But I had signed up to attend the Recreate Conference. (What was I thinking?) Last night was the opening night. It was to begin with a mixer, then dinner, and finally a concert. As an introvert, this is not what I enjoy. It takes lot of energy to jump into the midst of a crowded room and be … well … pleasant.

Fortunately, I managed to miss most of the mixer. When Gail and I arrived, we found a few of our close friends and hid in the shadow of their company. Unexpectedly, I had a very pleasant dinner conversation with a few Twitter acquaintances. I began to sense that my mood was shifting. I stopped brooding over my own problems and became immersed in the conversation.

Finally, Amy Grant took the stage. There she was in Puckett’s Grocery in downtown Franklin, Tennessee, a few blocks from my house. Only about 115 of us were in the room. Amy sang with a small band. Acoustic guitar. Informal and without pretense. Just her and her art. A gift. Unexpected. And deeply moving.

I was completely swept up in the moment. I forgot about the day. I stopped worrying about the future. For a few precious hours, I was lost in her music. Overwhelmed by the beauty and the wonder of God’s goodness in giving me this unexpected gift, I teared up several times. This always happen to me in the presence of beauty. It is a clue. Suddenly, things come back into focus.

Meanwhile, as we sat in the restaurant, it had begun to snow outside. This, too, was unexpected—and beautiful. By the time we left, a couple of inches had accumulated.

Gail and I walked home in the quietness of the snow-covered lawns and streets. I could hardly speak. The day that had seemed so hard and so present just a few hours before had vanished. I had been healed and restored by an encounter with an artist and her art—and serendipitously, the Artist and His art. My heart was full, once again surprised by unexpected beauty.

1. Biggest Snowfall in Five Years
2. The Power of One
3. The Estrogen Zone
4. The Power of Questions
5. Priority Management and Life Balance

Personally, I was blown away by the iPad demo video. The hardware and the operating system are impressive. However, when I watched Steve Jobs’ full presentation and demo, I felt that the iBooks application, while beautiful, was missing some key features.

Perhaps Apple is planning to include more features than Steve was able to demonstrate. That is often the case. Nevertheless, I thought it would be fun to imagine my own dream book app. Here are some features I would like to see:

• Highlighting or underlining. This is essential for me. I can’t read a book without marking it up. Thankfully, the Kindle has this feature, but it is really clunky. The iPad could make this second nature with it’s touch-screen technology. I’d love to be able to run my finger over a sentence and have it highlight—or underline—the text.
• In-text annotations. As I mentioned in How to Read a Non-Fiction Book, I like take notes in the front of the book or in the margins. On the iPad, I’d like to be able to double-tap next to the text I want to annotate and type in my notes. Perhaps the notes could appear at the bottom of the page. Again, the Kindle has this feature, but it, too, is awkward to use.
• Go to next chapter. I’d like to be able to skip from chapter to chapter, just like I can do in a musical album when I skip from song to song. I shouldn’t have to click through every page, no matter how fast the software is. I would also like the ability to go back to the table of contents at any point and navigate from there.
• Built-in dictionary and web lookup. The Kindle has this, and it is well implemented. If I put the cursor under any word, it looks it up in the built-in dictionary. On the iPad it would be great if I could just single-tap a word and have the definition pop-up in a window. I’d also like to be able to select a term or a phrase and Google it via Safari.
• Bookmarking and search. The features page for the iPad says that Spotlight search is built in to the iPad and that it will search across all applications. However, I am looking for something narrower here. I would like the ability to search within the book or across all my books. I would also like the ability to dog-ear a page (like in the Kindle) and return to it later.
• Text-to-speech. Kindle has this feature now. It is a terrific idea. Unfortunately, I rarely use it. This is a case of the technology is quite there. The software needs to be smarter and inflect better. Of course, the perfect solution would be to have a real human read the text (i.e., audio book) and sync it with the actual text.
• Social media integration. This is where the software could really shine. So far, I have just been asking that the iPad book app match and improve upon the Kindle. Here I am envisioning something that no current reader has, although the Sports Illustrated tablet will supposedly have it. I want to be able to highlight some text and then post to my blog or my various social media networks. I’d also love to see what my circle of friends are saying as they read the book. Imagine the potential for book clubs!
• Share with a friend. As a publisher, I think the best way to sell books is to allow people to sample them. As a reader, I’d like to be able to email a chapter or two to a friend or loan them the entire book. If the book is good enough, they will want their own copy. The Barnes & Noble Nook has a similar feature.

