More Than a Cover

Posted on May 6, 2010 by Ryan Russell

Appearance matters. I have had this conversation several times with young leaders and in more than one instance it seems to have fallen on deaf ears. Words relayed about first impressions, professional standards and basic hygiene have been filed by recipients as surface, non-important and old school (and I am not even that old).

Here’s an excerpt from a worthy article on the subject:

When you shake hands with a potential partner, they form an instant impression of you which is not easily dislodged. First impressions are powerful because until we begin to speak, they are the only bits of information we have to make a snap decision as to whether we like or trust someone. Countless communication studies have shown a man’s visual appearance is initially more powerful than what he says; ignore your wardrobe at your own risk. [more]

Launch Recap

Posted on May 5, 2010 by Ryan Russell

I had every intention of blogging each day of Launch501c3… so much for intentions.
Craig Gross (XXXChurch), Jake Larson and myself were joined by Jamie Tworkowski (TWLOHA) and Chris Dumas (DonorTools) for this small gathering of non-profit founders and launch leaders. Our hope is that each person left invigorated and better equipped for the challenges that lay ahead of them in the start-up phases of their new non-profit organizations.

Having been friends for a long time, it is always great to see Craig in his energized and creative modes. He shared lessons learned by tracking back through the years of daring ideas, provocative approaches to ministry and sharing about the personal risks he took for the vision that he has. I can’t imagine that there was a person who walked away not inspired to try some new things in their endeavors. To this day I still believe that I have not yet encountered another person who has the same amount of marketing genius and creative social entrepreneurial insights as Craig.

Not ever having met Jamie in person, I was impressed by his humility and his authenticity to bring hope and healing to those who are ready to give up on life. But beyond his incredible message and his well documented victories, it was great for each person here to be able to learn as he relayed accounts of his personal sacrifices, struggles and obstacles he has had to overcome to hold onto his initial vision.

Chris gave some insightful pointers about fund-raising. He and his partner have effectively and insightfully created an donor management tool that really takes a lot of the pain and headache out of the admin. process related receiving donations. In fact, I would say that their tools energize us more to more actively engage with each of our donors. Beyond this tool though, I was extremely impressed by Chris’ deep knowledge and experience with nonprofit start-ups & donor development.

We are already developing new ideas and content for next year’s Lacunh501c3 group.
Thanks to all of you who participated. We are looking forward to seeing you change your part of the world.

Mayor at 19

Posted on April 12, 2010 by Ryan Russell

Romaine Quin – File the name because he is now a mayor at 19 years old!
(Rice Lake, Wisconsin – est. Pop. 8,000 – map)
Something tells me this guy is not reached his leadership peak yet. While I can’t imagine we are going to get a lot of news out of this small town’s new agencies about his leadership, I hope people around him pay close attention, give him some good coaching and also give him some latitude to take the city in new directions.

Lessons from Failed Expirements

Posted on February 26, 2010 by Landon Anderson

“‘But,’ he told Harrington, ‘it is of no consequence whether it worked or not. It was an experiment as I told you once before, not made to show but to satisfy me that I was all right.’ And he furthermore explained to Craig that although ‘Mr. H says that some of our experiments were useless…after he has had more experience in this business, he will find that No experiments are useless.’ Edison recognized that failed experiments often provided important insights during the research process, but Harrington and other backers were interested only in positive results.” - Paul Israel, Edison: A Life of Invention (New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1998), 61.

What seems to have set Thomas Edison apart was not a particular genius in inventing so much as a willingness to try. He had no fear of failure. He tried and tried and tried again. Failure simply became a building block for the future. While his financial backers might have struggled with his concept of failure because of their incessant need for results; Edison continued to plug away at his own pace and on his own sense of progress. I am amazed at how counterintuitive this is. Today’s culture is every bit as ‘positive results’ oriented as his was and failure is never an option, especially when finances are on the line. How many people and ideas have been labeled useless simply because they were not immediate financial hits?

