks are showing up. Have to give something more. If you are a youth pastor, Students aren't gonna jump on the bandwagon just because you're a great communicator. If you are a teaching pastor, You have to deliver an experience in any industry. . Create an experience. Take them on a story. Make them cry. Hit all the senses. Create relational equity. Make connections for them. ii. A “WOW” experience is required. It’s mandatory. c. You must provide what the ONLINE experience doesn’t. i. How is the experience you create every day different than anyone else and anywhere else? ii. Millenials, and those coming behind them, They've been exposed to just about everything, so the sky is the limit in their minds in terms of what's possible and also what captures their attention. iii. Always create an experience. iv. STORY: Cirque de Soleil. Experience is key. Do the unexpected. Have to be crazy. A little nuts. Have to take risks. v. STORY: we try to provide this at Catalyst – create an amazing experience. Surprise our attendees!! 1. Breaking world records-­‐ Largest pillow fight, most whoopee cushions sat on at once. 2. Then Cannon Man and Professor Splash. Wow factor. 3. Compassion moment-­‐ Jimmy-­‐ made people cry. 3. Surprises like Rainn Wilson and Si Robertson and Tony Romo. vi. Providing an experience. Creates a Margin so content sinks in, but also creates talking points and memory benchmarks!! d. STORY: Be a memory maker. Make memories wherever you go. Be a memory maker. Create experiences constantly. Bob Goff is great at this. Jumping off the cliff at his place. An experience that created a memory. e. Another major point for creating great experiences-­‐ have people in the room who aren't around each other all the time. Hear from other voices. Not just the same folks giving input all the time. As you plan-­‐ bring in lots of voices from the outside. Bring in voices from outside your circle of influence. f. Add in the “yes, and” principle to coming up with creative ideas. Not “no, but” but always “yes, and” in creative meetings. Leave the operational people out unless they agree that they won’t criticize ideas. g. Great book-­‐ Experience Economy, The Spark 4. Big with Vision. a. Big with vision, but small with target. Create a big vision and challenge your tribe to join you in it, WHILE also aiming SMALL in terms of target audience. b. Must cast a compelling vision and invite others into it. i. Step out and create a picture of tomorrow that is hopeful and exciting. Hope for tomorrow overtakes fear in today. c. Lead with passion, and not just position. d. Courage is the fuel for vision and clear sense of calling to come alive. e. Willing to cast BIG vision and invite others into it. f. Courage follows vision. Courage drains towards a hopeful tomorrow that people can believe in. a realistic picture that can excite your team. I’ll jump across a chasm if I can see the other side. I’ll jump if I know that tomorrow there is opportunity. g.
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i. STORY: Steve Jobs to John Scully, who was an executive at Pepsi-­‐ “do you want to sell sugared water for the rest of your life, or do you want to come with me and change the world?” Next generation thinks and acts Global. i. Global is now local because of globalization. And why they are more globally minded and see making a significant difference as normal. The scale of their vision is greater. Call this generation to a level of commitment that seems unbelievable and unachievable. Hold them accountable. They want to be held accountable by those who are living it out. Measure them and give them constant feedback. ii. Young leaders want to change the world, and want to follow leaders who think BIG and dream big. Unwavering commitment to reaching their desired audience and accomplishing the mission. Know the hill they are climbing and willing to fight to get to the top. iii. Don’t play it safe. Dream big, and have a vision that is inspiring. Chase after something so much bigger than you are, there’s no way you could ever accomplish it without God. The vision compels you to greatness. Not the opposite-­‐ "your greatness compelling the vision." Many leaders get this backwards. i. Dream big, and create big vision, but aim small, in terms of knowing your target market better than anyone else in the world. Next generation of leaders will work their guts out for a cause and vision bigger than themselves or the leader. Passionate about making a difference. i. Want to make a difference and leave a mark. Millennials don't compartmentalize. Want to make sure that all of life makes sense. not concerned as much about climbing the ladder but instead having an impact. ii. “If