It’s no secret. I like to be in control. I like to be in charge. And as a leader I’m naturally wired for this. The danger for me is what I consider another “grey” leadership issue.
As a leader (who is prone to control), one of the most grey issues for me is knowing when I am controlling rather than guiding with clear direction. As the leader I am responsible for casting the vision and helping the staff stay in alignment with it. This means that I have to give clear guidance in decision making so that the organization stays in line with vision. The challenge is that oftentimes rather than giving guidance I tend to control or dictate. I know the danger of misalignment and that we are always one decision away from starting to veer from it, so I want to control tightly instead of empowering other leaders in the organization to make decisions.
Controlling is the default. It’s a fear-based reaction.
As leaders I think we have to recognize this tension in ourselves and consciously choose guiding vs. controlling.
By guiding you help your team learn HOW to make decisions that are consistent with vision. By controlling you never give them this option. They simply become your mouthpiece (and they become bitter, frustrated & unmotivated because of it).
Agree? Disagree? Please tell me I’m not alone on this one.
Although I already knew the outcome of the match, I was glued to my DVR to see this incredible match play out. The strength, stamina, focus and mental toughness of the greats of any game amaze me.
I think of…
Michael Jordan
Tiger Woods
Lance Armstrong
Roger Federer
Arguably some of the best players of all time in their respective sports.
Here are some things that I think make them great:
Thought I would share a few great quotes about solitude that I read this morning from “Dare to Journey with Henri Nouwen” by Charles Ringma. This has been a great little devotional for my morning reading.
“Solitude is not withdrawal in order to get way. It is withdrawal in order to be with Someone who normally gets crowded out of our lives.”
“The challenge in solitude is to avoid hearing only what we want to hear.”
“We are seeking our own answers when we fail to be open and when we simply come up with our own agendas.”
“It is when we give up our own agendas that the place of solitude can become the place of inner renewal and new insights.”
Which one of these statements challenges you the most today?
Blake brought this story to life as he shared some of the crazy highlights of Samson’s life. From killing a lion with his bare hands to tieing hundreds of foxes together and setting a field on fire, to slaying 1,000 men with the jawbone of a donkey, to his weakness with Delilah and his ultimate suicide, Blake showcased how this life with so much potential was sabotaged by a series of poor choices.
Here are a few scriptures & highlights from the message:
Ephesians 5:8-14 “now you are full of light from the Lord, and your behavior should show it”
There is a war going on and it’s not in Afghanistan, it’s over your heart.
It is our job to expose darkness.
Judges 16:20 “But he did not know that the Lord had left him” – this is one of the saddest verses in scripture
Hebrews 11:32-27
In Hebrew, Delilah means night and Samson means sunny
John 8:12
Is your life a reflection of the light?
It was a great kick-off to our new series. Next week Justin Davis is up talking about the life of Jonathan.
Check out the new glass-bottom skydeck at the Sears Tower. I can’t wait to check this out the next time I’m in Chicago. While I’m mildly afraid of heights, my curiosity will get the best of me.
We had a great Sunday at both campuses this week. My highlights are a bit delayed because I wanted to give you some media rather than my written highlights.
At Cross Point Nashville we wrapped up the Q series with an edge-of-your-seat live q&a session with Pete. Dickson Campus Pastor, Chad Roberts, moderated questions that had been texted by Cross Point attendees. Pete didn’t see the questions prior to the service and the questions were different for each service. Crazy!.. but good!
For some reason on Monday mornings I can’t seem to get enough.
I’ve always been a bit religious about my bedtime and my bedtime routine. I get a little stressed out if I don’t get a good night’s rest because I know it affects my productivity and engagement the next day.
This article reinforces my instincts about sleep, however it might surprise you that 8 hours of sleep is not the optimum amount of sleep like we’ve always been told.
Studies show that people who sleep between 6.5 hr. and 7.5 hr. a night, as they report, live the longest. And people who sleep 8 hr. or more, or less than 6.5 hr., they don’t live quite as long. There is just as much risk associated with sleeping too long as with sleeping too short.
I’ve found that different seasons of life require different amounts of sleep for me. The seasons seem to affect my sleep. Stress can factor in and exercise make a big difference too.
I aim for 6-7 hours of sleep per night.
How many hours of sleep can you effectively function on?
I’ve become a little obsessed. Every night this week I’ve been watching highlights and matches from the opening week of Wimbledon. And you can bet I’ll be glued to it this week too. In fact I just discovered the Wimbledon iphone app. Now I’ll have scores and highlights at my finger tips. Good thing it’s a short week at work…
I’ve always been a fan of tennis but since I started taking lessons a year ago, my obsession has grown. The more I understand about the game, the more appreciation and respect I have for the players and what it takes to be the leaders of the sport.
Isn’t this true about other areas of life?
The more we know and understand about someone else’s “game” – their role, responsibilities, challenges, etc - the more compassion we have and the greater our appreciation is for their accomplishments.
As someone who aspires to be a great leader, I find myself more and more sympathetic to other leaders as I learn and grow in my leadership. I can remember being in my early 20’s and questioning the decisions and actions of my leaders. Only now being in a similar role with greater responsibilities do I truly understand the pressure of the game they were in.
I could elaborate on this thought, but I won’t for now. There’s another match for me to watch.
But seriously, where in life have you developed more respect and compassion for someone else because you gained a greater understanding of what it takes to be in their shoes?
Posted by Jenni Catron 
Posted by Jenni Catron 
Posted by Jenni Catron 
![Dec. of Independence[1]](http://jcatron.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/dec-of-independence1.jpg?w=450&h=582 "Dec. of Independence[1]")
Jenni Catron is the Executive Director of 
