FredMcKinnon.Com

We’ve all heard it … time after time …

“There is no ‘I’ in the word T-E-A-M”.  This applies to life .. in church ministry, business, family, and yes … sports.  The story of these two quarterbacks says it all.  I caught a story in Monday’s USAToday about the Detroit Lions’ QB, Matthew Stafford.  Since he hails from the Promised Land, good ole’ UGA (University of Georgia – GO DAWGS) … I took interest in the article.

The article talked about both Matthew Stafford, and former USC Quarterback, Mark Sanchez, who was drafted to the Jets. Both of these QB’s had their rookie season in 2009 – Stafford with the Detroit Lions, and Sanchez with the New York Jets.

Now I’m not one to pick on a losing team … but the Detroit Lions have had a tough time lately.  Stafford goes to a team that is seriously struggling.  Sanchez goes to a team that is working well together and has exceptional talent.

Stafford’s Team – 2 wins all year … which is better than NO WINS the year before.
Sanchez’s Team – a trip to the AFC playoffs.

Can these guys take the credit?  See below:

Although their final numbers were similar, with Stafford throwing for 2,267 yards and 13 touchdowns with 20 interceptions, and Sanchez throwing for 2,444 yards and 12 touchdowns with 20 interceptions, the latter player received considerably more buzz.  (source:  USAToday)

Stafford:  2267 yards thrown
Sanchez:  2444 yards thrown

Stafford:  13 touchdowns
Sanchez:  12 touchdowns

Stafford:  20 interceptions
Sanchez:  20 interceptions

Do you see it?  There is no “i” in TEAM.  It wasn’t all about a star QB.  It was about a TEAM.

Whether you are a worship leader, a pastor, a business owner, or a star athlete …. in most situations, it’s not all about you.  It’s about the team you are surrounded with.  It’s about putting the “right people in the right seats on the bus”.

If you have all the talent in the world, but don’t have yourself aligned with the right team, your overall wins may be marginal.  Granted, everybody’s definition of a “win” is different, based on your situation.

But think about this … when was the last time you checked on your team.  When was the last time things were re-aligned.  When was the last time you took inventory of your gifts and where they are best “at play”.

Comments/Thoughts?  Let’em rip.

Maybe it’s the fact that I was up all night …

Maybe it’s the fact that I was already tired from a long weekend …

Maybe all of that fatigue and the drizzly, overcast skies outside are the cause of today’s topic …

But we’ve all faced it.  “The Dip”.  That place where our motivation dries up and all the “get up and go” that we had is gone.

Long gone.

I’m feeling that lately.

In my fitness goals … I’m in the dip.
In my health and eating habits … I’m in the dip.
In my creative elements – songwriting, recording, music … I’ve BEEN in the dip.  Maybe I’m on a cul-de-sac.

Seth Godin’s book, “The Dip” was a great read for me earlier this year – and I find myself recognizing “the dip” more easily now.  But pressing through it (or quitting, which isn’t always a bad thing) is another thing altogether.

So … are you in a dip?  How so?  And how do you press through?

Tell the world.

Hello Everyone,

A couple of days ago I posted “Effective Leading” and asked for your comments on two words:
1 – communication
2- leadership

Your comments were incredible and continue to come in.

I’d like to further discuss these as we dive deeper into this discussion about Effective Leadership. These comments are inspired by the time we had in staff meeting and the notes I took from Pastor David’s discussion with us.

Communication:

This is critical. We cannot expect people to follow our leadership if we do not clearly communicate. It’s far easier to under-communicate than to over-communicate. Think about your role as a leader. What are the non-negotiable aspects of your ministry? These need to be communicated over and over to those who are following. As you define your mission and vision statement, find ways to continually communicate this.

As a church, we have asked ourselves these important questions:
1 – Who are we?
2 – Why do we do what we do?

Answering these questions gives some good direction in finding a vision statement to clearly communicate this to others.

