Hardwiring New Leadership Habits

 

Issue No. 546 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting (Feb. 10, 2023) highlights a nettlesome question from Dick Daniels: “Does development develop?” Hardwiring New Leadership Habits is a must-read! And this reminder: click here to download free resources from the 20 management buckets (core competencies). And click here to listen in on “The Next Chapter With Charlie Podcast” as Charlie Hedges interviews me this week about mistake-making.   Dick Daniels notes that your team likely includes three groups: Expectation Exceeders, Expectation Meeters, and Expectation Missers. So…are you good with the status quo, or is it time to hardwire new leadership habits?   No Way! Been there. Done that. You’re a fly-on-the-wall at Global Organization Resources Inc.’s annual senior team three-day offsite retreat. Everyone’s prepared. Planning for the next year, the 10 leaders have thoughtful ideas on GOR’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Then it happened! On Day 2, “Synthesis Day,” the CFO, Wilson, threw a monkey wrench onto the agenda. Wham! (And he’s “usually the quiet one in the corner who’s looking over his spreadsheets.”) His big beef? GOR was spending way too much on developing their people. And no surprise, Wilson had his facts and figures. “It’s the warm, fuzzy expenditures that make us feel better…” he said. But the people development budget was three times more than what their two largest competitors spend annually. The team's response at the CFO's disruption? “I was shocked. We were shocked. Say what?” And with that testy opening, Dick Daniels treats leaders and readers to a master class in leadership—at all levels—with this nettlesome question, “Does Development Develop?” (OK—geniuses! Prove that one to your number-crunching CFO.) The answers are in this book: Hardwiring New Leadership Habits: Does Development Develop? by Dick Daniels “No way,” I thought. When Dick Daniels alerted me to his new book, I tilted toward skepticism. “What more could he possibly write about?” Daniels is a stunning thinker and writer—and his previous books are so comprehensive that I named both as my books-of-the-year in 2015 and 2021. So…hasn’t he already said it all? • Leadership Briefs: Shaping Organizational Culture to Stretch Leadership Capacity (2015 Book-of-the-Year: read my review) • Leadership Core: Character, Competence, Capacity (Leadership Multipliers) - (2021 Book-of-the-Year: read my review) No way! (Er, um…way!) Hardwiring New Leadership Habits: Does Development Develop? is jam-packed with ready-to-use action steps and insights—coupled with a memorable metaphor: how to connect three “wires” to hardwire new leadership habits. The book is short and crisp and brings a holistic clarity to that pesky question: does development develop?  How much does your organization spend (or invest) in people development? Dick Daniels writes, “The motivation in developing team members is either proactive or reactive. Companies spend money proactively to move the needle from good to great in specific aspects of one’s leadership.”  “The other approach is a reactive investment to address problem areas or deficiencies in one’s leadership approach. Our assumption is that leadership represents learned competencies. Great leaders never stop growing, so they never stop learning and applying what they learn.” And this warning: “Sometimes the reactive initiative is a last attempt to help a team member before deciding whether to retrain, reassign, or release and replace them.” He agrees with Lisa Lang, in her ATD article, “Enter the Learning Zone,” who writes:  “What individuals learn in school is no longer enough to sustain a career. Learning must be embedded into employees’ daily lives at work to facilitate lifelong learning.” Just 170 pages, the take-aways in this hot-off-the-press book are remarkable:    • The matrix contrasting No Organizational Investment vs. Organizational Investment (horizontal) and Organizational Value vs. No Organizational Value (vertical). The no/no quadrant: “Leads to Organizational Atrophy.”    • Why the leadership development mission must address all levels: supervisors, managers, and leaders.    • What happens when there is an absence of “a succession planning leadership pipeline from the company’s talent pool”—and why the development vision is so critical. ALERT! “One of the toughest leadership transitions is the move from operational leader to strategic leader,” writes Daniels. He notes the “seven seismic shifts” that must occur per the HBR article, “How Managers Become Leaders,” by Michael D. Watkins. Example: “Bricklayer to Architect.” Click here to read the article or click here to order HBR's 10 Must Reads for New Managers (with bonus article “How Managers Become Leaders”). Serendipitously, Watkins’ book, The First 90 Days, happened to be in the rotation today for the second book review below (Book #17 of 100). THERE’S MORE! • The Character and Competence matrix:     --High Character/Low Competence: “I like you but I don’t respect you.”    --High Character/High Competence: “The Leadership Capacity Multiplier”    --Low Character/Low Competence: “Your days are limited here.”    --Low Character/High Competence: “I respect you but I don’t like you.” • “The New Nine Box Grid”—perhaps the most important five-page chapter on leadership ever written. (Honest!) Chapter 3, “Hardwire Connection #3,” describes three groups: Expectation Exceeders, Expectation Meeters, and Expectation Missers. How are you currently addressing those with Low Potential and Low Performance? And…how are you inspiring and retaining those with High Potential and High Performance? I’d buy this book just for this chapter. • Stunning questions that enrich clarity:    --10 Culture Questions (#3: “What are the spoken and unspoken rules, and does anyone get a pass?”)    --“The Stay Interview” from SHRM (read more)    --Personal Reflection Tool: a 21-day exercise, with your coach, for self-assessment at the end of each day.    --10 Organizational Diagnosis Questions (scale of 1 to 10): How valued is development in your organization? Example: “Just hire someone soon” vs. “We have a leadership pipeline.”    --The Johari Window Model: Do you know anyone in the “Known to Others” and “Not Known to Self” quadrant? That’s the “Blind Spot.” Bottom Line: If you’re a senior leader—and you think you don’t need this book, you may have a blind spot. And speaking of blind spots (read this), bestselling author Marshall Goldsmith endorsed Dick Daniels’ book and called it “Powerful!” I agree. Does development develop? How would your team—and your CFO—answer this pesky question? And by the way, I was wrong. Dick Daniels does have a lot more to write about—and I have a lot more to learn. So will Hardwiring New Leadership Habits be my 2023 Book-of-the-Year? No way! (But…I’ve been wrong before.)  To order from Amazon, click on the title for Hardwiring New Leadership Habits: Does Development Develop? by Dick Daniels. (Click here to read a two-page article by Daniels in TD Magazine.) YOUR WEEKLY STAFF MEETING QUESTIONS: 1) In Chapter 8, “Hardwire Connection #8: Avoid Tripping the Ten Circuit Breakers,” Dick Daniels warns about “circuit breakers” that can dismantle a people development culture. He writes, “Among the three levels of a development culture, leading yourself is always harder than leading the team or even leading the organization.” He quotes Lee Iacocca: “The speed of the boss is the speed of the team.” Do you agree or disagree—why? 2) Daniels includes 15 antonyms for hardwired: “unplanned, accidental, acquired, artificial, careless, disorder, external, flexible, foreign, incidental, negligent, slack, spontaneous, superficial, and thoughtless.” Oh, my! Would any of these words apply to the development culture in our organization?       Mastering 100 Must-Read Books Part 2: Books-of-the-Year Book #17 of 100: The First 90 Days For your team meeting this week, inspire a team member to lead your “10 Minutes for Lifelong Learning” session by featuring Book #16 in Mastering 100 Must-Read Books.    The First 90 Days:  Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter by Michael D. Watkins Books #6 through #21 spotlight 16 books that I named the Book-of-the-Year from 2006 to 2020. The author of The First 90 Days uses a helpful acronym, “STARS,” that describes four transitions: Start-up, Turn-Around, Realignment, and Sustaining Success.  Warning! A successful CEO of a Turn-Around may fail at a Realignment. • Read my review. • Order from Amazon: The First 90 Days • Listen on Libro (6 hours, 58 minutes)  • Download the 100 Must-Read Books list (from John and Jason Pearson) The “STARS” theme oozes through all the chapters. The author gives examples across all sizes of organizations, including an astounding example from Coca-Cola. Warning leaders than no one is immune from the perils of transition, he discusses the CEO stint of Douglas Ivester, promoted to Coke’s CEO in 1997, after serving three years as president and COO. “But Ivester was unable to make the leap from COO to CEO. He refused to name a new COO, even when strongly pressed to do so by Coke’s board of directors. Instead, he continued to act as a ‘superCOO’ and maintained daily contact with the sixteen people who reported to him. His extraordinary attention to detail which had been such a virtue in finance and operations, proved to be a hindrance in his new position. Ivester could not free himself from day-to-day operations enough to take on the strategic, visionary, and statesmanlike roles of an effective CEO.” The Wall Street Journal even piled on. (Read my review.)                     PEARPOD | TELLING YOUR STORY. How robust is your leadership succession pipeline for your communications and marketing teams? Are you attentive to retaining great people and addressing under-performing people? We can help you enrich your pipeline with creative approaches. (Every role does not require exactly 40 hours of work per week!) Contact Jason Pearson at Pearpod (Design, Digital, Marketing, Social).   Charlie Hedges interviews John on The Next Chapter Podcast "Mastering Mistake-Making (Part 1 of 2)" is the topic on this week's podcast of The Next Chapter With Charlie Hedges. LOL! Charlie labels John a "Master of Mistake-Making" in this 35-minute interview on the book John and Jason Pearson wrote in 2021. Charlie started podcasting before most of us could even spell the word. This is Episode 268. Listen here or on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. More on the book here. MORE RESOURCES: • BLOG: Pails in Comparison • SUBSCRIBE: Your Weekly Staff Meeting eNews • JOHN'S BOOK REVIEWS: on Amazon  •WEBSITE:  Management Buckets • BLOG: Governance of Christ-Centered Organizations CULTURE IS THE WAY Matt Mayberry, a corporate consultant and former Chicago Bears linebacker, shares this culture definition from two leaders: “Culture tells us what to do when the CEO isn’t in the room, which is of course most of the time.” Read Mayberry’s new book, Culture Is the Way: How Leaders at Every Level Build an Organization for Speed, Impact, and Excellence. Find more book reviews on the Pails in Comparison blog.  IMPORTANT NOTICE! Effective Oct. 1, 2025, all 657 eNews issues, previously archived on Typepad.com are slowly (!) being moved to a new website here. New book reviews will also be archived at John Pearson’s Buckets Blog. Or, click here for John’s recent book reviews on Amazon.