I realize that most of these features are available now in the current version of the Kindle. If Apple is going to be successful an eBook platform, they will have to match these features, improve upon them, and add a few bells and whistles of their own. Knowing Apple, they probably have a few tricks up their sleeve that they don’t plan to reveal until the product is shipping.

1. The Book 2.0
2. More Details on the Amazon Kindle
3. Five Features I Want in My Next eBook Reader
4. Why the Authors Guild Is Off-Base About the Kindle 2
5. What’s Still Missing from the Kindle 2?

Cheryl was in a cauldron of emotions. As regional sales rep for a software company, she was a “heavy hitter” who produced outstanding results quarter after quarter. She was a loving wife and mother. In addition, as a person of conviction, Cheryl led the Ethiopian AIDS orphanage ministry at her church. To say her plate was full would be an understatement. And the perfect storm of demands, deadlines, and weariness had her in a category 5 grip.

Therefore while she was multi-tasking at her desk, trying to climb a mountain of work and slow down her heartbeat she couldn’t believe her supervisor, Joanna, unexpectedly showed up and said those dreaded words, “mind if we talk?” Cheryl’s bloodstream was flooded with a new shot of cortisol as she anticipated hearing “there’s a problem we need to talk about.”

Instead she almost broke down and cried when Joanna looked at her, smiled, and said, “Cheryl, you are an amazing person. It’s a privilege having you on the team. I admire how you get things done but don’t violate your standards or ethics. I’ve noticed you have a lot on your docket, so I stopped by to ask how I can be of service. Is there anything I can do to lighten your load during this stressful period?”

That is an example of leadership benediction. Webster’s dictionary defines “benediction” as “a blessing.” Quality leaders, like Joanna, are a benediction to those on their team. Imagine how Cheryl felt when Joanna left her office. Wouldn’t she feel “blessed”?

The world desperately needs leadership benediction. David Gibbons, an amazing leader in California, wrote in his book The Monkey and the Fish: “. . . the world demands that business not only be good for profits but also be good for the planet and good for people.”

We live in a high pressure world. The global recession, major banks folding, GM bankrupt, potential terrorists arrested in places like Denver, then add back-to-school night, laundry piling up, and that dumb leaky toilet the water company is calling about and we feel like Cheryl—overloaded! Into the heat of real life a leadership benediction is a drink of water in a dry, thirsty land.

I encourage you to begin thinking about your leadership in terms of benediction. How can the influence and authority you are entrusted with be stewarded as a blessing to others? Jesus spoke of this leadership perspective when he said, “the greatest among you must be the servant.”

In their book, Resonant Leadership Annie McKee and Richard E. Boyatzis
describe “the sacrifice syndrome.” To be an effective leader a person must make a tangible contribution to the enterprise they lead. This investment comes with a cost of energy, time, and resources. The depleting of resources must be invigorated by intentional renewal or resonant leadership that inspires others will degenerate into dissonant leadership that irritates folks. Boyatzis and McKee go on to describe studies that show renewal happens through “mindfulness, hope, and compassion.”

Leadership benediction takes a proactive stance, like Joanna’s behavior, in renewing their followers through the blessings of “mindfulness, hope, and compassion.” Mindfulness pays attention to other people’s reality, hope is renewed when tangible, practical solutions are brought to the table, and compassion rolls up its sleeves sincerely offering, “How can I help you?”

I love Saint Teresa of Avila’s quote, it expresses the heart of leadership benediction:

Christ has no body on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes through which Christ’s compassion for the world is to look out; yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good; and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now.”

That nails leadership benediction. Leadership is a trust, a calling, a service that depends on wise decisions and timely action resulting in added value. Jim Collin’s research backs up that claim. Leadership benediction brings great value to the table.

Let’s make this practical. How can you exercise leadership benediction at home, at work, at church, in the neighborhood? How can you steward your energy, time, roles, and resources for 360 degree blessing to the Board, shareholders, fellow managers, employees, spouse, children, and the global village? How will your day change if in every situation you reflected on “how can I be a blessing”?

