LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"No matter how good the team or how efficient the methodology, if we're not solving the right problem, the project fails." Woody Williams

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

The is the last thought on the topic of PROJECT MANAGEMENT. It was interesting to explore this a little bit and hopefully something bubbled up for you around this theme over the past month. You can read the past quotes and posts from this month HERE.

In August, we're going to look at the idea of MOTIVATION. Motivation can be described as the WHY behind any action, and it often separates having a goal from actually pursuing one. More on that next week.

Have you ever put a bunch of time and energy into something to then realize that the thing you were working on wasn't the "right thing"?

Have you ever finished a project to have that sense of satisfaction fade away quickly because you realized that what you accomplished wasn't the most important thing?

I'm in the middle of a situation where I find myself questioning if I'm focused on the right thing or not. I'm not going to share the details with you, but I want to share a little bit of my process as I work to figure this out in real time.

Sometimes I come up with a "great idea" (at least in my mind it's a great idea) and I then work to implement it and put it into action. Usually I can determine fairly quickly if the idea was an "inspired idea" or if it is just a "random fleeting idea" or not, but sometimes it takes some work and energy to figure this out.

Right now, I'm deep into a project that I'm trying to determine the answer to, and it's a place I don't like to be for long because I feel STUCK: not sure if I should double down and charge forward or if I should pause to make sure I'm heading in the right direction.

When I'm faced with this kind of dilemma, I often make a quick decision without completely evaluating things. I pull the plug quickly, I pivot before I need to or I hesitate and stall out, and continue in that STUCK place.

This time, this is what I'm doing:

• I created some "space" to search my heart and determine my motivation and my fear.

• I shared the dilemma with a few people to get their counsel, advice, insight and perspective, and I'm listening to that.

• I'm waiting a few days before making a decision, asking God for clarity, confirmation and peace.

That's where I'm at.... TODAY! Right in the middle of an issue, trying to write about leadership, but instead wanted to share with you the journey I'm on.

The quote above has had me thinking and contemplating over the past 5 days, and I just couldn't let it go, so I'm paying attention to what I'm in the middle of.

I don't know what you do to ensure you're focused on the right thing, but I invite you to share your wisdom with me.... not so I can share it with others, but so I can learn from you. What else would you do if you were me?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own." Bruce Lee

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

This month I want to explore some ideas around PROJECT MANAGEMENT. Pretty exciting theme for a summer month, but I'm finding myself looking for some tools to help me get some things done over the next few months.

I've watched quite a bit of the World Cup over the past weeks. Some incredible moments of victory and some really hard moments of defeat, but 2 things just stand out to me as I watch these teams play.

First, THE POWER OF TEAM. The idea that everyone has a role to play, and they play together, often working specifically to get the ball to a point on the pitch where a specific player has the best chance of scoring. The entire team working together to make that happen, focused and in sync with each other. There was some beautiful fútbol being played!

Second, THE ABILITY TO ADAPT, which is what triggered the quote above from Bruce Lee.

These teams and coaches had to continually adapt their plan and their style of play to each of the teams they faced, changing pre-game and then during the game. Every team showed up with a strategy, with surprises, with the goal to win, and that competition forced everyone to be constantly changing.

I read an article yesterday about Lionel Messi, and it sparked my attention. They were commenting on the fact that Messi often appears to be standing and watching, or walking and not engaged in everything that's happening on the field, but the argument was that Messi was studying. He was evaluating the opposing team, he was watching for what they were doing and he was constantly finding ways to address their play and adapt their play in response. As the captain of the Argentina team, he was paying attention to everything that was happening on the field, and bringing his years and years of experience onto the field to help his team adapt and have the best chance of winning.

Unfortunately for Messi and his team, Spain was able to do this better in the final and they won a well deserved championship.

Coming back to our conversation around Project Management, this idea from Bruce Lee is critical in our ability to define a project, work towards completing a project and manage the outcomes.

On a scale of 1 - 10, how comfortable are you with adapting your plan based on what's going on around you, with 10 being "highly adaptable" and 1 being "resistant to adaptation"?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"Goals convert vision into ENERGY." Dave Ramsey

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

This month I want to explore some ideas around PROJECT MANAGEMENT. Pretty exciting theme for a summer month, but I'm finding myself looking for some tools to help me get some things done over the next few months.

Thank you for your comments. I asked you to share some thoughts, and I received some great notes that I'll share below.

My friend Alan shared an article he had written on "The Big Rock Theory" and I'm sharing it HERE because he makes some really good points about the idea. Check it out and check out all of the content on his website. Thanks for sharing Alan.

The quote above from Ramsey isn't the quote I was looking for, but it's connected.

I attended one of Ramsey's EntreLeadership Conferences years ago, and really appreciated his approach to leadership.

At the conference, Ramsay made this statement (or it's what I heard him say)... something like:

"Goals are your vision in bite-sized chunks"

When he said that, something clicked in me.

I've always been a proponent of GOALS, of S.M.A.R.T. GOALS, but connecting them directly to the vision I was working towards was a new concept.

The quote above really goes in line with that idea, in that goals bring ENERGY to your vision, and that's so true.

