LeadershipConneXtions

Madonna and the Horrible Feeling of Inadequacy

Here is a striking statement from Madonna, which Tim Keller provides on page 72 of Counterfeit Gods.

I have an iron will, and all of my will has always been to conquer some horrible feeling of inadequacy. . . I push past one spell of it and discover myself as a special human being, and then I get to another stage and think I'm mediocre and uninteresting. . . . Again and again. My drive in life is from this horrible fear of being mediocre. And that's always pushing me, pushing me. Because even though I've become Somebody, I still have to prove I'm Somebody. My struggle has never ended and it probably never will.

With these words from Mandonna, Keller launches off on the idol of Success. I thought this was a powerful chapter and one that all leaders need to pay attention to. 

For that matter, I think most leaders struggle with most of the idols Keller describes in his book. For most of us, there are dark things deep below the water line that influence us more than we care to admit.

Drivenness!!!  Driven to prove you are Somebody... worthwhile... who has value... who can be loved... appreciated... admired... needed...

For any of you who are Type-A, over achieving, High D, can't relax, win at just about any cost kind of leader - get this book now. Block out a day and read through it and start a new journey of transformation.

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com

What Matters Now

Hey, this morning I had a GREAT post from Seth Godin. There is a free PDF document called:

What Matters Now.

It is about 85 pages of thoughts on a wide range of subjects, written by some of the smartest people there are. And, it is very readable and accessible.

Go to this Squidoo site to get it.  

And, if you scroll down, you are going to see a very impressive reading list. Here is what hits me about that reading list.

If that doesn't work, go here to Seth's blog. Find the paragraph that begins, "Here's the deal..." and there is a link to the download. 

The smartest leaders and thinkers of our day are reading... they are reading a lot... and they are reading a lot of good and varied books.

I think Christian leaders should be right up there with that group.

So, as you scroll down through that list, just observe if you have read ANY of those books listed. These are the influencers of our time. We need to be reading these things.

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com 

Tiger Woods! A Tragic Case Study of the Dark Side

 I was going to post about Tiger Woods when the story first broke, and I am glad I didn't. As some days have gone by, more and more details have emerged. It will not be long at all, until we begin to see the first books appearing about Tiger Woods.

Does anyone want to wager . . . when the first book will be published? I think there will be something on the stands by mid-January AND MAYBE earlier.

This is not a depth analysis, just a few "stepping stones" for reflection.

  

(1)  I have had little interest in Tiger Woods, since I don't care for golf that much. But, I did respect the fact that Tiger is (still is) one of the greatest and most dominant athletes of any sport ever. And I kind of rooted for him to go as far as possible in excellence, since I appreciate excellence and the hard work it takes to get there.

(2)  Now, think about our celebrity culture and how obsessed we are with Tiger Woods and the revelation of his dark side. In one sense, this obsession points to the disease in our own culture. We are much more interested in the sex life of a "fallen" sports celebrity and much less interested in (well) just about anything of real significance going on around the world.  

 

 

  

(3) Money, power, fame. The Scriptures and the long centuries of spiritual reflection on these themes have provided us with wisdom on these matters. Here is one little piece of that wisdom. Any one of those things is a danger. The more you have of it - the greater the danger.  And Tiger has about as much as you can get of all three. He has about a billion dollars. He is one of the most famous celebrity athletes EVER. And his presence radiates power. If any one of them is dangerous, can we even imagine how dangerous all three of them are.
 

 (4)  Sex and intimacy. Oh yes, and Tiger has one of the world's most beautiful women as his wife and the mother of his children. You just start to wonder - why? And how? 
 

(5)  What makes this even more striking is that Tiger presented an image of a "good guy." A noble character, a healthy human being. Oh do our heros have feet of clay.
 

(6)  I am certainly disappointed, but am I surprised at his fall? NO! In fact, to be honest, I'd be much more surprised if he didn't fall. Again, money, power, fame, sex --- how does one guard the heart against all these powers? And against the CONSTANT temptations that come his way to misuse them. We much lesser mortals struggle with our own attempts to be faithful to God and our temptations are of much less magnitude. 
 

