Wayne Hedlund

Category: LEADERSHIP

Leadership Articles prior to 2016

  • Do Something Different

     
    This past Sunday our church did something unique. It got people talking, created some buzz, added value to the message, and created a memory for our congregation. It was something different.

    We held a ‘No-Show’ Sunday. We removed all of the volunteers from the schedule and replaced them with cardboard silhouettes. We trimmed down the service to almost nothing. No projection, videos, lights, or worship team. Our worship leader led from a guitar. The words to the songs were in the  bulletin – which people picked up themselves because there were no greeters or ushers. Everyone left right after the service because there was no cafe. Staff and key elders ran the preschool – there was no programming for gradeschoolers. I could go on, but you get the idea. Our series title is ‘Me to We’ – we’re talking about partnering together in ministry through service in the church. It was awesome.

    When was the last time you did something unique, different and memorable?

    I ran across this video clip at churchm.ag today. It’s about a store called ‘The Limited’ that did something different. What could you do in your church or community this winter that people would always remember (in a good way)?

    Can’t see this video? Click this link.

  • Tactical Tip: Internet Passwords

    A while back I had been getting nervous about all the websites where I had to enter passwords. What I was nervous about was the fact that I was using the same password on almost all of them. This always bothered me but I never did anything about it.

     
    Then one day when I was talking to a friend who is a security guru at RIT, I realized how easy it would be for someone to hack into a sensitive account and totally break the bank. For instance, I might give my password to a small time business who then has access to that password in their database. How easy would it be for someone on staff there to snag that password and try it out on my eBay, Paypal, or Amazon accounts. For that matter, any online store that has my credit card information saved would be fair game!
     
    Thankfully, I decided to learn my lesson the EASY way, instead of the HARD way. I instituted a new system for passwords that is working well for me and doesn’t require me to memorize more than one password. I recommend you try it out too. 
     
    Note: it will sound somewhat complicated at first. However, I guarantee that once you’ve learned how to do it, you’ll remember it AND be safe.
     
    Tactical Tip: Internet Passwords
     
    Here’s what you do:
    The following suggestion will be applicable to probably 95% of the passwords that you use. Most secure passwords require at least 8 characters and must also include letters, numbers, upper case, lower case, and a special character.
    • Define a Core Password:Define a password that you can easily memorize that is six characters long and includes at least one number and one special character like a question mark, hyphen, or period.  Now, for every website you go to these six characters will be six of 8 characters in the password. Just memorize them and the next step and you’ll be all set. Example: You might pick r7.ite as your core password.
    • Define a Special Rule:Next, create a rule that only you know that incorporates the site name into your password. For example, you may choose to use the first two letters of the site name or site web address – or the first and third letters, etc. and add them to the beginning, middle, or end of your predefined password. Example: Let’s say you choose to use the first two characters of a website and you will place it at the beginning of your core password. So you’re Google password (www.google.com) might look like this: gor7.ite. 
    • Capitalize a Character in the Special Rule:Finally, capitalize one letter in your special rule. This will add additional security to your overall password. Example: Now I will choose to capitalize the second letter in the website I am visiting. Here is what it would look like: gOr7.ite.
    • More Examples: Here are a few more examples using this rule: (1) www.amazon.com = aMr7.ite. (2) www.paypal.com = pAr7.ite. (3) www.twitter.com = tWr7.ite.
    Password Resets:
    Now, every once in a while you’ll run across a website that requires you to change your password every 6 – 12 months. For example, your financial institution may require this. One goal of this Tactical Tip is that you don’t have to rely on your memory anymore. So you’ll need an additional rule that you can use in these unique cases. Unfortunately, you will need to find a way to remind yourself that this particular website password will be different than the rest. I recommend you put the year of the reset into the password. Example: Let’s say it’s the year 2012 and the website is www.hsbc.com. Your password might be hSr7.ite12.
     
    The Three Time Reset Rule:
    Any website worth going to will give you the option of recovering your password if you’ve forgotten it. I strongly recommend you click the button to reset or recover your password after your SECOND failed attempt. Many websites will lock you out and require a phone call after three failed attempts.
     
    The Behind the Times Website:
    Finally, some websites just won’t stick to the standards. They ask for some odd rule that doesn’t fit the national standards. The other day I ran across a website that wouldn’t allow a special character in the password. After a few choice words, I decided to go back to my ‘old’ password that I used for all my other websites before I instituted this much more secure method. It’s not foolproof, but it sometimes works.

    Image compliments of Salvatore Vuono at freedigitalphotos.net

     

  • Top Ten Posts of October 2011

    Here are the most viewed posts in October on Transforming Leader.

