Building great teams isn’t just something that happens on the football gridiron, basketball court, or baseball diamond.
Whether in the office, at home, classroom, boardroom, or field, great teams can be built anywhere. One building block of all great teams is great team chemistry.
And I know what you are thinking, “what is this mysterious thing called, ‘team chemistry’?”
In the words of Pat Bloom Head Baseball Coach/Wisconsin-Stevens Point, team chemistry, “can be defined as a group dynamic that occurs when members of the team work together and make a united effort to accomplish the goals and objectives of the collective whole.
A team’s ability to stick together can prevent the team from falling apart in times of great distress and turmoil, and can also be the “X factor” that propels a team to victory over an evenly matched opponent.”
But great team chemistry doesn’t happen by accident. It happens on purpose. Though great teams can be reproduced anywhere, truly great teams are extremely rare. The time and effort that is neccessary to create a great team is difficult.
So how are great teams created?
How do you get great chemistry?
Great teams have three components that produce team chemistry and establish foundation where greatness can be accomplished.
Component #1:
Great teams communicate HONESTLY in times of conflict.
This is often a challenge for us. External conflict is one thing (every team deals with external conflict, that is why a team is formed), but internal conflict is something else entirely. We would rather avoid internal conflict than embrace it.
But great teams can’t neglect internal conflict. Internal conflict is inevitable.
Misunderstanding, miscommunication, the idiosycracies of different teammates are common causes of internal conflict. This conflict will either destroy the team (or dramatically limit its effectiveness) or propel the team to a much higher level.
Great teams are gut-level honest with each other. And as uncomfortable as conflict resolution can be, when done with honor and respect it brings teams closer together.
Question: Does the team that you lead or you are a part of engage conflict honestly?
Then the LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?”
“A staff,” he replied.
The LORD said, “Throw it on the ground.”
-Exodus 4:2-3
What do ya got?
That was essentially the question that God asked Moses after sharing a glimpse of the destiny that he had created him for:
To free a nation from slavery and bring them into God’s promise.
And as is the custom of unbelieving human beings, Moses questions his qualifications, skills, and resources to accomplish the task.
Rather than get into a lengthy debate, God asks “What is in your hand?”
Moses answers, “A staff.”
After the Lord tells him to throw it down, his eyes are opened to the power of God.
Taking Moses’ common staff, God performed uncommon miracles, signs, and wonders.
As a result, a nation bound in slavery for 400 years was freed.
A magic stick wasn’t neccessary. Bulging muscles weren’t needed. A million bags of gold couldn’t help.
A yielded staff in the hands of God was more than enough.
So what has God called YOU to do?
What edict of greatness did He create YOU for?
Yeah I know, I know….
You aren’t smart enough. You aren’t networked enough. You aren’t wealthy enough. You come from the wrong family. You went to the wrong school (or didn’t go to school at all!). You live in the wrong neighborhood. Your skin is the wrong color. You are too old. You are too young. Too much of this. Not enough of that.
Excuses, excuses, excuses…..
When exposed to God’s vision we are all tempted to do exactly what Moses did:
Make excuses why we aren’t the one that God is looking for. And the root of our excuse can be summed up in one sentence:
We don’t believe we have what it takes to accomplish the task.
But if God’s destiny relied on our resources, then we’re all in a ton of trouble.
God is not asking for extraordinary things to do extraordinary stuff.
He is just asking for extraordinary willingness. Extraordinary obedience. Extraordinary abandonment. Extraordinary surrender. Extraordinary worship.
He is simply asking for what is in our hands and our heart.
If we will zealously commit ourselves to His task and the little we have to Him, He will bless and empower us beyond our wildest dreams.
God has created you for greatness.
God has destined you for an amazing calling.
Stop making excuses.
He already knows what you DON’T have.
He wants to see what you DO have.
He is asking, “What do Ya Got?”
Now take what you’ve got and give it to Him.
When you give God what you’ve got, you get to see what He’s got.
And He’s got ALOT.
Just wait and see.
He used a dude with a stick and transformed a nation.
We have forgotten how to play because we have lost our passion.
Love and joy don’t motivate us anymore. We now make decisons based on profit (how much money can I make?) or product (what is this going to do to get me ahead?).
This is the language of survival, but not the language of play.
When we are in survival mode we can’t play. We can’t live according to God’s purpose when surviving is our primary aim.
God’s purpose for our lives is found in the godly passions He created us with.
Part of our purpose to inspire wonder and beauty in the world in which we live.
This both honors God and points others to Him.
