As we begin 2010, my goal is to encourage leaders to become more transparent. I've said many times that in the digital age, Google is less about "search" than "reputation management." In an online, instant information world, it's virtually impossible to hide anything. The drunk driving arrest in college, the bankruptcy, or your missed child support payments, will all likely surface in an online search. Many leaders from religion, business, and government have been brought low as a result of ... read more

It's always interesting to look back at our good intentions from the start of the year and see if anything stuck. Last year I wrote a post remembering that every year we make new resolutions, and every year we fail. We just can't seem to stay committed, enthusiastic, or determined enough to keep our good intentions. But the word "resolution" is simply another way to express the desire for change. And when you discover the secrets to real change, your resolutions will start to stick. Yesterday, I was ... read more

If wrestling with my daily priorities is one of my biggest challenges, then dealing with distractions is a close second. I don't think I'm fully A.D.D., but I may be one of the most easily distracted people on the planet. My daughter Bailey may have inherited this terrible trait from me. My mind literally races all the time. From the moment I wake up to the moment I fall asleep, it's going at light speed. That means I rush through things, multi-task unnecessarily, and juggle way too much. I'm a terrible driver because ... read more

One interesting thing I've discovered is how most people actually undervalue their own attention. The book, "The Attention Economy," calls attention "the most important resource in business," but few people treat it that way. As I watch people at work, I'm amazed at how much time they waste opening junk mail, watching junk television, or reading junk email. The irony is that it would take ... read more

Although nearly every church, ministry, or non-profit client I've ever known hires their family, I always urge great caution when doing it. Sure - there's nothing we'd all like better than to hire our spouse, children, or other relatives. The idea of a "family company" sounds great. But in truth, it doesn't work as well as you think. Entrepreneur Guy Kawasaki is direct and too the point, but worth listening to when he says: "Don't hire your family. The probability that your spouse or relative is the best person you can get for a job is 0%. The probability that people will hate working at a company with spouses and relatives is 100%. Never hire out of ... read more

If you read my book "The Last TV Evangelist" you understand that we're going through the greatest period of disruption and change since the invention of the printing press. In the Christian world, two significant things are happening: First, technology is changing the way we communicate. Traditional media is giving way to social media, and while TV and radio aren't going away, they are undergoing dramatic changes. With the advent of the Internet, media has become a two way conversation, and a new audience wants to be part of the story. For instance, the millennial generation grew up picking the next American Idol by texting on their cell phone. They want to be involved. This shift will impact media, business, politics, education, and even worship. It will change everything. ... read more

Filmmaker Jesse Bryan, creative director at Mars Hill Church in Seattle sent me this interesting article from USA Today. The question is the $4.6 billion dollars in Christian merchandizing - most of it rip offs from the outside culture. As the paper says, "American retailers sell about $4.6 billion worth of Christian products annually, and some are spoofs or spinoffs of commercial logos or brand names. Many such goods are illegal, trademark attorneys say, but companies often are ... read more

What can you say about Oral Roberts? Kathleen and I actually graduated from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa in the mid-70's. At the time, Oral produced the most successful weekly religious program in the country - "Oral Roberts and You" - and the vast audience he reached has never been reached by a media ministry since. He became known nationally when his crusade meetings were so popular, he had to build a custom designed tent to seat the growing crowds. In the 1940's few public buildings could hold an audience of that size. He went on to found the university that bears his name. ... read more