I work with a few clients who feel like "the more the better" with creative work. They want everyone they can think of to be part of our creative or marketing meetings. But when it comes to brainstorming and creative teams, Jeff Bezos at Amazon.com says to keep them small.

Usually, when I'm involved in creative meetings with clients, most organizations want 20-30 people in the meetings and that's just too large ... read more

One of the keys to successful pitching is understanding the person to whom you're pitching. When it comes to pitches, there are usually two kinds of people: Relationship People and Results People. Relationship people like to talk. They like the interchange. It takes awhile to get to your project because they want to chat about the weather, your kids, the big game last night - anything. Meetings with relationship people can be 90% chit-chat and 10% substance. Think of buying something from a ... read more

Recent neurological research has uncovered something fascinating: the brain is incredibly lazy. Given two options, the human brain will always take the easy way out. It's a combination of many things, and much of it has to do with conservation of energy. In fact, when faced with too much stimulation, the brain will often "fill in" information it's not getting from the eye, to create a picture based on something similar we've seen before. What's this got to do with creativity? ... read more

I love teams. I'm a people person and love to get a crowd in the room kicking around ideas. But at the same time, I also know when to clear the room and get down to business. Sometimes I think whoever invented the "open door policy" was an idiot, because sooner or later, you have to shut the door and start thinking. Jonathan Littman and Marc Hershon, writers of "I Hate People" discuss the issue in their book based on the difficulties of working in the modern office. In the book, they insist that contemporary corporate America puts too much emphasis on teamwork. ... read more

My father was an All-State football player in High School. But in his younger years it took awhile for him to find the right position on the team, and as a result, he spent a lot of time on the bench. During his freshman year, they were in the playoffs, and my dad - as usual - was sitting on the bench. But in a crucial play, the quarterback was hit and suddenly went down. A hush went over the crowd, and after a few minutes my dad could see the quarterback being helped off the field surrounded by players and coaches. ... read more

In my opinion, what may be the book of the year is Jim Collin's new effort called: "How the Mighty Fall." It's a brilliant and in-depth look at 5 key stages an organization goes through as they fail:

Stage 1: Hubris born of success
Stage 2: Undisciplined pursuit of more
Stage 3: Denial of risk and peril
Stage 4: Grasping for salvation
Stage 5: Capitulation to irrelevance or death

As I read the book it was a like ... read more

I was reading Matthew 9:16 about putting new wine into old wineskins or sewing un-shrunk cloth on an old garment. In Biblical days wine was kept in a leather bag or "skin," because it could stretch as the wine aged. But once it got old, the bag locked into it's shape and lost the ability to stretch. The concept is particularly important when it comes to leadership. A few years ago I was asked to consult with a major ministry that had been on the national scene for a long time. Now, a new leader wanted to bring it up to date - make it more contemporary, fresh, and relevant. But the first thing I noticed was ... read more

As a television and film producer and director based in Burbank, California - the home of global entertainment giants like Warner Brothers Studios, Walt Disney Studios, NBC, Nickelodeon, The Cartoon Network, and more, I meet a lot of Christians who come to Hollywood to seek their fame and fortune. There's no question that Christian media professionals can make an impact in the entertainment industry, and we shouldn't shy away from putting our imprint as people of faith in that arena. ... read more

Today, we're seeing a real rise in what I would call "ministry divas." These are men and women who are pastors, or ministry or spiritual leaders who's focus is more on themselves than the people they serve. As a public service to our readers, the global research team at Cooke Pictures has developed a list of warning signs that someone might be a ministry diva. The following warning signs can apply to either a man or a woman: ... read more