Fall in Love with the Problem, Not the Solution

 

Issue No. 544 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting (Jan. 21, 2023) delivers a “True or False” quiz with 13 statements about a hot-off-the-press handbook for entrepreneurs—relevant for CEOs and entrepreneurial team members. And this reminder: click here to download free resources from the 20 management buckets (core competencies), and click here for four updated book lists.   “A start-up is a journey of failures,” writes Uri Levine. Good luck!   Entrepreneurial Wisdom: True or False? “A start-up is a journey of failures,” writes Uri Levine, who describes himself as a passionate entrepreneur and disruptor, and a two-time “unicorn" builder. He quotes Albert Einstein, “If you’ve never failed, you’ve never tried anything new.” Quick! You, or someone on your team, must read and report on this fabulous book, just published Jan. 17, 2023: Fall in Love with the Problem, Not the Solution:  A Handbook for Entrepreneurs by Uri Levine The author notes that Ben Horowitz was a CEO prior to becoming a successful venture capitalist. Once Horowitz was asked, “Did you sleep well at night, being the CEO of a start-up?” The response: “Oh yes. I slept like a baby. I woke up every two hours and cried.” That’s actually true—but what about the following statements? TRUE OR FALSE? [   ] 1. WOZ TOOK NOTES! Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, loves this book! He writes in the foreword that he “read every word, taking handwritten notes on paper.” (True or False?) [   ] 2. FIRE FASTER. Uri Levine said the “first trigger for writing this book” was when a CEO heard Levine speak about the hard firing/hiring decisions that CEOs must make. On the second day of the event, the CEO told Levine, “It’s done. I fired my cofounder. It was painful and I didn’t sleep all night long, but once I announced that to the company, everyone approached me and said, ‘Thank you, it was about time!’ So, I know I did the right thing.” (True or False?) [   ] 3. UNICORNS DEFINED. Levine is the co-founder of Waze, the world’s largest community-based driving traffic and navigation app. Google acquired Waze for $1.15 billion (not a typo) in 2013. Levine is also a former investor and board member of Moovit, the “Waze of public transportation.” Intel acquired Moovit for $1 billion (not a typo) in 2020. By the way, start-ups which sell for $1 billion or more are called unicorns. (True or False?) [   ] 4. PAIN! “A problem is easily defined,” writes Levine. “When you tell someone about it, that person should say, ‘Yeah, I have that issue as well!’” The author says problems fit into a two-by-two matrix with two axes: “Total Addressable Market” and “Pain.” And before you disappoint investors with your new idea, be sure you review the four quadrants in the matrix:    • “Winners” (high usage/value and many users)    • “Niche” (high usage/value, but few users)    • “Losers” (low usage/value and few users)    • “Dreams and Nightmares” - This includes everyone, but “low value or low frequency of use”—think of the DMV: a pain, but your visits are not frequent enough for someone to fix it. (True or False?) [   ] 5. FAILURE IS OK. Oh, my! Chapter 2, “A Start-up Is a Journey of Failures” slams you with 35 pages of warnings! Expect failure and good luck in the “desert of no traction.” In the early days of Waze, “We turned the app on worldwide all at once, and it was a disaster. It was simply not good enough—except in four countries: Ecuador, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Latvia.”     • “Failure is not only OK but also necessary.”    • “Failure is not a badge of shame.”    • “Launch before your product is ready.”    • “How much time should you allocate to your journey of failures? Years!” (True or False?) View the book’s promo video (1 minute, 27 seconds). [   ] 6. START-UP “STARTIPS.” Every chapter concludes with five or more summary bullet points, “Startips,” such as: • “Make your mistakes fast.” • “If you’re afraid to fail, you’ve already failed because you’re not going to try.” • “Rule of thumb: Users convert on the third try.” • “The proven lifetime value of a customer needs to be at least three times higher than the customer acquisition cost, otherwise you don’t have a sustainable business model.” • “Price is determined in the market, and not by the company. The cost, however, is determined by the company, and the market doesn’t care about it.” (True or False?) [   ] 7. FIRING/HIRING. Levine believes you’ll know if a new hire will fit in within one month—and that’s why he titles Chapter 6, “Firing and Hiring” (with the emphasis on firing). “Remember that a great hiring manager will have a hit ratio of about 80 percent and a miss ratio of about 20 percent. Even Golden State Warriors basketball star Steph Curry doesn’t score 80 percent from three-point range.” (True or False?) [   ] 8. OPERATING IN PHASES. Whether you’re 24/7 on a for-profit start-up or a nonprofit start-up, this book is must-reading. Example: How do you discern what is your “MIT”—your Most Important Thing? If you get this wrong, says Levine, you’ll hire the wrong person for the wrong phase. “Be careful not to hire too early,” he cautions. (True or False?) [   ] 9. PMF. Get ready to become a student of Product-Market Fit (PMF). “The most dangerous moment for a start-up is when you think you’ve figured out product-market fit even though you really haven’t." Peter Drucker would have loved this book—it’s all about listening to the customer and also watching the customer try out your new product, program, or service. Another warning: “You need to do iteration after iteration of your product before you ever hire a salesperson.” (True or False?) [   ] 10. ROLLER-COASTER JOURNEY. “If building a start-up is a roller-coaster journey, then fundraising is a roller coaster in the dark. You don’t even know what’s coming. Closing a deal would be in the dark, upside down, and in reverse…” (True or False?) [   ] 11. TEN-FOOT POLE! In 2010 when Waze was almost out of cash, Levine pitched a very successful venture capital fund. In an adjoining room, Levine heard one of the potential investors comment, “We wouldn’t touch Waze with a ten-foot pole.” Fast forward to the day Google acquired Waze, the Waze team discussed whether they should send those non-investors an actual ten-foot pole! “We didn’t, but we enjoyed considering it!” (True or False?) [   ] 12. FAST GROWTH. How fast can, or should, you grow? Chapter 10, “How to Get to a Billion Users,” is absolutely fascinating—with 32 short topics (I counted them) on growing your enterprise, including “50 Other Ways It Didn’t Work,” and a very practical whiteboard exercise, “50 Ways to Bring Your Users.” (True or False?) [   ] 13. FUNDRAISING! Levine believes funders invest for two reasons: they liked the story and they liked the CEO. “You need to be at your best, and appearance does matter. So, the CEO goes to the first meeting ALONE [boldface by the author]. That way, no one else is on the stage with the CEO to take away the spotlight." [Note: This reminded me of the wisdom in the book, Backable.] (True or False?)   