My five year old just completed his fourth season of baseball. To be honest, I don’t know who has more fun, me or him? I have also completed my third season as a coach. I truly enjoy keeping twelve kids from playing in the dirt, off the fence and not maiming each other with their aluminum bats.

However, the best part of coaching is that I get to watch my son play…up close. To be able to give him a high five right after he hits a great ball or pick him up and dust him off after a tough play is great. I love experiencing the game with him.

My role for the team, besides herding cats, is third base coach. It’s my job to bring the players from second to home plate. Most of the time I do a good job…most of the time. Where I tend to struggle is when my son steps into the batters box.

I really am not living vicariously through him…I promise. But what I am doing is hoping, praying that he makes contact with the ball. There is nothing like watching his face as he runs to first base after getting a hit. It makes me so happy to see him happy.

Watching him run to first base is great, but when my eyes are fixed on him, I fail to do my job. My job is to get each player home. As much as I want to watch him and celebrate with him, I have to remember to keep my eye not on him, but to keep my eye on the prize. The prize in baseball is a run.

Life is so much like baseball. My job is the same. Keep my eye on the prize and get as many people home as I possibly can. That is the prize…heaven. But just like in baseball, it’s easy to get distracted. Life throws so much at us that it almost seems impossible to keep our eyes fixed on one point. It’s like our head is on a swivel. Constantly spinning and only if we are lucky do we catch a glimpse of the prize.

Paul challenges us to live our lives differently. Not to fall in the trap at looking everywhere else, but to make the prize our focal point. The amazing benefit of doing that is how everything else comes so clearly into focus…just by putting the prize first.

“Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 3:13-14

Paul’s encouragement to the Philippians’ should be a charge to us. May it inspire you this week to keep your eye on the true prize.

Perspective…sometimes it is so easy to lose ours. We become so fixated on one thing that we fail to see the world flying by around us. It’s easy to get caught in the trap of the immediate. “Why is this happening? What’s wrong? When will things change?” Ever wondered what God was up to?

I know I have. My personality makes it hard for me to be patient and wait for God’s plan to unfold and it’s hard to see the benefit of the circumstances (opportunities) that God has placed me in. I sometimes feel like my life is in a thousand little pieces.

A thought that both comforts and scares me is this: God sees the end product.
Have you ever had to put together a children’s toy? Hundreds of little parts…black and white directions. Left only with those two things, the task would be overwhelming.

The first step I always take is to look at the picture of what I am supposed to be making…the final product. That way I understand why I am completing the multiple steps and I see how things will turn out if I follow the directions accurately.

I have often thought, “If I only had a glimpse of what is to come…what God was about to do, I would be ready.” The truth is, I probably would be terrified and ill- prepared. We have on more than a few occasions heard that we have a purpose in life. I am confident that God has a special plan for each of us and He created each of us uniquely to accomplish His plan and His purpose.

I have also learned that the journey is part of His plan and His purpose. This is God’s way of putting us together. The next time you are wondering about your personal journey, remember this simple thought: God see’s the end product.

Psalm 139:13-16“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.

All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

A few thought provoking thoughts from The Real Deal by Dan Webster.

I believe leadership begins on the inside of my life and moves out.

I embrace the truth that leadership involves authentic self-expression.

I will never substitute persona for character and integrity.

I will resist the shallowness of conformity by celebrating my God-given sacred trust.

I determine to take no short cuts in my personal and spiritual preparation so that I will live life with momentum.

I affirm that God uses all the experiences of my life to prepare me for what’s next.

I will daily downshift my life so that I can receive God’s love before I attempt to share God’s love.

I will remember that surrender unleashes the power to fulfill the commitments I make to God.

I pledge to be led by God before I attempt to lead others.

I will face the truth about myself and admit my vulnerabilities to temptation so that I won’t shipwreck my life.

I will accept the pain that life brings my way and allow it to make me a more understanding and able servant.

I will quickly acknowledge and intercept any personal entropy so that my fatal flaws will not prevent me from finishing well.

I will surrender to the change process that God is working in me so that I can be an agent of change in this world.

For those of you who regularly read my rants…first of all…thanks. I know there are tons of things that have your attention. I appreciate your support and patience with me. I have been a bit slammed recently both personally and at work. Sorry for the lapse between my late night thoughts.

Secondly, if you have subscribed or currently subscribe to receive a notice that I have posted a blog you may need to subscribe again. I noticed a few glitches and have made some minor updates.

Please know that if you subscribe you will receive a confirmation e-mail that you need to open and reply to in order to set your subscription up.

That’s it. No more housekeeping.

Thanks again for all your comments and thoughts. Rick Warren has said, “We are better together.” I believe that applies to all avenues of life.

