Illuminate - Part 3

 

Issue No. 370 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting (Oct. 11, 2017) highlights two books that deepen our understanding on how to leverage defining moments to produce memorable results. And this reminder: click here to download free resources from the 20 management buckets (core competencies). TrendSpotting: The Power of Moments (Part 3) This is the third (and final) installment on the phenomenal book, Illuminate: Ignite Change Through Speeches, Stories, Ceremonies, and Symbols. (See Part 1 and Part 2.) The Illuminate authors say that movements follow a story structure with five actions:    • Dream (the moment of inspiration)    • Leap (the moment of decision)    • Fight (the moment of bravery)    • Climb (the moment of endurance)    • Arrive (the moment of reflection) So...what fun...to compare and contrast Illuminate with a hot-off-the-press book (Oct. 3, 2017) by best-selling authors, Chip Heath and Dan Heath, The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact. And, since I’ve begun delegating my reading (as all leaders should do), once again I’ve asked my son, Jason Pearson, to have a conversation with me on both of these fascinating books. Jason: As you know, I’m a listener (not a reader), and from the get-go, the Heath brothers on audio captivated my interest. (Why don’t all books do that?) The Power of Moments opens with this amazing story—an epiphany that changed the trajectory of young lives in a Houston charter school.  They designed a defining moment, the “Senior Signing Day,” much like the ESPN Signing Day TV broadcast which annually features the college-pick announcements from high school athletes. More than 450 friends and family attended the first signing day event at YES Prep (great name!). And get this—six years later, more than 5,000 people jammed a college basketball arena to watch 126 charter school seniors announce their college selections! John: That reminded me of how the book Illuminate uses ceremonies to drive home a big point. And by the way, I’m a reader, but I’m also a listener. I know we both inspire our clients to be trendspotters—and here’s a trend. Illuminate has five stages: Dream, Leap, Fight, Climb, and Arrive. Similarly, The Power of Moments says that defining moments are the result of one or more of four elements: Elevation, Insight, Pride, and Connection. So…if you dig deeper on “Climb (the moment of endurance),” you’ll find similarities with “Elevation,” like the moment onstage for graduating seniors. And, by the way, is this the moment when I mention another book? Back in 2007, you might remember that many leaders read Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, also by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. The Power of Moments aligns nicely with their “sticky” messaging, like this “Plan A” or “Plan B” question: When President John F. Kennedy was ready to announce a big idea, which statement was stickier?  [  ] Plan A: “Our mission is to become the international leader in the space industry through maximum team-centered innovation and strategically targeted aerospace initiatives.”  [   ] Plan B: “We will put a man on the moon and return him safely by 1970.” Jason: Uh, Plan B? Of course, ceremonies can be simple—especially if they help people draw a line in the sand. Illuminate talks about a new Boeing CEO who inherited major tensions between management and disgruntled employees. After a series of listening sessions, he hosted a dinner at his home. I’m quoting: “After the meal, the group gathered outside around a giant fire pit and told stories about Boeing. They wrote down the stories, keeping the inspiring ones and tossing the negative ones into the flames to banish the memory of them.” John: Sounds like the Boeing CEO had a defining moment, previously, around a Friday night campfire at Bible camp! Jason: You recommend way too many books, but I predict The Power of Moments might be your 2017 book-of-the-year. Our clients are pretty good at creating defining moments—but this book will help them dramatically push the barriers out and create “peak” experiences. The Heath brothers note, “Peaks don’t emerge naturally. They must be built.”  And they explain that those memorable defining moments (like—remembering a class you took 20 years ago) are possible by structuring both the art and the science of powerful moments. There’s nothing like this book. John: A good day—for me—is when a book inspires someone else. Nice! And just imagine…if more schools, churches, organizations and companies would focus on creating defining moments. And by the way, nice work—Jason—on connecting the book, Invisible Neighbors, by John Ashmen, to the Oct. 20 premiere of the movie, Same Kind of Different as Me. To order from Amazon, click on the title for  [  ] Illuminate: Ignite Change Through Speeches, Stories, Ceremonies, and Symbols, by Nancy Duarte and Patti Sanchez [  ] The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact, by Chip Heath and Dan Heath       Your Weekly Staff Meeting Questions: 1) The Illuminate authors note Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount was a “Leap” message (the moment of decision)—inspiring people to operate under the rules of God’s eternal kingdom, not the world’s way. What is your organization’s “Leap” message—and does it prompt a moment of decision? 2) The Power of Moments describes how John Deere turned an employee’s first day on the job into a memorable experience versus a fill-out-the-forms snoozer day. What is the most powerful moment you’ve had at work this year? Why? Silence in the Meetings Bucket! Insights from the new Mastering the Management Buckets Workbook In his color commentary intro to the Meetings Bucket chapter of the new workbook, Jason notes that Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos begins every team meeting with up to 30 minutes of silence. Team members read and digest the printed memos in total silence—so everyone is well prepared to engage in the discussion. (Read more here and thanks to Chip Watkins, reader and trendspotter, for sharing this.) We've just published the second edition of Mastering the Management Buckets Workbook: Management Tools, Templates, and Tips From John Pearson (A Pearpod Resource). Created by John Pearson, it also includes color commentaries by Jason Pearson. To order from Amazon, click on the title for Mastering the Management Buckets Workbook. For more resources, visit the 20 management buckets here. And if you have not read the Buckets book, click below to order from Amazon. MORE STUFF! • 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 • PODCAST: John Pearson's Buckets Podcast  ECFA BLOG on “Governance of Christ-centered Organizations” – Add your thoughts and comments to John Pearson’s 2017 series on Max De Pree's book, Called to Serve. Read the 30th blog, "No Board Detail Is Too Small."  This post also includes an index (and links) to all 30 blogs in the series.

