Thoughts for the Everyday Leader

What a Five Year-Old Taught Me About Praying Through

2012-01-31T14:28:00.000-08:00

Our church started the year with Pastor Mark Batterson's four-part sermon series on based on The Circle Maker, his new NY Times Bestseller on prayer. It highlights the importance of dreaming big, praying hard, and thinking long. Specifically, one of the core principles is the idea of "praying through." Praying through is the opposite of seeking an answer as soon as possible. It's a commitment to pray as long as it takes to realize God's purpose in us - and for Him to receive His glory.

I had a real-life object lesson when we presented a junior version of the Circle Maker series to our Sunday School kids. It was a big day and we had a prayer walk scheduled to circle the theater where we meet. The kids were excited and one of them recommended praying for the "sick and the homeless" people at one of our prayer stops. I thought this was a particularly good idea since one girl, a five year-old named Mykala has leukemia. I wanted a chance to circle her in pray as we circled the theater.

An interesting thing happened to me when it came time to pray for the sick. I realized that the week before when we invited our kids to draw their own prayer circles on butcher paper, Mykala had asked that God would use her as a doctor someday. It had really impressed me then because at age five I was transitioning between an aspiring garbage man and an aspiring NFL quarterback. But as I started to pray for little Mykala, I realized that her desire to be a doctor had likely been shaped by all the times she must have spent with doctors in her short life, and those interactions had probably prompted the desire of how she wanted to be used by God. If this was God's way of impressing on her the desire to help the sick, than the absence of the disease could have meant the absence of the calling!

For the record, I did pray for Mykala's physical health. And I didn't just pray that the leukemia would remain in remission, but that God would take it away altogether. (Even I know you can't tell kids that bold prayers honor God and then offer up something weak yourself). But on the inside, I also prayed that God would accomplish His purposes for this little girl's life.

And on the inside I also resolved a little harder to stop praying away and start praying through - to stop praying that the problems in my life would go away as soon as possible and risk diminishing God's presence in me, His purposes for me, and His glory through me. As long as it takes.

Thank you NCC Crosswalk Kids!

First, Do No Harm

2011-09-29T18:26:00.000-07:00

What could you do to completely ruin the leaders in your organization? By that, I mean what could you do to destroy their motivation, deplete their energy, defuse their creativity, replace their confidence with cynicism, and then cause them to leave – or worse, have them stay? Go ahead, make a list. I started my own list, in no particular order, just to help get your thinking going:

1. Regularly compete with the other priorities in their lives.

2. Refuse to recognize or reward their achievements.

3. Provide unclear expectations.

4. Wait until the last minute to communicate changes.

5. Say one thing and do another.

6. Continually focus on the mission at the expense of people. Or vice versa.

7. Refuse to make decisions.

8. Refuse to let others make decisions.

9. Rely on universal consensus before starting anything new.

10. Have lots of meetings with no resolutions.

11. Refuse to invest in training and development programs.

12. Reward seniority over ability.

13. Emphasize rank over reason.

14. Wait until every plan is fail-proof and risk-free.

15. Repeat the same organizational mistakes over and over again.

Oftentimes we're tempted to believe the answers to leadership success are "out there." We think we need to pay top dollars to high priced consulting teams to deliver cutting edge leadership programs. And many times, this turns out to be the right response. But it shouldn't be the first response.

Any emergency first responder will tell you that the first step in providing treatment to a breathing trauma victim is to stop the bleeding. Take a look at the list you’ve made. Ask the members on your leadership team to makes similar lists. Then ask yourselves if your organization is doing any of those things. If so, you may need to enlist the help of professionals, but you’ve already got your first assignment: stop your organization’s bleeding! This is not the time to make excuses; it’s time to make changes.

Think about it: if there is something you can do today to make things worse for the leaders in your care, doesn’t it make sense that there is also something you can do to make things better?

Send me your list at:

nathan@visionchampions.com

www.visionchampions.com

www.linkedin.com/in/nathanmagnuson

The Problem with Good Ideas

2011-09-16T14:38:00.001-07:00

Are good ideas ruining the effectiveness of your team or organization? Yes, you read that correctly. Are good ideas keeping you from winning? At a time when creativity and innovation are at a premium, good ideas are actually more threatening than ever.

So what makes good ideas so dangerous? The answer lies in the substantial difference between a good idea and a right idea. The key is alignment. In the absence of a guiding vision and strategy, there is no overarching target to align ideas with. Therefore, no basis exists to determine whether a particular good idea ought to be pursued or not. This is all the more true for government, non-profit, and ministry organizations, who are rewarded not in dollars earned for products/services but for meeting often vague objectives.

When an organization’s guiding vision is non-existent or unclear, good ideas are dangerous. In the absence of a guiding vision, good ideas represent low hanging fruit that unprepared leaders will reflexively reach for, especially when pressured to report visible success. It’s likely you’ve seen this before. As organizational leaders, we tend to worship good ideas. We don’t want followers who simply show up to do their work and leave, we want ones who generate ideas on their own and possess the motivation to see them through. But when each individual comes up with different good ideas, the operating environment quickly gets complicated. It can be even worse in large organizations where entire teams come up with ideas independently of one another. Once a team or an individual commits to a good idea, their personal success and pride are on the line. Quitting equates to failure, so ideas evolve into personal agendas that turn organizations into silos. Teams literally pull away from each other in different directions. The result is a wide variety of small “success stories,” but no accomplishment of the organizational mission, effectiveness, or momentum. All too often this leads to a loss of trust, miscommunication, and a decrease in morale. Instead of diagnosing what went wrong, more good ideas are elicited to save the day and the vicious cycle continues.

When an organization’s guiding vision exists and is clear, good ideas drive positive change. Clarity inspires focused creativity and guides a team’s thinking. There is a separation between people and their (collective) ideas since each idea becomes the property of the team. Thus, when some get passed over, individuals do not feel personal sense of rejection, and when some are accepted, the whole team is committed to following through. Special consideration is given to the opportunity cost of good ideas, since each one requires time and resources that cannot be easily reallocated to another better idea. When an idea is achieved, the success story is centered around the accomplishment of the mission and realization of the vision, instead of a disjointed summary of ad hoc initiatives.