Walking in our strengths and serving in the place of our passion is awesome. It makes God smile and brings joy to His happy heart.
And it makes our heart happy too.
For this week’s message on creativity and passion, click here for ‘Finding Neverland’.
What if we came to God to give to God for a change? What if we came to God with the intention of blessing Him rather than to seek a blessing? What if when we did ask for something, we prayed that God would bless us with the resources and the tools to be a blessing to others?
What if we esteemed God above anything He could ever give us?
What if we lived as if God was the most valuable connection in our life?
“The Talk“ is a series on sex, love, and relationships.
“Life Guard”, latest message in “The Talk” series. In “Life Guard” I talk about the Magician and how he tries to fool us into bad decisions by causing us to:
This 2002 film is about a father and husband whose son is diagnosed with an enlarged heart who then finds out he cannot receive a transplant because HMO insurance won’t cover it. After receiving this information, he decides to take a hospital full of patients hostage until the hospital puts his son’s name on the recipient’s list.
Right before John decides to take the law into his own hands, he has a telephone conversation with his wife.
At the height of desperation she says, “They are releasing him, now you need to do something! DO YOU HEAR ME! DO SOMETHING!”
John takes these words to heart and really does something.
And truly, all of us must do the same.
Do something.
No, we shouldn’t take people hostage to get what we want.
But we should do something about the dream that sits inside us.
We need to make the call, send the e-mail, register for the class, write the manuscript, pen the song, take the trip, or do whatever we haven’t been doing that we need to be doing to fulfill God’s plan for our lives.
Stop waiting, procrastinating, and making excuses.
Above are three signs that were recently afixed to the three bedroom doors of my three daughters.
All three signs have very clear directions on how visitors are to enter into their bedroom domains.
Last night, I walked through the open door of Kirah’s room without obeying the posted instructions. In mock frustration, she explained to me the grave importance of following the rules.
Then I explained to her (with a smile), that I don’t have to follow any of her rules.
In fact, she doesn’t have the authority to declare “house rules“ at all. She can suggest, but she can’t impose. Because (as I explained to her), she doesn’t pay anything. She doesn’t pay for the electricity, the food, the lodging, or anything. She eats, sleeps, and lodges for free.
She and her sisters are tenants. Unpaying tenants, but tenants nevertheless.
All the benefits she enjoys are financed by Mom and Dad.
And because Mom and Dad foot the bill, Mom and Dad make the rules.
Because tenants don’t make the rules. Only owners do.
But I don’t think my little girls are the only ones that misunderstand this arrangement between owners and tenants.
I can’t help but wonder if God sometimes shakes His head at some of our signs.
The signs where we make unwavering demands.
Make bold declarations.
Create stringent rules of engagement.
But we aren’t the Owner.
He is.
We are just tenants.
God sets the rules, standards, and terms of engagement.
And just like Kirah’s Daddy last night, upon occassion He will step in and remind us who really owns the place.
“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”
-1 Cor. 6:19-20
Building great teams isn’t just something that happens on the football gridiron, basketball court, or baseball diamond.
Whether in the office, at home, classroom, boardroom, or field, great teams can be built anywhere. One building block of all great teams is great team chemistry.
And I know what you are thinking, “what is this mysterious thing called, ‘team chemistry’?”
In the words of Pat Bloom Head Baseball Coach/Wisconsin-Stevens Point, team chemistry, “can be defined as a group dynamic that occurs when members of the team work together and make a united effort to accomplish the goals and objectives of the collective whole.
A team’s ability to stick together can prevent the team from falling apart in times of great distress and turmoil, and can also be the “X factor” that propels a team to victory over an evenly matched opponent.”
I would add that great teams with great chemistry can often beat teams with vastly superior talent (Duke over UNLV in 1991 NCAA Tournament is great example).
But great team chemistry doesn’t happen by accident. It happens on purpose. Though great teams can be reproduced anywhere, truly great teams are extremely rare. The time and effort that is neccessary to create a great team is difficult.
So how are great teams created?
How do you get great chemistry?
Great teams have three components that produce team chemistry and establish foundation where greatness can be accomplished.
Component #1:
Great teams communicate HONESTLY in times of conflict.
This is often a challenge for us. External conflict is one thing (every team deals with external conflict, that is why a team is formed), but internal conflict is something else entirely. We would rather avoid internal conflict than embrace it.
But great teams can’t neglect internal conflict. Internal conflict is inevitable.
Misunderstanding, miscommunication, the idiosycracies of different teammates are common causes of internal conflict. This conflict will either destroy the team (or dramatically limit its effectiveness) or propel the team to a much higher level.