WHO SHOULD READ THIS BOOK?     • For-profit leaders and start-up wanna-be's.    • Nonprofit leaders. (Very relevant insights!)    • Any team member tasked with launching a new product, program, or service.    • Anyone whose fear of failure has short-changed your organization’s growth.    • Every CEO and board member.    • Anyone who loves Shark Tank (including reruns!) – Note: Watch for my February review of Burn the Boats.   LOL! I loaned my review copy of this compelling and comprehensive book to an entrepreneurial friend. He loved the detailed narrative, but I needed my copy back (with my notes!). So I ordered this book for him. TRUE OR FALSE? SPOILER ALERT (in Spanish!). ¡Todas las afirmaciones son verdaderas! To order from Amazon, click on the title for Fall in Love with the Problem, Not the Solution: A Handbook for Entrepreneurs, by Uri Levine. Listen on Libro (11 hours, 48 minutes). YOUR WEEKLY STAFF MEETING QUESTIONS: 1) According to Uri Levine, there are four different types of user categories: Innovators, Early Adopters, the Early Majority (afraid to try new things—don’t like change), and the Late Majority (“will use something only if they must”). So…per the “User Segmentation” chart on page 209, do we understand our users—and how different they are from you and me? 2) “A start-up, in order to be successful,” writes Levine, “needs to do one and only one thing right, and to increase the likelihood of doing so, it needs to say no to everything else.” He adds, “Focus is about doing one thing at a time.” So…let’s look in the mirror. How many times have we said “no” in the last 90 days?        Mastering 100 Must-Read Books Part 2: Books-of-the-Year Book #15 of 100: The Advantage  For your team meeting this week, inspire a team member to lead your “10 Minutes for Lifelong Learning” session by featuring Book #15 in Mastering 100 Must-Read Books.    The Advantage:  Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business by Patrick Lencioni Books #6 through #21 spotlight 16 books that I named the Book-of-the-Year from 2006 to 2020. Patrick Lencioni says that “bad meetings are the birthplace of unhealthy organizations and good meetings are the origin of cohesion, clarity and communication.”   • Read my review. • Order from Amazon: The Advantage • Listen on Libro (5 hours, 25 minutes) • Download the 100 Must-Read Books list (from John and Jason Pearson) In Lencioni’s next to last chapter, “The Centrality of Great Meetings,” this best-selling business guru writes, “If someone were to offer me one single piece of evidence to evaluate the health of an organization, I would not ask to see its financial statements, review its product line, or even talk to its employees or customers: I would want to observe the leadership team during a meeting.” Note: to read my reviews of four more Patrick Lencioni books, see Part 3, “The Mount Rushmore of Leadership Legends,” in Mastering 100 Must-Read Books.                      PEARPOD | TELLING YOUR STORY. Nervous about launching your new product, program, or service? Join the club! We’ll walk you through the “MIT” steps and, maybe, provide therapy along the way! Contact Jason Pearson at Pearpod (Design, Digital, Marketing, Social). “You’re Leading a Parade!” George Duff, my friend and mentor, was welcomed into his heavenly home on Jan. 1, 2023. He was 91. A celebration of life service was held on January 14 on Mercer Island, Wash. I’ve been so blessed with rich memories of George this month, including this wisdom: “Remember, you are talking not to a crowd but to a parade that is changing all the time.” (Read my blog for ECFA here.) Read my tribute here.  Note: George Duff was a volunteer champion of Free Wheelchair Mission. Visit FWM to send a tribute card to the Duff family. IMPORTANT NOTICE! Effective Oct. 1, 2025, all 657 eNews issues, previously archived on Typepad.com are slowly (!) being moved to a new website here. New book reviews will also be archived at John Pearson’s Buckets Blog. Or, click here for John’s recent book reviews on Amazon. WEALTH HABITS “Do Everything Yourself” is one of five business “philosophies” that do NOT work. Mentioning frequently that “91% of all businesses fail,” the author warns NOT to do everything yourself. Read my review of Wealth Habits: Six Ordinary Steps to Achieve Extraordinary Financial Freedom, by Candy Valentino, on the Pails in Comparison blog. MORE RESOURCES: • BLOG: Pails in Comparison • SUBSCRIBE: Your Weekly Staff Meeting eNews • JOHN'S BOOK REVIEWS: on Amazon  •WEBSITE:  Management Buckets • BLOG: Governance of Christ-Centered Organizations

Becoming a Future-Ready Church

 