So what can you do when the “Good Idea Fairy” strikes? Bobb Biehl once said that a sign of maturity is putting process between opportunity and response. In this case, the process is evaluating each idea against the guiding vision to ensure alignment. Of each idea you must ask the question, “what are we really trying to accomplish here and will this idea get us closer to the realization of our vision or not?” Here are some steps you may want to use:

Consider your guiding vision. If you don’t have one, or if it is unclear or under-communicated, give this your full attention before considering any new ideas that could risk spending time or resources pulling your organization in a wrong direction.

Brainstorm: don’t just evaluate each idea as it comes. Collect a wide range and evaluate them collectively.

Separate the ideas into groups of those that align with your vision and those that do not.

Of the ideas that align, select the very best and get to work on them. Put the others into a “parking lot” for later consideration. For the ideas that do not align, consider how you can share them with other teams or organizations whose guiding vision would support their consideration.

The key in all of this, once again, is not to try to limit creative thinking or discourage people from sharing their thoughts. The key is to always have a visible True North, so that everyone can generate, commit to, and implement ideas they are fully confident will drive your organization in the right direction.

nathan@visionchampions.com

www.visionchampions.com

www.linkedin.com/in/nathanmagnuson

You Are the Institution

2011-09-14T09:25:00.001-07:00

Have you ever stopped to think about how your perceptions of any given institution are formed? By institution, I mean anything from an organization, group, idea, person, legislation, or even religion. Most of us are quick to form our opinions, but how informed are those opinions?

I really started contemplating this toward the beginning of my service in the Army years ago. During a certain period of time, I was experiencing what I considered an unwarranted amount of pressure from a few individuals I worked with. The result was that I quickly started to form a negative perception of the organization until I caught myself. I reasoned that the Army had hundreds of thousands of soldiers, and I was letting the two or three that were representing the Army to me influence the majority of my perception of the organization as a whole. Wouldn’t it be better to get a more comprehensive perspective?

Since then, I’ve come to realize that regardless of the facts, people are much more likely to be drawn to or repelled by any institution based more on their personal experiences than the certifiable facts. And while mindsets, traditions, and policies may play a role, experiences involving people who represent the institution, for better or worse, often play the major deciding factor. To take it a step further, most of the time we are unintentionally, influenced significantly by a relatively small – even minuscule – number of people.

Think about it – no matter how large your company is, your supervisor will play an enormous role in your perception of that organization. You may not know a lot about your next door neighbor’s particular religious persuasions, but your perceptions will likely be significantly influenced by the way he interacts with you, not to mention how he maintains his yard or his pets. And even though you may have researched the latest candidate to run for election, a rude or insensitive remark from an oblivious supporter can do a lot to push you to look for an alternative.

The implications of all of this are two-fold and they go hand-in-hand: we need to learn to be tough on ourselves but easy on others.

Be tough on yourself: When we are tough on ourselves, we are able to step back from our gut reaction to a negative experience and realize that most of the time, it would be rash to form a concrete judgment of any institution based on an a single experience with a limited number of people. In other words, we need to prepare ourselves to give out second chances. Many times the next supervisor after a bad one is a great one. Maybe you just happened to reach a customer service representative in the midst of a crisis and the rest of your interactions will be wonderful – hardly worth the trouble of switching accounts. In a “me-first” society, we actually do ourselves a great favor by resisting the urge to make snap decisions based on negative experiences instead of focusing on what we may or may not “deserve.”

Be easy on others: On the other hand, when we are easy on others, we realize that, like it or not, we are actually ambassadors for every institution we represent. Everything we say and do has the potential to win or lose each person we knowingly or unknowingly come into contact with. And many times we are completely unaware of their history or current disposition with those institutions – whether they are full of goodwill, open to positive influence, on the verge of disaffiliation, or completely hostile. This may seem a tall order, but there is a big difference between trying to sway each person we touch and simply acknowledging the reality of influence. By accepting this responsibility, we agree to behave like the kinds of people we ought to be already: people who possess character, respect, and relational agility.

At the end of the day, don’t you want to affiliate with the best possible institutions out there? And the people around you are going to be positively influenced by someone. Why couldn’t it be you?

The Courage to Lead

2011-07-28T17:26:00.000-07:00

The more time I spend with military and national security executives, the more I’m convinced of the enormity of a certain leadership quality: courage. That might not surprise you; everyone knows military service members need courage to put their lives on the line every day. There’s no debating that, but the courage I’m talking about applies to all leaders everywhere, whether your organization is made up of hundreds of thousands of people, or just a handful. Let me explain.

The Courage to Accept Responsibility. It’s not hard to find folks who are willing to accept a title, but it is pretty tough to find individuals willing to accept responsibility for the performance of a team. By definition, these leaders aren’t just accepting responsibility for themselves, but for the collective individual performance of each team member, regardless of their individual level of ability. If the team’s objective is not achieved, the leader is the one whose neck is on the line. This is why empowering leaders are so rare; most either pass the buck of responsibility or micro-manage as a way to control the outcome (at the expense of the team).

The Courage to Make Tough Decisions. The larger the organization, the tougher it is to negotiate tough decisions. For many leaders, accepting risk is just too tall of a task. They would rather pass the decision – and the risk/responsibility for failure – up the ladder for the next leader to make. Eventually the executives at the top wonder why it takes so long for anything to get done and why everyone needs them to fix every little problem. Unfortunately, punishing failure (instead of promoting learning from past successes AND failures) helps to reinforce this negative behavior when making a single wrong decision rarely breaks any organization and can often net an incredible amount of benefit long-term both for the organization and the individuals involved.

The Courage to Initiate Difficult Conversations. This one may require the most courage of the three. It’s human nature to shy away from difficult conversations, whether they are simply uncomfortable, intrusive, or unpopular. A team member needs to be confronted on a poor performance issue instead of shuffled through another annual review. Or a group of executives who are all in agreement need someone to speak up about the cold hard facts everyone else has been ignoring. It’s never easy to be the one to say what needs to be said when no one else is willing to say it. But the cost to the organization is great: continued poor performance, politicking, and ineffectiveness.

Fortunately, some organizations are reversing the trend by highlighting the need to lead at a new dimension counter-cultural to the status quo. And the quality their leaders must possess is not so much a skill as it is a doctrine. Courage is much more about who you are as a person than it is about your performance ability.

The bad news is that many organizations continue to hinder courage just by nature of maintaining the status quo, which makes it all the more difficult to embrace. The great news is that as YOU start putting courage to use in your leadership circle, you give your influence the chance to grow by leaps and bounds.

You may have the ability. Do you have the courage the lead?

