be quick to hear
James 1:19
"Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;..."
Do you really listen to people?
I think one of the ways we can love people best is by truly listening to them, being quick to hear and slow to speak. Focusing on their words, not our own thoughts, and listening for their heart.
seriously, lets all decide to never pull the phone out during a date again...
These days inboxes, cell phones, tweets, notifications and multitasking make it easy to be very distracted, all the time. Not to mention the selfish nature of the human race that would like to turn every conversation into one about ourselves.
I believe the discipline of listening is key to personal and business relationships as well as consumer and social media marketing.
Not to mention... prayer.
With friends, co-workers, my wife and with God - I find myself being quick to speak and slow to listen. Forgive me.
This is something I'm working on, and I challenge you to do the same.
Remember that the person standing or sitting in front of you is always the most important in the world at that moment. Make them feel that way.
leaders are heretical
This picture reminds me to break the rules. Although I'm almost certain its been through Photoshop...
Leaders are heretical. But no one ever changed the world by following the rules.
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs that conflicts with established dogma.
By definition, there is nothing wrong with heresy. But, it's certainly a dirty word to many people.
Maybe it shouldn't be.
Jesus was "controversial" and represented "novel change to a system of beliefs". He shocked the pharisees on a regular basis.
Looking back on history, most leaders and change makers could also be called heretics.
Todays leaders must not be afraid to break the rules or they may not be leaders at all. In fact, to lead today, you must become comfortable with challenging the status quo. This is especially true because of the fast paced change we experience around us.
If we fail to change we get stuck in the past and what worked in the past will likely fail in the future.
It's easy to "go with the flow" and nod your head when everyone else does. But, I challenge you; don't settle. If you believe something can be better, different, new, then say something about it. Do something about it.
In a world or ruts, routines and robots, step out of the system of normal, toward your vision for the future, and by doing so, you'll be stepping into leadership.
You may be a heretic, but if you are bringing needed change to the world around you... thank you for your heresy.
The world needs more heretics, contrast, change, and people that take risks because they believe in something that's worth the risk.
No one ever changed the world by doing the same thing everyone else was doing.
Seth Godin does a fantastic job talking about heretical leadership in one of my favorite books, Tribes.
relationship marketing
I believe that the very best principles for any business are found in the Bible and in the life of Christ.
A few weeks ago I spoke on Emerging Media at a Marketing Management class at the University of Arkansas.
During the presentation I was able to share my story & testimony to explain why I love working for DaySpring. Next, I talked about emerging media and how rapidly the world of marketing is changing. This led me to my main point of the presentation, that Relationship Marketing is the core concept that can separate a brand from the noise and withstand the ever-changing world of technologies, strategies and consumer behavior.
(Without my narration, the presentation is missing some substance, but I thought you might enjoy it anyway.)I believe in relationships. I believe the Bible is all about relationships. Therefore, in business, I believe relationships are a key to success.
Authentic, generous, transparent, 2-way, sincere, loving, Christ-like relationships.
In the same way that we strive to be like Christ in our daily lives, we should strive to be like Christ in business.
Be like Jesus with marketing.
As Christians we are called to love one another and in humility, count others more significant than ourselves. Why would that change when we go to work? Why would Christian marketers not be called to the same in their profession?
This may sound strange to some, mostly due to the stigma the word "marketing" carries, but I do this every day. Marketing is just one way to love others through generous giving, service and relationship. This is "Relationship Marketing" and the funny thing is... it is not only personally fulfilling but also the most savvy, rewarding way to do business.
This is why I do marketing.
If you read business books and articles or watch talks on marketing, you'll hear words like "tribes", "generosity" and "engagement". But they are all really getting at the same thing...
If we love our consumers through relationship and treat them that way...
they will love us back.
Pretty basic relationship management. Pretty simple stuff.
But, a very radical shift in the way marketers currently think and sadly, far from the reality we see around us.
This concept of Christ-like marketing is one I hope to explore and develop and I'd love to hear your feedback on these terms and ideas in the comments...
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