Developing Your Creative Rhythm

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A lot of leader conversations I’m having these days center around the concepts of innovation, creativity, and ideation. The past two days’ posts here and here dealt with the concepts found in the book “The Idea Hunter.” Continuing in the same vein but with a little different focus is the book “The Accidental Creative” by Todd Henry.

The author’s quote from the book flap sets the stage perfectly:

“You go to work each day tasked with (1) inventing brilliant solutions that (2) meet specific objectives by (3) defined deadlines. If you do this successfully, you get to keep your job. If you don’t, you get to work on your resume. The moment you exchange your creative efforts for money, you enter a world where you will have to be brilliant at a moment’s notice. (No pressure, right?)”

To attempt to be perpetually brilliant and increasingly productive, without changing the basic habits and structure of your life to accommodate that undertaking, is a futile effort.

Henry develops the following elements as a structure to guide your creative potential, providing you with the stability and clarity to engage your problems head-on.

Focus – in order to create effectively, you need a clear and concrete focus

Relationships – if you want to thrive, you need to systematically engage with other people, in part to be reminded that life is bigger than your immediate problems

Energy – to make the most of your day, you need to establish practices around energy management

Stimuli – if you want to regularly generate brilliant ideas, you must be purposeful about the kinds of stimuli you are putting in your head

Hours – you need to make sure that the practices that truly make you a more effective creator are making it onto your calendar

Practices in each of these five F-R-E-S-H areas provide the foundation for a life that is prolific, brilliant, and healthy.

Wait a minute – you’ve got a problem with the “creative” label? Call yourself anything you want, but if you’re responsible for solving problems, developing strategies, or otherwise straining your brain for new ideas, you are a creative – even if you end up being one accidentally.

– Todd Henry, “The Accidental Creative”

Hunting with IDEA Principles

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In an earlier post, the concept of becoming an Idea Hunter was introduced. Based on the work of Andy Boynton and Bill Fischer, these concepts are outlined in their recent book “The Idea Hunter.”

Understanding how to become an idea hunter starts with four foundational concepts the authors call the IDEA principles. Each of the four connect with crucial attitudes, habits, skills, and strategies.

Interested

The first principle turns on the question: Do I want to be interested, or merely interesting? In the hunt for ideas, being Interested in the world around you is of greater importance. Incredible ideas can come from anywhere; you just have to be on the lookout for them. Idea hunters understand that intellectual curiosity often leads to success. Curiosity will take you further toward your goals than cleverness or even brilliance.

Diverse

Idea Hunters are aware of the multitude of trails that can lead to worthwhile ideas. They don’t read the same magazines, browse the same websites, and compare notes with the same people. That only leads to variations on the same tired ideas. Idea Hunters bring in thoughts that are different but applicable, seemingly unrelated but potentially valuable. The operative assumption should be that ideas are everywhere.

Exercised

Idea Hunters exercise their idea muscles all the time, not just in your office or at a brainstorming session. Pursuing an idea requires daily training, keeping notebooks for recording what they’ve seen or heard. These personal experiences and impressions are then connected to their projects and proposals. Their searches are highly focused and purpose-driven. Successful idea hunters develop a wide range of skills, realizing that the pursuit of ideas doesn’t start when you are faced with a difficult problem that needs a quick solution.

 Agile

Idea Hunters don’t proceed in a straight line, because most of their ideas bounce all over the place. While it is possible to conceive of an idea and pursue it in a straight line to implementation, more than likely you will be veering right and left, maybe even backtracking, looking for ideas that come at you from different directions. Agility is required because your notions and impressions are worth little unless they are in motion, shifting in response to fresh data and conversation, evolving through stages of reflection and prototyping.

Understand and practice the IDEA principles, and you are ready to go idea hunting.

 

Brilliance Not Required

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Idea work is a vital asset for leaders today. It is highly learnable, but that doesn’t mean you have to be a creative genius because most high-value ideas are not created. More often than not, they are already out there, waiting to be spotted and then shaped into an innovation.