Illuminate - Part 2

 

Issue No. 369 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting (Sept. 27, 2017) features a case study on Chick-fil-A’s venture into an innovation center—and a conversation with Jason Pearson on breaking stuff! And this reminder: click here to download free resources from the 20 management buckets (core competencies). Break Stuff and Get Messy! (Part 2 of 3) As I reported in the last issue (click here), I’ve waited all year to launch a series of reviews on one phenomenal book. Meet my new best friend, Illuminate: Ignite Change Through Speeches, Stories, Ceremonies, and Symbols. The authors say that movements follow a story structure with five actions:    • Dream (the moment of inspiration)    • Leap (the moment of decision)    • Fight (the moment of bravery)    • Climb (the moment of endurance)    • Arrive (the moment of reflection) The case studies (and mini-stories) are stunning. So I’ve asked my son, Jason, to have a conversation with me on these five transformational phases for effective movements. John: Leaders will resonate with the Chick-fil-A case study—but warning: it’s bold and messy—and stuff gets broken! Jason: But with messy, you get innovation, right? Chick-fil-A leaders had always inspired a “culture of continual improvement,” but not necessarily innovation, according to Illuminate. Imagine this: their first mall restaurant opened in 1967, but by the mid-1980s they anticipated the decline of malls—and moved out. (That was foresight, right Macy’s?) John: Right, but the company had this “don’t mess it up” culture—and risk and failure were avoided at all costs. (We know organizations like this—and it’s not pretty.) So I was impressed that in 2008, Chick-fil-A leaders traveled the country to visit leading innovation centers like Lucasfilm, Pixar, Google, Stanford d.school, and Hewlett-Packard. And you know me—any chance I get, I’ll mention another book. Pixar is mentioned in this fun, short-reading book about failing quickly: Little Bets: How Breakthrough Ideas Emerge From Small Discoveries, by Peter Sims.   Jason: Great book! But…back to Chick-fil-A…and as you mentioned, their travels convinced them to build a large innovation center. And get this great name—Hatch. John: I love it. Let me quote from Illuminate: “Leadership needed to convey to employees that it’s okay to try new things at Hatch. Instead of a traditional ribbon-cutting ceremony, the VP of design and construction stood on a lift fifteen feet in the air and dropped three paint-filled eggshells onto the floor. The ceremonial act was a dramatic statement that Hatch was a different work environment, where people could, and should, be breaking things, taking risks, and getting messy in the pursuit of innovation.” Jason: And it gets better—even though their corporate culture salutes suits and ties, Hatch is messy. And so after the speeches that first day, “more than 250 staff members threw paint-filled eggs onto canvases, which now hang in the reception lobby as art pieces.”  John: Brilliant—and the physical act of breaking something created a powerful moment and memory.  Jason: But you don’t need to dedicate a new building for innovation—just to get “messy,” right? John: Exactly. It’s a mindset. It’s a culture. It’s a fork-in-the-road leadership decision about the safe way—or the innovative way. But remember what Peter Drucker said: "People who don’t take risks  generally make about two big mistakes a year. People who do take risks  generally make about two big mistakes a year." Jason: Preach it! I appreciate a comment in this Illuminate case study from Steve Nedvidek, who is Hatch’s innovation specialist. He said, “The executive committee, especially Dan Cathy, had our backs. Executive commitment took the fear of failure away.” John: That’s rare. Really rare. So…how about lunch at Chick-fil-A? To order from Amazon, click on the title for Illuminate: Ignite Change Through Speeches, Stories, Ceremonies, and Symbols, by Nancy Duarte and Patti Sanchez.  