Author Archives

Garry Brackett

BA - Fort Wayne Bible College
MAR - Trinity Evangelical Divinity
D.Min - Grace Theological Seminary
Birkman Certified Coach
John Maxwell Certified Team Member
Myers/Briggs Certified
FIRO-B Certified
TKI Certified
25 Years Executive Coaching

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The Courage To Lead

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 18:29 — 25.4MB) | Embed

The courage to lead is a willingness to take risks for the good of an unknown future. The risks are REAL! It is much easier to tinker with the monthly, quarterly, and annual financial reports, but to make decisions with an eye to the distant future is a lot more difficult. Such decisions may cost you dearly in the short-term. It may even cost jobs and revenue.

The courage to lead means that we will operate our enterprise at a higher standard than mere law – we will obey a higher standard of ethics. What happens when we are pressured to violate that ethical standard. It takes courage to speak up and offer direction that is counter to the current business standards.

Courage to lead in the Infinite Game is all about the actions that we take. There must be a willingness to completely revision how the world operates. To illustrate this fact consider CVS and their decision to stop selling cigarettes.

Hanging in the lobby of the corporate offices is the motto for the company; “Helping people on their path to better health.” This motto was revered and lived out from the e-suite to the lowest level employee. However at the conclusion of a strategy meeting someone stated the elephant in the room, “Don’t we sell cigarettes in our stores?” In February 2014 CVS made the decision to stop selling cigarettes in all stores. This set off a chorus of loud Wall Street voices announcing the end of CVS. Facing a loss of $2 billion, it was assumed this revenue would go to other stores. However, there was a down-turn in total revenue sells in the states where CVS operated. The their shares of stock took an initial hit, they bounced back stronger that prior to their decision.

How do we find the courage to lead?

Simon Sinek offers two (2) possibilities.

  1. We can wait on a life altering event that shakes us to the core of our being and challenges us on how we are living our daily lives.
  2. We can awaken ourselves to the possibility of a just cause and surround ourselves with like-minded people. Identifying worthy rivals that challenge us and pushes us to higher level of excellence.

When you consider that humans are messy and imperfect, understand there is no perfect model of an infinite minded company or leader for that matter. Even when we make strides to live out the infinite minded game, we can falter and slide into the finite game. This is where it takes courage to lead and recognize that we have strayed from our purposes. Courage is required to get back on the pathway of our Just Cause.

Let’s get real for just a moment. Our lives are finite, but life is infinite! We truly are finite players in an infinite game called life. We are born and we die, yet life continues with us or without us. We win and we suffer loss, but we get back in the game because there is always tomorrow or next season. No matter how much money we make, no matter how much power we acquire, no matter how many promotions we obtain, none of us are declared the winner of life! 

So in this final episode of examining the Finite versus the infinite perspective, take some time to evaluate the infinite perspective in your family, faith work, career, and friendships to see if you have lost sight of the long view in life. Make the corrections and have the courage to lead no matter how loud the voices are around you. Stay true to the higher ethic, your guiding north star!

LINKS

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on iTunes – SUBSCRIBE

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on Stitcher – SUBSCRIBE

FREE GIFT – “Servant Leadership Questions” – Click on the icon at the bottom of the page

Executive Coaching Service– Private message me for details on this customizable service

Birkman Assessment

Game Theory Resource Books

Game Theory for Business by  Paul Papayoanou 

Finite and Infinite Games by James Carse

The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek

List of Games in Game Theory – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_games_in_game_theory

Q&A – Contact me at ShepherdsAdvantage@gmail.com

Music: “Gratitude Mood” by David Arivett. You can learn more about his music by clicking on his name. THANKS DAVID!

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Switching Default Settings

We have been discussing Digital Addictions and how we need to control their function in our lives rather than being controlled by them. This blog article will focus upon switching our default settings from heavy digital usage to developing opportunities for solitude.

To begin our thought we need to understand that Solitude is not loneliness, negativity, or isolationism. It has been said that we cannot see things in perspective until we cease to hug them in our bosom. So that we do not miss the obvious, times of solitude means the complete absence of digital distractions for a designated time period. 