It’s time to become an Idea Hunter.

High-value ideas come to those people who are in the habit of looking for such ideas – all around them, all the time. It’s a search for ideas that’s open-ended, ongoing, and always personal – dialed into who you are, what projects you are pursuing, and where you’re going in your career and life.

Brilliance is optional. Idea Hunters are not, as a rule, geniuses. They are just idea-active. They have a voracious appetite for acquiring ideas, and they are skilled at setting those ideas into motion.

Ready to go hunting?

 

24 Hours of Booty

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I’m wondering – what thoughts went through your head when you read the title?

Just so you know, here’s the scoop: In 2002, Charlotte attorney Spencer Leuders created the 24 Hours of Booty with the hope of raising money for cancer research. It started with just one rider – Leuders – riding the “Booty Loop,” a tree-lined circle around Queens University for 24 hours.

And it grew from there.

Courtesy of “Charlotte Magazine,” here are some stats you need to know:

  • 2.97 miles – the length of the Booty Loop
  • 9,199 – the number of riders who have hit the course in the ten-year history of the race
  • 5 hours – how long it took the Booty to sell out this year (it’s limited to 1,200 riders)
  • 2007 – the year the Booty became the official 24-hour cycling event of LIVESTRONG
  • 24 – number of different states riders came from to participate in the 2010 Booty
  • 780,000 – calories per hour this year’s 1,200 riders will burn riding the Booty Loop
  • 355 – record for most miles cycled during the Booty (by Greg Koenig in 2008)
  • 9,000, 1,700, and 70 – snacks, gallons of Glaceau Vitamin Water and Diamond Springs drinks, and gallons of Caribou coffee, respectively, this year’s participants will consume
  • $5,267,347 – amount raised for cancer research in the event’s 10 year history

Click here for more of the Charlotte Magazine article.

Some personal stats:

  • 7 – number of consecutive years I have ridden the Booty
  • 57 – the smallest number of miles ridden (in 2006, after being delayed 12  hours in O’Hare airport; I got in at 3 AM and drove straight to the event, worn out)
  • 173 – the most miles I’ve ridden in the Booty (in 2007, when I had something to prove)
  • 2 – number of teams I’ve ridden with

I ride the Booty because it’s fun, I like to cycle, and it’s my small contribution to the fight against cancer. I ride in honor of my Dad, a cancer survivor.

At 7 PM tonight, I will be rolling off with 1,199 other riders in the traditional victory lap. As of yesterday, we had collectively raised over $1,000,000 this year – a new record.

Follow me on Twitter or go to my Facebook page for regular updates.

It’s time to ride!

Tradition

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 Part 4 of a 4-part series on Generations in ChurchWorld

Last week this post introduced the generational lens that shapes a lot of my views. Monday I began this four-part series by looking at the Millennials; on Tuesday it was Generation X, and Wednesday it was the Baby Boomers. Today I want to look at the fourth of four generations active in ChurchWorld leadership roles today, and the implications for you as a leader with your own team.

G.I. Generation (Born 1901-1924)

Silent Generation (Born 1925-1945)

There are actually two distinct generations represented in today’s post, but due to the small number of G.I. Generations still involved in leadership roles in churches, I am going to look at them as a group.

Scarcity is a common denominator for these two groups. Between two world wars and the Great Depression, these generations had plenty of opportunities to do without. The need to “save for a rainy day” was tangible, and “Waste not, want not” was more than a slogan – it was a commandment. No wonder these generations later disapproved of the Boomers’ eagerness to pay two dollars for a bottle of fancy water! Symbols carried great weight. From swastikas to Sputnik and from flappers to flat tops, these were generations that drove their roadsters to drive-ins, smoke cigarettes and drank ice-cold Coca-Cola, and stacked a few 45s on the record player and did the twist.

Defining events such as World War I, the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, the New Deal, World War II, the Korean War, and the GI Bill changed millions of lives and shaped the God-fearing, hardworking, patriotic character of these two amazing generations.

