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Implementation Process Illustrated

April 28, 2010 in Business, Leadership, Life, Philosophy with 0 Comments

Whether talking about a person or an organization, there exists a framework – intentional or not – that dictates how decisions are made and situations are handled. Greatness can be described as an intentional examination of this framework and rigid adherence to it. Great leaders know how to develop and use each part effectively.

Below is a graphical representation of that framework. The core is critically important as it provides the basis for all other parts. Integrity among the elements of the core will help to ensure that the Strategies and Tactics are unambiguous and clear results can be achieved.

Entitlements FTW…

April 20, 2010 in Leadership, Life, Politics with 2 Comments

Most of you know where I stand politically, but for those of you who don’t, I’m a Constitutional conservative. I believe in small government, personal responsibility, strong national defense and a free market where competition is the driving force that keeps things balanced.

Ever since I became sensitive to the political climate in this country, I’ve been intrigued at the strategies of liberals. In a recent post, I reveal what I think to be the motivations behind their actions and today I want to add some fuel to the fire.

This new facet of the liberal agenda stems from their intense desire to give something to people who do not deserve it according to the foundational principles of this country. We call these programs to give where it isn’t warranted “entitlement” programs. Welfare and unemployment benefits are two programs that readily come to mind.

Embedded in that very term is the idea that these programs have become “rights” by which they can and should never be taken away. See that? What was designed to assist someone in a hard spot has become a right, not a gift or a loan or even a gracious provision. The implications are staggering.

On the surface, these programs look like a good idea – they are designed to bridge the gap for those less fortunate in times of need. On paper, they look great because they were designed to be TEMPORARY programs – a hold-over until one could get their feet back under them.

What was not considered when these programs were still ideas is the human heart and its propensity to desire something for nothing. We love to get presents and gifts and unexpected surprises that we don’t deserve or have to pay (in any way) for – it’s in our nature to desire this.

And what’s missing is an incentive to wean oneself from these programs. Sure, they don’t provide much money when compared to what a full-time job offers, and that should be enough to get back in the game. But when combined with other programs and exceptions to other rules, one can (and does) survive solely on the handouts from the Federal government, which is really those of us who work hard and pay our taxes.

And the long-term problem with these programs is that they:

  1. Produce a lazy and expectant segment of our population that will just want more and more
  2. Pave the way for other entitlements (can anyone say health care?) to be created for the same reasons
  3. De-incent people to work hard, earn a commiserate wage and contribute to the principles that make this country great
  4. Become a template for use in the state government to further “protect” the less fortunate

Before I conclude, I want you to know that I am all for helping those that need it. I have been the recipient of unexpected gifts and, likewise, been the giver. I realize there are certain situations where temporary help might legitimately turn into permanent help (e.g. injury sustained while protecting this country in the armed forces), but these should be the greatest of exceptions and, sadly, they are not.

As the political landscape in Washington becomes more liberal, the number of social programs continues to rise and we are primed and ready to turn these programs into rights that cannot be taken away without much pain. Let us not forget, the government (Federal or State) does not create any wealth – all of the money they spend comes from the people by way of taxes.

So, for each new program that comes out or an extension of existing programs (e.g. unemployment benefits), the taxpayer (individuals and businesses) will be called on to fund them. The implications of taking that money out of the private sector and putting it in control of the government will have catastrophic implications on this country’s ability to respond to the ever-changing global landscape.

There’s a reason that a 235 yr. old country is viewed as the most powerful, influential and desirable destination in the world – innovation in everything we do. If you want to know why I am so against big government, it is this one point. Taking money away from people and businesses to fund programs designed to make people dependent on the government kills innovation because it kills the spirit needed to push past the pain and sacrifice to obtain the dream of freedom and liberty.

It’s been a slow boil (frog reference) and along the way we’ve been collared and harnessed to serve the government all in the name of compassion. We’ve become slaves to our government and liberalism the master. More programs means that freedom becomes harder to see because the carrot of a free ride becomes more and more enticing.

More people see that entitlements are easier than fighting every day for your wage and don’t realize that with each bite, the water temp goes up. But this isn’t just a problem for them, it’s a problem for us all. Nobody is immune to the effects of big government – especially if you are a hard working wanting to obtain financial independence (a form of freedom).

This is a philosophical fight that has real-life implications and the long-term good isn’t found standing in the line at the unemployment office:

  • it’s found in taking personal responsibility for your actions
  • it’s found in doing what’s right in the face of intense opposition
  • it’s found in making sure the next generation has more opportunities and options than you do
  • it’s found in punishing the corrupt and rewarding the righteous so others will see where we stand and what we value
  • it’s found in the freedom to choose what to do with the hard-earned money in our pockets

it’s found in life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness!

The time is now to decide to stand up and say with a loud voice that you desire the long-term good over the short-term salve that never leads to true healing. Don’t know how to make your voice heard? With your vote in November. With your e-mail and phone call to your elected official. With your voice online. Just start flapping those gums and people will listen…you did after all.