I am including a half-day Spiritual Retreat outline for you to follow. I am a strong proponent for regular Spiritual Retreats during the calendar year. I started this practice in my life over 20+ years ago. Time will not permit me to discuss the benefits I have received from these regular times of solitude.

One of the benefits of solitude is that Autobiographical coherence is achieved. This means that we connect with our recent past in order to reconcile unfinished business or problematic relationships for a preferred future. Stay grounded and connected to your present relationships and environment. Other benefits of solitude would be:

Clariety 

Creativity

Emotional Balance

Moral Courage

While this year is still quite young, resolve to set aside specific times for Spiritual Retreats or even establishing micro-moments weekly in which you would be able to un plug from digital distractions to have some quiet moments of thoughtful reflection.

Suggested Reading:

Bored and Brilliant – Manusch Zomorodi

Lead Yourself First – Raymond Kethledge & Michael Erwin

Unsubscribe – Jacelyn Glei

Deep Work – Cal Newport

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Existential Flexibility

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 18:29 — 25.4MB) | Embed

If you are not willing to blow up the status quo in your organization, someone else will. A great illustration of this fact would be Walt Disney. He was the first to create animated cartoons with synchronized music and sound. He sold and borrowed on everything to create his Just Cause – allowing people to step out of the work world and step into the world of creativity. Disney created theme parks that showed yesterday and tomorrow. In the words of Buzz Lightyear – To infinity and Beyond!

So what exactly is Existential Flexibility? It is the capacity to initiate extreme disruption to a business model or strategic course in order to more effectively advance our Just Cause (Go back and review Episode #259 for the discussion on Just Cause). The finite-minded player resists change and new ideas while the infinite-minded played revels in them. Key distinction.

This FLEX can be very disruptive to the current way of doing business. Yet, if you do not FLEX and blow up your own enterprise, someone else will. Wouldn’t be awesome to have a conversation with George Eastman founder of Eastman Kodak. The digital world completely engulfed Eastman Kodak. Their Just Cause perished due to a lack of change. Sadly they owned many of the digital technology patients and made millions from their sale. Yet on January 19, 2012 the New York Times summed up Kodak’s demise with these words; “Eastman Kodak, the 131 year-old film pioneer that has been struggling for years to adapt to an increasingly digital world, filed for bankruptcy protection early on Thursday.”

While this FLEX can be disruptive and unnerving at times, Keep in mind that your JUST CAUSE is the northstar to guide your forward motion. It is at this point that I have questioned and studied extensively the questions of, How would the non-profit Faith Community act differently if they truly lived out the infinite-minded idea? What decisions would we make that are different than how we presently are making. Better yet what is the JUST CAUSE for the faith community or any other non-profit?

Consider that non-profit growth today is coming from a brand new arena. Churches and organizations that are on the verge of extinction are handing over the assets to another non-profit that is flourishing. The goal is to keep a faith initiative alive in that neighborhood without placing the assets on the auction block.

My question is what happened to the JUST CAUSE? Without it what is the guiding northstar? This should cause all of us in the non-profit world to ask questions about the current health and trends of our operations. Are we truly operating within an infinite-minded perspective with goals beyond our life-time. Perhaps the finite-minded focus can subtly creep into our operations. Are we in competition with other non-profits? Are we attempting to be declared the winner in the non-profit arena?

It is interesting that Kodak faced the disruptive nature of the digital technology they created! Their own creation became their down-fall.

LINKS

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on iTunes – SUBSCRIBE

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on Stitcher – SUBSCRIBE

FREE GIFT – “Servant Leadership Questions” – Click on the icon at the bottom of the page

Executive Coaching Service– Private message me for details on this customizable service

Birkman Assessment

Game Theory Resource Books

Game Theory for Business by  Paul Papayoanou 

Finite and Infinite Games by James Carse

The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek

List of Games in Game Theory – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_games_in_game_theory

Q&A – Contact me at ShepherdsAdvantage@gmail.com

Music: “Gratitude Mood” by David Arivett. You can learn more about his music by clicking on his name. THANKS DAVID!

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Deep Workflow

Multi-tasking is not a skill set that you want or need in your capabilities of leadership. You are not hard-wired to multi-task efficiently and safely. A person that texts while driving is said to be 6x more dangerous than a drunk driver. WOW!! That is a scary thought!