(7)  It also comes as no surprise that Tiger is an addict. With the details of his encounters becoming more known (and let's assume there is even some exaggeration in the details), it is obvious that Tiger is a sex addict. His choices are just irrational. And dangerous. But all addicts know that.
 

(8)  May we all pray for Tiger Woods and those he has hurt and used, that grace would somehow penetrate into this horrible mess and bring redemption and healing.
 

 (9)  May we also become wiser and be alert. Those of us who think we are standing, take heed less we fall. For there is an enemy who hates us with a vengeance and who delights in our misery.  I would highly recommend Tim Keller's new book, Counterfeit Gods, which I reviewed in this post (click here).
 

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com

A Pretty Angry Commentator and how he views Conservative Christianity

I have a pretty provocative video clip for you on this post, sent to me from my friend Lisa... who got it from a friend... who heard it somewhere...

I want to set the stage for just a minute. 

(1)  This is a perfect illustration of what I talked about in my sermon last week. For the readers of this site outside LWCC, the theme was on the Subversive Jesus who broke all the rules by eating with tax-collectors and sinners.  I spent some time talking about the heart of the Pharisee (alas, it is our heart as well) that discriminates, separates, categorizes, ranks, judges, condemns and so on... and contrasted that with Jesus eating with the "sinners" of the world.

(2)  The "expert" being consulted is Frank Schaeffer, the son of the late Francis  Schaeffer, the famous apologist and founder of L'Abri. Frank, originally Franky, was much more right wing than his father in terms of politics and eventually enlisted his dad in some of the moral causes of the religious right. Eventually, Frank (the son) became disillusioned and angry with the religious right, as well as his own family and he has moved to an extreme position of a hostile critic of conservative Christianity.

(3)  I want you to notice a few things. First, notice the incredulity the TV host has about the issue under discussion and that is the percentage of conservatives who think Obama is the anti-Christ!  Then, notice the harshness of Frank Schaeffer as he can hardly be critical enough. One has the sense that if he could curse the people he despises - he would.

I'd love to hear your comments.  The video is about six minutes, but it goes quickly.

It kind of makes you wonder who the real crazy one is... doesn't it?
Can you imagine having such a person on insulting any other population segment in our country?
Interesting times... to put it mildly.

If you have time, visit this website to read an outstanding review by Os Guinness who is not only addressing the arguments Frank Schaeffer has, but addressing the heart behind the issues.

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com   

Consumption as a Way of Life (and Faith): Part Two

How many advertisements do you think you are exposed to every day? The New York Times reports that every day, every American is exposed to 3,500 "desire producing advertisements."

We live in a culture that seeks to stimulate our desire to have things we didn't know we needed or wanted. The world of advertising/marketing strives to stimulate your desire to buy, by stirring up our unhappiness and inciting dissatisfaction when we realize we don't have something.

And of course, tied with every product is the promise of enjoyment and happiness (when you own that product or experience).

Hand in hand with this cultural way, is an economic system of buying now what you can't afford through the use of credit cards and delayed payment. We delay payment so we do not have to delay gratification. This comes with an inflated cost due to compound interest and an eventual burden of debt that makes us unhappy which then fuels our need to buy something else to cheer us up. 

Jethani says, "Although lack of self-control has always plagued humanity, for the first time i history an economic system has been created that relies on it."

Consumption is a way of life.

After 9/11, we were encouraged not to let the terrorists win. They would win if we changed our spending, shopping habits. President Bush proclaimed to the terrorists that Americans would continue to "fly and buy."

In our current economic crisis, the last thing the powers that be (i.e. principalities of business and government) want us to do is cut back on our spending. Our economy needs jump-started with a new wave of spending.  (Excuse me - isn't that what got us in this bind in the first place?!?)

Remember, from yesterday, that I said it is not that being a consumer/customer is wrong. What is wrong is the way we are now engaging in those activities.
 

And the world of faith and church has not been immune.

Here is what every Christian leader knows (or should know:

(1)  Whether we like it or not, the person sitting in the pew is a customer/consumer and they expect the church (or para-church, or whatever) to provide what it is they are looking for.

