Then, Apple. I got my 1st through the ad agency I worked for in the late 80′s. I was scared, concerned that I wouldn’t understand. Or couldn’t understand. But WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) technology saved the day. I actually understood and enjoyed what the computer produced. I didn’t have to understand the technology; I just had to imagine what it could do for me.

Steve Jobs (1 of the founders of Apple) died 7 months ago. I can just imagine what happened in Apple HQ as Tim Cook took the helm. It seemed that everyone thought that it would start to fail when the fearless leader passed. But instead it’s continued to flourish.

We can learn from their success.

Recently eWeek published a nice expose of how the success happened. What Tim Cool has done right.

Here are the top 3 things they suggest (edited and with my editorial):

1. He’s allowed the brand to be the brand. Apple continues to be the great brand that everyone knows. He didn’t kill brand equity.
2. He was Tim. Not Steve. It’s impossible to fill the shoes of Mr. Jobs. So he didn’t do it. He does what Tim does best.
3. He allowed other players to share the limelight. You want the team to be on board, so allow them to shine! It creates loyalty.

So what does this mean for you? If you’re going through leadership transition, be sure that you follow these 3 essentials for leadership transition.

1. Know what your church is known for; maintain it.
2. Don’t force the new leader to be the old.
3. And make sure you allow the other stars to shine.

It’s always a stressful time; but following these essentials, will position you for success. And a lot of prayer.

He asks great questions; and I try to answer as concisely as possible. It’s a message that all Pastors should listen to. It starts with Positioning and gets into other Leadership topics. Well worth the listen!

Click HERE (or paste this link in your browser:)

http://ministrystory.com/podcast/2012/04/27/ministrystory-23-how-to-position-your-church/

It’s that time of year.

As the weather continues to warm, graduations are being advertised, and your congregation is starting to plan their vacations. So, what should you be doing?

Here are 3 things you should start doing now!

1. Plan your Vacation. Many Pastor and ministry leaders don’t know how to disconnect. They tend to over commit, taking their work home with them, never doing anything ‘different’ from their ‘day-to-day’. Their lives are their ministries. Stress describes them. Many of you are burning out. Stop. And start considering a vacation this summer. Reacquaint yourself with your family and truly separate (for awhile) from your ministry. You’ll be stronger for it in the fall. You may need our client, Energize Ministries, who is dedicated to helping you not burn out.
2. Review the Year. Sit down with leaders in your church (and statistics) and have an open discussion about what “worked” and what didn’t this past year. It’ll be fresh on everyone’s minds. Make sure you determine what success is in your ministry. Numbers? Results? Conversions? Fill in the blank _____________.
3. Plan for the Fall. Armed with your definition of “success” and the results of this past year; dream big. What would you (and your leaders) do if you could do anything? What resistance would you get? How could you divert it? Do you have the right leaders? If not, consider what you’ll need. Be sure to bathe this time in prayer.

Please note: in order to make changes to anything; a good leader proposes the core benefits of the changes in such a way that people won’t miss the status quo. Cast a vision. And people will follow. If they don’t? Consider that your leadership is not as strong as you think.

Social media is everywhere.

• It’s a free service that allows you to “check in” to places you go to.
• Your friends can see where you’ve been (or are).
• You can see what your friends are doing.
• You get “rewarded” by points/awards as you unlock areas, return to areas, etc.

Recently, I checked in (via mobile app) at a busy airport. It told me that 87 other people had checked in too.

I started thinking, wouldn’t it be fun to add this “fun” to your church! In fact, you may be surprised that people are already “checking in” to your campus.

Wanna check? Load the app, register, open the app to check in and it’ll suggest places around you (thanks to GPS). Chances are your church is already listed. It’ll tell you how many have checked in in the past (or currently). You can browse this list and “follow” any of them you want.

If your location is not listed, you can add the church quite easily.

Another cool thing: FourSquare knows who has checked in the most times; and grants that person the title of “mayor”.

Starbucks oftentimes will grant a discount for anyone showing that they are “mayor” of their local establishment.

