As someone who studies leadership, I am constantly amazed at how many concepts are involved in great leadership. One of these concepts is the economy of leadership.
John C. Maxwell says "Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less.". With this in mind, we could say the economy of leadership is the process of gaining and leveraging influence.
I learned the importance of the economy of leadership from my pastor. After a meeting I had voiced my frustration to him regarding the amount of useless banter and unimportant conversations that took place in the meeting. With a humble heart he agreed with me that the meeting was not as effective as he would like; however, every time he allows people the margin to contribute to the meeting (even if it is not helpful) he gains influence with that person. He went on to say when people are given a safe place to give their words, they are investing in a place to give their lives.
What my pastor discovered is that he has to earn influence with people sometimes through ineffective means, but later this gives him the leverage to effectively use this influence in leadership. It's similar to making deposits and withdrawals from a bank account, you can never withdraw more than you deposit without consequences.
I hope this will catalyze your leadership.
"Crush the boxes, break the frames, dance off rhythm, don't be tamed"
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Saturday, July 14, 2012
The Best Game EVER!
Here goes my second attempt at what is essentially a mental vomiting exercise for my brain. Enjoy!
About six months ago I engaged in a very interesting discussion with a few peers along with some older and wiser men. This conversation revolved around video games and how they can provide a frightening level of realism and satisfy many of our social needs.
FOR PEOPLE WHO HATE GAMING, KEEP READING.
I was actually somewhat shocked at how easy it was for me to play the devil's advocate for many of the arguments. Most points revolved around how as natural social beings, humans cannot be fully satisfied by living in a virtual world in their mother's basement. However, using World of Warcraft for many examples, I educated the prosecution on the surprising level of social interaction that games now offer.
For example, though a person might be by themselves in front of a computer, games give them the opportunity to collaborate with several people with the goal of solving problems. Even though you cannot physically interact with others you can still contribute to society's needs by providing a service or product, such as making armor for friends or selling leather and other materials.
The brilliant lady featured in the video above talks about a world where games and real life can actually co-exist in a mutually beneficial way. This isn't a concept that simply explores how certain types of games can be great for toddlers developing hand/eye coordination or assisting preschoolers learn their colors. She explores the reality that games have the potential to bring out the best of human characteristics, so why not leverage this potential to actually solve REAL WORLD PROBLEMS.
In conclusion, I challenge you to adopt this deeper level of thinking. Instead of criticizing elements of society for being too childish, too violent, too judgmental, etc.; take a moment to ask yourself why these certain things seem to be popular or successful, and then explore how we can leverage this to benefit humanity.
"Crush the boxes, break the frames, dance off rhythm, don't be tamed"
About six months ago I engaged in a very interesting discussion with a few peers along with some older and wiser men. This conversation revolved around video games and how they can provide a frightening level of realism and satisfy many of our social needs.
FOR PEOPLE WHO HATE GAMING, KEEP READING.
I was actually somewhat shocked at how easy it was for me to play the devil's advocate for many of the arguments. Most points revolved around how as natural social beings, humans cannot be fully satisfied by living in a virtual world in their mother's basement. However, using World of Warcraft for many examples, I educated the prosecution on the surprising level of social interaction that games now offer.
For example, though a person might be by themselves in front of a computer, games give them the opportunity to collaborate with several people with the goal of solving problems. Even though you cannot physically interact with others you can still contribute to society's needs by providing a service or product, such as making armor for friends or selling leather and other materials.
The brilliant lady featured in the video above talks about a world where games and real life can actually co-exist in a mutually beneficial way. This isn't a concept that simply explores how certain types of games can be great for toddlers developing hand/eye coordination or assisting preschoolers learn their colors. She explores the reality that games have the potential to bring out the best of human characteristics, so why not leverage this potential to actually solve REAL WORLD PROBLEMS.
In conclusion, I challenge you to adopt this deeper level of thinking. Instead of criticizing elements of society for being too childish, too violent, too judgmental, etc.; take a moment to ask yourself why these certain things seem to be popular or successful, and then explore how we can leverage this to benefit humanity.
"Crush the boxes, break the frames, dance off rhythm, don't be tamed"
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Why I Don't Blog
For my first blog entry, I woulD like tO write about why I doN'T blog. Ironic I know. Now, you are probably saying to yourselF, "who is crazy Enough to blog About why they don't blog?" That's a gReat question, and the answer is definitelY "Luke." HOnestly, I can't think of anything better to write aboUt that would give you a gReat indicatOr of the odd and different Way that I teNd to think about thinGs.
So, the fiRst rEAson I don'T blog is hoNEStly that I'm prideful and Selfish. Sure, I work hard at covering this up with forced humility and graciousness; but the truth is that I think an awful lot of myself. If I were to blog about all of my ideas and the different way I think about things, I would lose my uniqueness because all of you would now have access to the endless fount of creativity and brilliance that is my mind.
Secondly, I don't blog because it would actually force me to follow through with many of my "off rhythm" concepts. I honestly like tossing an idea around in my head, and never allowing it to see the light of day. This ensures I have complete control over my ideas and keeps them safe from criticisms of validity, logistics, and orthodoxy. If my ideas were to reach the hearts and minds of the public I would feel a certain sense of responsibility to develop and grow many of the initiatives and plans that are in my heart.
To conclude, the reason you are actually reading this is because I've had something written in the back of my Bible for years and I've finally decided to do something about it. One of my friends said this to me several years ago, and I was so impressed by the thought that I wanted to secure the statement within the protective leather shield of my Zondervan NIV Study Bible. Even now I am still a little too insecure to share it outright because of the implications it would have for me if I were to communicate it to friends and family who might hold me accountable to it. Therefore, the statement is provided to you through an oh so clever code that can be deciphered by reading the first five sentences of this blog.
If you can take your proverbial "mask" for a moment and honestly connect with any of these ideas, then I invite you to check my blog weekly. I will post one entry each week that covers a gamut of different topics such as leadership, spirituality, and random/ brutally honest insights such as this one. Thank you for reading.
"Crush the boxes, break the frames, dance off rhythm, don't be tamed."
So, the fiRst rEAson I don'T blog is hoNEStly that I'm prideful and Selfish. Sure, I work hard at covering this up with forced humility and graciousness; but the truth is that I think an awful lot of myself. If I were to blog about all of my ideas and the different way I think about things, I would lose my uniqueness because all of you would now have access to the endless fount of creativity and brilliance that is my mind.
Secondly, I don't blog because it would actually force me to follow through with many of my "off rhythm" concepts. I honestly like tossing an idea around in my head, and never allowing it to see the light of day. This ensures I have complete control over my ideas and keeps them safe from criticisms of validity, logistics, and orthodoxy. If my ideas were to reach the hearts and minds of the public I would feel a certain sense of responsibility to develop and grow many of the initiatives and plans that are in my heart.
To conclude, the reason you are actually reading this is because I've had something written in the back of my Bible for years and I've finally decided to do something about it. One of my friends said this to me several years ago, and I was so impressed by the thought that I wanted to secure the statement within the protective leather shield of my Zondervan NIV Study Bible. Even now I am still a little too insecure to share it outright because of the implications it would have for me if I were to communicate it to friends and family who might hold me accountable to it. Therefore, the statement is provided to you through an oh so clever code that can be deciphered by reading the first five sentences of this blog.
If you can take your proverbial "mask" for a moment and honestly connect with any of these ideas, then I invite you to check my blog weekly. I will post one entry each week that covers a gamut of different topics such as leadership, spirituality, and random/ brutally honest insights such as this one. Thank you for reading.
"Crush the boxes, break the frames, dance off rhythm, don't be tamed."
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