Let’s conduct a small experienement. You will need a Stop-Watch for this exercise. Here are the instructions to follow:

  • Count 1-10 and then record your time TIME:
  • Recite the Alphabet A – J and record your time TIME:
  • Now recite these two list alternating and record your time (1A, 2B, etc) TIME:

Did you notice a difference in your time. You simply are not wired to multitask efficiently and safely. The issue at hand in leadership is to get into a “Deep Workflow” that allows your best content/ideas to come out. Distractions destroy deep thought and workflow. It is also reported by neuroscience research that when you are in a deep workflow and are interrupted, it will take you 15-20 minutes to recover and get back into that deep workflow before the interruption. WOW again!

Here is a journaling suggestion to help you recognize when the interruptions occur and the circumstances that aid in working at a deeper level. Here are a couple of suggestions to assist your discovery.

First of all begin to journal your thoughts on when you tend to multitask. Is there a cause, time of day or day of the week that triggers multitasking behavior? Is there a limiting belief within yourself that you are convinced that multitasking is necessary for survival? What have you been taught that you need to unlearn in order to get into a deep workflow?

Secondly, journal your thoughts and circumstances of what is occurring when you do get into a deep workflow. Did you place electronic devices out of reach? Did you turn off notification reminders? Is there a place that allows you to work more deeply? 

Multitasking allures us into thinking this is the ultimate way to peak performance. In reality it represses us and keeps us in the shallows. Our creativity is suppressed and the best version of ourselves never manifests itself to the world. It is time to remove the digital distractions, get into that special place that allows deep work to flow, and change daily habits that are hindering our best creativity.

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Performance Vs. Trust

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:29 — 29.5MB) | Embed

In Podcast Episode #257 I listed four key areas of the Infinite minded leader. Previously we have begun a deeper look into these four areas by starting with our “Just Cause,” followed by “Will and Resources.” In this podcast I want to examine what it takes to have “Trusting Teams.” 

In order to build Trusting Teams let’s understand the tension that exists. The tension is that we are a business and should act professional, not personal. Therefore, we need to drive performance, not make people feel good. If you have ever felt frustrated, angry, excited, abused, confident, or insecure, congratulations – you are officially human! There is simply no way to suspend our emotions while at work.

Feeling safe to express our emotions is not be confused with a lack of emotional professionalism. After all we are adults and have a responsibility to act with respect and thoughtfulness. Emotions/Feeling are at the heart of Trusting Teams. Let’s examine and illustration from the Navy Seals regarding Performance versus Trust. They understand that Trust comes before Performance, not the other way around. 

The Seals have come to learn that performance can be taught. Trust is who you are at the core of your being. To become a Seal does not necessarily mean that you are the high achiever that outperforms all others. Take notice of the chart in the show notes. Seals will take low to medium performers with high trust. High performance with low trust is a toxic person that you do not want on your team.

Performance is about technical competence. How good someone is at their job. Do you have staying power? Can you remain calm while meeting deadlines? Trust on the other hand is about character, humility, and accountability. Do you bring a positive attitude with you to work. Having skills does not mean that you are reputable. 

Why is it in the Navy Seals that a premium is placed upon the character of a person knowing this person has their back and yet in the business world we place more emphasis upon performance at the expense of character? When we pitt performance against character we create toxic environments in which trust is sacrificed. Performance actually drops in toxic environments. People will trust their leaders when their leaders do the things that make them feel psychologically safe!

LINKS

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on iTunes – SUBSCRIBE

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on Stitcher – SUBSCRIBE

FREE GIFT – “Servant Leadership Questions” – Click on the icon at the bottom of the page

Executive Coaching Service– Private message me for details on this customizable service

Birkman Assessment

Game Theory Resource Books

Game Theory for Business by  Paul Papayoanou 

Finite and Infinite Games by James Carse

The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek

List of Games in Game Theory – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_games_in_game_theory

Q&A – Contact me at ShepherdsAdvantage@gmail.com

Music: “Gratitude Mood” by David Arivett. You can learn more about his music by clicking on his name. THANKS DAVID!