    1. Sunday Morning Announcements
    2. The Ten Systems of the Local Church
    3. Ten Church Systems: The Weekend Service System
    4. Ten Church Systems: Getting Started p.1
    5. Ten Church Systems: The Assimilation System
    6. Ten Church Systems: The Care System
    7. Ten Church Systems – Getting Started p.2
    8. Ten Church Systems – Getting Started p.3
    9. The Rhythm of Failure (with Craig Groeschel)
    10. Tactical Tip: Say ‘Thanks’ in Your Email
    I have been fascinated to see the interest generated by the Ten Church Systems series. Usually, the top posts of a month might include maybe 3 or 4 recent articles and a lot of older entries that are still getting a lot of traffic. This month was a 7 out of 10! But July’s ‘Sunday Morning Announcements‘ is still getting more than twice the traffic than any other post! Maybe it’s because everyone loves Charlie Brown or something!

  • How You Can Get Smarter This Year

     

    Watch this 4 minute interview with Seth Godin. Chik-Fil-A CEO, Dan Cathy, asks Seth just a few simple questions. As always, Seth comes back with some profound and helpful insights. I’ve highlighted my favorite quote below.

    I began blogging more than a year and a half ago. What I’ve discovered is that writing has forced me to think harder and be smarter. Just the act of putting thoughts, values, and beliefs into print stimulates the brain and clarifies thinking. Seth Godin put it this way:

    “Having to say intelligent things about what you notice in the world makes you smarter.” Seth Godin

    I wonder. Is it time for you to begin writing? Should you start a blog or a journal? Perhaps you don’t consider yourself much of a writer. That’s OK. Nobody said you have to publish. Just write it down. Get those thoughts, musings and ideas out of the ethereal and untouchable recesses of your mind and down on paper or your computer. Give it a try! What have you got to lose?

    Image compliments of graur razvan ionut at freedigitalphotos.net

  • Top 10 Posts of September, 2011

    Here are the most viewed posts on Transforming Leader in September.

    1. Sunday Morning Announcements
    2. Andy Stanley’s Podcast (for the non-tech Christian leader)
    3. Time Management 101: The Weekly Schedule
    4. Time Management 101: Margin – A Matter of Priorities
    5. Thursday Quote: Good to Great Volunteers (Jim Collins)
    6. Thursday Quote: Steven Furtick & Perry Noble
    7. Healthy Church, Healthy Systems
    8. Teamwork and Trust
    9. Time Management 101: The Priority Matrix
    10. Eight Systems of the Local Church
    I’m always amazed to see these monthly stats. For those of you who care, “Sunday Morning Announcements” had double the # of hits as “Andy Stanley’s Podcast“. I suspect the awesome video clips played a role in that too. It looks like the “Time Management 101” series has been picking up interest as well!


    The #1 all time post since I started blogging is “Critical Thinking in a Nutshell“.

  • What the Church Can Learn from Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir

    I ran across this video clip on Michael Hyatt’s blog. I must say, it deeply impacted me.  I’ll share a few reasons why after you’ve watched it too. It’s about 15 minutes long, but well worth it. Be sure to watch to the very end as composer and conductor, Eric Whitacre, shows the first 3 minutes of hisVirtual Choir performing “Sleep”. Wow.

    Why Is This So Powerful?
    Here are a few suggestions as to why I found myself in tears during this presentation.

    • Unity.
      Hundreds and hundreds of people came together for one cause despite the overwhelming differences in age, culture, beliefs, financial status, and lifestyle. None of the singers ever questioned whether they were willing to sing based on who else would be singing with them. The result was a unified choir that could quite possibly be the largest and most unsegregated, unbiased choir to ever perform together in history. In many ways, Christians all over the world share a similar unity through our mutual faith in Jesus Christ. 
    • Unique.
      Each voice was completely unique, one of a kind. No two voices were exactly the same. Each one represented a unique person and contributor. It is so discouraging to me when people live their lives believing they have no contribution to make in the world. God told Jeremiah, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born, I set you apart’. It’s so important for us to remember that we are each and every one uniquely created and extremely valuable to God.
    • Alone.
      Every video was created with one person in front of a webcam. There is nobody in the background cheering them on or providing moral support. In fact, most of the singers were likely completely alone during their individual recording. Although there are many things we do together, our contribution to God’s purposes start within ourselves. God has given us the unique responsibility to decide to live for and follow Him. Nobody else can make that decision – or carry it out – for us.
    • Real Life.
      The ‘normal’ venue for a choir of this magnitude would have been performed in a special building, with lights, cameras, sound systems, coordinated clothes, etc. It’s fascinating to see everyone’s living rooms, bedrooms, etc. in the background while the singers perform. This is how our Christian faith will really be lived out. In real life every day of the week . . . not on Sunday mornings during the church service.
    • Confidence.
      The self-confidence each singer exhibited to record and submit their solo was inspiring. I suspect many people battled self-doubt, anxiety, and insecurity – but they pressed through to the end. I particularly appreciated the story of the wife who submitted her recording despite her husband’s negative attitude. We will fulfill God’s purposes in our lives and ministries one day, hour, and moment at a time. Often His goals are accomplished because we choose to press through the internal attacks of the enemy and find victory by believing in what God’s word says instead of listening to what our mind and experiences have to say.
    • Conviction.
      Each singer had a conviction that this project was important and worth dedicating themselves to. The hours spent behind the scenes is a testimony to that fact. It’s OK for us to try, fail, learn and adjust (See ‘The Rhythm of Failure‘). It’s appropriate for that cycle to take place 2, 14, 78, or hundreds and hundreds of times before we get it right. If it’s what God has called us to do, or be, then we will do whatever necessary to get there.
    • Leadership.
      I am very impressed with Mr. Whitacre’s leadership. He shows courage, passion, excellence, and initiative. He recruited over two thousand people to participate in his choir – and didn’t pay any of them. As church leaders, we can learn a lot from this example. How many willing and ready volunteers and leaders do we have sitting in our churches and community, just waiting for a cause to move them off their seats and into God’s purposes?
    Here is the entire presentation of “Sleep” in case you’d like to watch it to the end. Make sure you watch it in full screen!
     
