Credibility

Monday November 22, 2010- This is a really cool thing I saw earlier. It is from a credibility strategy from Graham Jones called, "The Credibility Pyramid" Anyway Here are some thoughts...
1. Knowledge (10%) – There are some really great thoughts here,knowledge is only given 10% of the process but it is nevertheless the foundation. If you don’t know what you are talking about, you have no credibility no matter what else you might bring to the mix.

2. Focus (15%) – The next level up according to Graham is focus which constitutes 15% of the total credibility. Focus describes the process wherein people do not deviate or go off target. This is the part of the process where the sprint becomes the marathon.This does not mean that you need to bombard other people with huge amounts of details and information in order to be considered credible. It is more about being clear and consistent in the information being presented than the amount of info.

3. Enthusiasm (25%) – The next component on this pyramid of credibility is enthusiasm. This has an allocation of 25% which is fairly high. We probably call this passion more often than not. We view enthusiastic people as being far more credible than those who are not.

Perhaps it is because we feel that if the person can’t be enthusiastic about their own topic then he can’t be believing in his own words. Of course this can be unfair. There are some people who are too shy to speak up never mind appear enthusiastic.

4. Care and Concern (50%) – Possibly the most surprising component of credibility is the top part of this pyramid. It shows that 50% of your credibility is associated with your care and concern. If you show that you care about your audience you will be able to gather up half of the momentum towards strong credibility.

This means that when building up your credibility you have to show a huge amount of caring and concern for the interests and well-being of your team. No matter what you are trying to do , whether build a blog, build a team, sell a product or even just hold a conversation on a social media platform such as Twitter or Facebook, if you care for your people you build credibility.

It seems that a small percentage of your credibility is knowledge, add to that focus and enthusiasm and you only have half of what makes up your credibility. The other half is all about caring and concern for the other person’s well-being.
Just wanted to share this. I thought it was awesome.

Uniqueness in Leadership

Thursday November 18, 2010-
Over the last few weeks I've been studying the defining qualities of leaders. Many people try to take what works for one person and apply it to their life in hopes that it will work for them as well(not a smart move in most cases). I've found that what has worked for mentors and inspirations of mine doesn't work so well for me. I think the reason is simple. I'm not them. But here's the good news. I don't need to be. God created every person different for a reason. And just because you are a leader doesn't mean you have to act a certain way to be effective. There are people who were born leaders, and there are those who have learned leadership. Some have "charisma", and some don't. Here's what I am finding in life and in my studies of scripture: Leaders are people who have followers. Here are some biblical examples of leaders. They are all different.

Adam(Genesis 2-5) Administrator- An administrator is accountable to a higher authority, assigns roles, and shapes culture through unwritten rules.

Noah(Genesis 6-9) Navigator- A navigator has vision for a preferred future,is vision oriented, through living they show the way.

Abraham(Genesis 11-25) Father/Symbol of Unity- Represents identity, mission, history, and tradition.

Joseph(Genesis 37-50) Dreamer and Planner- Is an optimist about dreams and the future,is courageous,is resourceful,thinks creatively verses critically.

Moses(Exodus)Community Builder- Builds personal and structural relationships,delegates,caring,promotes a common cause, extremely patient.

Aaron(Exodus) Communicator- Charismatic, concise, pleasant

David(1st&2nd Samuel) Celebrator- Monitors and celebrates common achievements,reconciles crisis, acknowledges achievements and admonishes lack of responsibility.

Solomon(1Kings)Decision Maker- Makes things happen,evaluates progress,sets the bar, makes people accountable.

Isaiah(2Kings 15) Servant- Ready, compassionate, available, dedicated, assertive.

These are all very different types of leaders. They were all very effective in their roles and have left a stamp on the world today. Here are some things that they all knew...

1. Popularity is not leadership, results are.

2. Leaders are highly visible. They therefore set examples.

3. Leadership is not rank, it's responsibility.

Here are some things leaders do...

1. They are extremely tolerant of diversity and do not carbon copy. But they are totally intolerant when it comes to a person's performance, standards, and values.

2. They aren't afraid of other people's strengths, they praised them.

3. They aren't sayers, they are doers.

Freedom

November 3, 2010- My wife and I have a beautiful little puppy(actually she's not a puppy, but a 10 year old bichon). Anyway, a few days ago I was taking her for a walk(the puppy)and thinking about all the stories my wife told me about her breaking loose and running wild anytime she got off her leash. Now I'm not the type of person to be rebellious but I just wanted to see if she was still like that. So while we were on our walk in the backyard I unsnapped the leash. Guess what? She didn't run. As a matter of fact, she didn't go anywhere. She ventured a few steps away, but when she saw she was no longer on the leash, she came back over and stood right beside me. Now I wouldn't try this alot(probably never again) but I did see a correlation between that puppy and many Christians. We have been restrained for so long, that when the leash is unsnapped on our lives and we are set free, the freedom is so uncommon, we tend to linger close to the very things that kept us restrained for so long. I know that isn't the way we need to act, but it's the way we do. Now look at this bible verse in relation to this and see if there is something different you need to be doing. Galatians 5:1 "1For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery."
There is a reason we have been set free. And the price that was paid for that freedom was very high. If you need to be freed from something today, I want you to know that freedom is there for you. And once you have been set free, stand in that freedom. Don't linger, walk in a new life, a better life, a free life.