(2)  We know that if we do not provide it, there are others who will. And as in most things, you can take your "spiritual business" elsewhere.

(3)  We also know you want and expect the latest and the best. We know the customer is naturally a critic.

(4)  And if we are really good at all this, we figure out how to "brand" our product so it is even more recognizable, marketable and profitable.

Our strategies may vary widely.

We may decide that we don't care what you think you want. We will give you what we think you need.

We may decide that we must work very hard to change you as the customer/consumer so that you come to want, what we are providing. 

Or we may just give in and cater to things the way they are and give you want you want.

There may be other options, but these are the ones that come to mind right now.

What I believe is that this reality is true for the church of modernity and post-modernity.  It is true for the evangelical church and the emerging church.

Rob Bell knows exactly what his customers want. So does Brian McLaren. So does Bill Hybels and Rick Warren and Andy Stanley and Joyce Meyers and John Maxwell and Benny Hinn . . .  And so do the people who market their products! You can also bet that each of those individuals gets regular reports on how well their products sell... how large the numbers of customers are at their events..

Every individual I mentioned, even though they each have strong personal convictions about what is right and true, also know their audiences have expectations and wants. And they design their offering to provide what is wanted. Then the world of Christian marketing and merchandizing kicks in to both promote and deliver that product, not to mention, make a profit off of it.

At what point do we lose our soul to the machine of Christian commerce?

By the way, it is more than a little ironic that SKye Jethani, who launched this conversation for me (and who had some profound things to say about it), is right in the center of the Christian marketing enterprise with his role at Christianity Today. For example, just click here to go a blog he does and see it surrounded with a plethora of advertising... all designed to appeal to (OR) stimulate your needs.

Hmmm.... this is starting to sound like a Rant and Rave, and I try to do those only occasionally.

As you can tell, I don't pretend to have good answers to this. I'm just glad if I can be one of those spreading a little more awareness of the situation/problem.

Hey, this is one issue I would love to hear some of your thoughts.

Is the church becoming too consumerist?
Are Christians becoming just like the culture around us?
How are you doing on these things?

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com

Consumption as a Way of Life (and Faith): Part One

A few weeks ago, I followed and contributed to a discussion on consumerism in the American church. It was a fascinating discussion that Scott McKnight initiated on his blog, JesusCreed. Out of that discussion, I picked up  The Divine Commodity: Discovering a Faith Beyond Consumer Christianity by Skye Jethani.

I think the issue of consumerism and how it has fundamentally shaped how we understand and practice our Christian faith; and how it has done the same to how we "do church" is an important discussion that should be on the front burner.

Here is an old saying from Richard Halverson.

In the beginning the church was a fellowship of men and women centered on the living Christ. Then the church moved to Greece, where it became a philosophy. Then it moved to Rome, where it became an institution. Next it moved to Europe, where it became a culture. And finally, it moved to America, where it became an enterprise.

That quote is worth reading a few times and some good reflection as well.

For now, the point is, in America, church, faith, religion and all things associated with it - are an enterprise.  A business . . . with customers who are insatiable consumers and picky choosers, always asking - what is in this for me?

If you can understand just one fact, it is this: You and I are CUSTOMERS and CONSUMERS. This is an inescapable reality. We can protest all we want, but the reality remains unimpressed, unchanged and not at all threatened.

First I must say that there is nothing wrong with being a customer/consumer. It is a part of what it means to be a human being. We have needs and interests. We have longings of the heart. We want to satisfy them. We are fortunate when we have options to investigate and the freedom to choose one that is attractive to us.

However, our American culture is morphing us in some dangerous ways in this matter.

• We are becoming out of control customers and consumers.
  
• We are becoming obsessively self-centered customers and consumers.
  
• We are becoming pampered, "sense of entitlement" customers and consumers.
  
• We are becoming massively debt-ridden, incapable of delayed gratification customers and consumers.
  
• And this shows no sign of abating, even in our current economic climate.

So, while there is nothing wrong in being a customer/consumer, there is something very wrong and deadly in the kind of customer/consumer we have become.

And this problem/challenge is only going to get worse.

More on this theme tomorrow and especially, how it affects the church.

Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com

Rant and Rave: Michael Vick and an American Problem

Several days ago I posted a NOTE on Facebook about Michael Vick and the public reaction to him. Wehad quite a good discussion. I thought I would do a bit of editing of that NOTE and put it on the blogsite.

**********************

I have been REALLY struck by the public reaction to Michael Vick being picked up by the Eagles. Well, some of the public reaction. It is hard to know how many people really feel this way, or is the attention just being focused on the few who do, since it makes for good news and spicy sports commentary.

Here is what strikes me. We (at least some of us) are an angry people, an unforgiving people, and a judgmental people. 

I am not minimizing the crime Michael Vick committed. The dog fighting ring was not just wrong, it was a despicable evil. It deserves to be a crime. It deserves to be punished. Vick did the crime and he did the time. (Maybe he should have done more time, but that is for the court system to determine.)
 

Now - what and who is Michael Vick? (I'll explain this one below.)
And - how do we assess and treat Michael Vick?

What do we believe about forgiveness, grace, second chances, new beginnings, fresh starts, the possibility of redemption (or if that word is too strong) the possibility of change in those who have done wrong?

Here are a few thoughts that have been rumbling around in my mind over the last number of days as I have read the news and especially listened to the sports commentators on this issue.
 

ONE:  What/Who is Michael Vick? Is he still a criminal, an ex-criminal, a reformed criminal, a recovering criminal, a repentant criminal ... ?  We are characterizing Vick with our descriptive labels.

Is he a loser, a con, a cad, a fraud, a phony, a washed up human being?  Is he dirt, scum, filth ...?

Listening to some of the angry voice out there - he is everything I just mentioned in the previous sentence.

Who is Vick in the eyes of God? Should we have the same eyes to see Vick as God does?
 

TWO:  What do we believe about forgivenes, grace, redemption and other such things? Or maybe we no longer believe those things (or understand or experience them) in our post-Christian culture?

How does one become a truly "ex-con?"  
Is it possible for one to be a "former but no longer criminal?"
Do we believe Michael Vick does not deserve forgiveness and grace and redemption?
Or let me state this just slightly different, do we believe Vick is beyond the possibility of forgiveness, grace and redemption?

Is there a list of crimes/trespasses/sins that we say, cross this line and we as a society believe you are irremediably fallen and we want nothing to do with you?  If so - who came up with the list and on what basis?

Has anyone stopped to think that some of these angry critics seem an awlful lot like the "elder brother" of the Prodigal Son parable? 

Fortunately for Vick, Tony Dungy has opened his arms like the "waiting father."  And fortunately for Vick, Andy Reid knows something of the pain of a father who has his own prodigal son problems.
 

THREE:  How about this for some sheer hypocrisy on our part?  

If we are fallen, how do we want to be treated and received?  Do we really want to be treated and labeled by others in the way the critics are doing to Vick?  Do we even remember the Golden Rule any longer?

Are we really so confident that we are without sin and therefore fully qualified to be throwing the first stones at Vick? Where are the prophets who write in the sand and we the accusers walk away convicted and ashamed of our own evil?

 

 

FOUR: What do we really want for Vick? Do we want him to be endlessly punished and scorned and downgraded to a sub-person status? Does the spirit of vindictiveness sour us that much? Or do we really long for his transformation? Do we mourn over his (and our own) sin and pray for healing and transformation? Or do we gloat in how the mighty are fallen and how the evil get their just desserts (finally, it's about time)?  Do we really want to live with the eye for an eye way of life?  

What would love ask of us concerning Michael Vick? 

Here is an interesting one mentioned earlier, repeated with a slight twist:   What do you think Christ thinks of Michael Vick? What do you think Jesus wants for Vick? And why would we not want the same for him?
 

FIVE:  And finally -what if we are wrong in giving grace? What if Vick is only playing the well orchestrated, publicity game? What if there is no change at all in him? What if he remains a really bad person? What then? What have we lost by being gracious people?

And what has happened to us when we are critical, condemning, angry, bitter, unforgiving, self-righteous, vindictive . . . ?  I know what these things do to my soul. It isn't pretty. 

****************

Your thoughts and observations and arguments are desired?
 

