Lead like Jesus

The passionate warrior, fighting for a better deal for Children, Parents and Early Childhood Educators; Rosalie Ardagh , from EXCEL in Christchurch was doing some deep reflection on her leadership style with me last year and we worked with an amazing book called "Lead Like Jesus"

Written by Ken Blanchard (who we all know) and Phil Hodges (who I don't know), this book was giving Rosalie a great template to develop her leadership style against.

You don't have to be a Christian to learn from Jesus.  I haven't read the book yet, but I've worked with Rosalie using the different qualities of Jesus's leadership style and I recognise a great resource for any organizational leader.

But in terms of any Christian Leader, I believe that this book is essential for any leader who professes to represent Jesus.  In a time of dwinding attendance at church, of the rise of fundamentalism in all religions (who could believe the Buddhists rampaging in Meikhtila, Burma?!!?), all posing threats to the survival of mainstream Christian faiths.

In fact, what seems to happen to leaders in such uncertain times, is that they revert to an "Authoritarian" model, where they create a "One Man Band" scenario and disempower their team, transforming passionate, committed people into nervous supporters, afraid of making a mistake and "Not Getting It Right".

This does not appear to be in Jesus's leadership tool box according to Ken and Phil.

So if you know a church leader who needs some support to leave the safety and ineffectiveness of an authoritarian model - send them this book.  They may not thank you, but they probably need this book.

If you go to the web link, you will find there's a plethora of resources and support with what looks like a thriving community of Christian leaders.

Good luck, Moving Forward.

This is only the beginning. Get to know clarity. Email me, Mike Kennedy...

What you Measure, You can Manage!

I received complementary tickets to see the Mighty Canterbury Bankstown  Rugby League team, the
Bulldogs, fight it out with the Rabbitos - the strong Eastern suburbs League team.

I do a lot of reading and talking about sports coaching and it was a great opportunity to see it in action.

We were in the Canterbury compound and in prime viewing position, there was a special room for the coaches and another for the statistics staff.  They were keeping track of  the critical numbers in that statistics room and kept feeding it to the coaches next door.

It seems that Des Hasler, the Canterbury coach, has GPS equipment in the jersey of each player.

He's big on technology I'm told, but it's still the same old coaching principle at work:

"What you measure, you can manage."

This is one of the key principles in coach training and practice.  You have to measure, measure and measure consistently.

The coach is always off the field, separate from the action. but that gives them the opportunity to measure and track your progress toward your goal.  That measurement helps your coach to choose the most succinct and effective feedback for your team.

So what are the numbers do you need to measure?

What is critical for the success of your venture?

This is only the beginning. Get to know clarity. Email me, Mike Kennedy...

You Can't be a Prophet in Your Own Back Yard.

Why is this so?

I don't know.

Mabye people you know best, have a fixed view of who you are.

Maybe it's a threat for them to have you be a prophet.

Whatever it is, it's always tough to get your point across to family and friends.

They won't read your copy, they won't come to your show and they won't listen to your message.


Not always.

But mostly.

The only way around it is to go outside your community and build your following in other communities where you are not so intimately known. 

Earn your stripes elsewhere.

Let me know how you go.

This is only the beginning. Get to know clarity. Email me, Mike Kennedy...

Sometimes Those Closest are Working Against You.

In the Mahabarata, the ancient India epic, Arjuna is at the head of his own huge army facing a huge army charging toward him.

The divine Lord Krishna is by his side giving him counsel.

As the huge army charges toward Arjuna's own huge army,

Krishna  tells him (Roughly paraphrased):

 "Sometimes Those Closest are Working Against You.  

Sometimes you have to fight the ones you love most"

And as the front lines of the opposing army came closer,

...in the faces of the enemy, Arjuna recognised the faces of his mother and father,

...brothers and sisters, closest friends and his wife and his children.

He yelled "Charge!!"

Who closest to you is working against you?

Are you ready to draw your sword?  

In what way do you need to defend yourself?

This is only the beginning. Get to know clarity. Email me, Mike Kennedy...

The Myth of Orestes and the Furies (or You and your Critical Voice)

Orestes was a grandson of Atreus
.

Atreus had attempted to prove himself more powerful than the Gods.  Because of this crime against the Gods, the Gods punished Atreus by casting a curse upon his descendants.  As part of this curse, Oreste’s mother, Clytemnestra, murdered her husband Agamemnon.

This crime put Orestes in a difficult situation. The Greek code of honor obliged him, as the son of his slayed father, to slay his father’s murderer.

Yet the greatest sin a Greek could commit was the sin of matricide (killing your mother).

Orestes agonised over his dilemma.  Finally, he did what he seemingly had to do and killed his mother.

For this sin, the Gods then punished Orestes by visiting uponhim the Furies, three ghastly harpies who could be seen and heard only by him and who tormented him night and day with their cackling criticism and frightening appearance.

Pursued wherever he went by the Furies, Orestes wandered about the land seeking to atone for his crime. 

After many years of lonely reflection and self-abrogation, Orestes requested the gods to relieve him of the curse on the House of Atreus and it’s visitations upon him through the Furies, stating his belief that he had succeeded in atoning for the murder of his mother.

 

A trial was held by the gods.

Speaking in Oreste’s defence, Apollo argued that he had engineered the whole situation that had placed Orestes in the position in which he had no choice but to kill his mother, and therefore Orestes could not be held responsible.

At this point, Orestes jumped up and contradicted his own defender, stating: “It was I, not Apollo that murdered my mother!”