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Conquering Addictions – Optimizing Yourself

In recent blog articles we have focused upon conquering our digital addictions. In this blog I want to shift the focus to optimizing our life. We must start from a position of clarity about ourselves. You must be able to define yourself in order to know what must be changed or how something will be shaped, Consider three key areas of our life: Energy, Work/Service, and Love/Family.

In the show notes or on a separate page write out your assessment and response of these three categories against three arenas; Who are you at your best; #1 thing you need to stop doing; #1 thing you need to start doing. Set aside some time for reflective evaluation – breaking free from digital addictions requires this process.

Breaking Free From Digital Addiction
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Two Currencies

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 16:09 — 22.2MB) | Embed

I want to examine specifically the two types of currency that every organization has at their disposal – Will and Resources.

RESOURCES – This currency is easy to calculate and is tangible. We can calculate this by means of revenus, profit, cash flow, venture capital, private equity, store prices and so on. Resources generally come from outside sources like customers, investors and these represent the sum total of all financial metrics that contribute to the health of the organization.

WILL –  In contrast, is intangible and harder to measure. When we talk about will, we’re talking about the feelings people have when they come to work. Will encompasses morale, motivation, inspiration and commitment, desire to engage, desire to offer discretionary effort and so on. Will generally comes from inside sources like the quality of leadership and the strength and clarity of the Just Cause. Will represents the sum of all human elements that contribute to the health of the organization.

All leaders whether operating from a finite or infinite mindset know that resources are essential. All leaders whether finite or infinite agree that will is also essential. Can you name me one CEO who thinks their people are unimportant. The tension lies in the reality that Will and Resources can never be equally prioritized. There are always circumstances in which one is pitted against the other, times in which leaders must decide which one to sacrifice. The question; “Which one will they choose?” Every leader has a bias!

Most of us have sat in corporate meetings in which leaders have gone over their agenda – it looks something like this: 1. Growth 2. Market Share and Demographic targets 3. Our People. This illustration shows there are at least two other items that are more important than “Our People.” How leaders list priorities illustrates their bias and their bias influences how decisions are made. Finite Leaders focus on score. These decisions impact people via layoffs and downsizing operations. It is easier to calculate the immediate savings when operating from a bias of SCORE!

Infinite Leaders look ahead to minimize profit lose versus sustaining human capital. The solutions may take longer but, when people are valued time is not always a priority. Thinking beyond the hard times, an infinite minded leader is willing to wait the quarter or the year or more savings to accumulate if it means safeguarding the people. These leaders understand that people drives discretionary effort, problem solving skills, imagination, and teamwork. These things are necessary for the future of the organization. The bottomline that we all understand is that when we lose experienced staff while waiting for new staff to be onboarded and acclimated to the new culture impacts productivity and profit margins. If you factor in low morale in high-turnover jobs it should make you a bit curious as to whether the money saved was actually worth it.

BIG TAKEAWAY

As a leader we can control how we spend and invest our resources. However, we have a lot less control over how our resources are made. Politics, economic cycles, market fluctuations, customer preferences, technological advancements, weather, and all other forces can create havoc on our ability to amass resources. On the other hand any organization can create an endless supply of Will. Leaders are in total control over the source of Will. Will is generated by company culture. We all understand that culture eats vision for breakfast!

LINKS

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on iTunes – SUBSCRIBE

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on Stitcher – SUBSCRIBE

FREE GIFT – “Servant Leadership Questions” – Click on the icon at the bottom of the page

Executive Coaching Service– Private message me for details on this customizable service

Birkman Assessment

Game Theory Resource Books

Game Theory for Business by  Paul Papayoanou 

Finite and Infinite Games by James Carse

The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek

List of Games in Game Theory – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_games_in_game_theory

Q&A – Contact me at ShepherdsAdvantage@gmail.com

Music: “Gratitude Mood” by David Arivett. You can learn more about his music by clicking on his name. THANKS DAVID!





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The Cost of Addiction

We are continuing our Blog series on Digital Addiction. In this blog article I specifically want to draw attention to the cost of digital addiction. You may be lured into thinking there is no real cost for using this amazing technology. Think about this – If you simply used your technology devices only 25 minutes per day you have give two (2) years of your life. The truth of the matter as a society we spend on average three (3) hours per day on our phones and that equates to eleven (11) years of our life attached to a digital device. It has been said that a wealth of information leads to a poverty of attention!