Issue No. 626 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting  (Nov. 1, 2024) spotlights eight major shifts for the “future-ready” church—and eight case studies. Brilliant! Plus, click here to see book recommendations in all 20 management buckets (core competencies). Also, read my recent review of Next Level Nonprofit.   “Most churches in North America have more in common with 1950 than with 2050.” The authors of Becoming a Future-Ready Church wonder if you’re more like Leave It to Beaver or Modern Family? • If you're a reader...continue reading! • If you're a listener...enjoy this AI-generated podcast created by Google's NotebookLM. Listen to AI’s “review” of my review here (12 minutes, 31 seconds).    Church 1950 or Church 2050? Brilliant! Eight paradigm-crushing churches are spotlighted in this critical book for church leaders. And just imagine this: What if…your church on U.S. Election Day 2024 followed Mosaic Church’s example from 2020? “While tens of millions watched their broadcast news outlet of choice as the votes in the 2020 presidential election were being cast, Mosaic Church held a daytime Communion service in downtown Dayton, Ohio.”  I urge you and your local church leaders to read the powerful and hopeful message of this new book—and then discern next steps. Becoming a Future-Ready Church:  8 Shifts to Encourage and Empower  the Next Generation of Leaders by Daniel Yang, Adelle M. Banks, and Warren Bird Oct. 22, 2024   The authors of this well-researched (and well fact-checked) book are prayerful, yet appropriately pushy! They write, “Most churches in North America have more in common with 1950 than with 2050.” (Gulp!) Using a memorable “from this…to that” format, Yang, Banks, and Bird make the case for creating space for the next generation of church leaders—but, gratefully, they don’t pontificate for a one-size-fits-all methodology. But first, they urge you to pray and self-assess your current ministry:    • Are you still in the Leave It to Beaver era (1950s)?    • Or…the Modern Family era (2009-2020)?    • Or…something else? The authors poke church leaders with eight dramatic “from this to that” shifts. Here are just three of the eight that tweaked my soul: SHIFT: “From Church Refugees to Church as Refuge. Why True Hospitality Is Essential for Congregations to Thrive.” Each chapter lists a “dated” question (1950s maybe?) and a “better” question—plus the trend. Chapter 5:    • Dated Question: “How can we stay a ‘big happy family’ by reaching more people like us?”    • Better Question: “How can a culture of irresistible hospitality unify our congregation’s increasing diversity?”    • The Trend: “Mitigating division not by avoiding conflict but by creating truly hospitable places that allow people to be seen and heard.” The authors address church conflicts and warn, “As society becomes more diverse, fracturing and splintering in churches will sadly become more common.” (“Pearson—I thought you said this was a ‘hopeful’ book?” It is. Keep reading. And by the way, you'll love reading Acts 16:15 in The Message.) They add, “Every week in America, people who researchers call church refugees shuffle in and out of various congregations—sometimes discreetly but at times loudly (usually online by posting or blogging about it)—hoping to find a new spiritual safe house to rest and heal.” What’s needed? The book highlights churches that seek to address conflict with “a more robust and practical theology of hospitality.” They add, “A culture of hospitality leads the church to be preoccupied with caring for people’s real needs more than curating its public image.” The case study on Mosaic Church in Beavercreek, Ohio, is both inspirational and instructive. (See more on boardroom hospitality here.) Rosario “Roz” Picaro says his church models the 70/30 philosophy. “Seventy percent of what we say and do, you’re going to love, but you’re going to hate 30 percent. But your 30 percent is someone else’s 70 percent and vice versa.” You’ll appreciate the graphic on page 104, based on co-author Daniel Yang’s church consulting work. He believes there are “four dynamics that people need to experience within a church.” Four V’s: Visibility, Voice, Value, and Volition. The descriptors for each are memorable and you will borrow them! Yards, Porches, Couches, and Tables. Read how the future-ready church must be competent in these “places and spaces” to effectively prepare for future conflict—because it will come. SHIFT: “From Nuclear Families to Forged Families. Why Churches Need to Serve a Wider Range of Households.”    • Dated Question: “How can we get more people to volunteer so that we can strengthen ministry to the families in our church?”    • Better Question: “How can our church’s family ministries build health and increased capacity in people so that they can be more available to those who are lonely, struggling, or feeling that they don’t fit in?” Discussing the “modern American family,” the authors note, “If there’s anything worth learning for churches from sitcoms such as Modern Family, the key takeaway is that they have been too myopic on the nuclear family for their ministry programming.”  Each chapter includes a “One Degree of Change” self-assessment with five to seven questions to prompt leadership conversations on the big shifts, “from this to that.” With five response options (Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree), I immediately pictured church leaders wresting with these questions in a series of robust leadership meetings (with strong coffee, of course). OOPS! If you’re flying from Seattle to Madrid, and you’re one degree off—you’ll end up in the Sahara Desert! Why “one degree of change?” Heed the authors’ wake-up call! “When you’re traveling somewhere, if you’re off course by just one degree, after a mile you’ll miss your target by 92.2 feet. On a long journey, that difference will take you to a different city! Suppose you’re flying from Seattle, Washington, to Madrid, Spain. If your flight path is off by just one degree, you’ll end up instead in the middle of Africa’s Sahara Desert!” Here's the good news: “That one degree of change can also move you in the direction you should have been heading in the first place.” (Pastors: this will preach!) SHIFT: “From Physical Only to Healthy Hybrid. Why More Church Life Will Happen Virtually.”    • Dated Question: “How do we do in-person church better so that people will want to spend less time online?”    • Better Question: “How can we discern God’s work everywhere people spend time, especially in the growing digital world?”    • The Trend: “Embracing technology not by valuing its convenience but by pioneering spaces for Christ to be worshipped and proclaimed.” Don’t skip Chapter 8! COVID maximized online church—and some folks are still viewing services in their Sunday morning PJs. Good thing or bad thing? The authors will challenge your preconceived notions (maybe your 1950 notions?) with a deep dive section, “Is Digital Ministry a Theological Advancement?” (When is the last time you thought about technology and the incarnation?) Here's the first agree/disagree statement in the ”One Degree of Change” section: “Today’s exploding world of digital media is likely to be as world-changing as the impact of the printing press or the shift from agrarian life to urban life.” (If you’ve checked out the AI-generated podcasts I’ve created recently—you’ll have to join me in checking the “Strongly Agree” box.) The case study is eye-opening! Read about Imagine Church in Gilbert, Ariz., “A Digital Congregation Creates Onscreen Face-to-Face Community.” The co-lead pastors, Janae and Justin Klatt, are leading what one researcher calls “a digital church using a digital-micro strategy as their primary gathering.” Learn why they’ve found that a “Brady Bunch” size (nine boxes/people on the screen) is optimal for a digital “community.” Oh, my…there is so much more meat in this important book. I’m praying that hundreds and hundreds of astute and discerning “Leaders Are Readers Champions" will generously order this book for their pastors and elders. Imagine this scenario: a pastor prays, “Lord, what’s next for our congregation?” And then Amazon arrives with this powerful book! When you read this book, be sure to note:    • “Why the future is birthing a new apologetic” in the shift, “From Mind to Soul.” Listen on Libro to the first three minutes of this chapter. (And read my review of Faith for the Curious.)    • The shift “From Attendance to Attachment” (Why church membership is losing its appeal and what’s replacing it.)    • Why “shaming a generation for being less religious is a surefire way to create greater disaffiliation and hostility toward the church.”    • The summary on page 200, “Eight Shifts to Start Becoming a Future-Ready Church,” with eight “dated” questions and  eight “better” questions. (And thanks to the publisher, Zondervan, for granting fee-free reprints of this page. Generous!) AND THIS:    • In the shift “From Racial Tension to Community Blessing,” see the very helpful list (pages 145-146) of 12 “church diversity” terms and their meaning. (Example: the difference between a “Multiracial Church” and a “Multiethnic Church.”)    • Why wise church leaders “will follow the model of those who led God’s people in the past, ‘who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do’ (1 Chron. 12:32).”    • And—so helpful—a “Scripture Index” (2+ pages) with verses referenced in the book from 28 books of the Bible.     • And this “blunt” question: “Will the young people in your church, when given the reins at the proper time, want and be able to lead what you’re passing on to them?” This book has already made the cut for my Top-10 books of 2024. TO ORDER FROM AMAZON, click on the title for Becoming a Future-Ready Church: 8 Shifts to Encourage and Empower the Next Generation of Leaders, by Daniel Yang, Adelle M. Banks, and Warren Bird. Listen on Libro (5 hours, 41 minutes).   YOUR WEEKLY STAFF MEETING QUESTIONS: 1) Co-author Warren Bird is also the editor of Wisdom from Lyle E. Schaller: The Elder Statesman of Church Leadership (read my review). Schaller noted that when changes are made when following a long-term leader, “A common result of this changing of the guard is the creating of the AAOEL group. ...The initials of this informal, ad hoc, unrecognized group stand for alienated, angry, older ex-leaders.” Who should read this book? 2) Warren Bird and William Vanderbloemen, co-authors of NEXT: Pastoral Succession That Works, begin their book with this profound alert: “Every pastor is an interim pastor.” Read more on succession in the ECFA Governance Toolbox Series No. 4, “Succession Planning: 11 Principles for Successful Successions.” If our pastor (or CEO) were to be hit by the proverbial bus, what’s our succession plan? (Note: See also my review of Vanderbloemen’s new workbook for Be the Unicorn.) 3) Warren Bird and Elmer Towns will prompt about 21 LOLs if you read their piece, "When the Horse Is Dead, Dismount,” from their book, Into the Future: Turning Today’s Church Trends Into Tomorrow’s Opportunities. Download the one-pager from the Results Bucket. My favorite: “Promote the dead horse to a supervisory position.” What’s your favorite response to a dead horse (program)?        Mastering 100 Must-Read Books Part 17: “Nonprofit” Is a Tax Designation, Not a Management Philosophy! Book #96 of 100: The 80/20 Principle For your team meeting this week, inspire a team member to lead your “10 Minutes for Lifelong Learning” session by featuring Book #96 in Mastering 100 Must-Read Books.  The 80/20 Principle:  The Secret to Achieving More With Less by Richard Koch   Books #92 through #96 spotlight five helpful books for nonprofit CEOs, senior staff, and board members. In 2008, Richard Koch wrote a new and updated edition of his 10-year-old business classic. Will you read it—or delegate the reading to a team member?     • Order from Amazon.     • Download the 100 Must-Read Books list (from John and Jason Pearson). The 80/20 principle is all around us:    • 20 percent of your donors give 80 percent of the budget    • 80 percent of your sales come from 20 percent of your customers    • One-fifth of your time (equivalent to one day a week) produces 80 percent of your important work    • 80 percent of your people problems come from 20 percent of your staff!    • 20 percent of your volunteers do 80 percent of the work And how about your wardrobe—you likely wear 20 percent of your clothes about 80 percent of the time, right? BONUS BOOK! Just published on Oct. 8, 2024, check out 80/20 Daily: Your Day-by-Day Guide to Happier, Healthier, Wealthier, and More Successful Living Using the 80/20 Principle, by Richard Koch.    • Order from Amazon.    • Listen on Libro (11 hours, 58 minutes)          CLICK HERE FOR BOOKS BY JOHN        MORE RESOURCES: • BLOG: Pails in Comparison • SUBSCRIBE: Your Weekly Staff Meeting eNews • JOHN'S BOOK REVIEWS: on Amazon  • WEBSITE:  Management Buckets • BLOG: Governance of Christ-Centered Organizations IMPORTANT NOTICE! Effective Oct. 1, 2025, all 657 eNews issues, previously archived on Typepad.com are slowly (!) being moved to a new website here. New book reviews will also be archived at John Pearson’s Buckets Blog. Or, click here for John’s recent book reviews on Amazon.