The generational personality of these two groups who lived through these events and conditions can be described in a single word: loyal. These are generations that learned at an early age that by putting aside the needs and wants of the individual and working together toward common goals, they could accomplish amazing things. They learned to partner with large institutions in order to get things done, like winning two world wars, conquering the Great Depression, and sending a man to the moon. These are generations that still have an immense amount of faith in institutions, from the church to the government to the military.

– “When Generations Collide,” by Lynne Lancaster and David Stillman

What is the impact of the G.I. and Silent Generations in ChurchWorld today?

It is diminishing due to age, limited mobility, and illness, but the spark of service still burns bright. These two generations have a strong sense of obligation to serve the church. For decades they have been at the heart of their church, and they remain dedicated and willing to help where they can. Of all the generations discussed, they are the most church-going, and they give generously to their churches.

Characteristics like the following served these generations well during dark and troubled times in our nation’s history; they continue to serve by being passed along to younger generations.

  • Hard working
  • Savers
  • Frugal
  • Patriotic
  • Loyal
  • Private
  • Cautious
  • Respectful
  • Dependable
  • Stable
  • Intolerant

For the G.I. and Silent Generations, hard work, self-discipline, and sacrifice have paid off. They survived the difficult years of war and economic depression and believe that the affluence of the 1950s and 1960s proved that striving and surviving were the right way to go.

Even though the youngest of these generations is age 66 and the oldest above 100, don’t make the mistake that they have nothing to contribute. The characteristics listed above not only served to keep our nation strong in difficult times, they can be tapped by younger generations as a gift of legacy.

How are you honoring, remembering, and tapping into the G.I. and Silent Generation?

Generational Disclosure: My parents are from the Silent Generation; my in-laws are from the G.I. Generation. As a young boy, I was lucky to have grown up spending a great deal of time around my father and his peers because we lived right behind the gas station he owned and operated. I grew up listening to stories of WW I and II from men who had been there and survived; I experienced first hand the optimism of the 60s and the tremendous  changes America went through. In college and graduate school my professors were primarily from these two generations; my first “bosses” were also part of these generations. In short, most of the adult influencers, from parents to professors to pastors were from these two generations. They were, and remain, the Greatest Generation.

 I hope you have enjoyed this briefest of introductions to the generations now serving as leaders in ChurchWorld. You will be seeing more in the future!

 

Majority Rules

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Eighty million strong, the Baby Boomers changed every market they entered, from the supermarket to the job market to the stock market.

Part 3 of a 4-part series on Generations in ChurchWorld

Last week this post introduced the generational lens that shapes a lot of my views. On Monday I began this four-part series by looking at the Millennials; on Tuesday it was Generation X. Today I want to look at the third of four generations active in ChurchWorld leadership roles today, and the implications for you as a leader with your own team. The final generation will be examined tomorrow.

Baby Boomers (Born 1946-1964)

Ask any Boomer about the greatest invention of their childhood and their antennae go up – literally. The single most important arrival during the birth years of the Boom was the television. In 1952, four million television sets could be found in American homes. By 1960, the number was fifty million. The original “generation gap” was between Boomers and their parents as an entire generation of Boomers could relate to a whole set of reference points (TV shows, characters, plots, advertiser, and products) that were unknown to their parents. As they fine-tuned their sets, the Boomers’ generational personality was shaped. Events that were revealed to the public through this highly visual new medium included deep, divisive issues like the war in Viet Nam, Watergate, the women’s and human rights movements, the OPEC oil embargo, stagflation, and recession. Experiencing these landmark events, whether live or through the miracle of television, permanently changed the Boomers.

Boomers, while graced with many blessings and privileges, have had to fight for much of what they’ve achieved in corporate America against the sheer number of their peers competing for the same jobs and promotions. Boomers have again and again been labeled the “Me Generation” in part because they were privileged to be able to focus on themselves and where they were going instead of needing to sublimate the need of individuals. But there is also a second meaning in this “me generation” label, and that is the deep identification Boomers feel with who they are and what they archive at work.