The lesson here seems to be the need to press forward. Keep learning. Move past those who are willing to abandon or deride you for failure. It is in those failed attempts that true success might be found.

Don’t hire employees

Posted on December 30, 2009 by Ryan Russell

I don’t like ‘employees’. The term has become synonymous with lazy, entitled, arrogant, bossy, arrived, filling in the time, doing the minimum, and getting by. I know a few exceptions, but they seem to be just that. Consider some other options the next time you are getting ready to spend money on people as a solution to your challenges…

‘Intern’ – Short term, on the team to learn and hopefully you will get an equal return on output for the time you invest in their development. Either pay them well or have them raise their own salary because your organization is just that awesome. Be sure to limit the experience between 90-180 days. Keep them if their great and always be hiring new ones… this is the place to find your best talent.

‘Contract Labor’ – 1 yr. contracts or part-time employees who can be taken off the books within 30 days. This position gives you the flexibility and the latitude to look for the very best people to have on your team. Now more than ever there are plenty of options. Why be in a long term relationship when you just aren’t sure? Even if it costs you more monthly, you can save yourself by not having health benefits, retirement and a whole host of other administrative chores, expenses and commitments if you work the deal well. A termed contract will keep the person on their toes to continually deliver their best.

‘Leader’ - This person is worth a salary and a commitment. They have demonstrated the value in one of the other 2 positions (ideally both) and you don’t want to see this person get snatched up by someone else for a lack encouragement, compensation or commitment on your part. Leaders move you ahead, they don’t just maintain systems. They solve problems, develop strategies, define and achieve wins.

‘Partner’ – A rare breed, this person is ready to sacrifice and they love the mission almost as much as you do. Partners demonstrate an ‘all-in’ mentatlity. Beyond the attributes of a leader, they have chemistry in team dynamics and make the place better by being a part of it. Not all partners have to be seen as indispensable, but certainly they bring unique contributions to the table, are highly committed and are trustworthy.

Prompt Rejection

Posted on September 22, 2009 by Ryan Russell

“Prompt rejection is cost effective.”

This is a great proverb I received yesterday while taking some cues & pointers from an experienced fundraiser. It transcends that specific topic though. It carries over into relationships, business deals, and even parenting. It saves people on both sides of the equation. If the answer is going to invariably be ‘NO’ then let’s go ahead and get to that conclusion. Save time, hope, money, energy, emails, phone calls and heartache.

Unconventional Audio

Posted on August 20, 2009 by Ryan Russell

[I have been contemplating this idea for a while, so here is a new twist for the blog.]

I thoroughly enjoy sports talk radio to break up a long drive , as interesting listening while putting in the mileage on a long run or as a relaxer at the end of a long day. Some guys are quite talented and worth their paycheck. However, one stands above the others — Colin Cowherd. He is intelligence far exceeds his average listen, he understands that he is in entertainment so he doesn’t take himself too seriously AND he also has some brilliant insights about life and definitely about leadership. About once a week he ends up sharing a very insightful segment that lasts between two-to-five minutes. Here’s the first one. in what will probably be a semi-regular installment. Hang with it till the end. GREAT LEADERSHIP STUFF.

Failure to Experiment

Posted on August 12, 2009 by Ryan Russell

There is a danger that you are growing stagnant in your every day life — work or personal, you pick.

Are you doing what you do rather than doing what no one else is doing?

Here’s your opportunity… start taking some micro-risks.

Try running little experiments that cost you little to nothing.

Research is free.

Trying what ever ‘it’ is on your own time is free.

The internet is free.

Most of the best marketing is free.

You own labor is free.

Doing it your boss’ way and ALSO doing it a better way is free to you.

Heck, even your brain didn’t cost you anything.

So, stop suffering from a failure to experiment.

Search for creative options and solutions.

Too many people say “I can’t” or “I am not creative like that” or “that isn’t my skill set”

Reality = most just plain put off trying to be innovative cause they are lazy and not trying.

Red Bike Leader

Developing yourself and your leadership

Category Archives: entrepreneur