Reflections

KLR Best Practices--Helpful Quotes

"Building a world-class company calls for a world-class commitment to your own personal growth." From the E-Myth Mastery, by Gerber. So true. In fact this is also true...

"Building a world-class [         ] calls for a world-class commitment to your own personal growth." You fill in the blank! [Life, church, business, marriage, family...other ideas?]

KLR Best Practices--Who Moved My Cheese?

I was with a client Monday. We were discussing his business development strategy in this difficult market. He told me about the book: Who Moved My Cheese? It is a book about leadership, recognizing trends, and managing change. My client related to the simple but profound idea of this best selling book: leaders recognize if the cheese is running out and lead their organizations to go to where the cheese is! Good stuff.

In his case, he adjusted his plan to move his company's business development efforts to where the cheese is. At the core of finding the cheese is understanding who is our customer? And what does our customer value? And what need can we meet for them?

Another client had the leadership insight 7 years ago to begin the involved process of expanding his business internationally. He recognized something many of his peers failed to see--he saw where the cheese was moving in his particular industry. To his credit, he is among the first in the rooms full of glorious cheese!

Finally, an associate is looking at a prospective business to acquire. Realizing the economic uncertainty that will most certainly continue for the foreseeable future, he has selected a business that is more likely to weather a sluggish and sliding economy.

In each case...they are following the cheese. No question that today many rooms that used to be filled with cheese have run dry. But, there is still cheese out there. The leaders are finding the cheese and taking the needed steps to get their businesses into those rooms.

KLR Best Practices

This is the first of a new series "KLR Best Practices". KLR stands for Kern Leadership Resources--my consulting practice. From time to time I come across best practices that I will post under this category (see side banner KLR Best Practices)

I found this video today and thought it would be helpful to entrepreneurs. This is the "bootstrap" model for a new business launch. Some observations: The first stage in the model is the Awaken stage--the time when the "Bootstrapper Team" comes together. Notice the team comes together before the product is designed. This is consistent with the principle in Jim Collins' book Good to Great, "First Who, Then What." I have also found that "First Who, Then What" is not only a business decision to team up with strong talent, but it also is a quality of life decision. With so much time and energy invested in a business, do you have a good relationship and shared values with your fellow "bootstrapper(s)"? 

In my experience the product-customer stages are not sequential but occur in tandem and inform one another. In fact, I think it best to begin with answering some key questions about your potential customer before you go to demo. Ask yourself "Who is our customer?" "What do they consider value?" "What product or services will best meet their needs and wants?" With this in view, the product-demo can be developed to deliver what your potential customer wants. Then, as mentioned in the video, you go through various refinements of your product as you assess the customer's reaction to your product offering. All in all this looks like a helpful model.

 

Twittering...Buford & Drucker

Not to long ago, our Communications Director, Kristy-Lee Henry, encouraged our staff to start "twittering"--which is a new social networking, micro-blogging phenomenon which lets you follow along with people as they "twitter" through their daily experiences. I have chosen to follow a couple of pastors who are seaoned multi-site leaders, and catalysts. One that I am following is Dave Furgeson. He "twittered" a link to a recent post he made in his blog. I followed the link and really enjoyed his entry. He recapped a recent meeting with Bob Buford--entrepreneur, businessman, and innovative founder of the Leadership Network. Follow this link to the entry. If you'd prefer you can see the heart of the post in my summary below.

I guess what I am most drawn to is that Bob Buford is a protege of Peter Drucker, who is considered the granddaddy of management and organizational leadership. Like so many others, Drucker has profoundly shaped my thinking about leadership--both in the marketplace and in the church. Apparently, Drucker had a phrase he used often: "the future that has already happened." Following a recent meeting with some Christian leaders, Buford summarized ways in which he sees "the future that has already happened..."

• From focus on sin to focus on service.
• From hierarchies to networks.
• From institutional learning to learning from best practices.
• From old and shrinking to new and growing.
• From sin management (repression) to dreams.
• From good intentions to results and performance.
• From tell'em what to do to support them.

Thanks Dave for the post...
 

The Dream Builders Network

About six months ago I became friends with Kennan Burch. It began with a lunch at Smokey Bones where we found ourselves on similar paths in life. Both of us were raised in the church. Both of us had years of ministry and marketplace experience. Both had recently moved out of our secure market-place positions (me because I got moved out--him because he made the "leap"!) Both of us with dreams, passions, and uncertainties about the future.

Over lunch I was moved by Kennan's story and life. He clearly had freshly encountered God and His grace--something that before age 40 he claimed, understood, talked about, and even preached about. But, as God often does, He had more to show Kennan just how deep and wide His grace really is.

Built upon this deepened encounter, Kennan began meeting with a number of other men for simple purpose of encouraging each other to dream with God. The big idea is that God has prepared dreams for us in advance. Dreams that He wants us to do through us.

The 20 guys that make up "DB 1", (Dream Builders 1 Group) as they like to call it, began identifying their dreams and shared monthly in the highs and lows of seeing those dreams come to fruition. As I read the 3 pages of "Let there be..." statements (a catchy way of reflecting on God's creativity as seen in Genesis), I was moved to see men discovering the God-given purpose and work that He had in mind for them. I instantly connected with the dream of Dream Builder's. I share it.

For the past few years, a consistent question that I have had rolling around in my head is, "Why aren't more people bringing their talents, passions, and creativity to bear to advance the ball of God's Kingdom in this world?" I have a few ideas. But at least one of them is, I think people need to be encouraged to dream and given an occasion to step out in faith to see God show up. Dream Builders accomplished both.

On September 9th, Kennan is stepping out. After 3 years and lots of prayer and counsel, Kennan is launching the Dream Builder's Men's Network. I've seen "behind the curtain" at some of what has been involved in leading up to this point. Just today, Kennan told me of the many trials, difficulties, and challenges he's faced. But, he also shared that he expected nothing less--since this dream has such great potential for releasing the God-given dreams in the hearts of men around the world. I'll be there September 9th at 7p in the Amway Arena (downtown Orlando)...Dreaming with fellow dreamers about the possibilities and impossibilities God wants to do.

Sailing Into New Waters!

This is a photo I took while in Portugal in Winter of 2002. This location is the most-western-point of Europe, located just a few miles north of Lisbon, the port from which many of the great explorers set sail to discover the new world. While there, I realized this was a perfect spot for people to watch the ships as they disappeared over the horizon.

For me, the beginning of KLR (Kern Leadership Resources) is yet one more voyage of exploration in my life. Instead of standing on the safety of the shore, enjoying the majestic view; it is time for me to sail into new waters. Only God knows for sure what lies ahead. But, I know enough that it is time to set out in pursuit of my dreams and the potential that will only be realized when I make all the necessary preparations, load up the ship, and slip out past the safety of the breakwaters into the adventure of the pursuit of my dreams.

Thanks for your interest in my journey. I can only pray that it will help inspire you to dream. But not only to dream--but to sail into new waters so that you can discover all that God has in mind for you when he “wrote the story and poem” of your life before the foundations of the world were even laid.  (Ephesians 2:10) Have a safe and blessed journey, and may God be with you!

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