Nathan

nathan@visionchampions.com

www.linkedin.com/in/nathanmagnuson

www.visionchampions.com

The Cost of Unclear Expectations

2011-04-23T09:12:00.000-07:00

I’ve said for years now that unclear expectations make folks work three times harder than if they had clear expectations. Here’s why:

The job has to be done. Regardless of the expectations, the initial task has to be completed.

Consensus on the intention has to be reached. In other words, the folks doing the job have to figure out for themselves what they think you meant. Depending on the size or scope of the job, this could take anywhere from several minutes to days, weeks, or even months. And when a whole team is involved, the level of effort - and cost - adds up quick!

Constant troubleshooting has to be performed every step of the way. This is where the cost really multiplies. Whenever new information comes in, the team has to stop what they were doing, perform re-work, and then redirect.

And we haven’t even factored in the cost of morale lost in the process!

Wouldn’t it be easier, quicker, cheaper, and more spiritual to take the time to be clear upfront?

Reconciling Humility and Leadership

2011-04-17T17:22:00.000-07:00

The humble leader is in vogue. Jim Collin’s masterpiece Good to Great made that clear with his distinction of “Level 5 Leadership,” as has a resurgence in servant leadership interest.

But if you are a naturally non-assuming person, you can’t use the guise of “humility” to keep from putting your best foot forward.

As Andy Stanley says, people will usually buy into a leader before they buy into a vision. That means you owe it to the people around you to show them you are someone they can count on. You don’t have to have the answer to every problem – no one does. But the people or groups around you should still be able to trust that when they are seeking direction or solutions, you are someone they know they can depend on.

For those of us non-assuming leaders, learning to “subtly self promote” around the areas we are competent in can be a tough task! It can feel uncomfortable at best and manipulative at worst. But humility isn’t an excuse to not step up the challenge until we feel ready. If we wait for others to see what we can do before we assume the role of an influencer, it may be too late. In other words, as tough as it can sometimes be, expanding our own circle of influence is our responsibility.

You Can Never Go Back, or Can You?

2011-04-04T19:46:00.000-07:00

It’s often said that “you can never go back,” meaning that it’s extremely difficult to recreate an experience you’ve had in the past, something I’ve found to be pretty accurate. The reason is that not only do circumstances and seasons of life change, but you do as well! I got a little reminder a couple weeks ago when I got to visit my alma mater Bryan College a couple weeks ago. The school is smaller than most, only about 1,000 students, I think, which means there are less of us alums around to come back and visit. Here’s a picture of me speaking to one of the classes I visited when I was on campus.

I thought it was kind of funny how grateful the Alumni department was to have me. They said that since I was still a relatively young guy, I had a type of credibility with the students that other alums didn’t have (apparently they are used to having “adults” talk to them quite frequently). Anyhow, the Alumni department invited me to speak about my experiences with military, business, communication, and leadership, but honestly, it was the things I hadn’t planned to bring up that really got me thinking. For me, these have almost become second nature by now, but I realized I have really sharpened since I graduated. Here are a couple of them:

Planning: I’ve learned how to plan beyond 24-48 hour blocks, whether it’s for a week, month, quarter, year, or sometimes even several years down the road.
Networking: I’ve learned how to build and maintain a network I need to move forward so that I benefit but can also return the favor.
Developing: I've learned how to create detailed personal and professional development plans for myself so that I keep learning and growing even though I’m no longer in classes on a daily basis.
Self-Awareness: I’ve learned, maybe most importantly of all, a little bit more about what makes me tick – strengths, skills, likes, dislikes, interests, and passions – all things that guide me in my present and future endeavors.

As I spoke to students and fielded some questions, it became evident that while I look a lot like them, I indeed have the benefit of a bit of experience, without which can make the next steps feel a little daunting, especially if you are an upperclassman getting ready to graduate.

So here’s the idea I wanted to get at: instead of trying to go back to some place or time to recreate an experience you had there, maybe you can go back to see how much you’ve grown since then – and then lend a hand.

Nathan
nathan@visionchampions.com
www.linkedin.com/in/nathanmagnuson
www.visionchampions.com

Welcome Back!

2011-04-04T19:36:00.000-07:00

After nearly three years, I'd like to welcome everyone back to my blog! Things have just about come full circle since I was posting leadership thoughts while serving in Iraq. The blog transitioned into a newsletter, which gave way to finishing graduate work. Next came full-time consulting work and now all of a sudden, I'm back with a blog presence again!

Wherever you are on your leadership journey, hopefully these ideas can inspire you!

Nathan
nathan@visionchampions.com
www.linkedin.com/in/nathanmagnuson
www.visionchampions.com

Soft is the New Hard: What Next Generation Leaders Know and Do

2008-04-19T12:27:00.000-07:00

The organizational leadership climate is in the middle of a revolutionary change. Once the change is complete, it will never return to “normal.” As the baby boomer generation nears the height of its retirement in 2015, countless executive leadership and management positions are being put into the hands of a new generation who will decide the course and fate of these organizations in the future. Will they be successful? Only time will tell. The outcome rests in the ability of these leaders to employ the skill set of a new generation.

Today’s job seekers are paradoxically different than the previous generation’s. The values of the previous generation’s executives included hard work and loyalty. This is evidenced by senior citizens who retire after having been employees of their organizations for thirty, forty, and even fifty years. Unfortunately, the shift in values is also evident in the number of senior citizens who find themselves laid off with no up-to-date expertise to market. The job seekers of today have a different set of values, to include flexibility, creativity, and influence on outcomes.

Not only are work values changing, so are job skills. Hard skills were often the first to be observed by organizations recruiting to fill open positions. Conventional leaders were highly competent, high energy individuals. But in an age where more people have college degrees than ever before, hard skills are becoming a dime a dozen. And while some hard skills may still open certain doors, for next generation leaders, the quality of their soft skills will determine the effectiveness and longevity of their organizations, namely communication skills, vision, foresight, compassion, and willingness to serve. For these leaders, soft is the new hard.

So what does a next generation leader look like? Here is a glimpse:

Conventional leaders communicate expectations. Next generation leaders cast a unifying vision. For next generation leaders, everything starts with vision. Before communicating roles, they articulate where the whole organization is headed in the first place. Those who catch the vision stay onboard. Those who don’t stick around until they find a new opportunity or until they catch a different vision.