Your Weekly Staff Meeting Questions: 1) The Illuminate authors note that innovation, in reality, was started with Chick-fil-A's first restaurant in 1946. “Truett [Cathy]’s innovation lab was his first restaurant.” So where is your organization’s innovation lab? 2) Where is your organization today: Dream, Leap, Fight, Climb, or Arrive? To ignite change, should you be using speeches, stories, ceremonies, or symbols? What team should read Illuminate this week? New Buckets Workbook! Insights from the new Mastering the Management Buckets Workbook (2nd Edition) Here's the latest edition of Mastering the Management Buckets Workbook: Management Tools, Templates, and Tips From John Pearson (A Pearpod Resource). Created by John Pearson, it also includes color commentary by Jason Pearson. With 232 pages, in a helpful workbook format, this resource includes worksheets for each of the 20 management buckets (core competencies), plus an appendix with more than 400 leadership and management books and resources, all categorized within the 20 buckets. It’s perfect for a team to study together, but also works for individual study. Some leaders and managers are working through the 20 buckets in 20 days, 20 weeks, 20 months, or 20 years (if you’re young enough!) To order from Amazon, click on the title for Mastering the Management Buckets Workbook: Management Tools, Templates, and Tips From John Pearson (A Pearpod Resource). The workbook includes new material, not previously offered in the two-day Management Buckets workshop. Example: read the commentary on The Results Bucket and learn why Fred Smith, Sr. quoted a friend on the difference between activity and results, who said, “Please show me the baby and don’t tell me about the labor pains.” For more resources, visit the 20 management buckets here. And if you have not read the Buckets book, click below to order from Amazon.  NOTICE! Effective Oct. 1, 2025, all 657 eNews issues, previously archived on Typepad.com are slowly (!) being moved to this blogsite MORE STUFF! • 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 • PODCAST: John Pearson's Buckets Podcast ECFA BLOG on “Governance of Christ-centered Organizations” – Add your thoughts and comments to John Pearson’s 2017 series on Max De Pree's book, Called to Serve. Read the 28th blog, "Don't Neglect Your CEO's Growth."

Next Level Leader

 

Issue No. 687 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting (July 24, 2026) wonders if you’re a “Next Level Leader”—and what’s your default coaching style? Didactic or Socratic? Plus, click here for back issues posted at the new location for John Pearson’s Buckets Blog, including my “cancel your staff meeting” ideas for this month—with 15 podcasts and 15 pop quizzes. And click here to download four lists of books I’ve reviewed over the last 20 years. What’s your default coaching style? Socratic coaching or didactic coaching?  (Graphic: ChatGPT)   Are You Managing or Coaching? Here’s another hot contender for my 2026 book-of-the-year, but—oh, my—where do I start? When reading a book, I often write a Big “S” on a page that is perfect for starting my review. But Big Problem: I’ve made four Big “S” notations for:   Next Level Leader:  Beyond Manager. Beyond Coach. A New Leadership Paradigm  for Mission-Driven Organizations by Chris Lambert (July 13, 2026)   BIG “S” #1. “A direct support makes a mistake.” (Note: Chris Lambert is very precise with language. “Just as we refer to those in leadership positions as coaches rather than managers, we refer to those they lead as ‘direct supports’ rather than ‘direct reports.’”) The problem: “David sends an email to a major donor with incorrect information. The donor is confused and offended, and calls you directly.” How do you coach your direct support?    • The Didactic Response: “David, you can’t make mistakes like this with our major donors. From now on, I need to review every major donor email before it goes out. This is unacceptable.”    • The Socratic Response: “David, I need to talk with you about the email you sent to that donor. Can you walk me through what happened?”  Note: read the three scenarios on “Practical Coaching in Action” and the five additional questions the coach asked David—without interrupting! (Chapter 7 on the “Socratic Coach” is worth the price of the book X 100. Honest!) BIG “S” #2. “The Problem with Didactic Leadership.” The author, who also wrote Next Level Nonprofit (read my review), lists five problems “when we default to telling instead of asking.”    1. Our teams stop thinking for themselves.    2. We become the bottleneck.    3. Our team doesn’t develop capacity.    4. Dependency increases.    