Archive for April, 2010
Something fun for your weekend
Posted by: | CommentsOnly one week from today is a fantastic conference/simulcast: The Chick-fil-A Leadercast. I’m so pleased to be a part of a fantastic lineup of speakers, including Jim Collins (Good to Great), Tony Dungy (retired NFL Super Bowl-winning coach), Mark Sanborn (The Fred Factor), and Chip Heath (Made to Stick).
And while the conference will be live in Atlanta, Georgia, it will also be simulcast in many different cities worldwide.
(To see the whole speaker lineup
and find a location near you, visit Leadercast.com.)
Now, if you were at last year’s event, you might remember an “interview” between me and Tripp Crosby, one of the emcees.
Tripp’s parody video caught me totally by surprise, which is always fun. And it also made me look like an idiot, which I LOVED. I enjoyed it so much that I posted it right here on my blog. (If you haven’t viewed that first fascinating interview, take a look.) A year later, I still get asked if I REALLY swim in a Snuggie. (No, I don’t.)
Well, my publishers, Thomas Nelson, loved Tripp’s comedy. So they couldn’t resist asking him to create a second “interview,” this time as a book trailer for Everyone Communicates, Few Connect. And the best part? I got to be in on the joke.
Here is the result:
Isn’t that great? Tripp really captured my “essence,” didn’t he? (And I really hope the next printing of the book DOES have a scratch-n-sniff section.)
In addition to this promotional piece, the folks at Nelson also created a great webpage for the book. If you have a friend who would like to know more about Everyone Communicates, Few Connect, please feel free to point them in that direction.
And if you enjoyed Tripp’s hilarious sendup of me, you can find more of his writing and videos at his website, TrippCrosby.com.
Have a great weekend! I’m preaching in metro Atlanta, Georgia, Sunday. If you’re in the area, I’d love for you to join me at 12Stone Church.
Wherever you go, there you are.
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Travel is a big part of my work now. And this week’s schedule is especially heavy. In seven days I’m teaching in Louisiana, California, Ohio, Georgia, then Ohio again. Of course, it’s not a hardship because I get to connect with and pour into so many wonderful people. One connection that I especially enjoy is one-on-one, when I set aside time to chat and answer questions before or after my teaching sessions.
And there’s one topic that is often brought up: writing. Specifically, people come up and confide in me a desire to write. They want to know how I became a writer, and more importantly, how THEY can become a writer.
The first question I always ask is, “How much writing do you do right now?”
Some answer with a list of articles and other pieces that they’re writing or have already written. But I bet you can guess what most people answer: “Well, I haven’t really written anything yet.”
“Then you need to start writing,” I explain. “You’ve got to start small and work up to it.”
It’s the same with any endeavor. Take leadership: You’ve got to start small and work up to that. A person who has never led before should start by attempting to influence just one other person. Already have some influence? Then try to build a team. The key is to take the next step, not focus on the step a mile ahead.
Your dream may look unreachable. Of course, you could give up in the face of that. Or you could be like a friend of mine who went back to school in her late 40s.
“At first I was discouraged,” she said. “I’ll be a 52-year-old when I get this degree and start a new career.
“But then I thought about it. No matter what I do, I’ll be 52 in four years anyway. At least with this plan, I’ll be a 52-year-old college graduate.”
St. Francis of Assisi said, “Start doing what is necessary; then do what is possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” No matter how far away your dream is, you’ll only reach it by moving toward it. Everyone starts in the same place:
Where They Are.
The small responsibilities before you now comprise your first great conquest. Want to conquer the world? Start by conquering your backyard.
20 Winners … and no losers!
Posted by: | Comments20 Winners!
It’s time to announce the winners of the Big Case Giveaway! On April 5, we launched it with these simple rules: leave a comment on that post describing how YOU would use 24 copies of ECFC. The publishers’ favorite 20 comments would WIN 24 copies (a case) of the books.
With all of your comments, you all didn’t make their job easy. In one week, readers left 1,090 comments, with some amazingly creative ideas. All I can say is that I’m glad I wasn’t a judge!
So without further ado, here are the winners, as chosen by staff at Thomas Nelson Publishers. Each will receive one case (24 copies) of Everyone Communicates, Few Connect. I’ve included the comment number along with each name. We’re also notifying all winners via email within the next week.