you hire people just because they can do a job, they’ll work for your money. But if you hire people who believe what you believe, they’ll work for you with blood and sweat and tears.” – Simon Sinek iii. STORY: at Catalyst, We want to create a big impact with our gatherings. Find talent everywhere-­‐ tap into folks who want to be part of something significant. But not on our team. This generation wants to be part of movements that are making a difference. Small with Target. i. Impact. KNOW your target market. ii. STORY: Our target audience at Catalyst? Very focused on the 28 – 32 year old leader. iii. Who specifically is your target audience? Have to know this. k. Finally, Big with vision means HOPEFUL. You have to create HOPE in tomorrow that tomorrow will be better than today. i. STORY: Compassion trip to Rwanda-­‐ HOPE is the antidote to poverty. Hope in tomorrow creates power for today. ii. Leaders invent the future. Managers respond to the present. iii. Leaders paint a picture of the future that is hopeful. 5. Social is the new Norm. a. Social Justice and Social Media and Social Innovators, Social entrepreneurs, social is in vogue. b. Integrated social media i. Your leadership must be Social. It’s here to stay. And integrated into everything we do. ii. Social media is no longer a phenomenon. It's here to stay. And now integrated into everything we do. c. Great movements and influential communities are owned by the Tribe. d. Powerful movements today are about the Community, not the leader. Major Shift in Influence i. By the people, and for the people. ii. Leaders, plural. Not leader, singular. The tribe, the community has major ownership. Reverse leadership. iii. We all want to matter. And feel ownership and identity. And be HEROIC. Give your community members the opportunity to matter. Let their voice be heard. Release the felt need of owning and being the hero in others. iv. You as the leader are a steward and facilitator, not always the beneficiary. v. Powerful Movements today are about the community, not the leader. Us, not me. We, not I. It's NOT ABOUT YOU. TRIBES book is a great read on this. vi. Create a conversation-­‐ back and forth. Leader, followers, product/resource/reason, and communication back and forth. Create real interaction. vii. Personality-­‐less. Your voice is more important than the face. The Power of Why vs the Power of Who. viii. STORY-­‐ Volunteers at Catalyst. Hear them talking with possessive language. you know ownership when you start hearing us and ours, instead of they and them. From our volunteers. That is the language we want!! e. As a leader-­‐ Once you have momentum, have the guts and the wisdom to follow. Movements continue to build momentum because the leader is willing to stand to the side and let others lead. NOT ABOUT YOU. Let by the TRIBE!! f. Connectivity is Expected and Required. i. You can’t hide in today’s leadership culture. Have to Be available. Approachable. ii. Embrace connectivity. it's here to stay. Millenials are more tech savvy than any other generation ever. Technology is the norm. XBOX, iPhones, laptops, iPads are just normal. If you want a response, text first, then call. Or DM first. Or send a Facebook message. Not anti calls though. g. Leadership is social. Period. If you’re holding out for a day when we return to “conversations”, you’re stuck. Embrace the now, and honor the past. IT is here to stay! h. Tech in everything-­‐ cars, kitchen, refrigerators, watches, wallets, and other devices. Smart Phone as the center of your world-­‐ it is where you consume content, get info, make calls, update my status, and remote control my tv and appliances, along with basically running your life. i. Culture expects you to be social. As leaders, we have to be social. Bloggers and tweeters and social media mavens have just as much influence in todays culture as anyone else. EMBRACE this. j. Social Justice and “cause” is now normal. i. Leaders who care about the poor and lean into causes and see the social gospel as a key ingredient to following Christ are no longer seen as the exception. Young Leaders see taking care of the poor and sharing the Gospel as BOTH crucial to the advancement of the Church and of God's Kingdom. 20 somethings I believe are and will continue to become more balanced in their pursuit of both. They don't have to be one or the other. ii. Young leaders care about cause. Chipotle, TOMS, Warby Parker, Charity: water, the Giving keys. Figure out your triple bottom line-­‐ imperative. iii. Cause is important. Tie in compassion and justice to the "normal." Causes and opportunities to give back are important. iv. Young leaders are choosing where they work and career based on opportunities with cause. v. STORY: KONY 2012-­‐ a great example of social media and social justice combined together for still the most powerful online movement ever. k. Also about having fun. Can have at least a little fun. Like attracts like. It’s a reality= regardless of age, demographic, and style. The next generation wants a family environment that is fun and experiential. 