Conventional leaders speak up. Next generation leaders listen first. In the previous generation, true leaders were thought to be figureheads who were able to inspire and motivate their people. The next generation leaders realize that everyone is intrinsically motivated and seek to listen and understand where that motivation comes from, so it can be put to its best use and not wasted.

Conventional leaders see employees filling job slots. Next generation leaders recognize that people desire to make a unique contribution. Virtually every career test that exists is built on the assumption that there are a set number of jobs that must be filled for a society to function properly. Next generation leaders know that slots are too small to fit people into because each person is unique! Instead, they focus on drawing out the uniqueness of each person.

Conventional leaders count on employee loyalty. Next generation leaders provide opportunities. Loyalty is a crucial value to develop, that is, loyalty of the organization to its people. Gone are days when an employee could be expected to give decades of his or her career to one employer. There are too many different opportunities and choices available. The next generation leaders understand this and work to provide constant win-wins for their associates and customers.

Conventional leaders increase output. Next generation leaders empower people. The bottom line is important. Both groups of leaders know this. But next generation leaders realize that people are the most important of all. Furthermore, they realize that each person is a leader because each person has influence and each person has a unique vision. Next generation leaders create contexts for people to discover and unleash their personal vision.

Conventional leaders separate their professional lives from their personal lives. Next generation leaders live full circle. There is no separation in the lives of people with vision. Their work life, family life, social life, and spiritual life is all centered around their personal vision. They are the same person with their co-workers as they are with their family and friends. They live consistently within their values and convictions whether they are working or playing.

Conventional leaders want to maximize the effectiveness of their people. Next generation leaders realize there is no such thing as “their” people. Everyone is connected. We are all in this together. What is best for one person is ultimately best for the organization. This is true, even if it means an employee leaves to pursue another opportunity that is better suited for his or her personal vision. It is most true of today’s organizations that employees won’t stay forever. But just because an employee leaves does not mean they cannot still benefit the organization. It may be directly or it may be indirectly and from a distance. But regardless, next generation leaders realize that today is the best day to invest in people.

Conventional leaders compensate employees based on contractual agreements. Next generation leaders continually find new ways to serve people. You can’t do business without a contract. But a contract is the bare minimum. Next generation leaders not only find creative ways to serve people, they are excited about the prospect! Zig Ziglar said it best, “You can have anything in life you want if you’ll just help enough other people get what they want!”

Conventional leaders win when their objectives are met. Next generation leaders win when people win. There is more than one way to do things. Next generation leaders are flexible and open to creativity. Associates who are onboard with the organization’s vision have accepted the responsibility to find strategic and creative solutions for customers, clients, and stakeholders. Because every person is uniquely creative, the same solutions will probably look different when they are performed by different people. This is a win-win-win.

Conventional leaders focus on training new management. Next generation leaders focus on developing new leaders. Business can’t keep being done the same way. Opportunities and solutions must be reinvented continuously. In the same way, training new leaders to maintain the values of a previous generation will fail the test of time, and quick! Next generation leaders start planning for their exit as soon as they begin a new assignment. Leader development is at the top of their priority list. They realize that new leaders will lead according to their own personal style, and this is a good thing. Instead of simply replacing themselves, they seek to maximize the potential of their future replacements.

Why You Can’t Become a Billionaire the Same Way I Did

2008-04-19T11:55:00.000-07:00

Everyone must want to be wealthy these days. At least that’s what I conclude when I go to the bookstore. I look at the best sellers list and it’s covered with hints, tips, and even guarantees that you (yes, even YOU) can soon be wealthy beyond your wildest dreams. I always have to laugh. Anyone who can make a fortune writing a book about how to make a fortune is a genius!

I guess if you want to become wealthy, you should study what wealthy people do, right? It just makes sense. I don’t think I know anyone who wouldn’t want to be ridiculously wealthy, but if only a small percentage of our population actually is, then there must be a reason. Maybe there is only a limited amount of wealth, which means there simply is not enough for everyone to have most of it. But that doesn’t go over very well in our American culture where we want to believe we have the “freedom” to create our own wealth or to become the next big thing. Maybe you just haven’t found the secret to great wealth yet. Maybe you haven’t worked hard enough yet.

Here’s what I propose: you can’t become a billionaire the same way I did. I know, I know. I could probably double my means by telling you all the tricks and trades that I employed to get where I am and it’d be the next best seller. But even if you were to pull exactly the same stunts as I did, it’d never happen for you. Here’s why. You aren’t me. What worked for me will not work for you in the same way and in the same sense. We’re different. That’s it, plain and simple.

The common denominator of all my experiences is me. When I put myself into any event, job, or person I encounter, I get different results than you would, all other things being equal.

I am pretty sure that the people who got to the top of the food chain were ordinary people. They may or may not have done ordinary things, but what they did ordinarily (big action), they did uniquely (little action) in their own way. And that is what made all the difference for them. And that is what makes all the difference for you too.

My friend has a unique way of saying this. He says that everyone is put together like a body, and each person is like a different part. So, suppose I became a billionaire by using my killer sales pitch. If I wrote a book sharing my killer sales pitch for you to use and become a billionaire like me, what I would in essence be saying is, “you too can become a great arm.” But if you are a leg, an ear, or that dangly thing in the back of your throat, there is simply no amount of actions you can take to transform yourself into an arm. How can you be the best possible ear, leg, or uvula? That is the question to ask.

Or think of it this way. It’s like comparing hammers with Allen wrenches. They both have their place in the master toolbox, but if you tried to get a hammer job done with an Allen wrench, you’d probably do more harm than good. A hammer may get used more or be more visible, but that does not make it the better tool because when an Allen job comes along, only an Allen wrench will do!

Now, it’s obvious that not every idea or vision is a billion dollar one. But that shouldn’t stop each of us from trying to get the most out of what we have to work with, monetarily or otherwise. I’m pretty sure most of the world’s wealthy probably did things in a way only they had the ability to do them. And so can you. And the important thing to remember is that you don’t need to start doing different things right now in order to find your intrinsic motivation and unique style. You can start with what you are doing and what you have done already. And look past the “what” and ask yourself “why” and “how”. Ask yourself “so what?” and “what difference does it make?”

What are you doing?
Why are you doing what you are doing?
How are you doing what you are doing?
Why does it even matter?
What do you like about what you are doing?
What would you do differently if you had the chance?
How would you do it differently?
What about what you are doing is significant to you?
Why?
What is the common thread in all the things you have done?