Brian "a recovering stone thrower" Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com

Credit Card Debt at an all time High!

I just caught a tail end of a news report yesterday that said American credit card debt is at an all time high. I missed hearing what the amount was, but I saw a figure on the screen which I thought was $950 billion! But I don't know if that was the credit card debt.  I surfed a little to try and find the report, but didn't find it.

I was under the assumption that with the economy, Americas are spending less, saving more and trying to pay down credit card debt.  Apparently that assumption is mistaken.

I also wonder if more Americans are having to use credit cards to pay for life necessities?

The issue of credit card debt goes right to the heart of the American culture... to our "dis-ease" and "dis-ordered loves."

Serious matters in serious times.

Which are begging for leadership wisdom.

Becky and I have consistently made decisions to live and spend at a level which requires no debt except when we purchase a car and for our home mortgage. Even with our home, we chose a home that was fully affordable on one income (if that happened) and which would never interfere with our ability to tithe.

So we live with almost no stress from debt.

In part, many years ago - Ron Sider (picture to the right) was an influence on us. His classic book, Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger was deeply formative.

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

Influence (Some More Resources)

Influence is in the news.

Time Magazine just published their list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

And I just got my Fast Company issue which has their list of the 100 most creative influencers in the world of business.  This is a great issue to get. I assume it is at the newstands now.  Or check out their website. It may not be posted yet.

And here is a PDF resource from Ravi Zacharias International Ministry. I received it as a Slice of Infinity. It was so good, I wanted to make it available for you to read.

Download Influence Slice of Infinity

Leadership is certainly more than influence, but it is never less than influence.

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

Here is an article that Peter Hilliard sent in response to the post on The Declining State of Christianity in America.

I thought it was that good that I put it on the blogsite as soon as I read it.  

Thanks Peter.

The Decline of Evangelicalism in America

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

Inauguration Day

Wow. A historic day!

The stories of some very elderly African Americans who have traveled for this historic occasion are deeply moving.

And how deliciously ironic that it takes place one day after Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

How wonderfully appropriate that Obama is using imagery and ideas from one of the greatest presidents in our history, Abraham Lincoln.

What our Founding Parents fought their independence for, what President Lincoln was willing to fight a Civil War to make real, what Martin Luther King, Jr. was willing to die for . . . all this is being realized with President Obama's inauguration.

What a historic day!

 

 

 

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

   

The New Evangelical

Here is a post worth reading about how the "new evangelical" approaches politics.

Click here.

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

An Unholy Union (or at Least a Problematic One)

"The marriage of doctrinal purity with political loyalties is always an unholy union, even in the best of times." 

Phyllis Tickle

Good words that hit me again as I am caught up in the elections and the presidential race. I guess I am a little concerned when I hear a follower of Christ (whether on the left or on the right) so dogmatically convinced that their political party is the "Christian way" and the opponent is evil/demonic.

Jesus didn't fit into ANY of the political parties of his day and culture. The Essenes, Pharisees, Sadducees, Zealots, Herodians. There were strong political positions that were fused in an unholy union with religion. Jesus said no to every one of those options. By the way, an absolutely awesome book that maps this out better than anything I have ever read is:

The Jesus Way:

A Conversation on the Ways That Jesus is the Way

Eugene Peterson (chapts 8-10)

This book is well worth reading to discover just how "counter-cultural" the way of Jesus is and showing how radical that way is in the Scriptures.

To be blunt. Today, Jesus WOULD NOT BE in either the Democratic or Republican parties.

He would be a member of the Kingdom of God (which is not of this world, but is totally subversive of all that is in this world) party. In fact, he would be President of that party. And he might have Shane Claiborne as his campaign manager.

I'm not saying we should not have strong opinions about politics. We should. Politics is important and it matters a great deal. There are good politicans (albeit not as many as we need, sorry for the skepticism) and there are bad ones. Bad politicans make bad decisions which hurt a lot of people. So politics is important.

I am saying we need to be vigilant and humble and not naive in thinking our political position is "the" Chrsitian position.