     

  • Tactical Tip: The Embedded Hyperlink

    Have you ever received an email with a link that could probably be published as an eBook? Besides taking up valuable space in the email and looking ugly, half the time the link doesn’t work! You know exactly what I’m talking about. Here’s an example just to be sure:

    Hey Jim. Check out this great article about “How to Coach Your Boss” – http://michaelhyatt.com/how-to-coach-your-boss.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+michaelhyatt+%28Michael+Hyatt%29 ~ Wayne

    Frustrating. Let me help you help others with a few simple tips to clean this mess up. This email could look like this instead:

     Hey Jim. Check out this great article: “How to Coach Your Boss“!  ~ Wayne

    Tactical Tip: The Embedded Hyperlink

    Most people don’t want or need to see that hyperlink. Probably the biggest exception to that rule is if you are trying to tell someone the actual name of a website. For example:

    “Hey Jim. Check out this great blog for pastors and church leaders I found at www.transformingleader.com!” 

    Even in that example I embedded the actual web address so that people don’t see the http:// at the beginning. This simple task will take you approximately 10-20 extra seconds, but it will be well worth your while.

    • Your readers will be less distracted or frustrated.
    • You will be able to represent yourself and your church with a greater degree of professionalism.
    • You will feel personal satisfaction in upping the excellence of your communications.
    So take a few moments right now to figure this out and send yourself (and me) a test email!
     
    How It’s Done:
    We all use different kinds of email software and programs, so HOW to do this will vary slightly depending on your email carrier and software. That said, these steps should lead you down the right path. If you get stuck – just Google: “How do I embed a link in email using X?” with X representing your email carrier.
    • Copy Web Link
      Your first step is to copy your web link. In your web browser, go to the exact page you wish to send people to and highlight/copy the entire address in the web address field. Note: you will also find that some websites will offer to copy the appropriate address for you. For instance, youtube.com offers a ‘Share’ button that will then give you the best link to a video clip.
    • Switch to Your Email Client
      Now that the web link is copied to your computer clipboard, go to your email page or program (like gmail.com or Outlook).
    • Write Your Email or Document
      Now write your email (or document) the way you want it to appear. Don’t worry about including the embedded link yet. Just write it the way you want to say it. You may consider helping the reader know that you’ve embedded the link, depending on how the email is written. If you’re referring to a website using the web address, like www.transformingleader.org then you’re fine. Sometimes, you’ll want to give instruction to your reader though. For instance: “Learn about creating an email signature right here.” Of course, sometimes it’s just obvious: “I recommend you read this email tip: Tactical Tip:Say ‘Thanks’ in Your Email.” 
    • Highlight Your Text
      Now highlight the text where you want the link to appear. Don’t forget this step!
    • Embed Your Link
      Now it’s time to embed your link. You need to teach yourself this short step depending on your email client. There are two popular ways that links can be embedded that I’ll outline right here.
    1. Right Click. One popular method is to right click on the highlighted text and select a menu option that says something like “hyperlink” or “link”. This will bring up a dialog box where you can paste your copied hyperlink.
    2. The ‘Link’ Tool. Many web clients, like gmail.com, offer a button or menu item that should be clicked after you’ve highlighted the text. This should bring up a dialog box where you can paste your copied hyperlink. Note: sometimes the dialog box will be in two parts. One part should include the actual hyperlink text and the other part should include the actual text you highlighted or want people to see.
    • Format Your Link
      To add an extra layer of excellence to your communication, format your link appropriately. If the link is the main focus of your document, then you may want to bold it. You may also want to check the other colors in your document and make sure the hyperlink colors don’t clash or disappear. Finally, whenever possible, underline the text (I’m breaking my own rule on this blog. There’s something wrong with the template I’m using that won’t reveal underlined hyperlinks.)
    • Test Your Link
      This is an important step we so often fail to do. After your link has successfully been embedded into your text, double-check to ensure it actually works and goes to the appropriate page. 
     

