ARE:A Renewal Enterprise

8 Ideas for Unleashing Your Indispensable Inner Artist

How come the arts have become disposable? I don't get it. But it's true.

In a recent New York Times article, op-ed columnist David Brooks writes, “When the going gets tough, the tough take accounting.” Brooks laments the diminishing numbers of students enrolling in liberal arts degrees in our colleges and universities stating that “the labs are more glamorous than the libraries.” Or, the art studios. Within the context of this economic and political environment, the oil disaster in the Gulf, and the immigration debates, the arts have been reduced to a disposable area of funding and an area of education that is one of the first things to go in budget cuts. 

No wonder so many people today have such a hard time seeing clearly.

Open (Your Eyes) Wide

Have you been to the dentist's office lately? If so, then you know that the   experience isn't a whole lot different today than it was 20 or 30 years ago. The drugs might be a little more effective. The staff now uses gloves before they tackle your mouth. And your fillings probably blend in with your pearly whites (unlike the metal ones they used to use). But, last week, one of our team members found herself sitting in the dentist chair in a newly outfitted, state-of-the-art office staring at the same old BORING ceiling – just like always – wondering what to do with herself while her mouth was propped open. 

Whoever designed that office is using a centuries-old lens and hasn't bothered to really look at or with the people who end up sitting in that chair. No wonder the result is a very expensive, very pretty "same old-same old." It is easy to get stuck in a rut when you think you've seen it and know it all. 

Is it time for you to begin seeing through new eyes?

Leadership (& Life) After A Bad Call

If anybody has ever had a reason to be really ticked off, it's Detroit Tiger pitcher, Armando Galarraga. He's the underperforming pitcher (20-18 career record) from Venezuela who was one out away from throwing a perfect game, something only a handful of players in the history of baseball have ever done. He's not going down in the history books, though, for one reason: A VERY bad call at first base by veteran umpire Jim Joyce in the 9th inning. Everybody who saw the play live thought it was a bad call immediately; replay confirmed it. Joyce himself later admitted it and apologized. The media went nuts, of course, blasting Joyce for stealing a perfect game and the baseball commissioner for refusing to reverse the decision. And a lot of Detroit fans (and baseball fans, generally) are understandably angry about the way Galarraga got "screwed over."

But how did Galarraga respond to having THE moment every pitcher dreams about snatched away from him? 

How do you respond when the unthinkable happens to you?

7 Ways To Prevent Your Team From Leaving For Greener Pastures

Here's something you probably haven't heard many people say lately: I quit. According to researchers, however, that is about to change. In fact, the Wall Street Journal is reporting this week that some staffing firms are "preparing for a massive reshuffling of talent at all job levels in all industries." We believe them. Even at our little company, we get multiple inquiries every month from really talented people looking to make a move to come work with us. 

If this doesn't scare you, it should. 

Five Mistakes Leaders Make After A Crisis

Let's say the organization you care about has just been down a particularly dark road. Money has been tight. You've had to let some people go and those who remain are demoralized and overwhelmed. Your base of support - members, clients, customers - has dwindled. They all have problems of their own. And the PR you've been getting hasn't been all that great. Maybe there's even been some infighting. People within your organization disagree about the direction you should go. Those disagreements have been ugly. That conflict has made a bad situation worse. But now you're starting to come out on the other side. You're not out of the woods yet but you think you can see a glimmer of light. You're starting to breathe a little easier. What are you going to do now?

Here are the five biggest mistakes leaders can make on the other side of a crisis:

What will your legacy be?

(Note: Usually the writer of these posts speaks for the team and we share the work of writing them. We've given Kelly space today to share a special Mother's Day reflection.)

Last week my mom (and my children's grandmother) put on a put on a jump suit and strapped on a parachute, got on an airplane, and then jumped out of it. She hit 120 miles an hour during the free fall. It's not surprising that my mother, who is as much of a control freak as I am, said this was her least favorite part of the dive. Her favorite part was when the chute opened and she could get a good look at the expanse below. She told me later that before she jumped one of the instructors asked her why she was doing it.

Good question.

Why would a woman in the second half of her seventh decade decide, of all things, to go skydiving? Aren't there some cookies to bake, some golf lessons to take, somebody sick to visit? Isn't there something a little less, I don't know, prone to cause heart failure that you could be doing?! (God knows, MY heart would have failed!) 

Here's what she said to explain herself: 

The Key To Innovation

The Associated Press and CNBC reported this week that, in a continuation of the industry's trend, circulation numbers for 24 out of the 25 largest newspapers in the US dropped by as much as 22% over the past six months. Nobody in this industry thinks they can just keep doing what they've always done. They know the ground has shifted beneath them. They might not know what to do about it yet. But they know they'll either figure it out through experimentation and innovation or they'll die.

How innovative is the organization you care about? No, seriously. What was the last truly innovative thing you did together? 

The Great Surprise!

A Renewal Enterprise works with organizations of all types and sizes. But we have a special passion for helping faith-based groups make the shift to more lifegiving and effective ways of working together. ARE is offering two free downloadable resources for use by church leaders during the upcoming Easter season: An article called "The Great Surprise" written by Kelly Fryer and an accompanying study guide. Click on the links below to get a copy of: 

What's The Big Idea?

Are you feeling the stress of this recession in your organization yet? We are. 

At Harvard Business School three researchers have completed a study of how companies have responded to previous economic downturns in order to help those of us who are trying to make our way through this current mess. They discovered that only 9% of all companies came out of previous recessions stronger and more vibrant. Here's how they did it.

Ban BHAGs Now

Have you ever been part of an organization that was on fire? If you have, then you know first-hand that a fast-growing organization hardly ever sets pie-in-the-sky goals. They’re not even thinking about the future. They don’t have time. Instead, they are working hard to respond to the demands and opportunities that are right in front of them. At some point, they’ll probably have a big meeting, call in a consultant, hire a COO, or do something in order to help them create a strategy to get them from here to there. But “there” isn’t the focus. Their attention and resources are zeroed in on right here and right now. 

So how come, when organizations are sputtering and stuck, leaders tend do the opposite? What makes them think that by tossing down a gigantic challenge or casting their own gynormous vision, they will be able to motivate people into working harder or more effectively? For example: