Talent doesn’t matter in a team. Let me qualify that statement. Talent matters. But I’d much rather work with a friend than a talented jerk. I’d much rather work with someone who wants to collaborate, rather than someone who fights for their ideas until death. I want to work with someone I trust and who…
So you have a great idea? You have a dream? The first thing I want to ask when people tell me that is: When will it happen? Have you run into an old friend around town? You say, “We should get together some time! Let’s grab lunch one of these days!” You both have good intentions.…
I’m in the business of asking people for things. I have 20-30 volunteers each month helping me with Sunday| Mag. We have 50-60 people involved with making Echo happen. I have guest posts on Echo Hub and loads of other little asks here and there. I send so many emails beginning with “Are you available…
You’re treading water. You’re in the deep. You’re swimming, but just barely. Then you see it. You see a massive wave rolling your way. You know you’re about to be overwhelmed. The wave is a massive project, an unanticipated problem, a huge to do list. And it’s coming your way. You can do one of…
There are two types of fear when it comes to the creative process: healthy and unhealthy. Yes, there’s a healthy fear. This is the fear that you’ll lose some money or crash and burn your company or organization. This type of healthy fear helps you avoid obvious mistakes and very dumb risks. And there are…
There are times I consider creativity a lot like magic. Perhaps it’s my secret desire to be a magician, sometimes I imagine my art like this: I’m wearing a cape and top hat. I put my hat on a table, grab my wand, and fish around in the hat until I produce a rabbit. Voila!…
Every week or so I deal with a new fear. It’s some new insecurity that I can either let cripple me or propel me forward. This week’s was: “What if I’m not providing as much value to the company as my bosses thought I would?” They hired me almost six months ago to take on…
I’ve begun scheduling a specific item into my schedule each day. I call it the Don Draper moment (think Mad Men, ad executive). I grab my favorite beverage and stare out the window for a few minutes. I look at the city. I look at the cars. I let my mind wander. I do this a…
I had the best argument with my friend Dave Chapman this morning. He’s helping me rebrand Church Stage Design Ideas as well as a few other sites. I had a vision. I had passion. He had a vision. He had passion. And we were fighting back and forth for it. At one point, one of…
My to do list possesses magical abilities. Yes, the things I get done seem completely unrelated to the length of my to do list. Some days I have 20 items on my list. Some days I have 10. Yet, as long as my head’s in the game I’m able to get both lists done under…