I encourage you to think in terms of benediction when analyzing your leadership responsibilities. Selfish leaders think in terms of perks and benefits while leadership benediction brings humble blessings to others. Which do you believe is better leadership?

1. Spur Leadership Conference
2. Leadership: Control vs. Influence
3. Leadership 2.0
4. The Catalyst One-Day Leadership Conference
5. Maximum Impact Club Interviews Me on Leadership

Consider this: new content is being pushed out at an exponential rate. As high-speed broadband becomes commoditized, it is becoming increasingly cheaper to produce and consume content. The Internet is doubling in size every 5.32 years. (Unfortunately, my brain capacity is not doubling in size every 5.32 years!)

On Monday, I had lunch with my friend, Dan Johnson. He introduced me to Rocky Tannehill and Colin Wong, the two entrepreneurs who founded Zoecity.com, a Christian content aggregation site. (Zoe comes from the Greek word for “life.”) The Web site is designed to answer the question, “What is the most important Christian content on the Web?”

Here’s how it works: The Zoecity search engine sifts through thousands of Christian articles. Rather than relying a rating system, Zoecity tracks how often specific content is shared. The premise is that if you share this content with your family or friends, you put your reputation on the line. It is thus more meaningful than content that is merely rated.

In the Zoecity system, shared articles have a higher value than unshared articles. If you can track how much sharing activity exists for any given content via Twitter and Facebook, you can rank its value. Then you can list in priority order the hottest topics, current events, and news that impact Christians. This is precisely what they have created.

As I am writing this, here are the three most-shared Christian articles on the Internet:

Notice that the Ouija board article is in the top spot. It is being shared more than any other article. It currently has been “shared” 333 times. If you mouseover the “Share” link, it shows you the exact count of how many times the article has been posted on Twitter and shared on Facebook.

If you click on the Facebook or Twitter buttons, you can share the link to the article with your own network of friends or followers. Simple, elegant, and free.

You can also view the most shared articles for specific time horizons: daily, weekly, and monthly:

Currently, Zoecity is monitoring over 250 Christian websites, including Christianity Today, Christian Post, CrossWalk, Gospel.com, Tangle.com (GodTube), CBN and many prominent Christian bloggers. They will continue to add more websites to their list of sources as they discover them. In fact, you can recommend your favorite Web site.

Zoecity won’t help you keep up with everything, but it will definitely help you keep up with the most important things. As a Christian publisher and blogger, I am especially excited about this new tool.

1. How to Update Your Facebook Status with Twitter
2. 7 Ways to Build Your Author Brand Online
3. 25 Things I Hate About Facebook
4. Don’t Leave the “Social” Out of Social Media
5. Answers to the Top 10 Twitter Objections

The job was in another city, so the first day was spent in traveling and getting settled. The second day was our first official day on the job. It began with a full-day training session.

We were going to be cold-calling prospective customers, so we began with a thorough exploration of the product. (I am intentionally being vague, so as not to implicate a national brand that is virtually a house-hold word.)

Next, we went through a sample presentation. We learned the main points of the message and even discussed specific phrases to use and to avoid. We then considered every possible objection. The instructor taught us how to respond and even drilled us, so it became second nature. As the day wore on, our confidence increased.

The next day was to be the big day. The instructor was sending us out to engage with real-live prospects. We were a little nervous but excited to actually be doing what we had been hired to do. As we were leaving the training site, I innocently said to the instructor, “I can’t wait to get started. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.”

The instructor replied, “Ah … I won’t be there tomorrow.”

“What do you mean?” I said, puzzled by his statement.

“Well, I won’t be with you tomorrow,” he admitted. “I have never actually been in the field.”

“Wait a second,” I stammered. “You have never actually made a presentation like the one you taught us today?”

“Ah … no, I haven’t” he said, staring at the ground.

My heart sank. I thought, You have to be kidding. You have just spent an entire day teaching us something that you have never actually done yourself? This is all theory? I was blown away—and disillusioned. I felt abandoned.

Compare my sales trainer’s approach to Lt. Col. Hal Moore’s speech to his troops before they departed for Vietnam. This was famously depicted by Mel Gibson in the 2002 movie, We Were Soldiers.

