Mark Miller's Blog, page 5

Don’t Fall Behind

Last week, I was part of a team that traveled to another city to visit some of our competitors. Although we’ve done this several times before, I always find it valuable. I was reminded again how easy it is to fall behind – as brands, as organizations and as individual leaders.

What does falling behind look like? It has infinite manifestations. Here are a few examples…

For brands, you can look at the décor in their establishments and the products they offer. Is the brand relevant?

For organizatio...

One Word… Hope

Over the last few months, I’ve written several posts under the banner – One Word. These have included, Vision (A three-part mini series), Data, Diversity and others. Today, let’s explore a word that is critical to our success… Hope.

The ability to generate hope is one of the hallmarks of leadership. Napoleon said, “A leader is a dealer in hope.”

What is hope? It is a deeply held desire to see something come to fruition. Leaders must be able to create desire in the hearts and minds of people. We...

Take it to the Dump!

On Saturday, we continued to prepare for our move. In a post entitledDe-clutter Your Leadership,I wrote about some of the items we might want to rid ourselves of in order to lead more effectively. Today, our moving saga continues…

I knew I needed to work in our basement. Although portions of it were presentable, others contained pockets of chaos. I understood instinctively – many of the contents needed to go before I could restore order to this part of our world.

In the rubble I found…

Old paint...

Today’s Challenge: Leading Change

Leaders know progress is always preceded by change. And, you also know a lot of people don’t like change. Their minds and bodies war against it – they prefer stability vs. change. This tension represents the leader’s on-going challenge and today’s challenge… How do you get people to change?

Leading change is a process. I wrote about it in a post entitled3 Steps to Real Change. Today, let’s take a deeper look at the key levers leaders have at our disposal to instigate change.

After attempting to...

Your Two Words…

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post entitled, Just Two Words. At that time, I encouraged you think deeply about what you do – and to articulate your answer in just two words. The feedback on that activity has been extremely positive. The following are some of your responses…

Share stories


Encourage leaders


Serve public


Love people


Multiply disciples


Trust God


Grow giants


Be authentic


Teach Christ


Pursue excellence


Encourage diversity


Mentor leaders


Fathering leadership


Convene conversations


Serve others

What a f...

Why Story Matters

Yesterday, I completed Robert McKee’s Story Seminar. It’s a story boot camp of sorts – 32 hours of teaching in four days… including a 6 hour, scene by scene screening of Casablanca! The audience consisted of about 200 writers for screen, stage and page, along with several film and TV producers.

As you can imagine, 32 hours of content sparked a lot of ideas. So, you can expect several posts in the coming weeks about story. Today, I want to share a few thoughts on why leaders should care about s...

Today’s Challenge: I’ve Been Demoted!

The career ladder our parents knew has been replaced with a climbing wall.That’s the conclusion my friendBev Kayehas reached.What a powerful metaphor! With this picture in mind, let’s think about this week’s question: I’ve been demoted, what do I do now?

Obviously, a change in responsibility or title can be an emotional event. And, each situation has its own unique circumstances. That makes giving counsel on this topic particularly difficult. However, I have a few thoughts for you to consider....

A Fresh Start: Days 20,018 – 20,109

This year, I’m conducting an experiment. I mentioned it in a post entitled, Create a Better New Year. In case you missed it, here’s the essence of my project – I’ve divided my annual plan into four separate 12-week years. Today, the 20,018th day of my life, is the first day of my “new year.”

What have I learned thus far? I have four big take-aways.

Having a 12-week year does keep my energy and focus high. That’s one of the reasons I wanted to try this. As expected, it’s hard to delay activities...

Leaders Don’t Always Win

Our annual, national ritual known as March Madness is always full of both life and leadership lessons. I believe that’s one reason sports captures our imagination. It showcases our hopes, dreams and aspirations – even if we never suit up. At some level, we all want to win.

The truth is leaders don’t always win. And sometimes, the difference between the winner and the loser is hard to discern, regardless of the score.

In the first round of this year’s tournament, Duke played Mercer University. I...

Today’s Challenge: Outsourcing

Each week, I respond to a question I’ve been asked by another leader. Over the last couple of years, I’ve commented on a wide array of topics. Today’s question surfaces a controversial topic… Why are you a fan of outsourcing?

I want to begin by saying I don’t think outsourcing is the right answer in every situation. However, there are several reasons to consider outsourcing as a legitimate component of your staffing strategy.

1. Expertise. Early in my career, I was given the opportunity to buil...