How does this relate to project management?

I think we (or ME) often do great defining a project, a task, a goal, but it doesn't connect to the big picture. It's a task, and sometimes it's not connected at all to where I'm trying to get to.

One of the most important aspects of Project Management is actually determining what you're going to focus on and why. If you don't, then you waste time, energy & resources and you don't get closer to your ultimate goal.

Years ago, before email and internet were created, I had an idea to create a leadership network. I was 22 years old, I hadn't really thought through why I wanted to do this, but I woke up one day and just decided to give it a go. I spent about a week finding mailing addresses, writing letters, inviting people to join this emerging network of leaders in Los Angeles, but I failed to answer this really important question: WHY?

This became really apparent as the response was dismal. People couldn't understand what I was trying to do, they wouldn't commit to anything, and while I waited patiently for some of the 350 responses to pour into my newly rented mail box address, by the time I received my first (of 3) responses, I had grown bored of the idea and was moving onto something else. The 3 responses were all asking questions about WHY this was important. The reality is that this idea didn't connect with anything I was working on at the time in my life, it was simply an idea that I acted on, invested some money and lot's of time into, only to have it fade quickly away, while all I was left with was a bunch of stationary for a now defunct networking group.

Funny story... a few years later another group launched a similar network, and I joined it because their marketing was compelling, and they articulated the purpose much clearer than I did. I participated with them for years in this network of leaders.

Lesson learned: Know how the project, the idea, the task connects to your bigger purpose, your goal or your organizations goals.

How do you create ENERGY through the projects and tasks you're working on?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"If the big rocks don't go in first, they aren't going to fit in later." Stephen Covey

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

This month I want to explore some ideas around PROJECT MANAGEMENT. Pretty exciting theme for a summer month, but I'm finding myself looking for some tools to help me get some things done over the next few months.

I know how I can be the most productive, but there are times that I just allow some bad habits to sneak back into my work life and it messes with my ability to focus on priorities and to manage the most important things to completion.

Of course, trying to do this while the World Cup is on is a problem, but I'm talking about "managing the time you have left AFTER watching your favorite World Cup Match!"

Stephen Covey talks about "BIG ROCKS" in many of his books, and often he's uses the terms of "priorities" or "first things first" interchangeably.

He shared this video illustration years ago that best describes his theory of Big Rocks:

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full." Jesus, John 15:11 (ESV)

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

Wrapping up the conversation around JOY today. It's been really good to camp out on this theme for a few weeks. READ BACK to see all the posts on JOY. Also, read this book by Matthew Kelly, Slowing Down to the Speed of Joy. It's been good to go back through this book at a "slower pace"!

In John 15, Jesus tells us to ABIDE IN HIM. He's telling us that when we abide (when we REMAIN) with Him, He will help us understand what joy is all about, not just simple joy, but FULL JOY, the kind of joy that can only come from Him.

We've talked a lot about JOY over the past number of weeks, and this passage and promise just puts it all in perspective.

Jesus is telling us what we must do, he's "commanding" some things from us, but it's not to add to our burden, it's so that His joy can become our joy.

He wants us to live a genuine joyful life, and he's showing us the path to get there.

Read the full chapter of John 15. Love and Joy Abound.

Over the past number of weeks I've been sharing some thoughts and ideas around how to figure out JOY in your life. I've been challenged by the book by Matthew Kelly, and I've become aware of how much my "PACE and RHYTHM" affect my ability to see, appreciate and experience JOY.

However, this passage actually makes it clearer:

"Abide in me, and I in you." (John 15:4)

When you read John 15, what does ABIDE look like and feel like for you? What is He asking of you?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"The speed of joy is the speed that allows you to flourish." Matthew Kelly

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

Continuing on in our conversation around JOY for another 2 weeks.

I've been talking about this book by Matthew Kelly, Slowing Down to the Speed of Joy, and this quote is just a theme throughout the book.

Basically Kelly is saying that Joy isn't found by moving faster - it's found by moving at the right pace for you.

The core idea: modern life pressures us to do more, faster. But joy - genuine flourishing - has its own natural rhythm. When you outrun it (overcommitment, constant busyness, chasing the next thing), you lose it. When you slow down below it (stagnation, avoidance), you also miss it.

"The speed of joy" is whatever pace lets you be fully present, engaged, and growing - not burned out, not coasting. That speed is personal and varies by season of life.

Here's his major takeaway: "If you're not experiencing joy, you might not need to try harder - you might need to slow down."

I won't bore you with more stories about my bird watching! (see last weeks post if you missed it) but that experience last week did something in me that I'm trying to figure out.

Steps from my home office is an incredible back yard. We've been working on this yard over the past number of years and Gina has everything blooming, the landscape looking great and the yard is "flourishing".

We enjoy the yard, and often use it to host our family and our friends, but it seems that the only times I'm using the yard by myself is when I'm working in it. I'm not taking advantage of this refuge we have right here.

The bird watching experience reminded me of this great space that I don't use and appreciate near enough.