We are going into battle against a tough and determined enemy. I can’t promise you that I will bring you all home alive. But this I swear, before you and before Almighty God: that when we go into battle, I will be the first to set foot on the field, and I’ll be the last to step off. And I will leave no one behind. Dead or alive, we will all come home together, so help me God.”

Real leaders go first. They never ask others to do what they have not done or are unwilling to do themselves. They lead by example. Like the Apostle Paul, they are willing to say, “Follow me, as I follow Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1).

Like Lt. Col. Moore, they are the first on the field and the last off.

1. Four Characteristics of Inspirational Leaders
2. Five Characteristics of Weak Leaders
3. 20 Questions to Ask Other Leaders
4. Leaders Never Act in a Vacuum

Over the years, my wife, Gail, and I have developed a set of conversational rules that we use at the dinner table. We have never written these down. They are largely unarticulated. However, over the years we have done our best to maximize these opportunities and to make eating more about the discussion than the food—though we certainly enjoy good food!

Here are eight things we do to create engaging dinner-time conversations. I have found that they work at home, with friends, and even at work.

1. Consciously seek out conducive environments. In order to have meaningful conversations, you must be able to hear one another. We don’t mind background music. In fact, it can help create the right atmosphere. But it cannot be so loud that you find yourself struggling to hear.
2. Have only one conversation at a time. We learned this from Luci Swindoll. We went to her home for dinner one night. As we were sitting down to eat, she graciously said, “I only have one rule, and that is that we have one—and only one—conversation at a time. We can talk about anything you like. I really don’t care. But just one conversation.” This one rule transformed our dinner conversations.
3. Ask open-ended questions. As the hosts, Gail and I have a singular goal: we try to ask interesting questions. We try to make these questions open-ended, so that people must elaborate and give us some insight into them as a person. For example,
   • What is your idea of a perfect vacation?
   • If you could design your ideal job, what would it look like?
   • What is the best book you have read in the last 12 months and why?
   • What is the most important lesson you learned from your father?
   • When is your very favorite thing about your spouse?
   • If you were by yourself, and could listen to any music you want, what it be?
   • If you could spend a day with anyone on the planet, who would it be?
   • What it is like to be your friend? or to be married to you?
   • If you were suddenly the President of the U.S., what would you do first?
   • Looking back over your life, what would you describe as your proudest moment?
4. Ask a second question. The most interesting conversations come after the initial answer. It takes extraordinary discipline to refrain from answering your own question and, instead. answer a second question. Yet this is where the deepest conversations occur. I like to ask questions like these as follow-up questions:
   • How did it feel when that happened?
   • Can you elaborate on that?
   • Why do you think that is important to you?
   • Do you think you would have answered the same way five years ago?
   • What emotion do you feel when you describe that?
5. Draw out those who are reticent to speak. In any group, there are people who are naturally talkers and those who are content to listen. I try to draw out the latter. As the saying goes, “Still waters run deep.” Sometimes your best contributions come from those who won’t answer unless you ask. I simply say, “[Name], what do you think about that?”
6. Pay attention to people’s physical needs. When we have guests in our home, I am constantly scanning the table to see who needs drink refills or who might like a second helping. I don’t want my guests to think about these things, so the conversation can be the primary focus. This requires that you see yourself as a facilitator and a servant.
7. Do more listening than talking. You must cultivate self-awareness before you can get good at this. You must be aware of the rhythm inherent in any conversation. How much are they talking? How much are you talking? Focusing on asking questions is the key. If you do this well, you will find yourself talking less and listening more.
8. Affirm people, even if you disagree with them. I am actually more interested in people I disagree with. I think this is because I have the potential of learning something new. I am intrigued by the fact that they hold a view different than my own. As a result, I try to “see” what they see and experience life from their perspective. Even when I disagree, I find myself saying, “That is fascinating. How did you come to that conclusion?” or “Wow. Can you elaborate?”

The older I get, the more I relish great conversations with friends. I love getting to know the people in my life and learning from them.

1. Leading Powerful Conversations
2. The Gentle Art of Conversational Ping Pong
3. The Lost Art of Listening
4. Friends, Critics, and Trolls

We then spent the next hour going around the table. Each person shared how they approached reading a book. I was fascinated by the variety and depth of the answers. I picked up several great tips.