 

The gods were amazed.

Never before had a member of the House of Atreus assumed such total responsibility for themselves and not blamed the gods.

Eventually, the gods decided the trial in Orestes favor and not only took the curse off the House of Atreus, but also transformed the Furies into the Eumenides; loving spirits who through their wise counsel, enabled Orestes to obtain continuing good fortune.

The meaning of this myth is not obscure.

The constantly berating Critical Voice, that can only be heard by Orestes is represented by the Furies.

It’s only when Orestes takes full responsibility for his situation, that the Critical voice transforms into the helpful Eumenides (otherwise known as: “The bearers of Grace”), who help with advice and warning of dangers to enhance Oreste’s continuing good fortune.

So many times I see the Critical Voice transform from the over-protective mother strategy to the wise and helpful sage to aid your journey.   

There is a process to go through to get to this stage and it is hard work but it's certainly worth it.

Are you up for it?

This is only the beginning. Get to know clarity. Email me, Mike Kennedy...

Guest Coach Louie Taouk talks about "Focus on one thing only"

Humility in a coach is essential.

Today I met Louie Taouk, a plumber who came to our home to fix a leak.  He is a soccer sports coach who demonstrated the qualities of humility, compassion and respect for the individual.

He was working with an apprentice and was giving the most respectful, patient and effective feedback I've heard from a tradesman to an apprentice.

He copped a acknowledgement from me for that and he proceeded to talk about the importance of not overwhelming people with your feedback.

"Just focus on one thing.  Don't confuse them.  

Don't make them feel bad.  Develop their confidence."

Yep - just keep them out of overwhelm.  Keep it simple.  Allow them time to master skills. Respect them.

It's such a easy mistake for a coach to make.....and when it happens, it's all about your ego getting in the way.

You get caught up in the thrill of the chase for results, a win, or a result......and you forget this one simple but important  maxim.

....and when you forget this, damage gets done to the person(s) you are coaching.

You might even be responsible for putting in place, yet another unproductive pattern in their life. 


- Just what nobody needs.


So thanks for this gem Louie - you are a great coach!

This is only the beginning. Get to know clarity. Email me, Mike Kennedy...

Changing the world, by changing people's Behavior.

 If you could consistently change people's behavior, then how much more could you achieve in your lifetime?

In fact, how would this skill currently affect your performance in your current projects?

Have a look at this amazing video from the amazing team at VitalSmarts about six elements of influencing people that consistantly improve the results in projects. 

Not only that, you'll find a link to a revealing assessment of your ability to influence below as well as a link to a background brief of their new book: 'Influencer: The New Science of Leading Change'

Would this be a good thing for you to know about?



 There's a really great and free asessement of your ability to influence here.

Not only that, Influencer: "The New Science f Leading Change" is the latest book from VitalSmarts.  If you loved and used "Crucial Conversations", this is a great book for you to be reading next.

Changing the world.  By Changing People's Behavior.

This is only the beginning. Get to know clarity. Email me, Mike Kennedy...

Playing your Best Big Game.

When you bring your "A" game,

When you leave the sandbox of life,

to play in the backstreet's, the suburbs or the small town of life,

or to play in the city, the big city or the National game of life.

Or are you ready to play "World Class"?

Only you can answer this.

Each game you choose to play in any one of these arenas,

Need you to bring your "A" game.

That might make you feel scared.

But there's a secret, you need to know:

Playing small is the most dangerous game in life.

Playing your "A" game in a Big Arena, requires you to play with

the Big Boys and Girls.

Playing small requires you to sit in your comfort zone,

watching re-runs of your life,

over and over and over and..............




This is only the beginning. Get to know clarity. Email me, Mike Kennedy...

The Incredible Lghtness of Being

The dances of the Human and the Being.

The Human's dances are all about the human condition. The seven deadly sins.  Mundane and Banal affairs of the flesh.

The dances of the Being?

Unlimited, beyond this realm, sparkling, dazzling.....beautiful

The Being, Totally Present, lifts the body like a doll, soars it like a bird and grounds it like a stomping warrior.



Are you letting your Being take control?

This is only the beginning. Get to know clarity. Email me, Mike Kennedy...

INTEGRITY: Lesson number 5: "Who's there?"

Taken from Hamlet, the first line of the play, Bernardo's famous opener.

It's a great question to ask yourself.

An old saying goes: "Plenty of lights on, but no-one's home"

Another one goes like: "Looking good, but going nowhere"

And in truth, maybe there is nowhere to go - especially if you live in who you really are.

Our integrity with who we really are, really takes us to a place beyond time, beyond fear and

beyond this physical realm, even though it transforms everything we touch in this world.

Our work, our relationships, our trips to the shops,

........even our conversations with taxi drivers.....

Steve Biddulph, author of his new book: "Raising Girls", tells a great story,

on an interview with the very astute Margaret Throsby - listen to it here.

 - He and his wife returned to an airport and got into a taxi drove off

......and started talking with the taxi driver

....who asked what Steve did.

When he realised what work it was he told Steve: "I'm having such trouble with my 14 year old girl."

Steve said they had an extraordinary conversation with the taxi driver,

Lives were changed in that cab.

They got out and waved goodbye to the cab driver and then realised

they hadn't taken their luggage out of the boot!

These are two great Beings, walking around in their humans,

Transforming everyone who touches their life.

Bet you have some great taxi ride stories too, you old transformer you!

This is only the beginning. Get to know clarity. Email me, Mike Kennedy...