Plus, it wouldn't hurt if we could be a little more civil as we "dialogue" with one another. Obama is not Jesus (nor is he the anti-Christ). McCain is old, but not the Ancient of Days. At their very best, politicians are not saviors.

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

Economic Woes, Blame-shifters and Would Someone Please Take Some Responsibility

The other evening, in the Ancient-Future Faith community, I used one of my very favorite quotes by G.K. Chesteron.

A London newspaper was running a series of essays on the theme: What's Wrong With the World? The paper invited a number of prominent authors to submit essays which would then be printed in the newspaper. Chesterton submitted the shortest essay.

In response to the question - what is wrong with the world, he replied...

       Dear Sirs:

                I am.

                       Sincerely yours,

                       G.K. Chesteron

I want to use Chesterton's thought and also give you three quotes to set the stage for my ranting and raving on our current economic woes and how the conversation about responsibility and blame is shaping up.

If things go wrong in the world, this is because something is wrong with the individual, because something is wrong with me. Therefore, if I am sensible, I shall put myself right first. For this I need a knowledge of the innermost foundations of being . . . The true leaders of mankind are always those who are capable of self-reflection.   Carl Jung, psychologist (to the left)

If our goal is to so reshape our organizations so that they will survive and flourish in the new century, our most immediate need is to shape ourselves.  C. Michael Thompson, consultant/author

To live well is my first and essential contribution to the well being of all mankind.  Thomas Merton, contemplative, monk, author

Here comes the ranting . . .

Each of these authors is saying - if something is wrong, don't put the blame on someone else, don't put the responsibility somewhere else. Stand up, take responsibility, accept the blame for what is wrong, and start to make changes.

We learn this in kindergarden! At least we are supposed to! Say, "I was wrong." "I'm sorry." And do better or different next time.

Jim Collins says this is the essence of Level Five leadership. Level Five leaders accept responsibilty.

No one is taking responsibility for our economic mess.

Everyone is pointing the finger elsewhere.

Democrats say it is the Bush administration's fault.

Bush is blaming Congress for not acting on his plan.

Politicians say it is the failure of the Wall Street moguls.

Rush Limbaugh says it all started with the Clinton administration.

Others are blaming Greenspan and his successors.

Some are pointing the finger at the banking and loan industry which made ridiculous loans.

Some are pointing the finger at the consumer who wanted to live WAY beyond their means in homes that were far more than they could afford and who took those ridiculous loans.

And on and on it goes. No one is taking responsibility. Everyone is pointing the finger.

And I just want to ask:

Will a real Level Five Leader please stand up? Take some responsibility for the mess.

We need some "The buck stops here" leaders.

That's just a starting point.

There has just been way too much stupidity and greed for way too long. We are all responsible.

Maybe we need to start with Isaiah's lament.

"Woe is me, I am ruined, for I a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips" (Isaiah 6:5)

Modern Americans can say, "Woe is me, I am ruined, for I am a woman or a man who is financially ruined due to stupidity and greed and rampant consumerism and I live among a culture, a people, a nation of those who are more of the same."

Let's move self-awareness to the front burner, followed by some personal humility and then a good dose of responsibility. After that, we can move on to things like repentance and wisdom and a willingness to reap what we have sown instead of looking for smoke and mirror solutions to dodge the economic bullet.

Let's start living wisely and well as an obligation to mankind.

By the way, it won't hurt to start listening to: Dave Ramsey for some sound financial advice.

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins (Democrats 3 - Republicans 0)

Becky and I were watching the opening night of the Democratic Convention and wow . . . were the Democrats telling some great stories. As I was listening, the title of Annette Simmons book (which I am currently reading), Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins, flashed through my mind.

Story Number One: Through an excellent collage of images, the reminiscences of family, the recollections of friends and colleagues, the Democrats told the story of Senator Edward Kennedy . . . and I was riveted to the story. To be honest, I knew very little of the man. After that story collage, I felt I knew who he was and what his life was all about. Great story telling.  (1-0)  Unfortunately, then Kennedy himself got up to speak and while I greatly admire his courage in doing this during his recovery from brain surgery, it was anti-climatic in its rhetoric heavy speech.

