Building Champions Experience Day 1

Let me begin by saying that the highlight of my day, outside of some great time in prayer and my beautiful wife is that Dennis Worden brought me a copy of the new book by Seth Godin, Tribes, which I am currently devouring!. I however, needed a break and thought I would share some of my key thoughts from today's sessions, led by the Building Champions team, Daniel Harkavy and Steve Scanlon.
The Building Champions Experience is a 4 day event located in the heart of beautiful central Oregon, where 140+ business people from around the country, all clients of BC, are being immersed in an experience. An experience that has a centrality of focus around the Core4. If you aren't sure about what that is, check out http://www.buildingchampions.org/ or http://www.ministrycoaching.org/ The purpose of the next three days is for our sister company to Daniel shared about a trip he'd been on three weeks before today to New York and some of the key learnings that he took away. Here's what I got.

• in the next 10 years, the change we will see and experience will be more dramatic than anything we've ever experienced in all of history
• change requires adjustment in thinking and believing.
• make tough decision now
• don't wait-focus on financial fundamentals
• get your business to a place of health
• keep your talent - at all costs
• ask intelligent questions
• See and believe the vision; be able to deliver a courageous, compelling and clear vision to a very scared people.
• act fast and be transparent
• Quote "All great leaders and companies have survived at least one near death experience"
• Lean forward
  

My takeaways from Daniels session were this.

1. My #1 advisor (coach) needs to be, should be and is my wife Anna.

2. In times of difficulty and confusion (i.e. NOW) I need more than ever to exhibit bifocal vision. Def. is the ability to keep one ey on the vision (looking forward to the future) and one ey on the reality of today.

3. Disciplined. Raise my level of being disciplined.

Case in point. I had a friend this week who questioned, kinda, my ideal week. He looked at it, and smuggly said something to the effect of, "Wow, you really have it all laid out here, when do you find time for other stuff." I didn't really address it at that point. But that's the whole POINT. My ideal week, matched to my life plan IS my life. It encompasses the most important callings and priorites that God has put into my heart and my life. That being said, I realize I need to be even more disciplined.

The next session was led by Steve Scanlon. Here was my #1 takeaway.

If I really want accountability...if I really want accountability...really really really want it...then I will get rid of all subtle ambiguity in my life. I will unashamedly, courageously step into disciplined, intentional behaviors that are defined and stamped in such a way as to ERRADICATE, the opportunity for ambiguity. Period.

And secondly, I was reminded of how important STORY is. It's a core part of connecting with the heart. If I am going to succeed in leading anything or anyone, I have to be able to share the story and I have to be able to share it from my heart.

I really enjoyed today. My mind is thinking and spinning and I want to get back to my book so I'll leave with this quote. I penned my first "quote" today.

"All journeys, worth traveling on, will involve pain and disappointment." Maybe in my idealistic little world, I've forgotten that, I'm not sure. But I believe it with all my heart.