This past weekend, I found myself on one of our chaise lounges, not only watching and listening to the birds, but just enjoying the silence around me. I didn't reach for my phone, I didn't have a book in my hand, I just sat in the silence. This led to a short nap which then led to an even longer nap on the couch.

I can't tell you when the last time I fell asleep sitting outside was. It's been a while. I really don't nap, but for some reason, this weekend, it was a gift!

I'm trying to slow down. I'm trying to not be so tied to my phone, to the news, to what's happening every minute of the day. I realize that slowing down isn't just shifting from one pace to a slower pace, but it's actually stopping completely: stopping to catch my breath, stopping to replenish, stopping to just sit in the moment. I'm tired of living at a pace where I continually miss the things that are right in front of my face.

What does personal FLOURISHING look like to you?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"Let your joy be in your journey - not in some distant goal." Tim Cook

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

Continuing on in our conversation around JOY.

Apples CEO Tim Cook made this statement during a university commencement address years ago, and it was a simple reminder to the graduates to focus on the process, embrace the present and appreciate the personal growth along the way.

I'm reading this book by Matthew Kelly called "Slowing Down to the Speed of Joy". (Thanks again Brad for the recommendation). There's a short section in the book that is simply called:

JESUS WAS NEVER IN A HURRY

Kelly talks about the idea that Jesus didn't have these words in His life: urgent - busy - hurry

Jesus consistently took time for Himself, He allowed things to play out in front of Him, He paid attention to the things that were most important, He valued relationships, and He didn't mind making others uncomfortable with His time frame to address urgent needs.

The 3-year journey Jesus embarked on was the goal. Yes, there was an end goal, but He took advantage of every opportunity along the way to invest into peoples lives, to commune with His Father, to meet peoples needs and to model love and compassion.

I don't know about you, but I'm in a hurry... a lot! There is always something on my list that needs to be done or an urgent interruption that needs to be addressed.

The words: urgent - busy - hurry are not only attached to my life, but often they are words that people use to define me. I cringe when I hear people say, "Russ, you're so busy" or "Russ, I know you are in a hurry so I'll be quick." What am I communicating to people by my life? What am I living out?

I want JOY to be a part of my "every day" experience and not be the goal that I'm working hard to achieve.

This past weekend, I walked outside to our backyard and I found Gina sitting with her "BIRD APP" open, identifying the different birds that were making sounds in our yard and zooming in and out to get access to the water and food she has for these birds. I sat down, pulled out my BIRD APP (yes, we have a Bird App - see below) and at one point there were 11 different birds in and around our yard. We saw them, we identified the differences and we even got out the binoculars for a different view. What started as a short "good morning" turned into about 30 minutes of just JOY... acknowledging the sounds, the beauty, God's creation that is right here, in my yard.

What would it take for people to say: Russ Was Never In A Hurry?

How are you experiencing JOY in your journey on a regular basis?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"The things that truly bring us joy are rarely things." Joshua Fields Millburn

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

Continuing on in our conversation around JOY.

I asked you a question last week, "What Brings You Joy?". We then started a conversation around JOY and what we can do to find Joy in the midst of a lot of stuff going on in our lives.

I found this quote from Joshua Fields Millburn, and I've been thinking about it for a few days. Millburn is one half of The Minimalists. Millburn and his friend Ryan Nicodemus began when some life challenges pushed them to downsize their "stuff", and that began a pursuit of finding happiness and contentment not in their "stuff" but in simplicity.

I've listened to a number of their podcasts and read one of their books years ago (noted below).

This quote then has some deeper meaning for them, and as I think about it, it definitely has deep meaning for me.

The truth is simple: We often think that JOY comes in the form of "things", and sometimes that is true, "things" can bring some joy, but if I were to be honest, joy comes from and through people in my life, through others, through my relationship with God, through so many things that don't stack up in my garage.

Let me test my theory: I owned a dream motorcycle years ago, a 2007 BMW GS 1200. This is a bike that was built for adventure, and when I purchased it in 2012, I needed some adventure in my life. I had ridden motorcycles in many different parts of the world and the U.S., and I always wanted to own a GS because the South Africa rides I took were so epic on that machine. I had one. It DID bring me joy.

Then it didn't. I got busy. My friend wasn't riding as much (sorry Jim). The bike sat in my garage not being used. I'd pull it out once in a while and something had shifted in me and I didn't find that ongoing sense of adventure and escape.

Finally, a few years ago, I made the decision to get rid of it. I was tired of paying for maintenance, insurance and registration and not riding it at all. I sold it quickly, took the money and purchased a pair of E-Bikes so Gina and I could explore and ride together. Great purpose, new joy.

As I think about that bike, I think I realize that the joy wasn't coming from the actual motorcycle, but it was coming from the comaraderie, the adventure, the exploration of new countries and rides. It was coming from the people that I shared these experiences with, not from the hunk of metal sitting in my garage.

So yes, there was some joy coming from by ability to own and ride that bike, but the truth is, I'm still in relationship with all these guys I've shared the road with. We'll ride again, we'll plan another trip, we'll find other adventure, either on a bike or just in our own aging lives! Cue Wild Hogs Theme Song Here....

Where does your Joy come from?