20 Things I'm Thinking On Christmas Eve About Church and Sports

Today is a really fun post to write. This is a wonderful Christmas season for our family and we are preparing for a great couple of days. I am doing some reflective thinking today about the past year and decade and am just going to put down some random thoughts.

1. I have a lot of gifts under the tree, a happy and healthy family, good friends, and been at my job for 7.5 years. I am truly beyond blessed, a lot more than most. Every good and perfect gift comes from above and I have many.
2. I have the best wife and daughter in the world.
3. There are many great things going on in American churches right now. More people are being served and attendance is higher than ever.
4. However, I think we may be at an all-time low on biblical literacy.
5. It's going to take Hybels or Warren to say it before everyone gets on board. However when they do, we all know that small groups are largely ineffective. Each church may have 2-3 that are prevailing but because of child care, teaching and leadership giftedness, and the ability to control discipleship, small groups are in a train wreck status currently.
6. Generosity is a big buzz word in churches. But when only 7-8% of Christians tithe, we are not addressing the real issue. We feel better about ourselves talking about generosity but the problem is not going away. The problem is to identify the problem. The solution then becomes obvious.
7. Drew Brees will be one of the three NFC QBs in the Pro Bowl. Good luck though picking the other two from Brett Favre, Donovan McNabb, Kurt Warner, Eli Manning, and Aaron Rodgers. Great QBing in the NFC right now.
8. Speaking of Favre, he is just my favorite player because of the entertainment and drama that he provides. His last second win of the 49ers earlier this year is the NFL image of the year.
9. Vince Young is the greatest human interest story this NFL season. Great story of personal growth, perseverance, and redemption.
10. Peyton Manning is by far the best leader in sports.
11. The best images in the NFL are watching Chris Johnson in open space and DeSean Jackson with the ball in his hands.
12. I think the 5 best sports movies this decade were Remember The Titans, The Blind Side, Rocky Balboa, The Rookie, and For The Love Of The Game. I think Rocky Balboa is the most underrated movie of the decade.
13. I love my Pastor, Crawford Loritts. What great insight and moral authority!
14. When is the last time you heard a speaker talk about the need for purity and personal holiness on a national scale? It is the greatest need for Christians right now. Thank you Kay Arthur for carrying that torch.
15. As much as I am loving the NFL this season, I am equally disappointed with college football. We did not get big years from Tim Tebow, Dez Bryant, Sam Bradford, Jahvid Best, Jermaine Greshem, USC, LSU, Georgia, FSU, Michigan, Arrelious Benn, and Terrell Pryor. When the Goliaths don't play well, it makes for a sub-par season.
16. Wasn't baseball better with the New York Yankees returning to power.
17. The Philadelphia Phillies are young and going to be very good for a long time.
18. My heart goes out to the Cincinnati Bengals this year. I hope they go deep into the play-offs.
19. The San Diego Chargers will beat the New Orleans Saints in the Super Bowl.
20. I'll take Kobe Bryant over LeBron James.

Finally, I am never amazed that a person's talent takes them where their character cannot sustain them. However, I am constantly amazed at how little character some talented people have.

Increasing Your Capacity and Slump Proofing Your Leadership Part 8

After you have prepared, practiced self leadership, and helped raise the levels of those around you, it is time for the execution of your task or assignment. It is then that you must ask "The Confidence Question" in order to continue increasing your capacity and slump proof your leadership. "The Confidence Question" asks "Do I Trust My Preparation?"

Peyton Manning is the most prepared athlete I've ever seen, but he also trusts his preparation more than any athlete I've ever seen.

While reviewing 65 snaps by Peyton Manning , Mike Shanahan made the following observations:

• Austin Collie spent the whole off-season and training camp running a particular play.
• He's probably run it several hundred times.
• Peyton Manning has played the Tennessee Titans multiple times and knows their tendencies.
• Collie knew exactly when to change his route during the play.
• Collie also has a natural feel for the game.
• They ran the play at the right time and scored a touchdown.

These are all signs that Peyton trusts his teammates, his experience, and their extensive preparation. Because of the level of trust he has, Peyton did not hesitate on any throw that Shanahan reviewed.

Trust is the foundation needed for any relational team dynamic to fulfill its purpose. If trust does not exist, leaders and team members will default to becoming self-serving and begin making decisions that benefit themselves only. If trust does exist, you go to another level as a team because of the compounding nature of your preparation.

Trusting your preparation provides the following advantages:

1. It gives you confidence to feel you can accomplish more than you ever have.
2. It allows you to build a high-performance team that accentuates your strengths and compliments your weaknesses.
3. You don't micro-manage which creates greater loyalty and continuity from your teammates. You trust them that they will make good decisions and perform.
4. Though you always make game day adjustments, you trust your gameplan and continually play to your strengths.
5. Your able to make immediate on-going decisions allowing you to avoid costly mistakes, lost time, and missed opportunities.
6. You create a culture of preparation and personal growth in your organization.
7. Because you have proven success, the type of people joining your team are more easily identifiable because you are looking for "system fits".
8. A prepared team allows you to utilize all team members providing you more options as a leader.
9. A prepared team gives you a deeper bench so if a team member is out or leaves, the organization continues to move forward effectively. You can also take time off yourself and know everything is covered.
10. When tough times come, and they always do, you wrap yourself in the warm blanket of preparation and know you've built a sustainable system or organization.

On the other hand, we've all seen leaders who lacked the skills, information, experience, work ethic, or simply not prepared to lead their teams through a task. This results in indecision and bad judgement leading to poor customer service, loss of respect and trust, disunity, constant employee turnover, and in a competitive environment, a shrinking market share or getting beat by the opposing team.