The BIG Guy has your Back

February 3, 2010 in Business, God, Leadership, Life with 0 Comments

Every so often I am reminded of a time in my professional career that, to this day, gives me courage. I was a Systems Administrator for a technology company – responsible for the internal network and associated services (e-mail, file storage, disaster recovery, etc.). One day, a salesman approached me intent on making me feel about 2″ tall because he disagreed with how I was running the network. He had tenure. He had the right relationships with the big dogs. In essence, if he wanted to really make trouble for me, he probably could…or so I thought.

I was working for a guy named Lance McGonigal at the time. Lance is a wise man, a great leader and a friend to this day. After my run-in with Mr. Puffhead, I walked into Lance’s office with my tail between my legs and proceeded to recount the incident. He listened and responded with words that have stuck with me to this day. He said, “Steve, you work for me and you’re doing a great job. If anyone has a problem with how you do your job, you tell them to come see me and I’ll handle it.” Just writing these words, the emotion is almost overpowering.

For the first time in my life, someone really had my back. I can’t tell you how confident I felt from that day forward and how freeing it was to go to work every day knowing that I had an ally who trusted and believed in me enough to put his name on the line right next to mine. It was like I had Lance standing behind me all the time waiting to step in should things get too dicey. (Think Mr. Clean commercials)

A few years ago, God took that lesson and made it even more special. The more I’ve learned about Jesus and what He did on the Cross, the more confident I live my life. I realized that I am living my life for Him and if anyone has a problem with it, they can take it up with the Big Guy standing behind me. God has put his name right next to mine when He saved me and gave me an advocate in Jesus. This is true when I am living rightly and when I screw up royally.

How confident are you that God has your back and desires to see you win? How often will you let a Mr. Puffhead make you feel 2″ tall? Next time it happens – just remember that you have the creator of the universe standing right behind you ready to defend and speak Truth into the situation. He’s the one you are living for, not anyone else.

Into the Fire

January 21, 2010 in Leadership, Life, Love, parenting with 1 Comment

Priincipal's OfficeI had a chance to speak some new truth into my son the other night. About an hour after he went to bed, he woke up crying and I went to see him. I asked him what was wrong and he told me that he didn’t like “those boys at school pulling on my shirt.” I knew what he was talking about because it coincided with other events of that day that resulted in a trip to the “principal,” but that’s not the story.

He was mad – the kind of mad that makes you cry and hit and scream…all at the same time. In that state, he told me he wasn’t “going back to that school – NEVER!” and continued to sob. I snatched him up and tried my best to console him. This is the first time that I felt like he was being picked on by other kids. It obviously made him mad and it certainly made me mad. It’s my boy they’re jerking around, and what’s worse, it has caused him to be afraid.

Fear is tricky and very powerful. Even more so in the mind of a 4yr old. So I did what any other dad would do, I told him that I had his back and that Manatt boys don’t run away from our problems, we use our head and our heart to overcome it. Low and behold, it seemed to work. Cool – that was just a shot in the dark. It was true, but I didn’t expect that to actually assuage his fears.

This taught me two things:

  1. My son looks up to me and believes that I can help him
  2. This parenting thing is starting to click for me…a little…ever so slightly

Today was the day he went back to school (only half days, one day a week) and it went great. My wife was able to talk to his teachers and share our concerns about an apparent breakdown in supervision and asked for a higher degree of sensitivity for the way the kids “played” with one another. How about some kudos for the wife – she’s getting that parenting thing down too!

All kidding aside, this showed me how important my job is to help prepare my kids to handle situations that scare them and to remind them that mommy and daddy have their backs. I sure am glad that God has my back!

Men – Who has your Back?

January 5, 2010 in God, Leadership, Life, Love, Philosophy with 3 Comments

God has been stirring in my heart over the past several weeks and the Tipping Point (great book) was a friend of mine torpedo-ing his life. I say the Tipping Point (great book BTW by Malcolm Gladwell) because God has been working on this in me for a while now, but seeing a friend lose everything in a blink of an eye made it very real and God used it to knock me off center.

One of the “ah-ha’s” from my friend’s situation was me concluding that nobody was close enough to him to identify the signs that led to his very public failure. There wasn’t anyone with enough relational capital to get in his chili about the condition of his heart and what he was doing to stay out of the deep weeds. I concluded this because I’m confident that had a person like that existed, things would be different for my friend.