Glad I Didn't Know

 

Issue No. 630 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting (Dec. 11, 2024) suggests a powerful book with 32 of my favorite stories—a perfect gift book for Christmas. Plus, click here to see book recommendations in all 20 management buckets (core competencies). Also, read my recent review of When Kingdom Light Shines: Stories That Inspire Faith. In one of my favorite chapters in Glad I Didn’t Know, this Mother Teresa billboard prompted Larry Probus to call his wife on the way to work. “I give up,” he told her!   Christmas Gift Idea #2: Speed Bumps & Life Lessons Can I be honest with you? I was so pumped about the 60 stories from Mark Ellis in my most recent eNews that I’m wondering: How can I now move on to another book that also requires high praise? Perhaps you have two friends and need two Christmas gift books? If so, here’s my Christmas Gift Idea #2:   Glad I Didn’t Know:  Lessons Learned Through Life’s Challenges  and Unexpected Blessings by Vonna Laue (Dec. 3, 2024)   What’s not to like about a “lessons” book? By my count, I have reviewed dozens of books with "lessons" in the title or subtitle. (Examples: Maxwell, Drucker, San Quentin, Pope John Paul II, Panera, Mayo Clinic, and many more.)   Ready for more life lessons? Where do you land on this continuum? I WANT TO KNOW NOW...............GLAD I DIDN'T KNOW Before this week…you’d find me in the “I Want to Know Now” camp. Now 32 powerful first-person stories later, I’m a fully devoted convert to the “Glad I Didn’t Know” spiritual principles that ooze out of Vonna Laue’s life lessons book. This book may change your mind (and your heart). JIM WEST (Chapter 22), cofounder of The Barnabas Group, was grateful he didn’t know—in advance—that after seeing a throat cancer doctor in 2022, the physician would urge him to go home and prepare his will and estate. “I am glad I didn’t know that God had this speed bump in front of me,” Jim writes in this stunning chapter.  West says he prayed Joshua 1:9 hundreds of times each week—“a Bible verse I had often heard came alive for me”—while lying in the radiation tube about 45 minutes per session for 35 sessions (not a typo!). He lists four life lessons, including this: “…when people ask me what I could have done to better prepare myself for the battle,” he responds, “Memorize Scripture ahead of time.”  The book’s format is brilliant—and each short chapter is perfect for spotlighting at your weekly staff meetings in 2025. Leverage the simple outline: a first-person account, followed by “Glad I Didn’t Know” thoughts, then “Life Lessons,” then three “Questions to Consider,” and a Bible verse. (The Scriptures are powerful.) LARRY PROBUS (Chapter 9) describes being a new Christian and wrestling with the Lord about leaving his business career to become the CFO at World Vision US. He had read a biography about Mother Teresa and in the mid-90s while on a business trip in India, he met Mother Teresa. She asked him, “Tell me why you are in my country?” Probus sheepishly responded with a very general “we are here on business.” (He did not want to reveal his purpose: to find a distributor for his company’s whiskey brand!) But the contrast of his agenda versus Mother Teresa’s calling was stark. (This is one of my 32 favorite chapters!) Fast forward. Rich Stearns, president of WVUS at the time, invited Probus to become their CFO. Still wrestling one morning—even though his wife was onboard with the opportunity—he finally said yes. Why? When commuting to work that day, “a new billboard appeared on my daily route with a picture of Mother Teresa—and the words, ‘Reaching Beyond Yourself. Compassion. Pass it On.” He called his wife and said, “I give up. I think God is telling us we should do this.” (And LOL: Some years back, Larry Probus told me he suspected that Rich Stearns had put up that billboard!) GLAD I DIDN’T KNOW features 16 riveting stories from women and men who have faced incredible challenges—yet unexpected blessings. Plus, author Vonna Laue, a CPA and consultant who specializes in the nonprofit space, weaves her own 16 stunning stories (stunning!) into this soul-grabbing book.  Rich Stearns, also the author of The Hole in Our Gospel, endorses this book: “Glad I Didn’t Know will life your spirits, make you laugh, and encourage to let go of your fears and entrust them to Jesus. You’ll want to read it at least twice—and maybe twice a year.” I agree! This is also the perfect book to read unhurriedly on weekends (two or three chapters every weekend). What? LAUGH about life challenges? Yes! Vonna Laue, somehow, sees the humor in her challenging personal stories and God’s touch (Chapter 1: “Quit a Job, Flood a House, Lose a Parent,” and Chapter 21, “You’re Fired!”). Her transparency is as memorable as her humor.    • While caring for her mother in the hospital for a month, she also cared for her mom’s five chickens, four horses, three cats, and two dogs. “Though, by the time I was done, there were only four chickens. Don’t ask.”    • When Vonna and her husband informed their two daughters (eight and four at the time), they were moving from Colorado to California, the oldest was upset and “left a note on our pillow that we were not allowed to move her to California and signed it, ‘The FBI.’” The four-year-old’s response? She started packing! “LOST, LONELY, BROKE!” Edgar Sandoval Sr.’s story is featured in Chapter 3. You’ll see how his background prepared him uniquely for his current day job: president and CEO of World Vision US. “His own experience with hardship came at age 18, when he returned alone to the U.S. with only $50 in his pocket.” The verse for this story: Proverbs 3:5-6. FRANCIS CHAN’S ROPE. In Chapter 15, “Gone Too Soon,” Laue shares the very sad story about her brother-in-law’s passing at age 42. She writes, “I’m glad I didn’t know that planning a funeral is like planning a wedding in four days…” One of her “lessons learned” features the poignant Francis Chan video with a long rope (aka “eternity”). View the video here: Vonna Laue suggests you view this picture of today versus eternity in this sermon clip from Francis Chan (3.5 minutes). CHIP WATKINS. In Chapter 19, Chip Watkins shares that he’s glad he didn’t know that his son, Mark, would die unexpectedly in 2015. If he had known, he reflects, “How you might dread the passing of each day, knowing you are one day closer to the death of your beloved!?” He adds, “With that in mind, I believe God is gracious and merciful in withholding this kind of exact knowledge from us. He gives us grace to walk with Him each day, day after day.” One lesson learned: “Grieve well.” Watkins writes about remembering. “We have a leather jacket he once wore and that I occasionally wear. His brother now owns the car that once belonged to Mark.” This prompted me to remember the clip at the end of the documentary, “It All Begins With a Song” (start at 1 hour, 6 minutes in) on the writing of “I Drive Your Truck.”   