Please join me for my next post when I ask the "The Coaching Question" which asks "Do we evaluate our performance as a team?"

Increasing Your Capacity and Slump Proofing Your Leadership Part 7

We are all watching the Tiger Woods issues and the layers of damage done both professionally and to others by his decisions. Everyone has an opinion but I want to approach this issue from another perspective. It appears Tiger failed The Margin Question which asks "Do I Use My Marginal Time Wisely?" How you use your margins tells you a lot about yourself and your leadership, both self-leadership and the leadership of others. It speaks to one's character. Character is who you are when no one is watching. Here's the ironic secret - Someone is always watching!

I want to stay true to analyzing the leadership of Peyton Manning from the SI article so I will point out examples of how he uses his time to increase his capacity and slump proof his leadership. Each of these examples have been mentioned but they must also be viewed through the lens of time management.

• He spends a portion of his off-season running a passing camp. How do you spend your nights, weekends, and off-time? Is family a top priority for you?
• He spent the day after the draft working with 1st round pick Donald Brown. Do you spend off hours doing life with others and pouring into them? Are you in a group of people away from work who challenge you to get better and you challenge them? Is there accountability in your life?
• He spent an airline flight improving on a completed assignment. Do you sleep on airplanes or do you use time such as that for additional preparation?
• He spends additional time each week watching extra film of opponents. Do you set aside time each day for personal growth, reflection, and reading? Always remember, leaders are readers!

I referenced Tiger at the beginning of this post. I would like to give all men a practical insight into how to avoid the human pain and heartache that an adulterous affair can bring. Men, when you get off work, GO HOME! If you are on the road for business and have completed your assignment, GO STRAIGHT BACK TO YOUR HOTEL! Watch TV, read a book, sleep, read the Bible, do office work, do something but go back to the hotel. Here's why:

A hunter hunts best at dawn and dusk, after 5:00 PM. Proverbs 7:7-22"I (a women) saw among the naive a young man lacking sense, passing through the street near her corner, and takes the way to her house, in the twilight of the evening, in the middle of the night and in the darkness. And behold, a women comes to meet him dressed as a harlot and cunning in heart...Her feet do not remain at home...she seizes him and kisses him...Suddenly he follows her as an ox goes to the slaughter." Men, you are being hunted whether you realize it or not.

Men, nothing will decrease your capacity and influence like a moral failure - ask Tiger. One practical thing you can do is be with your family when it's time to be with your family. If men consistently go out after work without their wife, they need to know that they are being hunted by an enemy that wishes to steal, kill, and destroy.

Now it's time for personal reflection - How do you spend your marginal time? Is it centered on personal growth and the growth of others? Or is it chasing momentary pleasures that, at best, have no redemptive value or, at worst, cause irreparable damage to you and others? Make the right choice. Men, GO HOME!

Increasing Your Capacity and Slump Proofing Your Leadership Part 6

"It is one of the true compensations of this life that a man cannot help another without also helping himself." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Emerson's quote is my favorite because it communicates the truth that through the vehicle of serving others, our capacity actually increases. For my leadership to be its most effective I must deal with the The Flight Questions which asks "Do I Help Others Soar Higher?"

Peyton Manning makes equipping others an intentional part of his leadership. Peter King mentions several cases of Manning help others reach and even exceed their potential.

• Manning helps lead the prestigious Manning Passing Academy every summer. It is an opportunity for budding quarterbacks and receivers come and work out with the Manning family.
• I have previously discussed the extensive passing tree work Peyton did with Pierre Garcon.
• Manning was working out with first round pick Donald Brown at 8:00 AM the morning after this year's NFL Draft.
• Manning puts his receivers in positions to be their most effective by leveraging their talents and abilities such as Qadry Ismail's skill in running double move routes.
• Manning's work ethic weeds out those who don't wish to get the most out of their abilities.
• Also previously stated, Manning works an additional 75-90 minutes every Thursday with rookie wideout Austin Collie to help him be as successful as possible.
• The scouting department must work smarter and harder because only the most intelligent and hardest working athletes can play at a sustainable level with Manning.
• The defense is also helped because opposing offenses frequently play from behind limiting their options.

These are just some of the many examples. So did the investment in others yield results in their performance as well as Peyton's himself? The proof is in the production. Through the first eleven weeks of this season, the following are results:

1. Indianapolis Colts 11-0
2. Donald Brown - 4.5 rushing yards per attempt and 15.7 yards per his 10 receptions.
3. Pierre Garcon - 37 catches, 574 yards, 4 touchdowns
4. Austin Collie - 43 catches, 483 yards, 4 touchdowns
5. Peyton Manning - 102.5 rating, 3415 yards, 24 tds. The average yards per game total is the highest in his career and the team's record is the best through 11 games in his career.

The statistics indicate that Peyton's investment in others has compounded in his own performance which is arguably the highest its ever been.

Serving others does several things in my life:

1. It allows me to focus on others instead of being self-centered.
2. It allows others to re-invest in me increasing my capacity and performance.
3. This sounds narcissistic but I just feel better about myself when I serve others.
4. It improves the team's depth and options because broad-based talent is created.
5. It allows me to take a vacation or day off and not worry about the office. It is under control.

The simple reality is that when I help others achieve their goals and desires, I need it more than they do. Join us later this week as we deal with the next question to increasing your capacity. The Margin Question asks "Do I Use My Marginal Time Effectively?"