I’m not saying that these exact questions are the answer, but these kinds of questions are. Find the answers to them and you’ll find your unique style. Find that, and you’ll discover how you can be the best you that you can be!

Oh, and by the way… if you do happen to become a billionaire, let me know how you did it. I could always give it a shot…

I Want to be Weird!

2008-04-11T01:16:00.000-07:00

I wouldn’t normally say that. Most of the time, I try to come across as normal as possible. I do what I can do dress decently (i.e. the way "normal" people do) and I usually try to hide the little idiosyncrasies in my behavior that could make an atypical impression. I don’t want to be just like everyone else, but at the same time, I guess I usually try to look the same on the outside.

That all changed when I started listening to Dave Ramsey. Dave is a personal finance guru who has a daily talk show and is a renowned speaker and best-selling author. He put it to me plain and simple: “If normal is broke, I want to be weird!” And there’s just something about how Dave says it that makes me want to agree with him.

For some reason I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this. And I decided that it doesn’t apply only to personal finances. I decided that weird is good if normal is substandard. And furthermore, if I can discover and articulate my vision for down the road, I will be able to make “weird” decisions in order to get there, even if it means making significant sacrifices now. Here’s what I’ve come up with so far…

If normal is broke, I want to be weird!

Vision: to be financially independent by age 50, have a house that is large enough to routinely host family and guests for extended periods, and start a foundation that is funded by a trust before I die.

If normal is divorced, I want to be weird!

Vision: to celebrate my 50th wedding anniversary amidst children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and decades-worth of old friends and to have a house that my children still consider “home”.

If normal is overweight and inactive, I want to be weird!

Vision: to qualify for the Boston Marathon.

If normal looks sloppy, unkempt, and apathetic, I want to be weird!

Vision: to establish trust, competence, and compassion with my personal appearance.

If normal spends the majority of free time in front of the television, I want to be weird!

Vision: to spend an hour a day reading for personal benefit (i.e. to learn something new, think more positively, and inspire creative ideas).

If normal is overloaded, sleep-deprived, and burned out, I want to be weird!

Vision: to be motivated and energetic each day in order to perform at peak levels and have enough margin to take advantage of new opportunities instead of struggling to keep up all the time.

If normal is self-centered, I want to be weird!

Vision: to always give the gift of myself above and beyond anything else.

If normal is consumer-oriented, I want to be weird!

Vision: to create opportunities and contexts for others to live out their dreams and passions.

If normal is worrying about job security, I want to be weird!

Vision: to be a lifelong learner and continually develop new skills which keep me in high demand.

If normal is small and safe, I want to be weird!

Vision: to be willing to try and fail now in order to learn and succeed later (even if it costs a lot of money!).

If normal is passed away and forgotten, I want to be weird!

Vision: to live out a legacy that echoes throughout eternity!

What YOU Can Do to Create Corporate Energy

2008-03-24T09:57:00.000-07:00

What would your organization look like if it was regularly injected with a heavy dose of adrenaline? What would happen to the level of motivation across the board? What could your organization accomplish that itcannot accomplish now? If you were to discover that you had the power to administer a steady stream of corporate energy without changing anything about yourself, would that be good news? Guess what? You do, and it’s even easier than it sounds!

Think of it this way: if your organization (whether it is a company, group, team, club, association, etc.) is worth existing, it is worth infusing with energy. And as a leader, you have that opportunity right in front of you.

But first, what does an energetic and motivated person look like? Think back through the groups you’ve been a part of over time. Think of the organization you are currently a part of. The people who come to mind are probably the ones who are unrestrained, unashamed, and many times ridiculously passionate! They are the “mascots” of the team. They don’t hold back! Chances are they are colorful, spontaneous, and irritatingly enthusiastic!

Not all of these people look or act exactly the same, but every group has at least one. Even if your group is a small one, chances are, there is still one person who is more passionate, energetic, and motivated than the rest. In some cases, we would give anything to not look like them on the outside! We may even have names for them (“that guy”) and shake our heads at their antics (depending on their level of speed), but we always find ourselves feeding off of their energy. And it is not just us, it is the entire group.

If you don’t think these people are key players in your group, just imagine what would happen if they left. It’s bad enough when they have an off day! Energy and morale would bottom out! It would be a disaster!

So how can we leverage their energy and turn it into something that is always available and always building? The answer is so simple it almost hurts. Here it is in three easy steps:

1. Identify the person (or people) who bring the energy to your group.
2. Do anything and everything you can to discover what returns energy and motivation to this crucial person. (Hint: ask them what it is!!)
3. Do anything and everything you can to supply your energy booster with the thing that returns energy to him/her. Make sure they never run low! By doing this, you will ensure than your organization has a steady flow of corporate energy that will keep everyone performing at peak levels!

It is so simple that you will probably be tempted to not try it, but why not go ahead and put these steps to the test? You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

One more thing. If you try them and they work, try again; only instead of looking for energetic people, focus on people with some of these other traits:
- Influence
- Compassion
- Creativity
- Dependability
- Persistence
- Anything else you can think of!

Remember, just follow the three easy steps, (who are these people, what do they need to stay this way, and how can I give this to them on a continual basis?) and see if your group is able to leverage and feed off of their influence, compassion, creativity, dependability, persistence, etc., and in turn become an energetic, influential, compassionate, creative, dependable, and persistent organization!

Good luck!

You: The Greatest Gift of All

2008-03-01T06:27:00.000-08:00

What was the best gift you ever received? Surely you can think back through the years and identify one gift that outdid the rest of them. Maybe it was a birthday present as a small child. Maybe it was a quiet gesture during a crisis that brought you back to reality. Or maybe your life has been characterized by all the gifts you didn’t get. When the other children received the newest gizmos and gadgets, your portion was dry. Or maybe instead of getting gifts, you got your hand slapped. For you, the blessings in your life were replaced with curses.

What was the best gift you ever gave? Some of us are able to give out of our abundance. We have received much and are, in turn, able to share extravagantly. For others of us, we give to make up for what we’ve never gotten. Then there are those of us who still bear the marks of abuse. Instead of returning a curse, we chose to give nothing at all.

And yet, the question remains, what will we give? Will we give out of our wealth or out of our poverty? Will we give to give or give to get? Will what we give be enough or will it come up short?

You. You are the greatest gift that you could ever give. Made to be amazing, you are the only one like you. Ever. Need proof? Only you can come across so ridiculously innocent the way that you do. Only you can offer such a comedic rebuttal for social war crimes committed the way that you do. Only you can find the words needed in time of grief… the way that you do.

But for many of us, the concept of us as a gift is a foreign one. Why is that? When you look in the mirror, what is it that see? What you see makes all the difference. If you see a masterpiece, giving the gift of you will come naturally. If you see a mistake, the gift of you will always be withheld and replaced with a phony.

So why do we so often withhold the gift of self?

Some people don’t give themselves because they’ve been rejected too many times to count. Unwanted at birth, in marriage, or professionally, they are convinced that who they are at the core just isn’t good enough. Rather than risk the all too familiar sting of rejection, they retreat to the solitary recesses within. They think they have no good gift to give.

Some people don’t give themselves because they confuse personhood with production. Instead of giving who they are, they give what they can do. They think that if they just work hard enough or curb their behavior, their contribution will have to be accepted. In sales, the principle stands that “what you are really selling is yourself.” But a gift, once unwrapped, can’t be sugarcoated or made to look any better than it is.

Some people don’t give themselves because instead they give an image of something they think is better, or will be better accepted. But an image, whether of success, of competence, of wealth or prestige, of popularity, of self-sufficiency, of contentment, of satisfaction, or of self-actualization, can never substitute for an authentic person. An image is just a mask.

Some people don’t give themselves because they would rather give someone else in their place. They give the responsible version of themselves to overbearing parents at the expense of freedom. They give the popular surrogate to casual weekend friends. They give the appearance of luxury to impress the neighbors. Every time it is at the expense of their authentic person.

If you recognize yourself in any of these examples, you may feel a change needs to be made. Still, most people don’t realize quite what is at stake.

To withhold or to give a false self is to commit highway robbery. It is first and foremost an offense against self. To refuse to give the gift of you is to declare yourself a mistake. It robs you of the gift of you, the joy of being you, and the delight of enjoying and experiencing the skin and personality that were given to you to wear. To withhold is to be forever cursed to try to fit into an image that is not meant for you, wouldn’t fit you even if you tried, and probably doesn’t exist anyways.

Second, to refuse to give the gift of yourself to others is to rob them of the joy of experiencing you. Remember, you are the only you there is. If you withhold the gift of you, they will not receive it from anyone else. To give the gift of you is to acknowledge that you are a masterpiece. It is to declare that, whether you are accepted or rejected, your gift is a good one.

There is no substitute. You were made to be amazing.

My gift is me
I am the greatest gift that I have to give
Who I am is more than enough
I give my person, not an image or an object
I give who I am, not what I can do (for you)
I give myself, not somebody else
I give this gift first to myself by acknowledging that I am a masterpiece and not a mistake
I gift this gift to others as well, because to withhold myself is to rob everyone of the greatest gift I have to offer, a gift they can only receive from me

My gift is me

Additional resources:
See You at the Top by Zig Ziglar
You! God’s Brand-New Idea by Max Lucado
God Thinks You’re Wonderful by Max Lucado

Catching People Doing Something Right

2008-02-19T08:34:00.000-08:00

I want to share a story with you. It started last fall when I was preparing for my Army deployment. As I began the process of getting my affairs in order, I went to see a financial advisor to get my accounts squared away. It became clear that, in my particular situation, I would have to close out an account at one bank and transfer it to another in order to facilitate the process.

Now, I spent a couple years working at a bank when I was in college, both as a teller and as an intern, so I know how banks think. Sometimes bank associates (and tellers especially) can have a reputation for being pretty costumer unfriendly. Unfortunately, this is sometimes the case, but in a lot of cases, tellers are trying hard to follow the banks policies regarding the availability of funds, and for customers who carry low balances and make frequent withdrawals, this can sometimes create some friction.

Since I was working about an hour away from my bank and often left before it opened and got home after it closed, I knew it was going to be a hassle to try to get my transaction done, but it was a necessity for me. Since I had been impressed with the service I had received up until this pint, I decided that the best chance I had was to call ahead and ask if the bank could accommodate me.

So I called from my office and explained my situation to the associate on the phone. At first she was sure the bank could serve me, but when I explained that I would need to close my account and receive my funds in the form of a cashiers check, and if that wasn’t enough, I would probably arrive within minutes of the teller window closing, she decided it would be best to transfer me to a manager. I knew it was a long shot. There wasn’t anyway we’d have done this at the bank I had worked at (it was against policy) and besides that, not too many places are very enthusiastic about bending over backwards for customers that want to take their business elsewhere. So I repeated the story to the manager, and to my surprise the manager said she’d make sure the tellers were expecting me that evening with a check waiting.

My surprise was replicated when I picked up my check and was told that if I ever had any additional concerns, to make sure I let them know.

As I drove home, it was clear to me that this was something I couldn’t just let go of. I had to do something about it. So when I got home, I pulled out a card, addressed it to the manager, and said as many good things as I could think of about the service I had received, and added that as per my experience, I was an excellent judge. But just before I closed, it occurred to me to add the following post script: please join me in catching others doing something right.

I had so much fun writing that little note. I imagined the manager’s surprise as she opened it a couple days later and the warm feeling of being appreciated. What a striking thought that I had the power to bring that feeling about! I quickly decided that this was something I wanted to make a regular part of my life!

That’s what I want to discuss here: the transforming power of catching people doing something right.

Today, people expect to be caught all the time. Countless policies, safeguards, and even laws are put in place to make sure the people are meeting the standards and not cheating the system. But what would happen if, instead of catching people doing things wrong all the time, we intentionally decided that we would catch them doing things right? I’ve found two enormous benefits that I’d like to share with you.

First, catching other people doing things right not only breeds sustained excellence in them, more importantly, it builds the desire and motivation for excellence inside of them. It’s important to understand that catching other people doing things right is not a form of manipulation, it’s a form of recognition. Everyone loves to be recognized for the things they do well (even if it’s something they do on a regular basis). Some do more than others, but it’s a desire everyone has. When I meet that desire by taking the time to notice, vocalize, and even draw attention to a person doing something right, especially in the details, I am, essentially, pouring fuel on their fire. I project excellence onto them. It is an evident fact that people would much rather live up to positive expectations than try to disprove negative ones.