6. Passion is Required. a. You must create a product that you love. b. Are you your best customer? c. STORY: For us at Catalyst, we are our best and most trusted customer. We love what we do and truly love why and how we do it. Which makes us really picky and annoyingly critical. d. You are your own customer. You should love what you do. Be deeply passionate about it. Incredibly passionate about what we do. Love your product, and others will too. Passion is deeply contagious. Be proud of your product. e. We fight a lot and argue about ideas. Read The Spark. Healthy tension on a team. Passionate about what you are creating shines through and is attractive to those around you. f. Passion unhinged. Be passionate about your product. i. Those in charge love the product as much as the customer. You are your own customer. If you don't like the product you are creating, you have a problem. ii. STORY: we started Catalyst because we wanted to create something for our friends and ourselves. iii. Build emotion. You want tribe members who care more than you do. Connect with people's deepest felt needs, and be emotional. Make people laugh, and cry. Constantly. iv. STORY: Where are our cry moments? Always figure this out for events and conferences. g. Passion is contagious. If you love what you do, your customer, market and tribe will love what you do because you love what you do. h. Your internal passion determines your external reach. Your heart will shape the actions of your hands. i. Create a team environment that is attractive. Vision and culture equally important. Our core values-­‐ work hard and play hard. FAMILY. Make authenticity and honesty the standard for your corporate culture. Millennials are cynical at their core, and don't trust someone just because they are in charge. Create a family environment. Create a family environment. Give them opportunities early with major responsibility. They don't want to wait their turn. Want to make a difference now. And will find an outlet for influence and responsibility somewhere else if you don't give it to them. Empower them early and often. Not willing to wait. Young leaders are ambitious and passionate about making a difference now. Not willing to wait their turn. They want to influence now. Evidence of this is the explosion of church planters in the last 4-­‐5 years. Find talent everywhere-­‐ tap into folks who want to be part of something significant. but not on our team. this generation wants to be part of movements that are making a difference. 7. Experts are expected Now. a. New realities of a generation. b. Millennials are not willing to wait. Want influence now. Young leaders want to have influence now, so create an environment that allows for opportunities early and often. Willing to give over responsibility vs. a "wait your turn" mentality-­‐ will allow young leaders to lead if they are qualified and can handle it. c. First generation ever who has more technical wisdom than the generation before them. Lots of companies dealing with a reverse leadership environment. 20 somethings leading 50 somethings. Creating lots of tension. d. Provide them projects, not a career. New reality of seasons of career and projects. Said this earlier. Career is just not the same anymore. They desire options. Just like free agents. e. Provide them opportunities early with major responsibility. f. They don't want to wait their turn. Want to make a difference now. And will find an outlet for influence and responsibility somewhere else if you don't give it to them. Empower them early and often. Not willing to wait. Young leaders are ambitious and passionate about making a difference now. Not willing to wait their turn. They want to influence now. Evidence of this is the explosion of church planters in the last 4-­‐5 years g. One other thing on this-­‐ if you are hiring, I always want a racehorse I have to hold back instead of a mule I have to spur to get moving. Ambition and drive is not a bad thing!! h. Called but not equipped-­‐ whole new generation of leaders who are stepping into roles before they are ready. i. STORY: That’s my story. All 3 of my seasons of career-­‐ stepped into things I wasn’t ready for. It’s okay and definitely a new reality in leadership. j. I’ve never been fully prepared for the next season. k. ACTION for all LEADERS: Become an Expert now, even before you need to be. l. Especially those of you who are young, or new, or don¹t feel like you are in a position of major influence. That way when it's your turn to come off the bench you are ready. When you are asked for your opinion or involvement, give it or do it. Act, lead, and create based on the job/position you want next, not the one you have now-­‐ this is more demanding. Demand perfection from yourself before anyone ever demands it of you. You should reach for perfection. Don¹t wait for an organization to give that to you. Expect the best from yourself. Experience creates expertise-­‐ obvious, but we forget. Expertise. See yourself as the expert. m. STORY: Work like you are in the position you want. As my dad used to say in football-­‐ "Practice like you are the starter". I was a sophomore and had that mentality. n. Kill it in the Now, but have a vision and hunger for something bigger and what’s next. A bigger perspective than just what is in front of you. See where you want to be. Act like you are already there. o. Find those who are smarter than you, and latch on. Learn from them. Ask questions. Be a learner. Connect with leading organizations, networks and individuals who are highly respected and you¹ll gain respect. But the key on this-­‐ connect with them and ask how you can HELP them, not how you can gain from them. 8. Everyone is a Leader. a. Influence is everywhere. Anyone can have influence because of technology. b. You don’t need a title c. We are all leaders-­‐ because of social media, technology, and the digital space, anyone can create a platform and gain influence quickly. Everyone has access. Small competes with large, and there is an equal playing field for most involved. d. In today's leadership climate, you can Create your own economy. Leaders today can create their own environments and create their own structure. And the economy that everyone should be operating from is one of generosity, giving, and a “no angle” zone. Serve and invest in others for no other reason than just because it’s the right thing to do, not because you want to get something out of it and have an agenda. e. In today's leadership climate, Leading is not about positional influence. Don’t need a title. f. Can start a blog or a twitter feed or instagram account or a facebook page and immediately have influence. Never before has this been a reality. 9. Millennials are Unique. a. Leading 20 somethings and millennials-­‐ 11 Points on Leading Millennials b. Millennial generation, basically those born after 1980. We gather thousands of leaders who fit this category on an annual basis, and most of our Catalyst staff are under the age of 30. c. Thoughts on leading millenials: i. Give them freedom with their schedule. I'll admit, this one is tough for me. Flexibility combined with accountability. Have to go together. Can’t just have flexibility with no accountability. ii. Create a family environment. Work, family and social are all intertwined, so make sure the work environment is experiential and family oriented. Everything is connected. iii. Lead each person uniquely. Don't create standards or rules that apply to everyone. Customize your approach. (I'll admit, this one is difficult too!) iv. Make authenticity and honesty the standard for your corporate culture. Millennials are cynical at their core, and don't trust someone just because they are in charge. v. Millennials are not as interested in "climbing the corporate ladder." But instead more concerned about making a difference and leaving their mark. vi. All about the larger win, not the personal small gain. Young leaders in general have an abundance mentality instead of scarcity mentality. vii. Deeply desire mentoring, learning and discipleship. Many older leaders think Millennials aren't interested in generational wisdom transfer. Not true at all. Younger leaders are hungry for mentoring and discipleship, so build it into your organizational environment. viii. Coach them and encourage them. They want to gain wisdom through experience. Come alongside them don't just tell them what to do. ix. Hold them accountable. They want to be held accountable by those who are living it out. Measure them and give them constant feedback. x. Recognize their values, not just their strengths. It ain't just about the skillz baby. Don't use them without truly knowing them. Need to be needed. xi. LEAD them, but don’t manage them. Millennials see organizational life WAY different than you do as an Xer or Boomer. You were raised on the management principles of the late 70’s and 80’s. Millennials don’t see the world the same way. Inspire and lead them, don’t manage and systematize them.