IDEA: What could you do? Think, what is a “pain” in your church that you could solve as an award (ie. convenient parking spot, first in line at a Church Supper, special seats in the auditorium, etc)

I’m sure you’re thinking about someway to “benefit” them. What about a personal letter from the Pastor thanking them for being the mayor (and maybe a gift card to local restaurant?). Ah, ideas keep churning in my mind….

Do you like meeting people?

When I arrive at a client meeting for the first time, I confess my heart races a bit and I have to concentrate on looking confident.

One of the cool things I do for the church is “mystery visits” where I attend a church service armed only with a “story” of why I’m visiting. Granted, I’m quite familiar with “church”. I’ve been to them all over North America. I’m a believer who loves the fellowship. But I still have an uneasy feeling when I drive on campuses.

Now think about the “average” guest who comes to your church for the first time. They’re usually:

• Someone who has relocated to the area and needs a church home to replace their old one.
• Someone thinking about changing churches.
• Someone going through a time of transition (ie. divorce, marriage, having a baby, or some catastrophe). They need God.
• Someone who’s been invited.

The one thing they’ll all have in common? The uneasy feeling walking into a place they don’t know; with people they don’t know; with a paradigm they don’t know.

Most of them (about 85% or more) will have checked out the church website before setting foot inside. Research “eases” the feelings they’re going to have.

What can you do to help?

Make sure you have a visitor/guest area that gives them a heads up. Or why not shoot a phone video (youtube style) of what they’ll expect to see when arriving. Maybe do it in a first person POV style on a Sunday morning with an easy narration giving them hints and tips.

Be creative and fun; just keep it short (about a minute or so).

Several weeks ago when I booked everything (the meeting, the hotel, the airfare, the rental car); I didn’t realize that a “perfect storm” was brewing.

• Today the time changed. My early morning flight became a REALLY early flight. Now as we cross into a western time zone; I get the hour back (yay!); so I’ll feel at home later today. But when I return, I’ll experience the loss again (grrrr).
• Today also starts many spring breaks. The airports are buzzing and bursting with families. People who don’t normally fly. They walk slower, scream more, and create long lines at vendors. They pack more “stuff” then business travelers so the already stuffed luggage bins are bulging; and many travelers are left angry.
• Demand increases prices. Because so many people are traveling, we all get to pay higher prices. Rental car rates also fluctuate based on demand; as does airfare and hotel rates. I’m glad to be contributing to our economy.
• Thunderstorms where I’m headed. This backs up flights on the ground and creates a lot of turbulence in the air.

In your world, there’s a perfect storm looming on the horizon. You don’t know exactly when it’ll happen, but it will. You may not even know what’s going to happen. But it could be increased demand on your time, lower offerings, no time to plan, etc.

But you must prepare. But how?

• Research as much as you can. The more you know, the better it’ll be. And you may even be able to avoid some of it. Or at least be prepared for it.
• Control what you can control; and monitor what you can’t control.
• And finally, use your time wisely now. Get ahead. And pray. Because God alone knows the future. And your storms.

But now that it’s painted a fresh blue color and pure white trim, the fixtures (and whole bathroom) looks whiter, brighter and cleaner. Exactly what you want for a bathroom.

Your Church just might need a fresh coat of paint. When’s the last time you considered it? They say that every 3-5 years you should look at “freshening” the decor.

Often, when we’re around something a lot, we don’t notice things that others who, say once a week, visit. It’s like the 1st visit to a person’s home and you realize it has a smell. But an hour later, you don’t even notice it.

Maybe your website needs a “new coat of paint” too. You’ve started to hear grumblings: “they” don’t like it, can’t find information on it, and the design is looking a bit old.

But how can you tell? This is a great product. Just “Pick the Expert’s Brain”. In this PinPoint analysis, you will get:

• An analysis of your Brand (Logo, Color, Font and Positioning)
• An analysis of your SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
• An analysis of your design (objectively based on eye-tracking technology)
• And then… a complete step-by-step plan of what you should do.