- #63 Tyler Hartley // Apr 5, 2010 at 4:32 pm
- #64 Deacon Bradley // Apr 5, 2010 at 4:32 pm
- #146 Iana // Apr 5, 2010 at 6:42 pm
- #165 Bryan Burt // Apr 5, 2010 at 8:21 pm
- #263 Sol Greear // Apr 6, 2010 at 8:38 am
- #266 Chaplain Steph // Apr 6, 2010 at 8:49 am
- #275 Linda // Apr 6, 2010 at 9:08 am
- #369 Steve Blair // Apr 6, 2010 at 1:33 pm
- #373 RJ Barros // Apr 6, 2010 at 1:36 pm
- #387 Diana M. // Apr 6, 2010 at 1:43 pm
- #568 Angelee Murray, Sales Director // Apr 7, 2010 at 11:06 am
- #593 Erica Pefferman // Apr 7, 2010 at 2:24 pm
- #724 Paul Gustavson // Apr 7, 2010 at 10:16 pm
- #766 Tracey Messick // Apr 8, 2010 at 1:06 pm
- #792 Sylvia Scott // Apr 8, 2010 at 11:28 pm
- #921 Maryann Garding // Apr 10, 2010 at 1:34 pm
- #989 Julia Muscari // Apr 11, 2010 at 7:44 pm
- #1016 Anton Gunn // Apr 11, 2010 at 8:18 pm
- #1077 Millie Rosado // Apr 11, 2010 at 10:53 pm
- #1081 Edwin Sarmiento // Apr 11, 2010 at 11:19 pm
Congratulations to all of you! Now what’s this about…
No Losers?
We were only able to choose 20 winners of a free case of books. But based on your overwhelming response, it’s clear that many of you value the message of Everyone Communicates, Few Connect and would love to share it with others.
So, as a special thank you to all of my blog readers, we’ve arranged for a limited-time discount on the book:
45% off the cover price!
That’s just $14.29/each.
This opportunity comes thanks to 800ceoread.com. They’re offering this special price from now until May 7, 2010. If you are interested just CLICK HERE.
I hope this is helpful to you. Feel free to share this offer with anyone you think might benefit from it.
Thank you again for participating! Your ideas were amazing.
Remember to take advantage of this discount offer
from 800ceoread.com
between now and May 7, 2010.
Are you driven by Emotion? Or Character?
Posted by: | CommentsEarlier this week on Facebook and Twitter, I shared this statement from Dick Biggs:
The greatest gap in life is the one between knowing and doing.
Life would certainly be easier – and success more simple – if all it took to achieve was to KNOW the right things and DECIDE to do them, right? But I think it’s more accurate to say that a decision is just one bookend of achievement. The other is discipline. Decisions can only help us start. Discipline helps us finish.
That’s where character comes in. Emotion might drive us to make a decision. But character is what keeps us going, even when it gets hard.
In Developing the Leader Within You, I wrote about some differences between character-driven and emotion-driven people:
Character-driven people…
- Do right, then feel good.
- Are commitment driven.
- Make principle-based decisions.
- Let action control attitude.
- Believe it, then see it.
- Create momentum.
- Ask, “What are my responsibilities?
- Continue when problems arise.
- Are steady.
- Are leaders.
Emotion-driven people…
- Feel good, then do right.
- Are convenience-driven.
- Make popular decisions.
- Let attitude control action.
- See it, then believe it.
- Wait for momentum.
- Ask, “What are my rights?”
- Quit when problems arise.
- Are moody.
- Are followers.
The late Louis L’Amour is one of the best-selling authors of all time, with over 300 million copies of his popular western novels and short-story collections sold. When asked the key to his prolific writing, he responded, “Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.”
Let the judging begin!
Posted by: | CommentsThis past weekend I was in Denver, Colorado, enjoying the beauty of the Rocky Mountains and speaking to a great group of leaders.
And apparently many of YOU were leaving comments on my last blog post. Wow! 1,090 entries in the Big Case Giveaway!
Now a group of Thomas Nelson employees has the job of determining the best comments – what they consider the 20 most effective and creative ideas for using a case of Everyone Communicates, Few Connect.
The judges expect to be done by the end of next week, and as soon as they give me the list of TWENTY winners, I’ll post them right here and contact them via email.
Thank you for taking the time to share your creativity and strategy with all of us in the comments. While only 20 commenters will “win,” I’m confident that many more will influence the connecting ability of blog readers around the world.
P.S. If you’d like another chance to win – this time a single signed copy of Everyone Communicates, Few Connect – then go visit the personal blog of Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers. He’s giving away 100 of them this Friday, April 16. Details and instructions can be found on his blog.