When it came time for me to share, I ticked off three or four things I have found helpful. However, now that I have had a few days to think about it, I have come up with several additional items.

When I read a non-fiction book, I typically observe these ten practices:

1. Don’t feel that you need to finish. Not to be cynical, but most books aren’t worth finishing. I read until I lose interest. Then I move onto the next book. This is the secret to reading more. I also listen carefully to what my friends recommend. If they suggest a book, I am more likely to like it—and finish it.
2. Start with the author bio. Every book flows out of an author’s heart and mind. I want to know something about the person I am going to be spending the next several hours with. Usually, the bio in the book is enough, but often I will Google the author before I start reading.
3. Read the table of contents. I learn best when I understand the context. I look at the contents just like I look at a map before I begin a journey. I want to know where we are starting, where we are going, and how we are going to get there. Note to authors: I especially like annotated tables of contents that give me more than just the chapter titles.
4. Quickly scan the whole book. I like to do a quick “fly over” to sample the author’s writing. I notice how long the chapters are and how they are structured. I might read a few “pull quotes” or subheads. I note his use of lists, diagrams, and block quotes. I am trying to set my expectations for what is ahead.
5. Highlight important passages. I cannot read a non-fiction book without a highlighter. (On the Kindle, I use the built-in highlighter function). I prefer yellow, though I have been known to use pink in a pinch. I highlight anything that resonates with me in some way. The better the book, the more I highlight. I keep lots of highlighters handy in my desk drawer and briefcase.
6. Take notes in the front or the margins. I often take notes in the front of the book, so I have a convenient summary of what I have read. I also like to write in the margins. (My wife, Gail, has a written conversation with the author and fills the margins almost completely!) Interestingly, I rarely go back and re-read these notes. They simply help me think while I am reading.
7. Use a set of note-taking symbols. I use the same set of symbols I use when taking notes:
   • If an item is particularly important or insightful, I put a star next to it.
   • If an item requires further research or resolution, I put a question mark next to it.
   • If an item requires an action on my part or follow-up, I put a ballot box (open square) next to it. When the item is completed, I check it off.
8. Dog-ear pages you want to re-visit. I bookmark the really, really important passages by folding down the corner of the page. These are usually passages with a quote I want to use in my writing or speaking.
9. Review the book and transfer actions to my to-do list. When I have finished with the book, I go back and do a quick scan. As I mentioned above, I don’t pay much attention to my notes—unless they have one of the three key symbols or the page is dog-eared. If there is an action I need to take, I put it on my to-do list with a reference to the book title and the page.
10. Share the book’s message. As we say on Thomas Nelson’s BookSneeze.com site, “great books are contagious.” They are meant to be shared. I blog about them, teach them to others, and buy multiple copies to give away to friends and colleagues. This is one way to ensure that the message lives on—and is passed on.

Please note: I don’t read fiction this way. I don’t highlight passages, and I rarely take notes. I read novels purely for pleasure.

What about you? Based on the survey data I have collected, I know that most of my readers are book lovers. As such, I’m sure you employ some disciplines in your reading that would benefit all of us.

1. My Dream iPad Book Application
2. The Book 2.0
3. Recovering the Lost Art of Note Taking
4. I Wish Every Author Would Read This

If you are a writer, musician or artist, you are facing huge challenges in today’s marketing environment. Even if you are signed by a marketing partner such as a publisher or recording label, this is no time to rest on your laurels. But the good news is that social media is increasingly becoming an effective marketing tool that is accessible to everyone.

This article will give you a social media plan to help you build your brand and your fan base. As an independent Christian pianist, I have used this strategy to sell tens of thousands of CDs and related products over the past few years.

Before I get started, let’s quickly take a look at state of marketing in 2010.

Never before has it been easier to reach potential customers. Using digital technology, you can reach your audience for pennies. But as it turns out, inexpensive marketing is a double-edged sword because it attracts more competition. This is because the technology that makes production of media inexpensive, also creates a low barrier of entry.

As a result, the market is flooded with products, and the consumer is overwhelmed. Because of the glut of choices, it is difficult to create a product that attracts attention and is even more difficult to convince your audience to buy. Proven strategies of the past are being abandoned, because they clearly no longer work.