    Image compliments of ‘ideago’ on freedigitalphotos.net

  • The Blame Game

     

    This weekend I walked into the kitchen to find a bag of pretzels spilled and strewn all across the floor. I called in my son, Derek, and asked him “What happened?” His answer – “Eliot did it.”

    I don’t expect my 4 year old to understand this, but my question wasn’t about who was to blame. That would be interesting information, but it wasn’t really my question. The question “What happened?” was meant to draw out a story of how the event happened. How did a bag of pretzels get almost evenly distributed across the entire kitchen floor? I still don’t know for sure.

    My little boy highlights how the blame game works though. We all want to assign ‘blame’ somewhere for the various unfortunate events we experience. Here are our options:

    • Blame yourself.
      “Nobody seemed to understand my message today. I guess I’m not a very good communicator and preacher.”
    • Blame someone else.
      “The worship leader didn’t do a very good job leading the congregation in worship. If he had, I bet they would have been more receptive to my message.”
    • Blame human nature.
      “It’s too much to expect people to get something out of my morning messages when they are all so tired and overwhelmed in life.”
    • Blame a system.
      “My system for preparing Sunday morning messages needs to be adjusted so I have more time to prepare, rehearse, and get feedback before I preach each week.”
    It is true that all of the above are sometimes at fault, but only one is worth spending time and energy on. Can you guess which one? If not, perhaps it would be meaningful to read this post and this post today as well.
     

  • Your Church Needs ‘Less Clutter, Less Noise’

    I would like to recommend the book to you, Less Clutter, Less Noise by Kem Meyer. Less Clutter, Less Noise challenges us in a clear and fresh way to communicate to our congregation with cultural relevance. It’s extremely practical too, with a ton of great ideas. Kem Meyer is the Communication’s Director at one of the most innovative churches in America, Granger Community Church. You might also consider checking out her blog www.kemmeyer.com and in particular THIS POST which summarizes the key points of her book.

    Among other things, Kem explores various ‘myths’ related to church work and communication. Here’s an example:

    From Myth #4: It Worked Before, So It Will Work Again
    “You can ignore the current reality and use old techniques you’re comfortable with, imitate new techniques that discredit you as a fraud, OR take the time to learn what’s effectively gaining credibility with people in today’s culture.”

    Add Less Clutter, Less Noise to your reading list today!

    Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

  • Four Things the Church Can Learn From Ben Watson

    Whether you are a fan of the New England Patriots or not, you’ve got to admire Ben Watson in this outstanding play against the Bronco’s last year. Check out this run and then read on.

    Four things the local church can learn from Watson’s great effort:

    • Don’t Look at the Odds
      Everyone was amazed that Ben made that play. I think most were awed that he even tried. He wasn’t interested in finding out if it was wise to go for it, he just did. How many times do we give up before even trying, simply because the odds look too far against us. What would the Bible read like if that’s what the hero’s of our faith did? David & Goliath. Moses & Pharoah. Esther & Haman. Mary. Peter. Paul. Stephen. Dare I say . . . Jesus. Don’t hold back. The ‘odds’ are man made, but we’re living for God.
    • Give Your All
      Watson gave his all in that run. He didn’t hesitate, stumble, or falter. If he had, he wouldn’t have made it. His ‘all’ was everything needed to get the job done. I wonder what would happen if we put that same unrelenting effort towards the ministry? Perhaps our very best effort is exactly the amount needed to fulfill God’s purposes in our church. Is it possible we short-change the work of God simply because it’s easier to run than sprint?
    • Resist the Urge to Compare
      What if Ben Watson saw how fast everyone else was running and used that as a benchmark for what he should expect of himself? Not good. What benchmark do you measure your ministry by? Is it the church you grew up in? The church down the road or one you watch online? None of those should reflect who you are or what you could do in your unique venue.
    • Don’t Give Up
      At some point in that run, Watson had a choice to make. He could keep running or give up. Most of us would have given up. He didn’t. He pressed through the mental wall or ‘dip’ and kept going until the end. The biggest battle we face is inside. We’re regularly faced with people challenges, financial difficulties, and failed attempts to build positive momentum in the church. It’s so tempting to just slow down and go back to the drawing board before the play has even finished. 

    Remember Paul’s words today and take heart.

    “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:12-14