Second and more importantly, catching other people doing things right changes the way I see the world and the people around me. Here’s why: if I am going to catch someone doing something right, I first have to decide that I am going to start looking for excellence rather than inferiority. Some of us are so used to catching people doing the wrong thing that it is almost as if we are wearing incompetence glasses! The more incompetence we see, the better we become at looking for it! If I decide to catch someone doing something right, not only do I begin looking for excellence, I unconsciously replace my incompetence glasses with aptitude glasses and my ability to see excellence follows suit! This is the reason why catching people doing things right has transformational power!

Finally, like any other new habit, this one requires intentionality to implement. Here are some questions to help us get started:

-Is catching other people doing something right a habit I want to begin/continue to do on a regular basis?
-Which set of glasses do I tend to wear naturally?
-How many instances in the past week can I think of where someone did something in an excellent or exceptional manner?
-Ideally, how often would I like to be able to catch someone?
-At a minimum how often am I going to commit to catching someone? (Do you see how this question assumes that people are already doing things right all around us?)
-How will I creatively communicate this?
-How can I do this in such a way that the people I catch will then be motivated to catch others? (hint: ask them to join you!)

________________________________________________________
For more information on catching people doing something right, check out The One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson

Reminders: A Creative Solution

2008-01-27T10:43:00.000-08:00

If you are like me, you always seem to have several “to do” lists going. Sure, I have my daily list of actions I want to accomplish, but I also have a mental list of the things I want to change on the inside, whether to form new habits, attitudes, ideas, perspectives, etc.

Here’s a glimpse of what my inside list looks like, or has looked like over time:

- Say “no” more often to give myself more time
- Think positively about a certain situation instead of negatively
- Apologize when I’m wrong
- Speak more encouraging words
- Catch people doing things right instead of wrong
- Ask for help when I need it
- Look for and acknowledge the best about myself and others

The list could go on and on. And I’d really prefer to form a habit rather that to just follow through every once in awhile. What I started to find is that, whether my item is an action or an attitude, there is one simple barrier that, more often than not, threatens to keep me the way I am. It’s forgetfulness. I simply forget what I want to do until it is too late.

Here’s the good news. I think I’ve found a simple solution to combat forgetfulness, as well as a fun way to make it stick. In fact, it’s so simple that you’ll probably be tempted to not try it, but I’d like to encourage you to give it a shot.

Here it is, plain and simple: reminders. If I can remind myself on a regular basis of what I am trying to accomplish, eventually I will get through to myself and form a positive habit, right? Here’s the fun part: I get to choose the type of reminder I want to employ. Sure, I can tie a string around my finger, but what if I got a little creative? For instance, a few months ago, I chose to put a sticker on my watch so that every time I checked the time, I would be reminded to trust that there is a purpose for a certain area in my life. Within days, I was already starting to notice a difference! I was sharing this idea with a friend of mine, and he decided to write “dream” on his Styrofoam cup at work every day for several months until he had the opportunity to take the MCAT and pursue his dream of becoming a medical missionary. (He was also studying in the meantime J ). Another woman I talked to decided to write the words “courageous, confident, and decisive” at the top of her planner where she’d see them every day and “grow” into the type of person she wanted to be. Here are a few ideas for some more reminders:

- Put a note card or sticker in the bathroom mirror (or rear view mirror) where you will see it every day
- Set up a reminder to be emailed to you every day
- Put a message on your screen saver
- Find a small plastic toy or object, associate a reminder with it, and place it in a spot where you will see it on a regular basis
- Choose a word and associate a reminder with it that you can apply every time you hear someone using this word

What could you use as a reminder? Keep in mind that the more often you see your reminder, the faster it will be reinforced. Furthermore, when you associate your “to do” item with an object, the results are limitless! I’d love to be able to hear and compile your ideas! The next time you think of a good one, can you share it with me at nathanmagnuson@gmail.com? I’d also like to hear how it works for you!

The Power of Believing the Best

2008-01-09T02:22:00.000-08:00

I recently finished a 16 week coaching training course with an organization called Center for the Advancement of Christian Coaching. Since then I’ve had the pleasure of coaching a handful of business executives/owners in an organizational leadership context. I enjoyed the training, but the most significant thing I got from it was the relational effectiveness of CACC’s seven core values.

The one that stood out to me the most was “believing the best” about other people. Think about that one for a minute. What does believing the best actually mean? How often do you go into a relationship or a dialogue believing or assuming the absolute best about the other person? What could happen if you did? What would it take to get there?

The first step, I believe, is how we see other people.

Joyce Landorf Heatherley gives a simple, yet extremely effective solution in her small book Balcony People. Inside, Heatherley differentiates between two types of people: people who evaluate and people who affirm. We’ve all been around people who tend to evaluate our words, actions, and even our being. It’s like we are being compared to some unseen ideal person or standard. Nobody likes this. It’s impossible to stay authentic and optimistic around people who meet us with scrutiny. Take affirmers on the other hand. These are people who are convinced that we are up to something good and would love to hear about it. They always meet us with a smile. They are incredibly interested in our lives and often take the opportunity to suggest that we are capable of much more than we think. In short, they always believe the best.

Here’s the word picture that Heatherley uses. She calls affirmers “balcony people” and evaluators “basement people.” Basement people (whether they realize it or not) are always pulling you down to their level. Ultimately, they fear the worst about themselves. On the other hand, balcony people stand tall and lift you up. They are smiling down on you encouraging you to press on. Sometimes they are even hollering and cheering!

The second step is being able to communicate this to others in a way that encourages and inspires them.

Wouldn’t it be a sad thing to never take the opportunity to speak blessing into the people you believe the best about? I have found the following three strategies quite effective in learning to vocalize this to others.

Be proactive. Speak up. Any word of blessing is better than no word at all. Your first attempts may be awkward, but each new time you will become more articulate in communicating that you believe the best.

Be specific. When you notice someone doing something especially well, instead of just stating the obvious, point out what about the particular act you noticed and the benefit it brought to you or someone else.

Affirm the heart of the person, not just the actions. When you compliment someone on a job well done, for instance, make sure to place the most emphasis on how it reflects a part of their character that you enjoy.

Doing these things can potentially accomplish three things. It helps you to see past the surface into the heart of people. It increases your capacity to genuinely care about other people. And in many circumstances, the power of vocalizing your blessing is enough to inspire others to reach for greater heights than they previously thought possible.

Whose balcony can you step into today? How can you take time to creatively communicate it?