MORE FAVORITE STORIES. Did I mention…my 32 favorite stories? Oh, my. • LAURA WHITLEY’s story in Chapter 28, “Caring for Family,” prompted an out-loud “WOW!” when I read her soul-touching narrative about her father, a Marine, who shared the Marine motto: “The difficult we do immediately, the impossible takes a little longer.” You will not forget this story or the verse: Deuteronomy 31:8. (Note: Several very meaningful song lyrics are featured in these stories. Chapter 28 sent me back to a favorite of mine: “When I Go Home.”) •  HEY, DAD! Follow JOHN REYNOLDS in his fast-rising career in South Africa, “with a macho roar, a sporty new Porsche convertible pulled up next to us.” His six-year-old son then asked, “Is that your next company car, Dad?” Read how that question changed the trajectory of his life.  • “HERO COMPLEX.” One of two “name withheld” chapters, “Painful Realizations” recounts how a public health researcher living abroad has learned to “lay aside pride and the role I thought I should play in the Kingdom.” She faced down her “hero complex,” but notes, “It was surely an exhausting way to learn humility, but I am so much better off for it.” • JERRY WHITE writes in “From Military to Missions,” Chapter 24, “I am glad I did not fully know the tensions in the work that I would face.” White served as president of The Navigators for 15 years. “Part of not knowing opened an avenue of trust and faith that no strategic plan could achieve.” Read why, “Suddenly, I was not a PhD, general, and president. I was a broken, hurting parent and follower of Jesus. A friend, not just their leader.” (Read Mary White’s account of the tragedy they faced.) • BOARD SERVICE? I especially appreciate Vonna Laue’s chapter on being invited to serve on the board of World Vision US. She wondered if she would fit in. Around the table “there was a former governor, a CFO of a major US corporation, leaders of national and international ministries, PhDs and MDs, and, and . . . you get the picture.” Today she serves as board chair!  She asks readers this question: “Is there any place you are holding back because you don’t believe you are _____ enough?” (Fill in the blank: good enough, smart enough, connected enough…) WHEW! I don’t have room to share Stan Reiff’s story (“God Will Never…”) or the two questions his girlfriend (now his wife) asked him. This is my favorite chapter (along with the 31 other stories!) Order two books: one for you and one for a special friend or family member. TO ORDER FROM AMAZON, click on the title for Glad I Didn’t Know: Lessons Learned Through Life’s Challenges and Unexpected Blessings, by Vonna Laue. And thanks to the author for sending me a review copy.   YOUR WEEKLY STAFF MEETING QUESTIONS: 1) Vonna Laue urges you to create your own “Glad I Didn’t Know” list that highlights your challenges and unexpected blessings. I’d suggest you title this, “Chapter 33” and list a favorite Bible verse that gives you comfort in the hard times. See also my review of When Kingdom Light Shines with this suggestion: After you’ve read all 60 short stories (or featured four or five stories at future weekly staff meetings), then host a gathering and call it, “Chapter 61.” 2) Review the Scripture verses highlighted in each chapter and keep them handy (see Jim West's story above). You, or a friend or family member, may need them. Memorize this one: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9) UP NEXT! Watch for my review of “Christmas Gift Idea #3”—The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War, by Ben Macintyre. “The best true spy story I have ever read,” wrote John Le Carré.        Mastering 100 Must-Read Books Part 18: The Final Four Book #100 of 100:  Experiencing God For your team meeting this week, inspire a team member to lead your “10 Minutes for Lifelong Learning” session by featuring Book #100 in Mastering 100 Must-Read Books. (Yes! This is the final book in the series. Stay tuned for a new series in the next issue of Your Weekly Staff Meeting.) Experiencing God (2021 Edition):  Knowing and Doing the Will of God by Henry Blackaby (1935-2024), Richard Blackaby, and Claude King   Books #97 through #100 spotlight “the final four” books in this recommended volume of 100 must-read books. The authors write, “If Balaam lived in our formula-driven day, perhaps he would have written a book, Donkeys for Dummies…”     • Order from Amazon.     • Listen on Libro (11 hours, 3 minutes). Note: This audio version is from the 2009 book revision.     • Download the 100 Must-Read Books list (from John and Jason Pearson). “Please Cancel My Request!” In Mark 2, when the four entrepreneurial friends of the paraplegic man brought their friend to Jesus for healing, Jesus—instead—forgave the man’s sins. Meditating on that passage prompted Henry Blackaby to weep and pray, “O God, if I ever give You a request and You have more to give me than I am asking, please cancel my request!”   CLICK HERE FOR BOOKS BY JOHN        MORE RESOURCES: • BLOG: Pails in Comparison • SUBSCRIBE: Your Weekly Staff Meeting eNews • JOHN'S BOOK REVIEWS: on Amazon  • WEBSITE:  Management Buckets • BLOG: Governance of Christ-Centered Organizations IMPORTANT NOTICE! Effective Oct. 1, 2025, all 657 eNews issues, previously archived on Typepad.com are slowly (!) being moved to a new website here. New book reviews will also be archived at John Pearson’s Buckets Blog. Or, click here for John’s recent book reviews on Amazon.