5. We can’t scale. On the bottleneck problem, Lambert adds, “Every decision has to go through us. Every problem lands on our desks. We’re working sixty-hour weeks while our team works forty, and we resent it—but we created this dynamic.” BIG “S” #3. “Cozy Culture or Thriving Culture?” The author wrote this book for nonprofits. “Instead of writing a business book that nonprofit leaders can adapt, I’ve written a nonprofit book that business leaders can’t afford to ignore.” You’ll immediately begin using the 2x2 matrix on page 57 on the “Four Leadership Cultures” addressing Affirmation and Challenge. Brilliant!    • Low Challenge, Low Affirmation: “Apathetic Culture”    • High Challenge, Low Affirmation: “Stressed Culture”    • Low Challenge, High Affirmation: “Cozy Culture”    • High Challenge, High Affirmation: “Thriving Culture” And get this! Every 90 days, Lambert pulls out the “Affirmation/Challenge Matrix” during his quarterly one-on-ones and invites his direct supports to score him honestly. “Where was I on each axis over the past quarter?” He asks for specific ratings (from +5 to -5) and to be “completely candid.” (Yikes! The author shares his ratings!) “Culture is revealed under pressure—when deadlines are looming, when stress is high, and when leaders feel the urge to step in and fix what isn’t working.” So how do you respond when a stressed team member gives you bad news? The cozy culture response sounds like this: “Don’t worry about it. I’ll take it from here. You focus on your other work. I’ll get this done.”  Lambert then sticks the knife in: “You’ve rescued your direct support by shouldering the challenge yourself. It feels kind in the moment. But here’s what actually happened: You solved the immediate problem, they felt relieved, and you just reinforced that when things get hard, you’ll swoop in to save them. Next time they’re overwhelmed, they’ll come straight to you again. You didn’t coach them, you comforted them.” BIG “S” #4. “Culture & Capacity Assessment.” Noting the bus metaphor by Jim Collins, Lambert delivers a brilliant chart. “While culture fit answers who belongs on the bus, capacity fit answers where they belong.” (Good news: maybe you don’t need to fire that employee. Read Chapter 4, “Right People, Right Seats.”) This is simple—and revealing. List your Culture values and Capacity criteria across the top of the chart. Then list your direct supports in the left hand column. Color-code performance for each person in all six categories: Green, Yellow, or Red. Lambert uses these categories:      CULTURE (Right Person)      • Community First      • Always Find a Way      • Bold Humility      CAPACITY (Right Seat)      • Understands what the job requires.      • Committed to passionately do everything the job requires.      • Has all abilities necessary to do the job with excellence. What if there are too many yellow and red scores? Read this chapter and learn why the right kind of coaching might help a team member. But if needed, read the five-point outline for a dismissal conversation, including #2: “We let the Culture & Capacity Assessment do the talking.” “Constrained by Unhealthy Leadership Systems.” In the foreword, Jim Brown, author of the new book, The Imperfect CEO (read my review), adds this wisdom: “Many nonprofits are fueled by noble purpose but constrained by unhealthy leadership systems. The mission is worthy. The team cares deeply. The vision inspires. Yet somewhere along the way, exhaustion replaces energy, confusion weakens execution, accountability becomes inconsistent, and leaders find themselves carrying burdens they were never meant to bear alone.”   Did I mention? Next Level Leader is in the running for 2026 book-of-the-year. In just 136 pages, plus “Coaching Calendar Templates” and info on the Next Level Leader certification program, you’ll keep this book close—and buy copies for others. It’s the perfect book for your next senior team retreat: 12 short chapters and convicting questions at the end of every chapter. Example: “Who is one person on your team who is capable of more than you’ve been allowing them to do? What would it look like to start developing them instead of directing them—and what’s one conversation you could have with them this week?” But this caveat: is Socratic Coaching for everyone—every time? I sensed that Lambert chuckled when he wrote this: “Let’s be honest. There are moments when Socratic coaching is incredibly frustrating—when asking questions feels inefficient, exhausting, or pointless. I can almost picture Socrates himself occasionally wanted to scream, ‘This is how you should do it!’” LOL! TO ORDER FROM AMAZON, click on the title for Next Level Leader: Beyond Manager. Beyond Coach. A New Leadership Paradigm for Mission-Driven Organizations, by Chris Lambert. Listen on Libro (4 hours, 41 minutes).     