Great teams are gut-level honest with each other. And as uncomfortable as conflict resolution can be, when done with honor and respect it brings teams closer together.
Question: Does the team that you lead or you are a part of engage conflict honestly?
Posted in Leadership, Transformation | No Comments »
You and I have issues.
You and I have idiosyncracies.
You and I have different habits.
Some of them are cute.
Some of them are annoying.
Some of them are destructive.
The biggest issue of course, is us.
We are often our very worst enemy and villain.
We get in our own way.
We sabatoge our own success.
We regularly throw monkey wrenches in the engine of our lives.
We can’t help it.
We can’t avoid it.
It is in our nature.
This “nature” is at the root of our “issue”.
The issue of you (and me).
God is well aware of our issue, and the toxic circumstances it often brings.
These circumstances of toxicity anger us.
Frustrate us.
Drive us nuts.
We desperately want God to change it.
God is just as desperate to change it too.
But the “it” that He wants to change is different than the “it” we want changed.
Our “it” looks like “them”.
His “it” looks like us.
The trouble is, most of us don’t like change.
Especially when it concerns us.
We would rather God just clean up the mess that our “issue” brings and leave us alone.
But God isn’t as concerned with changing the circumstance.
He determined to change us.
In fact, He will use the circumstances that we (and others) create to transform us.
Though we beg God to change our circumstance He often delays (or denies) outer change, to address the urgent issues of change inside us.
So the next time we are in a “circumstance” beyond asing God to change “it”, we must ask if God is using “it” to change us.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
-Romans 8:28
Posted in Transformation | No Comments »
Then the LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?”
“A staff,” he replied.
The LORD said, “Throw it on the ground.”
-Exodus 4:2-3
What do ya got?
That was essentially the question that God asked Moses after sharing a glimpse of the destiny that he had created him for:
To free a nation from slavery and bring them into God’s promise.
And as is the custom of unbelieving human beings, Moses questions his qualifications, skills, and resources to accomplish the task.
Rather than get into a lengthy debate, God asks “What is in your hand?”
Moses answers, “A staff.”
After the Lord tells him to throw it down, his eyes are opened to the power of God.
Taking Moses’ common staff, God performed uncommon miracles, signs, and wonders.
As a result, a nation bound in slavery for 400 years was freed.
A magic stick wasn’t neccessary. Bulging muscles weren’t needed. A million bags of gold couldn’t help.
A yielded staff in the hands of God was more than enough.
So what has God called YOU to do?
What edict of greatness did He create YOU for?
Yeah I know, I know….
You aren’t smart enough. You aren’t networked enough. You aren’t wealthy enough. You come from the wrong family. You went to the wrong school (or didn’t go to school at all!). You live in the wrong neighborhood. Your skin is the wrong color. You are too old. You are too young. Too much of this. Not enough of that.
Excuses, excuses, excuses…..
When exposed to God’s vision we are all tempted to do exactly what Moses did:
Make excuses why we aren’t the one that God is looking for. And the root of our excuse can be summed up in one sentence:
We don’t believe we have what it takes to accomplish the task.
But if God’s destiny relied on our resources, then we’re all in a ton of trouble.
God is not asking for extraordinary things to do extraordinary stuff.
He is just asking for extraordinary willingness. Extraordinary obedience. Extraordinary abandonment. Extraordinary surrender. Extraordinary worship.
He is simply asking for what is in our hands and our heart.
If we will zealously commit ourselves to His task and the little we have to Him, He will bless and empower us beyond our wildest dreams.
God has created you for greatness.
God has destined you for an amazing calling.
Stop making excuses.
He already knows what you DON’T have.
He wants to see what you DO have.
He is asking, “What do Ya Got?”
Now take what you’ve got and give it to Him.
When you give God what you’ve got, you get to see what He’s got.
And He’s got ALOT.
Just wait and see.
He used a dude with a stick and transformed a nation.
He’ll use what you have to do wonders too.
So…What do Ya Got?
Posted in Leadership, Transformation, World Change, Faith | No Comments »
Most of us have forgotten how to play.
We have forgotten how to play because we have lost our passion.
Love and joy don’t motivate us anymore. We now make decisons based on profit (how much money can I make?) or product (what is this going to do to get me ahead?).
This is the language of survival, but not the language of play.
When we are in survival mode we can’t play. We can’t live according to God’s purpose when surviving is our primary aim.
God’s purpose for our lives is found in the godly passions He created us with.
Part of our purpose to inspire wonder and beauty in the world in which we live.
This both honors God and points others to Him.