That being said, brand-building is one strategy that will never go out of date regardless of technological advances. And the good news is that building a brand has never been more feasible than it is now—if you are willing to use social media and use it well.

I am not going to focus on the typical strategies such as Facebook, blogging, and Twitter. Those are all things that you need to do, and they all can work. But simply blogging or having a presence on Facebook is not enough.

The power of social marketing comes when you find a way to get consumers to do your marketing for you, spreading your message across the world like magic. If you can make this happen, you will be successfully running something that is really coveted in the marketing world—a viral marketing campaign. For the rest of this article, I want to discuss ways to create a viral marketing campaign using social media.

Viral marketing needs four things to work properly:

1. An offer (preferably free) that has value
2. An easy way to distribute the offer
3. An incentive to get consumers to pass the offer along to their friends
4. A way to make the campaign profitable

I want to elaborate on each of these.

1. An offer (preferably free) that has value. When thinking about viral campaigns, many people think of funny videos. Funny videos do have value, but I would encourage you to consider something different. There are just too many companies trying to do funny videos and it is hard to stand out. Rather, come up with an offer that has more legitimate value. For example, I offer free online piano lessons for church pianists. I have also offered free downloads of CDs and printed piano arrangements.

   The key is that whatever you offer has to have real value, and it probably needs to be free. People will not jeopardize their relationships by promoting an offer that has no value, and they will usually not promote offers that are not free (unless the brand is already very strong). Think hard about an offer you can make available that is inexpensive but has great perceived value to others. Be creative; there are numerous possibilities, particularly if you create digital media.

2. An easy way to distribute the offer. You must provide an easy way for people to get your offer, and ideally, it should be delivered automatically without requiring your involvement. For many of us, our offers can be distributed digitally on our websites. If you can host your offer on your own website, that is the best scenario. If you cannot, there are other websites that allow you to do these kinds of campaigns. For example, musicians can use BandCamp to deliver their music offers to consumers.
3. An incentive to get consumers to pass the offer along to their friends. It is critical that your consumers are “paid” to pass along your offer. Sometimes, their payment can be as simple as the thanks they get from their friends when they pass along funny videos. But, I would not count on that being enough. Try to find a way to offer something extra to people who will post your offer in places like their Facebook status or on their blogs. These are the people who are critical to your viral marketing success.
4. A way to make the campaign profitable. Viral marketing is primarily about brand-building. But it is also a great way to sell other products, build a fan base, obtain concerts and speaking engagements, and much more. Don’t make your offer something that you can’t afford to give away. Also, set goals for what you hope to obtain from your campaign.

Execution is key to this type of marketing. Plan and test carefully before you launch. When you start something virally, there is no way to stop it and no way to fix mistakes. When you are ready to launch a campaign, you simply have to send out a short email to your fan email list. After that, if it is going to work, you don’t have to lift a finger.

When a viral campaign works correctly, it is a beautiful thing to watch. Consumers are relying on their friends’ opinions more and more for purchasing decisions. So putting your fans to work promoting you is also a great way to grow your brand, grow your fan base and even generate revenue. Consider revamping your social media marketing efforts to include this supercharged strategy.

1. Book Marketing 101: What Works and What Doesn’t
2. When Social Media Marketers Stumble
3. Using Social Media to Build Your Author Brand
4. Help Randy Land His Dream Job
5. Buzby Outperforming Previous Hermie Titles

This past Saturday I went running with my half marathon training group. We had to sign-in at 6:45 a.m. and start running at 7:00. We only had to go five miles, but it was cold. I dreaded going. When the alarm went off, I got into a debate with my body. “The spirit was willing but the flesh was weak.”

Fortunately, the spirit prevailed. Gail and I rolled out of bed, got dressed, drove a few miles to hook up with our teammates.

As it turned out, I had several great conversations with the other runners in my group. Even though we ran for an hour, the time flew by. When we were finished, we all went to breakfast. It was a great social experience. I was very happy that I had decided to follow through on my commitment.