Jason

I don’t know if you have ever flown before in a small plane. A plane where you can sit next to the pilot and hear the communication between the pilot and the control towers in the headset. It’s a pretty cool experience. When I was a teenager I had a friend whose dad was a pilot and instructor. Every once in a while he would take us up with him and we would get to fly the plane. It’s an incredible experience! Scary…but exhilarating all wrapped up in the same feeling.

Before a pilot takes off he must communicate with the nearest tower and submit his flight plan. A pilot can request an altitude…but often the voice in the headset from the control tower would tell you otherwise. I learned that when we were going up on training flights the altitude given to us was always pretty low. This kept us out of the way of the big jets, heavier winds and potential problems. Staying closer to the ground never seemed to bother me. There was a sense of safety and comfort being able to see things that I was familiar with.

To be honest…I was very comfortable flying at a lower altitude until we took a trip. It wasn’t a training session…but I was able to sit in the same seat and go through the same process. This time because we were traveling a few hundred miles away we were given a greater altitude. Our journey started off pretty much the same as all my previous aerial sessions until we climbed above the clouds. It was a whole new experience…a whole new world (sorry for the Disney reference but I live in Florida…its mandatory). I felt like I was flying again for the very first time. I couldn’t believe how the altitude could make such a difference…but it did.

I could no longer see the ground…the clouds looked different…the air was smoother. While I felt less safe than when flying low to the ground, this experience was far superior to any I had had before. I couldn’t imagine going back to flying around at my previous altitudes. I had felt what it meant to truly soar and from that point forward nothing short of that would be as enjoyable.

What changed? Very little. It was the same plane. The same instruments. The same process. The same instructor. The only thing that really changed was the altitude. But what a difference that made.

Some pilots spend almost all their lives flying at low altitudes. They never advance far enough to go to the next level. Some make it to the next level, but because of fear, comfort or haste never quite get to soar. But then there are those pilots who take off and never look back. While they appreciate flying at a lower altitude because of how it prepared them, once they get a taste of flying high that is all they want to do.

Very few people ever get to have that feeling. Even being a passenger on such a flight is amazing. I am sure if you talk to a pilot about flying they would say it’s an incredible experience…A feeling that it is hard to define or explain. But when they are up in a plane above the clouds they feel they are exactly where they belong.

Are you where you belong? Are you flying safe at a low altitude when you know you need to be soaring above the clouds? Is it time to force an altitude change in your life?

Too many people go through life looking up, wishing they were flying high, but never take the step to increase their altitude. Take a risk this week. Take that first step to realizing your full potential.

All you managers and HR people read this! Pretty simple…pretty profound.

Excerpt from Mac Anderson’s new book, You Can’t Send a Duck to Eagle School.

A few years ago I had lunch with a top executive from a company known for their legendary retail service. My wife and I are both big fans, and over lunch I shared with him some of the great service stories his people had provided the Anderson family. I said, “With the service your people give…you must have a training manual 2 inches thick.”

He looked up and said, “Mac, we don’t have a training manual. What we do is find the best people we can find and we empower them to do whatever it takes to satisfy the customer.”

Then he said something I’ll never forget. He said, “We learned a long time ago that you can’t send a duck to eagle school.” “Excuse me,” I said. He repeated… “You can’t send a duck to eagle school.” He said, “You can’t teach someone to smile, you can’t teach someone to want to serve, you can’t teach personality. What we can do, however, is hire people who have those qualities and we can then teach them about our products and teach them our culture.”

As long as I live I will never forget this simple analogy about hiring people. It is branded on my brain forever. And since that day, with every hiring decision I’ve made, I find myself asking the question: “Am I hiring a duck thinking they will become an eagle?” I can also honestly say that asking this simple question has saved me from making some important hiring mistakes. I just wish I’d heard it 20 years sooner.

I have always loved cereal. I don’t know why? I know it sounds childish, but
there is nothing better than a big bowl of cereal. Maybe it’s the colorful boxes…the clever names…the amount of sugar and marshmallows…or the fact that you receive a free prize! Yeah, I think it is the free prize.

As a child I would always look forward to going to Great Scotts and traveling to the cereal isle (the toys were always on this isle as well). I would search out my favorite brands; Captain Crunch, Fruity Pebbles, Count Chocula and Golden Grahams. But that wasn’t the end of the decision. You see, my decision was not only based on the amount of sugar I could intake per serving but on what toy I could get for free. Once I made my decision, I could not wait to tear open the box and retrieve my prize.

For some reason, the cereal companies all got together and decided to put
the toys at the very bottom. I am sure it was a conspiracy. I could never
wait. The first time I would open the box I would begin to lightly shake it
to see if I could find the prize. That seldom worked. Sometimes I would open
the box on the bottom hoping I could snatch the toy before ever pouring the
first bowl. Needless to say, the most reliable way to obtain the prize was
to obtain a large bowl and pour the entire box into it. Looking back, I was
pretty impatient. I just couldn’t wait three or four days to be surprised as I
poured my bowl of cereal.