Story Number Two:  Craig  Robinson, brother of Michelle Obama was the next story teller up to bat. I knew nothing of Craig. I found out he is the head coach for the Oregon State University basketball team.  But more than that, I heard his story of growing up in a family that valued hard work, making a difference, looking after one another, and becoming all you can be. Well told. I came away liking him immediately. (2-0)

Story Number Three:  The clean-up hitter was Michelle Obama, another person of whom I knew very little except for the bloopers and blurbs from the Democratic Primary race. And as with Senator Kennedy, the Democrats put together a spell-binding story of images, experiences, and the memories of family and friends to introduce her. Outstanding on their part.  And then, Michelle told her story in her own words. What poise, what passion, what presence . . . I admired and liked her more and more as she told her story. At the end of the evening the score was (3-0).

Instead of ponderous, pedantic policies poorly told, they used story to communicate their values and stances. To tell me exactly where they stood. Where a naked policy statement might leave me unmoved, their story hooked me in.

In the movie Amistad, Anthony Hopkins, playing former president John Quincy Adams, says to the defending attorney,

"In a court of law, I've found that whoever tells the best story wins."

If the same is true for political elections, where the faithful are already committed and the work is to hook the undecided and the skeptical - then the Democrats are up 3-0.

Here is to hearing some more really good stories from Democrats this week and then from the Republicans.

And may the best story win.

Brian Rice

Leadership ConneXtions International

Time's Ten Ideas That are Changing the World (#'s 7, 8 & 10)

The March 24th issue of TIME magazine had 10 Ideas That Are Changing the World as its cover article. Here are the three that I was most interested in.

Number Seven:  Synthetic Authenticity. This was not a generic article on the desire for authenticity. It looked at how the American consumer views products that are being marketed. Fake, Real, Hype, Spin, and so on. Gilmore and Pine have written a new book - Authenticity and the Experience Economy. Organizations need to deliver authenticity. So do churches. So do leaders.

Number Eight:  The New Austerity. Get ready for something truly unheard of - an era of living within our means. WOW, do I ever have a ton of thoughts about this. One of my ongoing concerns is how many followers of Christ are in deep financial trouble. (And the same goes for quite a few leaders also.)

The article talked about changing economic realities. If you are in debt - start working very hard to get out of debt. Just say no to consumeristic impulses. Embrace simplicity and contentment. Don't live beyond your means. Check out Dave Ramsey's website for ideas. He is a Nashville "get out of debt" guru who is heard on about 300 stations as well as a Fox Network regular.

Number Ten:  Re-Judaizing Jesus. A look at the wave of scholarly work being done on Jesus and understanding Jesus in light of the Jewish cultural context. Rob Bell gets a mention (although mainly by being criticized by a New Testament, rabinic scholar (Ben Witherington) who thinks Bell gets some stuff wrong). I thought it was pretty interesting that a topic like this made TIME's big ten list!

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And, if you haven't yet picked up The Economist's, The World in 2008, get a copy. This is the kind of "discerning the times" stuff that leaders need to do. For the large majority of us (myself included), I need all the help I can get from those who do this as a vocation. There are about 150 vignettes (full page) on that many topics. At least half of them are bound to be of interest for you.

Brian Rice

(Clinton's) Top Six Reasons Leader's Don't Finish Well (with an application to Eliot Spitzer)

Okay, I have to apologize. On this post about a week ago I said that I wouldn't blog any more about Eliot Spitzer.

Well, I have to do one more, but it is not really about him, other than as an illustration of Dr. Robert Clinton's finishing well paradigm.

The top six reasons (not in order) that leaders don't finish well are:

1. Pride
2. Misuse of money
3. Abuse of power
4. Sexual failure
5. Plateauing (they stop growing)
6. Social base (or family problems)

Here is a reality. Where there is the presence of one (i.e. where there is smoke) there are probably others as well (the fire).

I didn't know much about Spitzer's leadership. I've been reading articles on him and he is described as angry, a steam-rolling, non-collaborative, my way or the highway, double standard guy (where he expects much of others but not of himself), non-teachable (doesn't learn easily from others or take advice from others), belittling of others, questioned about and evasive of fund raising tactics - and on it goes - kind of leader.