We all are paying the digital cashier with the currency of our Attention, Time, Production, Meaningful Connections, Energy, and Happiness. On average it takes only 6 seconds for a new email to be opened in the office environment. If that interruption stops your “DEEP WORK” flow, it will take you 25 minutes to return to that level of deep work. QUESTION: How many interruptions occur in your daily routine? NOTE: It is possible to get nothing done on any given day because of digital interruptions.

The costs are high. The challenge is to answer the question, “Is it worth it?”

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Infinite Minded Spiritual Leadership

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 16:29 — 22.7MB) | Embed

A Just Cause must be…….
For Something – it must be affirmative and optimistic. This is something that we believe in versus something that we oppose. As leaders it is easy to rally people against something we oppose – even whipping people into a frenzy. Being for something ignites the human spirit and fills us with hope and optimism. Being against something is to vilify, demonize, and reject. Being for something invites everyone to a common cause. Being against something focuses our attention on what can be seen. Being for something focuses our attention on the unbuilt future in order to spark imagination and creativity. For example, instead of fighting against poverty, we focused upon the right of every human being to provide for their own family.

Inclusive – open to all who like to contribute. Human being s want to feel a part of something. We crave the feeling of belonging. In the heading of Inconclusiveness we are asking people to join something that is bigger than themselves. A well crafted statement of CAUSE inspires us to offer our time, experience, hands, and anything else that would help advance this cause. Simply stating that I want to make a difference or change the world is not sufficient. A just cause is more than just a vision statement. It is a collection of words that paints a tangible picture of the kind of impact we desire to make on people and exactly how the world will look because of our Just Cause!

Service Oriented – for the primary benefit of others. A Just Cause requires at least two parties – givers and receivers. In order for a Just Cause to be valid it must demonstrate the primary benefit of contributions go to people other than the contributors. This is not to be mistaken as charity. The ultimate goal of the infinite minded spiritual leader is to advance the work to generations beyond myself. Therefore, equipping becomes a major theme. We are not attempting to create dependents, but equip people in such a fashion that it ignites their passions to participate in something that will outlive themselves. The cause is bigger than the consumption of non-profit goods and services,

Resilient – able to endure political, technology and cultural change. A great illustration here is the Declaration of Independence. Equality, unalienable human rights are evergreen. Our Just Cause must have a lasting quality that outlives technology and trends. You must have na cause that is durable, resilient, and timeless.

LINKS

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on iTunes – SUBSCRIBE

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on Stitcher – SUBSCRIBE

FREE GIFT – “Servant Leadership Questions” – Click on the icon at the bottom of the page

Executive Coaching Service– Private message me for details on this customizable service

Birkman Assessment

Game Theory Resource Books

Game Theory for Business by  Paul Papayoanou 

Finite and Infinite Games by James Carse

The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek

List of Games in Game Theory – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_games_in_game_theory

Q&A – Contact me at ShepherdsAdvantage@gmail.com


Music: “Gratitude Mood” by David Arivett. You can learn more about his music by clicking on his name. THANKS DAVID!

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Conquering Addiction

We are continuing our Blog series on Digital Addiction. In this blog article I specifically want to draw attention to conquering our digital addiction. The very first step in recovery is to admit that we are addicted. Ironically, so is every other person in society. Be bold and step forward and declare “I am addicted to digital technology.” It has been said that it is no measure of health to be adjusted to a sick society (unknown).

Below is a list of digital devices and services. Beside each of these, take a few minutes to journal why you may have unhealthy tendencies in the use of these devices and services? Describe your addictive behavior.

Once you have completed this assignment now journal your thoughts about any “bright lights” or boundary markers that you feel would be helpful in the conquering of your addictive behavior (I.e. Digital Sunset). Write out your thoughts clearly and concisely.

This is a simple exercise to bring us face-to-face with our own behavior. The disciplined mind is a victorious mind.

  • Devices
    • Computer
    • T.V.
    • Gaming
    • Phone
    • Other
  • Services
    • Email
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Other