View the new series, John Pearson's Buckets Podcast, with AI-generated summaries of John's book reviews, including Podcast #16, "Mastering the Weekly Meeting," a 7-minute chapter from Chris Lambert's book, Next Level Nonprofit.   YOUR WEEKLY STAFF MEETING QUESTIONS: 1) Chris Lambert notes that “Most people have never been asked these questions by their managers:      • “What kind of work makes time disappear for you?”      • “And what kind of work leaves you feeling more alive at the end of the day than when you started?” (Note: Lambert loves the Working Genius assessment.) How would you answer these questions? 2) Pop Quiz! Describe how the following coaches would define success: Traditional Manager, Sports Coach, Executive Coach, and Next Level Leader. (Answers: page 23.) 3) Think of a new team member. What kind of coaching do they need?       • I do, you watch.      • I do, you help.      • You do, I help.      • You do, I watch. (Answers: Chapter 10, “One Size Fits None.”) BONUS! Visit the Pails in Comparison Blog for a list of 27 coaching books (soon to be 28!).       SECOND READS: Fresh Solutions From Classic Books You have changed—and your problems have changed—since you read this the first time! Book #55 of 99: The Minister’s MBA For your team meeting this week, inspire a team member to lead your “10 Minutes for Lifelong Learning” session by featuring Book #55 of 99 in our series, “Second Reads.” The big idea: REREAD TO LEAD! Discover how your favorite books (and articles) still have more to teach you and the people you’re coaching and mentoring. The Minister's MBA: Essential Business Tools for Maximum Ministry Success by Michael Zigarelli and George Babbes (Sept. 1, 2006)   The authors quote Charles Kettering with this poignant reminder for churches and organizations, “If you have always done it that way, it is probably wrong.” Ouch!    • Read my review (Issue No. 9, Oct. 30, 2006)     • Order from Amazon.    • Management Bucket #15 of 20: The Budget Bucket. Most of my readers are long past the so-called divide between sacred and secular (which is not biblical), especially as it relates to ensuring effectiveness in ministry. Should churches use “Madison Avenue” techniques to “market” to their communities? This book quotes A.W. Tozer, “It is not what a man does that determines whether his work is sacred or secular, it is why he does it. The motive is everything.” The book features 12 “courses” (chapters) including: your mission, creating a high performance DNA, retaining great people, leading with shrewd stewardship, and how to use the balanced scorecard for measuring strategy.  The “Strategy Map” chapter is excellent and every pastor, staff member, and key church volunteer must read it. You’ll learn how to get beyond lagging indicators (past performance) and onto leading indicators like member satisfaction (where you’re headed).  AND...OH, MY! You must view this 7-minute video by Professor Zigarelli from 2014, "The Case of Marsha and The Apprentice."   CLICK HERE FOR BOOKS BY JOHN      For more on the Budget Bucket, read Chapter 15 in Mastering the Management Buckets Workbook, and why you must budget for an annual surplus and a growing reserve. Also read Mistake #6 in The 8 Big Mistakes book—“Encumbering Your CEO  With 25 Annual Goals!” NOTICE! As of Oct. 1, 2025, all 657 eNews issues archived on Typepad.com are slowly (!) being moved to this blogsite. The Imperfect CEO LISTEN TO the AI-generated summary (7 min.) of John’s review of the new book, The Imperfect CEO: Making the Climb to Organizational Health, by Jim Brown. (Read John's review.) 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 • John Pearson's Buckets Podcast "Little Is Much" Do you know the “rest of the story” about a powerful hymn written in 1924—but still reverberating today? Listen to the podcast, “Little Is Much When God Is in It—The rest of the story!” Read more here and see more reviews at the Pails in Comparison Blog.