Well, in that short paragraph  you can see (1) pride, (2) the possible misuse of money, (3) certainly the abuse of power. Now, he has been undone by (4) sexual failure that has with it (2) the misuse of money, and he is certainly going to have a ton of (6) social base  marriage and family problems to work through.

The point is that bad qualities tend to come in clusters. If you sense or see the presence of one in the life of a leader (including yourself) you better be alert to the emergence of others.

Here are two books for leaders who really want to pay attention to issues of character formation.

Gary Thomas, The Glorious Pursuit: Embracing the Virtues of Christ is still one of my favorites.

And a little more challenging is Os  Guiness's book, Steering Through Chaos: Vice and Virtue in an Age of Moral Confusion.

One of the core premises we have with Leadership ConneXtions International is that character counts and the formation of the leader's character, that begins deep below the water line, is crucial for finishing well. This may seem like the "soft side" of leadership. But the hard reality is this:

For most leaders who do not finish well, it is not due to lack of skills or technical competency. It is due to character issues, inner life issues, relationship with God issues, emotional intelligence issues, etc.

Brian Rice

Three Quick Notes: Quotes, Spitzer and the Seven Deadly Sins

First, check out this "quotes video."  Since I love quotes, I really liked it. I put it as a link under blogsites to check out.   Great Quotes Movie - click here.  Thanks to Leadership Foundations Team facilitator/mentor and personal friend - Rob H. for this link.

Second, how tragic about Eliot Spitzer. New York's hard-hitting, corruption-fighting governor, who is caught using very high priced prostitutes. Spitzer had a nickname: "Mr. Clean." Scratch that nickname. Scratch that political career. Probably scratch that family. One more leader - NOT FINISHING WELL!  In fact, "not finishing well" is saying it mildly. This leader just imploded in self-destruction because of sex! (By the way, on the night before Valentine's Day!)

Third, the Vatican is trying to improve on a tried and tested and true thing - the Seven Deadly Sins.  I happen to think the original seven were pretty good. I'm not sure the update is an upgrade improvement or a  down-sizing diminishment of them.

The original seven were/are:

1. Pride
2. Envy
3. Gluttony
4. Greed
5. Lust
6. Anger
7. Sloth

The new and culturally relevant are:

1. Pollution
2. Genetic engineering
3. Obscene wealth
4. Taking drugs
5. Abortion
6. Pedophilia
7. Social Injustice

I really like some of the new thinking. Maybe these are the seven deadly sins for our age. What do you think? Which list do you like more and why?

Brian Rice

Leadership Scandal at Oral Roberts University

I hesitated (just a bit) before posting this. I hesitated because I don't want to be unfair to the Roberts' situation or come to premature conclusions.

But, I decided to put this on because it is just part of the public evidence and "stuff" that is going to be talked about.

You can click on the PDF file to read a Scandal Vulnerability Assessment document that is citing "evidences" that are a part of the public record on this case. Now, the veracity of these items is still to be determined.

Download oru_scandal_assessment.pdf

I find myself thinking that instead of being above reproach as the Scripture calls it, at the very least, the Roberts' clan danced as close to the line as they could.  If even 25% (even 10%) of the evidence is true, it is an example of simply out-of-control leaders who are falling into darkness with sex, money, power, pride and family issues.  That is 5 of the 6 reasons why Clinton says leaders do not finish well.

Early assessment says this is the most significant TV evangelist/healer scandal since the PTL Club debacle.

And the world mocks Christianity because of examples like this.

Brian Rice

Of massacres and mercy

We live about 5 miles from Columbine High School in Colorado. Thus, the Virginia Tech massacre sent an even larger shock wave through this community. I have spent the past two weeks in stunned and numbed silence of sorts.

Two of my nephews are students at VT. Needless to say they are traumatized, along with many many others. One of my nephews was in the dorm where the first shotting occurred.

I struggle to understand the American culture at points.

* Why can we not outlaw automatic and semi-automatic weapons?
* What are the causes of such violence in our culture?
* What does mercy look like in the face of such evil?

I am filled with sadness and filled with many questions.

- Brian Newman