Later that day, I realized that working with a group is one of the keys to achieving big goals. But then I began to think, What else helps people accomplish big goals? I came up with a list of six. Whether you are trying to write a book, lose a bunch of weight, overcome an addiction, or land a new job, I believe these will help you get there:

1. Get clear on your goal. The more clarity you have the better. Visualize it as if it were already a reality. Now write it down with as much specificity as you can. For example, this year my half marathon goal is this: “Run the Country Music Half Marathon in two hours and fifteen minutes.” That is fifteen minutes faster than my best time and will require a pace of 10:18 per mile.
2. Determine what is at stake. Why, exactly, do you want to accomplish this goal? What is at risk if you don’t? I always list these as bullet points under my goal. What is at stake in me running the half marathon in 2:15?
   • My ability to lead myself.
   • My desire for continuous improvement.
   • My ability to set a big goal and achieve it.
3. Develop a detailed action plan. When I signed my first book contract, I almost hyperventilated. I was like the proverbial dog that caught the firetruck. Now what? I thought. The thought of writing 75,000 words terrified me. (This was in the days before I began blogging, so I had no idea what I was up against.) I determined that I would get up extra early and write for four hours. I timed myself and discovered I could write about 250 words an hour. At 1,000 words a day, I could finish in 75 days. If I could do this five days a week, I could finish in 15 weeks.
4. Go public with your commitment. This is a huge key. When I decided to run my first half marathon, I decided to announce it on my blog. For me, this was like Cortez burning his ships off the Veracruz coast. Once I did it, there was no turning back. I was committed, and I was going to follow-through. It’s probably just pride, but “going public” has proven to be a great lever in moving me toward my goals.
5. Join (or form) a group committed to the same goal. This is also really important. It is why groups like AA help so many people get sober. It is why Weight Watchers help so many people lose weight. It is also why running groups help so many people run or walk their first marathon. But you can join or start a group for just about anything today. The camaraderie and accountability will help you more than you can imagine.
6. Review your goal and rationale regularly. When I was writing my first book, I literally read my goal out loud at the beginning of each day. I also reviewed what was at stake. I prayed that God would help me. I tried to exercise faith by visualizing the goal as if it were completed. Reconnecting to the dream and why it is important took the tedium out of daily writing. It gave me purpose and meaning. It kept me going when I wanted to quit.

1. The Single Most Important Key to Achieving Your Goals
2. So You Want to Run a Half Marathon?
3. A Quarter of Thomas Nelson’s Employees Running the Half Marathon
4. Seven Reasons to Run the Half Marathon
5. Why You Should Sign Up for a Half Marathon

One of the best sources I know of for leadership input is Catalyst. They put on some of the best conferences on the planet. I attended their leadership conference last October in Atlanta with about fifteen of my colleagues from Thomas Nelson. It was an awesome experience. I am also speaking at Catalyst West Coast in April. Bottom line: I am a Catalyst fanboy—and proud of it!

What I didn’t know until recently is that Catalyst also puts on a one-day conference called—cleverly—“Catalyst One Day.” It will be held on March 25, 2010 at Willow Creek Church in Chicago.

Catalyst One Day is a leadership experience featuring Andy Stanley and Craig Groeschel. These are two of my favorite leaders. (In fact, I recently interviewed Andy about his new book and then reviewed Craig’s new book as well.) I am planning to attend with several of my staff.

I am especially excited about the theme of Momentum. Andy and Craig will discuss the secrets to creating and sustaining it in your organization. This promises to be a day packed with insight from two of the most important authorities on leadership today.

In my view, this is a can’t-miss opportunity for practical leadership application. In addition to their presentations, Andy and Craig will do several Q&A sessions with the audience—always my favorite part of any conference. In addition, I am looking forward to the opportunity to connect with other leaders.

While the Catalyst One Day event will be held in four cities in 2010, Chicago is the next one scheduled. Brad Lomenick, the executive director of Catalyst, tells me it is filling up fast. (The Catalyst event this past fall in Atlanta was sold-out.) However, he has made a special discounted rate of $99 available until this Friday, January 29 to my blog readers. Use rate code “MHB” to receive this special rate.

Seating is limited, so register now. You can thank me in person in Chicago. ;-)

1. The Catalyst Conference
2. Catalyst Podcasts Interviews Me on Leadership
3. Spur Leadership Conference
4. The Chick-fil-A Leadercast
5. Book Notes: Interview with Andy Stanley