It’s like hiring an expert interior decorator from your favorite HGTV show to come and give you a makeover. You’ll be surprised with the changes that have happened in the industry. And the easy solutions. It’s as easy as a new coat of paint.

My kids and I worked for hours on our masterpiece. Every little detail was added. A door, a path, ledges, etc. We wanted it to be perfect. So people would find it and ooh and aah over it.

Sure enough, we completed it and took a step back, and realized we attracted attention. Other kids suggested to their Dads that they wanted to build a sandcastle just like ours.

Problem. No matter how much detail and care you put into a sandcastle, it’s sitting on sand.

Jesus even talked about it. A house built on the sand will fall. Period.

And that’s what happened. Our castle didn’t even last one change in tide. It crumbled and disappeared.

Like a sandcastle, you’re putting great care and attention into your organization’s website. You’ve made it look perfect so that people find it and wish they had a site “just like yours”. But if the foundation of the website is weak, it will fall.

And before long, your web presence will be lost.

What’s a good foundation?

• Brand. Know what your brand promises, what your brand looks like, and what your brand message is. And communicate it — in unison.
• CMS. Be sure that your content management system is easy to update. Yourself. Easily.
• SEO. The 3 pillars of SEO are followed. If not, you’re wasting your time.
• Engagement. You want your pinpointed audience to love your website and interact with it. Forms and engaging queries.
• Simplify. 50 words/page, video and pictures. Long text pages don’t get read. Period.

I learned a lot when I built that first sandcastle. I learned it’s not a good use of time if longevity is your goals. Instead, I learned that it’s a great way to spend time with my kids. And sadly, a lot of websites look like they’ve been built on a poor foundation. And by kids.

Everyone realizes it’s an Apple MacBook Pro.

Apple products have such a distinctive look for their product; that’s been consistent for years, that we know what the product brand is. Without the logo.

Or what if you see a distinctive red/yellow container with French Fries in it. There’s even a TV commercial for a V8 Fruit Smoothie that quickly shows a plastic container with a dome and a straw, and we instantly know it’s also a McDonald’s product.

Even without seeing the logo.

See. Your “brand” is not your logo. In fact, your brand is what you’re known for WITHOUT seeing your logo.

Would people know your website without the logo present? Or your worship guide without your Church name on it? How about a picture of your building without a dominant sign. Or your brochures, facebook page, etc.

Develop your “brand” without relying on your logo. Then (and only then) make sure your logo complements what you’re known for — and adds to the brand. It needs to be one additional visual element to work with.

Every brand needs:

• An emotional benefit (or promise)
• A color and font palette you “own”
• A unique memorable design

Oh… and a really great, simple, memorable, unique logo.

“Does it hurt?,” you ask? “Yes!” they weakly respond. “Then stop slapping yourself!” you quickly say.

It seems crazy. Everyday people do things to themselves that cause pain and discomfort. Yet they continue doing it. Just tune into facebook.

“I can’t believe I’m sick again” — yet you know they live an unhealthy lifestyle of choices. “Had to stay up incredibly late getting all the homework graded” — and you realize for the most part, it’s because of stupid priority imbalances.

But ultimately, people do things because they get something positive from it. A benefit. People like eating like pigs (especially fatty or sugary foods), or they would rather socialize and have fun than doing more important things.

Does that make sense? Perhaps the person slapping themselves gets an emotional boost from all the people who take interest in them and who give them sympathy. The physical pain is WORTH enduring for the psychological bonus.

What are people enduring in your church in order to receive a boost? I hate the incredibly uncomfortable (and too close) chairs our family endures in the service we go to. But I’m willing to endure it (for awhile) for the benefits I recieve.

What is it with your church? It would be eyeopening to find out what it is. So, ask! And you may be in a position that you can say, “stop doing that” and come up with an easy solution that your congregation hasn’t thought about. You won’t know until you ask. I bet if you asked your staff, they could start a list. If you don’t have benefits to overshadow the problems, you have some huge issues.

Ultimately, the benefits have to override the pain, or people will leave. Unless, of course, your church is perfect.