A good leader always knows the right time to move; the right time to wait;
the right time to confront; the right time to encourage. But if you are like
me, you don’t want to wait. You want it now and you want it your way. And no one better get in the way! Sound familiar?

I think we are all guilty of rushing decisions, rushing actions and rushing relationships. But, to be a good leader, we must wait upon the perfect time. But that is the age old question…How will I know when it is the perfect time? And yes…I am going to give you the church answer.

God’s timing is always perfect. His ways are so perfect and planned. God is not a God of chance, but a God of order. So it makes perfect sense to wait on His lead? I wish that part was easier.

As leaders we must be very cognoscente of our level of patience. We are responsible to a lot of people and they are expecting us to lead them…and lead them well. Colossians 3:12 says, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Ecclesiastes 7:8 says, “The end of a matter is better than it’s beginning, and patience is better than pride.”

I promise…if you wait on God’s time…the prize will be worth the wait.

A great story I found in the Want it Done Right Journal (www.wantitdoneright.com).

The Turkey Story

A farmer was out in his field one day and found an egg. The egg looked different from any normal egg he’d seen in his life. Being fascinated by the egg, he took it to a friend nearby who owned a turkey ranch to see if his turkeys could possibly hatch it. They put the egg in the hen house with the rest of the turkey eggs. Sure enough, a turkey sat on the egg and incubated it.

Finally, the special egg hatched along with all the others. The bird that hatched turned out to be an eagle. But because the eagle hatched with turkeys, and he didn’t have a mirror to see what he looked like, he thought he was a turkey too.

He was a pretty smart turkey. He noticed that as his friends got bigger and fatter, they left and never returned. This happened every year around Thanksgiving and Christmas. So, as he noticed this, he decided he wasn’t going to let himself get big and fat; he was going to stay trim and in shape.

One day, as he was working out, he happened to be looking up in the air. He saw this big beautiful bird flying in the wind. “Mother! Mother! I want to fly like that bird!” She said “Oh, Son, that’s an eagle. That’s what eagles do. You’re a turkey. Turkeys don’t fly.”

The young eagle was content to believe his mother’s word - that he was a turkey just like all the rest of her children.

When he was older, he was out in the turkey yard exercising and stretching his wings, and he started to come off the ground. The turkeys yelled out: “Wait! What are you doing? You can’t do that! You’re just creating dust! Knock it off! You can’t fly!” So he tucked in his wings and acted like the rest of the turkeys. As time went by, the little eagle grew up to be a mature eagle. He never left the turkey ranch and he never flew. He grew old and died believing he was a turkey.

The moral to this story is: If you live with turkeys and listen to turkeys, you allow them to convince you that you’re a turkey. All of us are really eagles, but we may spend much of our time listening to and associating with turkeys. Until we believe in ourselves and develop our own “eagle” talents, until we make our dreams goals, we will be whatever other people tell us we are.

So many people are utilizing the World Wide Web to communicate their message to the masses. And why not, it is an extremely effective and efficient mode of communication. However, getting to the starting line can prove to be a bit more difficult than many understand. Most organizations cannot afford to employ a Web master to create and maintain their site. So what do they do? Try to do it themselves? Enlist the help of a friend? Borrow from existing sites? Or contract the site to a Web developer? Many choose the latter believing it to be an easy process…but it’s hardly as simple as it sounds.

Working with a Web developer can be an arduous assignment. It can turn out to be a complete disaster, especially for those of us who are not well versed in site development. Here are six tips taken from Small Biz’ June/July 2007 edition that will help you make your design/build experience a success.

How to make sure you get what you expect from your Web developer:

1)Register the domain name yourself, in your name or that of your company.
2)Stay local. You may have success with an offshore designer, but if things get dicey, a face-to-face meeting can do wonders for your relationship.
3)Check references-lots of them. And look at as many of the developers sites as you can.
4)Get a clause in your contract with the developer explicitly stating that you have the right to use the material on the Web site, to reproduce it, and to distribute it and publicly display or modify it, perpetually and irrevocably.
5)Be as clear as you can about what you expect. Schedule payments based on milestones.
6)Ask the developer to produce a shadow site on his own server that you will approve before your site goes live.

If you are ever at a party and want to kill the conversation because that seven minute lull doesn’t seem to be working; throw this out there and see how quiet the room goes.

“You cannot teach a person anything. You can only help him discover it within himself.”

Galileo

I think Galileo would have made a great coach and pretty remarkable manager. The next time you want to create a coaching or training moment ask your team what they think about this quote. You may discover your next great manager.