– “When Generations Collide,” by Lynne Lancaster and David Stillman

The common self-awareness and sense of destiny among Boomers was created by the staggering impact of change that took place during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. Among the changes were several high impact events, which bonded Boomers into a generation set apart. If you are a Boomer you will understand the significance of these formative experiences:

  • Cold War
  • Economic growth and affluence
  • Education and technological growth
  • Rock and roll
  • Civil rights movement
  • The New Frontier
  • Space race
  • Assassinations
  • Viet Nam War
  • Energy crisis
  • Watergate and the Nixon resignation

What’s the impact of Baby Boomers in ChurchWorld?

In a word – huge.

Baby Boomers are now between the ages of 47 and 65. Sociologists call Boomers the “lead generation,” which means they tend to set the agenda for the rest of the nation. It’s true for the church, too. Boomers hold a high percentage of leadership positions in churches, including both staff and volunteer roles. Beyond just leadership roles, the simple vast number of Boomers means they will be the leading percentage of participants in your church.

With that being the case, ChurchWorld must take seriously Boomer values, needs, and concerns. Since Boomers are experience-oriented, churches must take pains to provide ways for Boomer to experience Christ. Since Boomers are future-oriented, churches must focus on tomorrow more than yesterday. Since Boomers are growth-oriented, churches must look beyond current membership to those who are not yet a part of the church. Since Boomers are action-oriented, churches must do rather than just discuss.

The Baby Boom Generation has had tremendous impact on our society. The sheer size of this generation has caused it to dominate our nation – and our churches. As Baby Boomers reach the end of middle adulthood and prepare to move to the next stage of life, they have a lot to offer ChurchWorld.

What are you doing to take advantage of the strengths of Boomers?

Generational Disclosure: I am a Baby Boomer. Enough said. Well, not really. All my formative years in college and my career have been primarily in the company of my peers. My closest friends are Boomers. In addition, many of the church leaders I work with in my consulting role are Boomers. The person who looks back at me in the mirror is a Boomer, and I am continually learning from him.

 

Gen X – Young & Restless

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Part 2 of a 4-part series on Generations in ChurchWorld

Last week this post introduced the generational lens for a lot of my views. Yesterday I began this four-part series by looking at the Millennials. Today I want to look at the second of four generations active in ChurchWorld leadership roles today, and the implications for you as a leader with your own team. The remaining two generations will be examined tomorrow and the next day.

Generation X – (Born 1965-1981)

Possibly the most misunderstood generation in a leadership role today, this small (approximately forty-six million) but influential population has worked to carve out its own identity from its parents and younger siblings.

As you noticed yesterday (and will again tomorrow), technology has had a big impact on the Xers. While it was a single device for the Boomers, Xers were swamped with the media choices that sprung up during their lifetimes: cable TV, digital TV, satellite TV, VCRs, video games, fax machines, microwaves, pagers, cell phones, PDAs, and of course, the most life-changing item of all: the personal computer.

Most of the inventions above were intended to simplify the American way of life, but ask any Gen X about their childhood and you fill find that it was pretty complex. Violence appeared not only on television but close to home in the form of AIDS, crack cocaine, child molesters, and drunk drivers. Taken together, the message came across to Gen X: the world wasn’t as safe as it used to be. The number of single-parent households skyrocketed, and Mom wasn’t home with milk and cookies at the end of school. Instead, it was off to afterschool care or home to an empty house to play video games till supper.

The insecurities that developed during their childhoods continued as they became adults. Lay-offs, downsizing, fierce competition were just a few of the hallmarks of the world that Gen Xers came into as they entered the work force. The rate of change they’ve seen during their lifetimes and the cynical sense that everything is temporary play into their distrust of career permanence. After all, if their computers can become obsolete in a matter of months, what does that say about their own shelf life at work?

– “When Generations Collide,” by Lynne Lancaster and David Stillman

Generation X – the 30 to mid-40 year olds in your church – are an extremely resourceful and independent groupp.