Illuminate

 

Issue No. 368 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting (Sept. 13, 2017) oozes over a powerful book detailing when to use speeches, stories, ceremonies, or symbols. And this reminder: click here to download free resources from the 20 management buckets (core competencies). Illuminate highlights Airbnb’s beginnings, when cofounders Joe Gebbia and Brian Chesky responded to a hotel room shortage in San Francisco. Yes...an air mattress! Movements Follow a Story Structure (Part 1 of 3) I’ve waited all year to launch this fall series of reviews on one phenomenal book. Today’s the day. Meet my new best friend, Illuminate: Ignite Change Through Speeches, Stories, Ceremonies, and Symbols. Really. Start with the 10 case studies—compelling/memorable—guaranteed to keep you off your $1,000 iPhone. Next, the gorgeous fold-out book summary—bound between pages 58 and 59. And the big idea: “Movements follow a story structure.” And here’s the structure—five actions:    • Dream (the moment of inspiration)    • Leap (the moment of decision)    • Fight (the moment of bravery)    • Climb (the moment of endurance)    • Arrive (the moment of reflection) The authors, Nancy Duarte and Patti Sanchez, have shared their firm’s trade secrets and they didn’t hold back: 321 pages of inspiration, how-to, more inspiration, more how-to, and practical detail and head-nodding context—with dozens and dozens of delicious aha! moments. Here’s what struck me—immediately. My old school approach (30 years as a CEO):     • Identify a problem, crisis, or opportunity.    • Leverage my intuition and best practices portfolio.    • I like to write—so leverage my writing tools. (Others, I noticed, like to speak—so they leveraged their oratory to warn or inspire the troops.)     • Apply my preferred tools to the situation.    • Done! Guess what? It didn’t work that often. But there’s still hope for you. The book’s “Communication Toolkit” tutors leaders and managers across a fascinating array of tools and action steps. Much like Ecclesiastes 3, there is a season for everything. “There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth…” (MSG). Example: Picture a five-column grid and column headings of Dream, Leap, Fight, Climb, and Arrive. Then visualize four horizontal rows: Speeches, Stories, Ceremonies, and Symbols.  When should leaders use stories versus ceremonies? When you’re in “Fight” mode, you have two options: “Overcome the Enemy Story” or pull out your “Come From Behind Story.” But maybe…a speech would be more appropriate—like the “Underdog Speech.” Whew! It’s all here—a toolkit, the science, the nuances, and the rich non-technical content. I’ve never, ever read a book like it. You may already employ some of these methodologies, but perhaps driven more by the coolness factor rather than a 30,000-foot intentionality. The case studies (and mini-stories) are stunning. Example: Illuminate highlights Airbnb’s beginnings, when cofounders Joe Gebbia and Brian Chesky responded to a hotel room shortage in San Francisco: “Brian and I both quit our jobs to become entrepreneurs…[but just then] our rent went up and suddenly we found ourselves unable to afford our apartment…. That same weekend a design conference was coming to San Francisco that was so big all the hotels had sold out in the city…. We started to think creatively: What if we were able to blow up an air mattress, put it in our living room, and rent it out to designers who need a place to stay for the conference? We could go so far as to cook them breakfast, and by the end of the night we had this concept called Airbed and Breakfast…. Within 24 hours…we had people who started writing us from all over the world who wanted to stay in our living room. We made a thousand dollars and they saved our apartment.” In the Executive Summary (available here, along with videos), the authors warn: “Change Is Critical.” They add, “Businesses can choose to embrace change or ignore it—but they cannot stop it. When a company chooses not to change, the industry simply evolves past it. To thrive, organizations must continually reinvent themselves by imagining and implementing new initiatives.” Then this: “40% of newly created companies last less than 10 years.” “50% of Fortune 500 companies will be replaced by new companies in 59 years or less.” Is your mission/movement/cause stalled, plateaued, or declining? This book will help.  Next Week (Part 2 of 3):  the first of five transformational phases for effective movements.   To order from Amazon, click on the title for Illuminate: Ignite Change Through Speeches, Stories, Ceremonies, and Symbols, by Nancy Duarte and Patti Sanchez. (And thanks to David Russell at MANAGEtoWIN for recommending this book!) Your Weekly Staff Meeting Questions: 1) Did you know that when Meg Whitman was CEO at HP, she removed the “Executives Only” entrance? Did you know that Starbucks uses lower case letters for all employee titles, including the “ceo” title? What culture missteps are obstacles to your organization’s health and growth? 2) The Illuminate authors recommend using “warning” communiques to help people get unstuck. “This is no time for spin—be honest. Fight inertia by tackling the FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) that easily saps your travelers’ courage.” How do you move team members from stuck to unstuck? Trumpet Tribal Stories Insights from Mastering the Management Buckets: 20 Critical Competencies for Leading Your Business or Nonprofit The Hoopla! Bucket in Mastering the Management Buckets challenges leaders to “harness the power of hoopla! for celebration, recreation, intentional food and fellowship gatherings, and just plain fun.”  Max De Pree (1924-2017) wrote this in his business classic, Leadership Is an Art: “One of the important things leaders need to learn is to recognize the signals of impending deterioration.” He kept a list and observed that leaders, especially in large organizations, fail to see the signs of entropy, including: 1) a tendency toward superficiality; 2) no longer having time for celebration and ritual; 3) a growing feeling that rewards and goals are the same thing; 4) when people stop telling tribal stories or cannot understand them; and 5) when problem-makers outnumber problem-solvers.  His list was longer—but you get the idea. For more resources on hoopla!, including a link to Dennis Bakke's “Water Cooler Wisdom Posters,” visit the Hoopla! Bucket webpage. MORE STUFF! • 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 • PODCAST: John Pearson's Buckets Podcast  ECFA BLOG on “Governance of Christ-centered Organizations” – Add your thoughts and comments to John Pearson’s 2017 series on Max De Pree's book, Called to Serve. Read the 26th blog,"The Error of Leadership Indifference."