That conclusion sparked another rabbit trail centered around the analogy of war. I had just finished watching Band of Brothers for the tenth time and that provided the visuals God needed to bring some very important points home to me:

  1. No war is won by an individual – it takes a team. Not just any team, but a well-trained, strongly led, close-knit group of soldiers with a common mission and like minded strategies.
  2. Success is a result of solid preparation, great execution and fanatical perseverance. The soldiers of Easy Company that jumped in behind enemy lines on D-Day (from the series) had all of the ingredients to play a critical role in winning World War II. They trained tirelessly, kept their heads in the heat of battle and dug in like ticks when they absolutely had to hold that line.
  3. There’s a time to play it smart and a time to get crazy. Taking undue risks usually meant trouble for those soldiers except when it was the last thing the enemy expected. Wisdom is knowing the difference and that comes from great leadership.
  4. We need men around us that would weep if we died. One of the things that can’t be calculated tactically is the extent we would fight for those we love. The war produced a bond that was both unexpected and surprisingly strong. When that bond was threatened, logic faded, raw emotion took over and survival became the sole focus. And when survival didn’t happen, their hearts broke and were never the same.

I started trying to take an inventory of my own life against these principles and I found myself sorely lacking in every one of them – and that scared me.

  • I don’t feel like I’m on any teams that both believe victory is possible and have a consensus about how it can be achieved.
  • I don’t feel like I’m prepared or execute very well and at the first sign of resistance, I crumble like a Christmas cookie wondering where my fallback position is.
  • I play it smart when I should be charging the hill and I charge the hill when I should be playing it smart. Sounds like Paul’s famous passage in Romans 9:15.
  • I also don’t think there is any man who would miss me so much that tears would be the result of my passing.

This is very sad to me and not how I wanted it to be at 37 years old. And God tells me that isn’t how He wants it either. Scripture is filled with references to how important it is to live life in the context of close relationships. Love implies that very condition and we are called to love above all else.

I’ve thought a ton about how I got here and why the principles listed above aren’t more true of me and perhaps they will find themselves listed out in another post; however, I want to conclude by telling you that I am on a journey mission crusade to change this.

  • I’m going to be sure that the teams I serve not only believe victory is possible, but they have a good sense of how it will be achieved – especially those in the Church.
  • I’m going to better prepare my mind and heart with His Word and use it when making decisions and facing the hard things in my life.
  • I’m going to more frequently use prayer for wisdom when discerning  the difference between hunkering down and issuing a battle cry.
  • I’m going to, in faith, reach out to my friends and figure out a way to move those relationships to the next level. I’m ready to be open and honest and place my heart in their and His hands in the hopes that it will produce a bond that makes a difference in the middle of a firefight.

I’m so convinced that these steps are no longer negotiable that I’m going to dedicate this year to seeing real change in this arena. And now that I’ve made my plans public, you are free to ask me how it’s going. I hope you will from time to time and I also hope you will take a moment to assess where you are and come up with your own action plan to ensure that no man is allowed to take himself out of the fight.

Leadership Requires Courage

September 24, 2009 in Leadership, Philosophy with 0 Comments

A recent “scuffle” relationally has reminded me  how important good solid leadership is needed in our world – especially in the Christian realms. The aspect that is brought to mind is courage. To me, the best definition of courage is found when contrasting it against fear. Courage isn’t the absence of fear, but the overcoming of it. Courage moves you into the burning building when everything in you is saying “STOP!”

Leaders are often find themselves in the midst of difficult situations requiring vast amounts of courage. This happens for several reasons:

  1. Leaders are typically trying to move people where they wouldn’t naturally go themselves. In Henry & Richard Blackaby’s book, Spiritual Leadershp, the spiritual leader is defined as someone who is trying to move people onto God’s agenda. If you’ve ever explored God’s agenda, you know that not only the destination, but the journey can be hard to get up for. And with that comes tension and hard conversations. A leader not willing to move courageously into those hard places 1) won’t be a leader for long and 2) will miss out on some of the most exhilarating “God moments” that can be experienced.
  2. People are messy and need leaders to help sort it all out. So, from that standpoint, we are all leaders in one form or another. If you’ve ever broken up a sibling scuffle or a stopped your child from doing something very dangerous then you know that on occasion, you get elbowed in the nose or have to endure the tantrum of all tantrums. Every day, we find ourselves faced with choices whether to step up and into something hard or remain silent and let some other leader deal with it. Doing the former is one hallmark of true leadership.
  3. Leaders must make the hard decision when nobody else will. James Kirk, the captain of the starship Enterpise from Star Trek, comes to mind when I think about leaders making hard decisions. Military leaders face some of the most difficult decisions on the planet because they deal with choosing between the good of the few and the good of the many. That’s why I admire former President George W. Bush. He led courageously without much thought as to his approval rating. In short, he did what he felt was right for the good of the many. For this, I’m grateful and very glad I work with computers!

Great leadership requires courage – not just personally, but also for others. The word encourage means to instill or give courage to another person and great leaders can do this better than anyone. They instinctively know the right words or most effective gesture to breath life into our crusty innards – to warm us in places long since cold.

As you look around you, who needs encouraging? Who needs some courage to face the lions of the day? Who absolutely must have you stand up and be strong and look them in the face and say, “together…we can make it!”

Go and be that for them. Don’t hesitate, just go and BE the source of courage for the world…we all need it.

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