As with any of the generations discussed in this series, it is hard to define Generation X. There are some dominant themes that characterize segments of the group, and will be beneficial for leaders with Gen Xers on their team:

  • Freedom – many Xers reject workaholics and expect personal satisfaction from their jobs; their other interests are just as important as work
  • Issues of survival – national and global issues such as world hunger, famine, poverty, AIDS, pollution, and so on are large and complex; Gen Xers don’t expect these issues to be solved and indeed, see their own quality of life declining in their lifetimes
  • Feeling neglected – more than 40 percent of Gen Xers are children of divorce; often from a single parent home. Isolated from family, they turned to technology to develop relationships

Where does that leave you as a leader in ChurchWorld with Gen Xers on your team?

For Gen Xers, it’s not about job security but career security; they will build a repertoire of skills and experiences they can take with them if need be

Many Gen Xers are looking through the world with a skeptical lens

Because of what they saw their parents and friends’ parents go through, they are often not willing to pay the same price for success

They are ambitious and hard-working, but focused on balance and freedom

Raised on sound bites and accustomed to instant information, Gen Xers like their information in a manageable format

One more thing to think about: because of the large number of Millennials compared to the number of Gen Xers, a big shift in leadership will be taking place in 2015 – the majority of the workforce will shift from Baby Boomers to Millennials – completely bypassing the Gen X leaders on your team.

How do you think they are going to react to that?

Generational Disclosure: I am the parent of one Generation Xer, a 31 year-old son who has a 3-year-old son. He is a chef, kitchen manager, and regional trainer for the restaurant chain he works for. In addition, I work with several Generation Xers in my company, I network with many Xers across the country in my consulting role, and the leadership team at my church is exclusively Gen X.

The Next Great Generation

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Leave it to a Millennial to dig up some research on her own generation and send it to me. Well, that’s my daughter – what can I say?

Part 1 of a 4-part series on Generations in ChurchWorld

Last week this post introduced the generational lens that I view a lot of things through. Today I want to look at the first of four generations active in ChurchWorld leadership roles today, and the implications for you as a leader with your own team. The other three generations will be examined the rest of this week.

Just in case you wondered, there is a fifth generation that’s almost in a position of leadership – those born from the late ‘90s on. The oldest of that generation is already leading your youth or student groups, even without a position of leadership – but that is another series for another day! Now about those Millennials…

The Next Great Generation

Meet the Millennials, born in or after 1982 through the late ‘90s  – the “Babies on Board” of the early Reagan years, the “Have You Hugged Your Child Today?” sixth graders of the early Clinton years, the teens of Columbine, the much-touted Class of 2000 entering the new Millennium, and this year, poised to enter their thirties.

As a group, Millennials are unlike any other youth generation in living memory. They are more numerous, more affluent, better educated, and more ethnically diverse. More importantly, they are beginning to manifest a wide array of positive social habits that older Americans no longer associate with youth, including a new focus on teamwork, achievement, modesty, and good conduct.

When you fit these changes into the broader rhythms of American history, you can get a good idea of what kind of adult generation the Millennials have demonstrated so far, and are likely becoming. You can foresee their future hopes and fears, strengths and weaknesses, as they rise to adulthood and, in time, to power. You can understand how today’s young adults are on the way to becoming a powerhouse generation, full of technology planners, community shapers, institution builders, and world leaders. Many observers think this generation will dominate the twenty-first century like today’s fading and ennobled G.I. Generation dominated the twentieth. Millennials have a solid chance to becomeAmerica’s next great generation, celebrated for their collective deeds a hundred years from now.

– from “Millennials Rising” by Neil Howe and William Strauss

And they are the “young gun” leaders chomping at the bit in ChurchWorld today.

Millennials want to make a difference from the day they arrive on the scene, and think they can. After all, they had parents who told them how great they were. They listened to Baby Einstein to get smarter. They expected to get an A in school, and if they didn’t, they negotiated with the school staff.