The Cubs Way

Issue No. 364 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting (July 13, 2017) lists10 big management morsels I gleaned (out of 54 nominees) from a stunning book: how a leader and a manager turned around the losing tradition of the Chicago Cubs. Amazing. And this reminder: click here to download free resources from the 20 management buckets (core competencies). Recalibrate in 17 Minutes Tuesday night at Major League Baseball’s All-Star game, Chicago Cubs Manager Joe Maddon led the National League’s elites to a narrow loss, 2 to 1, in an extra-inning pitchers battle. (You think your job is challenging? Imagine trying to coalesce big egos and big bats into one harmonious team in less than 24 hours.) According to author/sports writer Tom Verducci, Maddon is “the Johnny Appleseed of aphorisms.” On the first day of the Chicago Cubs’ 2016 spring training camp, Maddon delivered his first of three “annual meetings” speeches to the players—and his pithy observations were boiled down to six points (#1: “Embrace the target.”), two key words—Expectations and Pressure—and then six more one-liners, including “Do simple better” and “The process simplifies the task.” Time-out! Wait-a-minute! Is this a baseball book—or a management book? Yes…and it’s already on my Top-10 list for 2017, and just might be my Book-of-the-Year pick. It’s amazing—and I’ve already shipped copies to two friends. (And thanks to Dan Busby, who recommended this book.) The Cubs Way: The Zen of Building the Best Team in Baseball and Breaking the Curse, by Tom Verducci, senior baseball writer for Sports Illustrated, is 375 pages of leadership/management savvy, page-turning drama, and behind-the-scenes sports innovations. Are you trying to change the culture in your organization? Imagine arriving as president of Cubs baseball operations in 2012 (and enduring a 101-loss season), keeping fans engaged during the building process, then hiring a new manager in 2015—and WHACK!—in 2016, the Cubs win their first World Series since 1908! Did I mention that the instant-classic-of-a-series with Cleveland culminated in a sudden death Game 7 in Cleveland on November 2, 2016? Cubs win! Cubs win! Cubs win! (Did I mention it was also my birthday?) OK…slight conflict of interest. I’m a Cubs fan. I endured 21 winters in the Chicago area, but enjoyed numerous summer afternoon baseball games at Wrigley Field, nicknamed "The Friendly Confines", a phrase popularized by "Mr. Cub", Hall of Fame shortstop and first baseman Ernie Banks (“Let’s play two!”). Read George Wills' book on Wrigley Field.   But trust me—whether you’re a baseball fan or not, whether you’re a Cubs fan or not, you’ll love this book—if you have any inclination to enrich your leadership and management style. So…back to Maddon’s speech in 2016. His iPad notes also included three favorite leadership quotes:    • “Change before you have to.” (Jack Welch)    • “Wisdom is the reward for a lifetime of listening when you would have preferred to talk.” (Doug Larson)    • “Communication creates collaboration. Big ears are better than big egos. When you’re not listening, ask good questions.” (Bill Walsh) Those insights are from page 261, just one of 54 pages I noted on the blank pages in the front of my book. (I learn with a pen.) Actually, I tried to read the book just for fun. Couldn’t! Fifty pages in I started making notes. Let me tempt you with nine more management morsels. Chew slowly: #9. Recalibrate. In Game 7 of the World Series, the heavens opened and a 17-minute rain delay sent the players to their locker rooms after the ninth inning, with the score tied. In a players-only meeting, the Cubs used that “divine intervention” of 17 minutes to recalibrate. Memo to managers: consider a 17-minute recalibration exercise when your team is stuck. (See Chapter 19.) #8. Activate. Theo Epstein was the youngest general manager in MLB history when the Boston Red Sox hired him in 2002 at age 28. In 2004, the Red Sox won their first World Series championship in 86 years and won another championship in 2007. So when Epstein joined the Cubs in 2012, he systematized almost everything with a 259-page manual. (Imagine!) He then asked the staff to be responsible “for turning those words into a workplace environment that promoted growth.” (See Chapter 6 to understand “The Cubs Way.”) Have you activated a “words into action” plan? #7.  