Our response at SSCC:

Our mission is to help people discover God’s purpose for their lives as fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. We seek to create environments where people are encouraged and equipped to reach up, reach in, and reach out.

As leaders, it’s easy for us to focus on the “big communication” – like our church vision, our business model, our strategy, etc. Let’s not forget how critical basic communication is with those who serve with us.

As a Worship Leader:
1 – communicate your gratitude to your team OFTEN
2 – communicate your gratitude to your tech team OFTEN
3 – communicate your thoughts and vision for introducing a particular song, or flow
4 – communicate the vision behind actions.

For example, we’re encouraging our singers to make every effort to memorize their lyrics each week so that we can get rid of our music stands. Just giving them instruction without communicating vision is critical here. I have to explain to them WHY it’s important, and the BENEFIT that we’ll have in doing so – both on an individual basis and a corporate basis.

What are some examples of good (or bad) communication that you’re experiencing. Feel free to share your business, church, or personal mission statement that you are communicating as well. Let’s discuss.

For the Kingdom,

Fred

Hello Everyone,

We had a great staff meeting at SSCC yesterday and Pastor David (link to his outdated, inactive blog!) shared some of his thoughts regarding effective leadership.

It was good stuff, and I’d like to share my notes, but before I do .. I thought I’d give us a day for discussion.

David mentioned two important words for us to discuss, and what they mean:

1.  Communication
2.  Leadership

As it relates to your field of ministry, work, and relationships, what are your thoughts on each of these two traits?

Start the discussion.
Fred

Hey Everyone,

This is the promised “Part 2″ to the blog entry I shared yesterday about the Barna Group’s new stats on Marriage, Divorce, and Cohabitation. Marriages are perhaps one of the biggest targets these days. I believe that Satan himself knows that if he can destroy marriages, families, he will wreak havoc on us. I see this so often.

Joy and I will have been married for 10 years this August. My oldest brother (congrats Billy and Celese) just celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. My neighbors across the street (congrats Darrel and Lynne) are about to celebrate 25 years as well. My parents will be celebrating 47 years of marriage this year, and Joy’s parents will celebrate 50 years. What a wonderful, rich heritage we have to celebrate.

I’m not ashamed to tell you this … Joy and I over the last couple of months started “marriage counseling”. Yep, you heard me right. We’re not the ones doing the counseling … we are GOING to counseling. Is our marriage on the rocks? Heck no. Are we at the end of our rope? Heck no! We’re MADLY in love with each other. Like any other marriage, we have our ups and downs … our arguments, our barriers that seem we just can’t agree to climb. So, we decided that for the good of our health, of our family, and of our marriage, it would be wise to lay down our pride and meet with our counselor at church.

I call it “PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE”.

At first Barby (our staff counselor at SSCC) asked if we needed to come in the evenings, etc., … outside of “church hours”. I said, “no way, I don’t mind strutting through the main staff hallway and telling everyone in there that we’re going to marriage counseling”. I hope that if nothing else, it will INSPIRE others to do the same.

One of the pastors that I love to follow on the ‘net is Pastor Steven Furtick from the phenomenal “Elevation Church” in Charlotte, NC. Steven proudly boasts and confesses from the pulpit, for all to hear .. that he meets regularly with a counselor. Not because he’s crazy, not because he’s in sin and addiction, not because his marriage is on the rocks … because he feels it is HEALTHY to meet with someone and sort through your feelings in a SAFE ENVIRONMENT. It’s healthy to get FRESH PERSPECTIVE and “NEW EYES AND EARS” on the subjects that we all wrestle with.

That being said, I hope to encourage all of you blog readers … don’t keep your issues bottled up on the inside. Talk to someone. Counsel with someone. Make it a matter of preventative maintenance. We get dirty in this world – our views and selfish ambitions (yes, we ALL have them) cause us to have twisted views of reality and truth … so why not schedule an appointment and meet with someone you can trust today.

How ’bout it ya’ll? Would you, or will you consider it?

For the Kingdom,
Fred