Would Your Community Miss Your Organization?

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My local electricity provider does not advertise how to contact them for service.

They assume that if you want power you will “get in touch.” It’s not that they intentionally hide their contact information, they just don’t actively engage the community with the information.

The temptation that comes with offering a product or service that is extremely valuable is that you begin to expect people to come and find you.

When I lived in Cincinnati, I patroned a pizza company who always advertised their phone number in clever ways. The number was on all their print media – napkins, pizza boxes, flyers, billboards. Their commercials rehearsed the one number to call for pizza no matter where you lived in the city. They even put the phone number in their Twitter name.

The difference between the pizza company and the power company is the power company provides something so valuable they assume you will find them when you need them.

In Leading Thoughts Community, Social media

Critics & Cynics: Two Expressions of Doubt

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toll booth Criticism and Cynicism are both expressions of doubt.

In a recent conversation with a client I was presented with an idea and asked if I thought the idea would work. In that moment I had my doubts but what I did next determined whether I shared my doubts as criticism or cynicism.

I asked the client to explain their understanding of the product offering. Once I listened to my client’s explanation and responded from my knowledge of the subject, I was able to express my doubts critically instead of cynically.

Criticisms is doubt informed by curiosity and a knowledge of a subject matter.

Cynicism is doubt resulting from ignorance and antiquated ways.

In Leading Thoughts Criticism, Cynicism, Doubt

A Beginners Guide to Social Media Branding [Infographic]

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80% of people prefer to connect with organizations via social media, but many organizations never respond when people initiate a conversation. [source credit: SuretyBonds.com]

Is your organization using social media? Here is a quick visual guide on how to get started.

If your church, school or non-profit needs help launching or developing a social media presence Second Chair Leadership can help.

In Social Media

The Tension Around Rules

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tension Opinions about rules tend to polarize in two camps: the rule-keepers and the rule-breakers.

Ideologically, rule-keepers tend to see rules as moral imperatives and rule-breakers see them as the control mechanisms of those in power.

While ideologies drive much of how people assess life, they do not strictly determine how people functionally live life.

Functionally, most people live as both rule-breakers and rule-keepers. For example, a great rule-keeping employee may break every rule of personal health from improper diet to inadequate sleep. As Alan Bennet said, “We started off trying to set up a small anarchist community, but people wouldn’t obey the rules.”

The fact is rules are often written around important ideals, but have to be followed with consideration for what’s real. That reality creates a tension in us, no matter which rules-camp you most identify with.

Continue Reading…

In Leading Thoughts, Staff Development

How One Client Began Their Platform Development

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Second Chair Leadership is excited to consult with Ben Smith in the development of the Ben Smith on Purpose platform and to help grow the platform’s social media credibility.

Ben is a licensed minister who is gifted at counseling. He has a passion to develop healthier families and individuals through blogging, speaking and counseling. Ben is an experienced communicator, but turning his communication into online content has been intimidating.

I sat down with Ben this week and asked him some questions about what motivated him to develop a platform and how the experience has gone thus far. Ben’s answers are in italics.

Q: What motivated you to take the dive into platform development?

Not long ago I watched and walked with a colleague who embraced platform development as the primary means to redirect his career. I watched him learn from Second Chair Leadership the different online media tools, establish a website, develop his identity, and brand that identity. I was privileged to interact and converse with him during this journey.

In Social Media Getting Started, Platform Development, Social media

Helping Churches Find Their Social Media Voice

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As a parent of teenagers, I am grateful for the moments when my teens want to converse about life. Those conversations always feel more like peer-nting than parenting and I like that.

Unfortunately I have been known to ruin the moment by slipping back into what my kids call the “parent voice.” The “parent voice” is marked by a matter-of-fact tone and a focus on informing rather than understanding.

I enjoy helping churches find their social media voice. Part of finding that voice involves teaching churches to stop using their “pulpit voice” on social media platforms. The “pulpit voice” is usually marked by a take-heed tone and a focus on promotion rather than community.

Here are a few social media “voice lessons” for churches…

In Social Media Facebook, Social media, Twitter, Voice

Averting the Quarter-Life Crisis

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Twerking, jerking, wrecking…whatever Miley Cyrus was doing in her VMA performance was definitely not working. Miley seems to publicly be going through a quarter-life crisis.

Our culture says a lot about people in their 40’s experiencing a mid-life crisis, but the 1/4-life crisis is becoming a common phenomenon in the life of today’s young adults.

The crisis often occurs once young adults have made all the decisions that older adults have told them to make – learn to drive, finish high school, go to college, get a job – then one day they wake up and wonder, “What now?”

The realization sets in that they have “ridden the wave”, and played their childhood part in the script called growing up. Now the only remaining life-decision before retirement is marriage. For many young adults this is when the 1/4-life crisis hits.

Here are three “others-focused” behaviors that help avert the 1/4-life crisis.

In Leading Thoughts Growing Up, Miley Cyrus, Others-focused

Alma Mater Speech Goes Viral

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“I am doing that!”

This speech by Nicholas Selby at my alma mater demonstrates how the current generation is able to by-pass the traditional “gatekeepers” of permission and promotion to advance their ideas.

If current leaders hold the reigns too tight and do not create room for up and coming ideas, this generation will not sit by and wait for permission. They will create their own platform for promotion.

In Social Media Georgia Tech, Social media, Viral

The Danger of Momentum

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momentum road Organizations love momentum.

Momentum comes from wins, sales, growth, revival…call it what you want, but when you have it everyone can feel it. Momentum is tangible progress. However, there is one danger in momentum.

Momentum can carry you right past the turn you need to make.

I was driving in a busy metro area last week trying to keep up with the pace of traffic when suddenly I saw the turn I needed to make. I immediately knew that my current speed and the flow of traffic was not going to allow me to make the turn, so I ran right past the needed course correction.

Churches are bad about living off of momentum. Churches often call this “revival,” and no one wants to kill the momentum of “revival.”

In Leading Thoughts Change, Conspiracy, Momentum, Vision

Getting Away

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man with briefcase If you can’t get away from your organization then you are either…

…A lousy leader or
…You can’t hire well or
…You have an inflated need to be needed

In Leading Thoughts Delegation, hiring, Insecurity, Vacation

Critics & Cynics: Two Expressions of Doubt

The Tension Around Rules

Averting the Quarter-Life Crisis

The Danger of Momentum

Getting Away

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