Walking in our strengths and serving in the place of our passion is awesome. It makes God smile and brings joy to His happy heart.
And it makes our heart happy too.
For this week’s message on creativity and passion, click here for ‘Finding Neverland’.
Posted in Transformation, World Change, Faith | No Comments »
What if we came to God to give to God for a change? What if we came to God with the intention of blessing Him rather than to seek a blessing? What if when we did ask for something, we prayed that God would bless us with the resources and the tools to be a blessing to others?
What if we esteemed God above anything He could ever give us?
What if we lived as if God was the most valuable connection in our life?
How would our life be different?
Posted in Transformation, Worship, Discipleship | No Comments »
Never underestimate the power of seeds.
What is sown in the name of Jesus, & in obedience to Jesus, always brings an awesome return.
Though the harvest takes time, if we remain faithful we will surely reap the goodness of God.
I was reminded of this reality when someone that I had been fervently praying for, called me out of the blue asking for help.
All of the sudden a life that seemed almost completely closed to the kingdom of God was sincerely seeking Him.
Out of the blue.
No warning.
No indicators.
No signs.
Just a seed breaking out of the ground that had been planted long before.
Never underestimate the power of seeds.
What is sown in the name of Jesus, & in obedience to Jesus, always brings an awesome return.
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
-Gal. 6:9
Posted in Relationships, Transformation, Faith | No Comments »
“The Talk“ is a series on sex, love, and relationships.
“Life Guard”, latest message in “The Talk” series. In “Life Guard” I talk about the Magician and how he tries to fool us into bad decisions by causing us to:
1. Question God’s Word.
2. Question God’s Character
3. Make decisions without God’s influence.
Click here to check it out.
Posted in Relationships, The Church, Transformation | No Comments »
There is a scene in ‘John Q’ that always gets me.
This 2002 film is about a father and husband whose son is diagnosed with an enlarged heart who then finds out he cannot receive a transplant because HMO insurance won’t cover it. After receiving this information, he decides to take a hospital full of patients hostage until the hospital puts his son’s name on the recipient’s list.
Right before John decides to take the law into his own hands, he has a telephone conversation with his wife.
At the height of desperation she says, “They are releasing him, now you need to do something! DO YOU HEAR ME! DO SOMETHING!”
John takes these words to heart and really does something.
And truly, all of us must do the same.
Do something.
No, we shouldn’t take people hostage to get what we want.
But we should do something about the dream that sits inside us.
We need to make the call, send the e-mail, register for the class, write the manuscript, pen the song, take the trip, or do whatever we haven’t been doing that we need to be doing to fulfill God’s plan for our lives.
Stop waiting, procrastinating, and making excuses.
Do something.
Posted in Leadership, Dream Awake, Transformation | 1 Comment »
Little Billy has a very special message for the people!
To check it out, click here.
Posted in The Church, Creativity/Innovation, Transformation | 1 Comment »
Above are three signs that were recently afixed to the three bedroom doors of my three daughters.
All three signs have very clear directions on how visitors are to enter into their bedroom domains.
Last night, I walked through the open door of Kirah’s room without obeying the posted instructions. In mock frustration, she explained to me the grave importance of following the rules.
Then I explained to her (with a smile), that I don’t have to follow any of her rules.
In fact, she doesn’t have the authority to declare “house rules“ at all. She can suggest, but she can’t impose. Because (as I explained to her), she doesn’t pay anything. She doesn’t pay for the electricity, the food, the lodging, or anything. She eats, sleeps, and lodges for free.
She and her sisters are tenants. Unpaying tenants, but tenants nevertheless.
All the benefits she enjoys are financed by Mom and Dad.
And because Mom and Dad foot the bill, Mom and Dad make the rules.
Because tenants don’t make the rules. Only owners do.
But I don’t think my little girls are the only ones that misunderstand this arrangement between owners and tenants.
I can’t help but wonder if God sometimes shakes His head at some of our signs.
The signs where we make unwavering demands.
Make bold declarations.
Create stringent rules of engagement.
But we aren’t the Owner.
He is.
We are just tenants.
God sets the rules, standards, and terms of engagement.
And just like Kirah’s Daddy last night, upon occassion He will step in and remind us who really owns the place.
“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”
-1 Cor. 6:19-20
Posted in Transformation, Family, Discipleship | 2 Comments »
I will listen to what God the LORD will say;
He promises peace to his people, his saints—
but let them not return to folly.
-Ps. 85:8
For us to get the return that God promises, we must make the investment that God requires.
Posted in Transformation, Discipleship | No Comments »