No More Christian Nice Guy

2008-01-01T12:03:00.000-08:00

On the recommendation of a friend, I recently finished an intriguing book "No More Christian Nice Guy: When Being Nice Instead of Good Hurts Men, Women, and Children" by Paul Coughlin. You can bet I got some strange looks and comments with a title like that. But I really enjoyed the message, as it showed the difference between being assertive and proactive rather than passive and reactive, and the necessity of demanding mutual respect as the basis for all relationships and personal (and professional) interaction.

For the majority of my life, I grew up thinking that being assertive was dangerous and was something I should avoid. If I spoke my mind in a clear, firm manner, I ran the risk of sounding controlling and domineering (or dishonoring or disrespectful), and if I was proactive and took matters into my own hands, it probably meant I was taking them out of someone else’s.

The good news is that in the past few years, I have been learning a new way. In fact, my immediate family as a whole would probably agree with me that we have taken some great strides out of passivity and reactivity and are beginning to find our voice. It’s been quite a journey. Hopefully soon we will be able to help others find their voice as well.

So I’ve been doing some thinking. What is so bad about being a passive or reactive person? What really is at stake?

Here are some thoughts:

You can’t count on reactive people to protect you, because they will only act once disaster has struck.

You can’t follow passive people, because they won’t lead.

You can’t share your goals, dreams, and passions with reactive people because they will evaluate you rather than affirm you.

Passive and reactive people can’t change the world, because they are afraid of what could happen to them instead of what could happen to the world.

Passive and reactive people are afraid of failure, but assertive and proactive people can persevere through any obstacle.

Assertive and proactive people are willing and able to accomplish win-win negotiations. Passive and reactive people settle for lose-win.

Passive and reactive people see a world with limits, but assertive and proactive people see a world with limitless possibilities.

Assertive and proactive people see the best in you, but passive and reactive people fear the worst about themselves.

Passive and reactive people live by sight, assertive and proactive people live by faith.

And here’s a big one:

You can’t enjoy the security of the unconditional love of a passive person, because he (or she) accepts it as a given that the love is there instead of taking proactive measures to communicate and reinforce it on a regular basis.

Still, I’m sure we’ve all run into assertive, proactive people who were total jerks, or maybe even worse than that. For me, the question becomes: how do I stay true to myself and not come across as domineering? How can I articulate my heart and my mind in a way that invites people in rather than shuts them out or sends them running? In fact, enter my Christian convictions into the mix and now I’ve got to worry about having pure motives, not being proud, caring about other fellows as much as I do about myself, not being a know-it-all, etc. Do you see how all of these could cripple my efforts to become the assertive and proactive person that I was created to be?

With Jesus as my model, I’ve developed a strategy that looks like this: stand up, speak up, and move forward, yet always communicate first that I care. As a get-to-the-point kind of a guy, communicating that I care is something I must do on a regular basis. Others may not agree with me or even get what they expect from me, but they should never doubt that I care. Here is some of what that looks like from me:

Listen AND understand first, and then speak
Engage the person before I engage the issue
Always believe the best about the other person
Seek to support instead of to fix or control
Affirm instead of evaluate

Where are you on the path of assertiveness, proactivity, and authenticity? What steps have you taken along the way?

Are you a “Bersion” or a “Mersion”?

2007-12-25T12:34:00.000-08:00

I was sitting down to lunch with a friend of mine several weeks ago. As our conversation drifted, he mentioned to me that he had decided to cut a certain group of friends out of his day-to-day life. When I asked why, he said that it wasn’t because they were bad people or that he was tired of their company.

“Because, Nate,” he said, “whenever I’m around them I feel like I’m being the boy version of myself, and that’s not what I want. I’ve decided I just can’t do it anymore. I can’t respect myself when I act that way. That’s not who I want to be.”

I thought about this for a week or two and then brought it up to my brother while we were driving. I asked what he thought about it and if he thought there were instances where we were acting like the “boy version” of ourselves instead of the “man version”.

“Ah, are we being the “bersion” or the “mersion”? That’s a great question!”

I know it’s a goofy way of saying it, but it is a great question. Among other things, it’s self-respect that is really on the line.

Which people or circumstances bring out the adult in you? Which ones bring out the childishness in you? What needs to change for you to live out the man or woman version of yourself? How can you begin to proactively make the switch from the child to the adult? I’d love to hear your ideas!

Trajectory

2007-12-25T11:55:00.000-08:00

I started reading a new book “The Speed of Trust” by Stephen Covey (the younger). According to Covey, trust is “the one thing that changes everything”. When trust is established, the costs come down and the speed at which movement takes place skyrockets. And more than that, it’s not a soft skill, meaning it’s not just something that’s just nice to have around, but it’s a skill we can actually do something about.

I haven’t gotten far in the book yet, but my mind is already buzzing. There’s a particular word that I’ve come across a couple times that really has my mind can’t let go of. It’s “trajectory.” Covey says that “[Trust] changes the quality of every present moment and alters the trajectory and outcome of every future moment of our lives – both personally and professionally.” What a big statement.

Trajectory.

What comes to mind when you think about that word? Ironically, I read the preceding statement while sitting at a weapon range getting ready to qualify with my M4 carbine rifle. When I read “trajectory”, I immediately think of the path a bullet takes from the chamber of the rifle to its final destination. And believe it or not, there are some pretty small fundamentals of rifle marksmanship that have a BIG impact on the trajectory and destination of the round.

The four fundamentals of basic rifle marksmanship are:

Steady Position: you have to find a position where you can hold the weapon steady between firing iterations
Sight Picture: you have to line up the sights of your weapon so that you see the same exact picture on the same place on the target each time
Breath Control: you should breathe naturally and fire after you have exhaled, before you inhale again
Trigger Squeeze: your finger should rest on the trigger right above your first knuckle and you should squeeze slowly and steadily and wait a full second before releasing after the weapon has fired

If any one of these fundamentals isn’t met, the trajectory of the bullet will be irreversibly altered. The fundamentals are truly the things that change everything.

Here’s the interactive part.

If so many big problems or issues or opportunities are really the result of small functions, what are those functions and what would happen if they changed? Have you ever encountered a situation when you made a small change and found that big results ensued? In your personal or professional life, what have you found to be the one thing that truly changed everything? What difference did it make?

Was it trust?
Was it an event?
Was it a new attitude?
Was it a new way of thinking?
Was it a new idea?
Was it a new set of glasses to look at life through?
Was it a Bible verse?
Was it a prayer?
Was it a conscious decision?
Was it a person?

Feel free to reply to nathanmagnuson@gmail.com and tell me the story! I’d love to hear it!