Read. To develop the communication skills of a future team leader, Manager Joe Maddon gave infielder Addison Russell (“too quiet for a middle infielder”) a reading assignment: Stephen King’s historical novel, 11/22/63. “Maddon asked Russell to report back every 50 to 100 pages to discuss it.” By the way, Russell hit a grand slam in Game 6—just the 19th player to do so in a World Series.  #6. Exploit. In addition to the hyper-focus on analytics and technology in baseball today (stunning!), Epstein made a bet on an “old-school resource: people.” The author quotes their early aspirations:    • “…maybe we can be better than anyone else with how we treat our players and how we connect with players and the relationships we develop…    • Maybe our environment will be the best in the game…    • Maybe our vibe will be the best in the game…    • Maybe our players will be the loosest and maybe they’ll have the most fun…    • And maybe they’ll care the most.” #5. Communicate. One of Epstein’s big a-ha! moments: just for fun, he pulled out a scouting report on a player-turned-coach—and his coach was stunned to read that the scout noted areas needing improvement, but no one had told him during his playing days. Who needs to improve but has never received feedback from you?  #4. Relocate. “After the 2012 season, as he does every year, Epstein took a Change of Scenery survey. He asked his 40 or so scouts and baseball operations people to submit a list of names of major and minor league players they believed would flourish with a change of scenery and why. #3. Balance. Even baseball players crave a balanced life, so when the Cubs were recruiting Pitcher Jon Lester in 2015, they told him that “the Cubs fly the fewest miles in baseball over the course of a regular season, and how a home schedule heavily tilted toward day games would allow the Lesters to have breakfast with their kids and tuck them in at night on 63 game days.”  #2. Prioritize. CEOs and managers will pick up immediate interviewing techniques from The Cubs Way. Example: Epstein interviewed Maddon with “a long list of a manager’s responsibilities, including empowering the coaching staff, working with the media, handling the bullpen, creating lineups, dealing with a petulant superstar, and running spring training.” The assignment: place them in order of importance and explain why.  #1. Teach. In his early years, Maddon led baseball clinics across Europe and “the preparation and teaching emboldened him.” He observed, “You will remember 75 percent of what you write down…and you will remember 90 percent of what you teach. So I wrote it down and then I taught it.” What’s the learning style of your team members? Go Cubs! To order from Amazon, click on the title for The Cubs Way: The Zen of Building the Best Team in Baseball and Breaking the Curse, by Tom Verducci. Your Weekly Staff Meeting Questions: 1) In 2013, the Cubs began a $575 million renovation of Wrigley Field including a new clubhouse—“a rounded room to promote democracy,” attempting to avoid “pockets of perceived value-enhanced spaces—which happens with corner lockers in rectangular rooms.” How democratic is your office space—and does it matter?  2) Cubs Manager Joe Maddon leads with 13 core principles of managing, including “Do not have a fine system.” What are your leader’s core principles of managing? Are they written done—and lived out every day? Take Me Out to the Ballgame Insights from Mastering the Management Buckets: 20 Critical Competencies for Leading Your Business or Nonprofit The Hoopla! Bucket in Mastering the Management Buckets champions this critical competency: “We harness the power of hoopla! for celebration, recreation, intentional food and fellowship gatherings, and just plain fun. We thrive on knock-your-socks-off spontaneity. We believe hoopla!honors God. We budget funds for hoopla! to mitigate workplace stress and most importantly, to show our team members how much they are loved and appreciated!” So…read The Cubs Way and then take your team to a ballgame this season—with this assignment: “Identify 10 core values or management insights you observe from the parking lot to the ninth inning.” For more resources to show your team members they are appreciated, visit the Hoopla! Bucket webpage. NOTICE! Effective Oct. 1, 2025, all 657 eNews issues, previously archived on Typepad.com are slowly (!) being moved to this blogsite

MORE STUFF! • 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 • PODCAST: John Pearson's Buckets Podcast ECFA BLOG on “Governance of Christ-centered Organizations” – Add your thoughts and comments to John Pearson’s 2017 series on Max De Pree's book, Called to Serve. Read the 21st blog, "When Your Organization Is Bleeding and Boring Board Members."