Millennials bring a lot of valuable skill sets in terms of thinking outside the box and in the world of technology. They are the first generation that are digital natives. They don’t know what status quo means, but they will be the first to speak up is something doesn’t work.

Some thoughts to consider when leading Millennials:

  • Provide specific examples of what you expect at the office
  • Give them feedback at least once a month
  • Capable of learning several tasks simultaneously and performing them admirably
  • Flexible scheduling is important in developing a balanced life
  • “Fun” is not an F-word; it’s a vital aspect of a meaningful, productive workplace
  • Leadership is a participative process; they will learn best from leaders who engage them
  • Continuous learning is a way of life
  • Diversity is expected
  • Being hyper-connected is normal

By 2015 (less than four years away!) Baby Boomers will cede the majority of the workforce to the Millennials. When you consider the changes in the amount of knowledge available at our fingertips, the advent of social technologies, and the expansion of the global economy over the past decade, it’s no wonder that generational collisions are inevitable – even in ChurchWorld.

Are you ready?

Generational Disclosure: I am the parent of three Millennials: a 27 year-old son completing Air Force Basic Training, married with a daughter who is nine months old; a 23 year-old daughter who is employed as a communication director and is completing a Masters in Divinity; and an 18 year-old son who is beginning college this fall as a culinary arts/food services management major. My generational studies start at home!

The Turn of a Phrase

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It’s amazing what an impact a few words can have…

The map you see above is part of a draft report being prepared by a partnership of government, business, and citizens outlining some possibilities for the city of Charlotte.

It’s a little hard to see, but the area outlined in gold is what has traditionally been called Uptown – the area enclosed by the I-277 loop and I-77. It’s the big time – banks, corporate HQ, restaurants, sports facilities, and a few residential towers. It’s been the heart of the city.

And it’s changing…

Now notice the red circles – those are neighborhoods. They are mostly outside Uptown. Some have gone through decades of change; others are just now starting. In those neighborhoods are homes, businesses, parks, shops, and cultural events.

The visioning group mentioned above realized that Uptown can’t carry on with the dreams alone – it’s going to take a partnership of everyone working together.

That’s why they called it Center City.

It’s more than just business – or government – or residential areas. It will take all of these groups working together to fulfill the CenterCity 2020 Vision Plan.

It’s also time for the Church to step forward be a part of transforming the City.

viable | livable | memorable | sustainable

It’s going to be amazing…

How to Consistently Generate Breakthrough Ideas

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We all need good ideas. Breakthrough ideas. All day, every day.

When your team is faced with the need to come up with a new initiative or idea or expand and existing one, do you pull them together in front of a whiteboard, whip out the dry erase pens and Post-It Notes©, and announce “It’s time for a brainstorming session”?

No doubt this happens thousands of times every day in offices across the country, but traditional brainstorming methods actually have a poor track record for generating ideas that are useful for the task at hand. Why? Because traditional brainstorming actually violates many of the psychological and sociological principles of how human beings work best in a group setting.

So how do you generate ideas?

Brainsteering.

Kevin and Shawn Coyne developed the concept in a decade-long process as part of a team at the noted consulting firm McKinsey and Company. Now they are the managing directors of The Coyne Partnership, a consulting group serving senior executives and boards of directors in both the private and public sectors.

In their recently released book “Brainsteering,” the Coynes introduce the brilliantly simple concept of brainsteering as an ideation technique that better reflects the way human beings actually think and work in creative problem-solving situations.

Their book is divided into four sections:

  1. Understanding why – and how – you should ask the Right Questions
  2. Maximizing your personal ideation skills
  3. Learn to lead others in the development of new ideas
  4. Putting it all together by developing your own Billion-Dollar Idea

I’m going to tease you a little by revealing the two secrets of Brainsteering:

If you ask the right questions, answers and good ideas will soon follow

The right process for consistently generating breakthrough ideas looks very different from what you’ve probably been using

Told you it was simple! Now go get a copy of “Brainsteering,” dive into the methods behind those two secrets, and you will soon be on your way to some of the most creative ideas imaginable.