It’s a lie that is spun by the subordinates in an organization in order to turn the responsibility of a failure on the leader and keep the spotlight from exposing the real problem, which is the individuals or groups within the organization that are actually the ones creating the problem.

Now I know there is an old saying that has been taught in almost every leadership conference and seminar on the planet and that is; “Everything falls on leadership”, but I believe that’s a lie that allows organizations to pass the blame on others. It’s about time we stop this madness.

Here is another lie that you tend to hear in business world; “It’s lonely at the top”. Fact is if a leader is all alone, then in reality, nobody is really following him, right? It’s been said, “The person who says he is leading but has no followers is only taking a walk.”

The truth is every leader or better yet every good leader is only as good as his followers. So I want to dive into an area that I never hear being addressed and turn the spotlight on the followers for a few minutes.

The real truth is…leadership is painful and until we expose the meat of the issue, we are going to struggle and continue to be the “scape-goat” for organizations to use and abuse us and throw us to the way side when things don’t go their way. I suppose it’s really about self reflection if you want to know the truth. I sure wish everyone would start with themselves before they start pointing the finger at others in order to escape the real issues that need to be dealt with.

Keep in mind that Jesus said in Matthew chapter 7; “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. And why worry about the speck in your friend’s eye, when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friends eye.”

So let me tell you a story to illustrate a point. There is a leader I personally know that had a very large organization. Everything was great until one of his key staff members decided that he could do things better than he could. This assistant took 30% of his staff and caused a split in his organization. Needless to say, it was a very painful split. So of course people are going to begin to ask what this leader did wrong and it’s easy to target the inability to create meaningful relationships with his staff, but is this a cop out? Are we seeing the real issue or are we ignoring the real issue?

After the split, the leader was able to continue with the organization he had left, and keep in mind that that was still a significant size group that remained, however the leader decided to start a new work or a new group in a different location. Like most new businesses or ministries this group started out very small, but the leader saw great potential. Things looked good, but it too began to fall apart and eventually he lost the entire organization. It appeared that it was a total failure. So the leader went back to the drawing board and began to make some changes in order to recapture some of those individuals that had left and began to rebuild it to an even larger group, but the whole rebuilding process was not without its own challenges. Never-the-less, the hard work began to pay off.

Now this leader had a close relative that had the potential to be a great leader, but remember great leaders are born through the process of being great followers first, right? So, now this relative had a true shepherd’s heart and was an excellent teacher. The fact was, this leader had a special quality or presence that was with him in a remarkable way, more so than your average Joe to say the least. However, he too also faced challenges in his leadership.

This leader began to face challenges with his staff. Those challenges had more to do with his leadership capabilities, than anything else; sound familiar? He also had problems with his staff, and with turnover; people came and went on a regular basis. He not only had retention problems, on one occasion he experienced a mass exodus from his organization. He also experienced in-fighting amongst his own staff members and he even experienced a trusted staff member embezzling funds. He had another staff member that was impulsive with his words and even his actions causing problems for his organization and its overall growth. At one point this individual lost it so badly that he even assaulted another individual. Now that’s a problem, right?

So who are these leaders?

The first leader is God the Father and the second is Jesus. It’s interesting to look at these two from this set of lenses especially since they are perfect and good in every way. Yet they both encountered problems with leadership. But the question we need to ask ourselves is whether the problem was with leadership or was it with the followers?

Think about it…Gods archangel Lucifer rebelled against Him and took 1/3 of the angels with him. Later Adam and Eve, (Gods “second congregation”) turned against God, and as Gods representatives and the head of the human race they broke relationship and fellowship with Him. Of course, to say Jesus’ followers were rough around the edges would be putting it mildly. So, were the problems I described problems of leadership, or were they problems created by the followers?

The fact is you will never experience great leadership without great followers.

My Pastor taught on the fact that crowds are controlling and if you study Jesus ministry, you will find that he always avoided the crowds, why? Because, they will try and take over everything you are doing the very moment it gets tough or they disagree with. Keep in mind leaders are hired based on their vision and plan for a new direction for them as an organization, yet those that hired the leaders and their subordinates are the first ones to forget when things get tough.

As a leader your intention is to shift the overall direction of a company or ministry with the idea that you can go higher and move faster with your plan, which is exactly what they hired you for; yet the moment you take them out of their comfort zone, they rise up and begin to work against you. I liken it to a massive cruise ship that needs to adjust its course and head another direction. You know in some instances it takes several miles to turn it around, which often takes several hours to navigate. So what were they expecting? Fact is the bigger the company the longer it will take to make the changes, right?

Anyone in leadership knows the responsibility that comes with the position. There is not a day that goes by that the people aren’t on your mind and in your prayers. Honestly, as a leader we take the position because we believed we can make a difference within the organization and with the individuals, yet it seems to always work out that they are the ones that within a few months (after the honeymoon is over) begin to be the very ones that work against us. As a matter of fact, if you ask any leader if they can name the one or three individuals that cause them the greatest problems you will undoubtedly find out that they know exactly who the problem is and what they are doing to sabotage the overall mission.

So what would it look like if these people began to put the focus on themselves, rather than the leader? The question I have to ask especially for those involved in bringing you on as a leader within the organization is whether they were schizophrenic or unstable in their thought process when they hired you and whether they have deeper issues to resolve before the business or ministry can actually move forward.

I like JFK’s statement best; “ask not what your country can do for you, rather what you can do for your country.” let me put it this way; ask not what the Lord or your church or business can do for you, rather what can you do for them. When we get this right, we can begin to move forward.

For the most part, what we need is better training for followers, rather than focusing on the leaders. The last I checked leaders were on top driving the organization (the ship captain) and the followers were the foundation that keeps the infrastructure healthy and stable (the crew). A bad base or foundation (crew) will always topple/ or sink the second the wind blows and the storm moves in. If you want change with the desire of moving higher and faster, then we better make sure the followers are really prepared to do their part or the leader will never have a chance!

Let me say this to add some balance, there’s got to be a mutual give and take when it comes to leadership and those following. For us leaders our responsibility still comes down to us taking care of others first. Our job remains the same; empowering others to do more than they ever thought or imagined. We have got to do our part and they have to do theirs. This is how we win!

Just food for thought really.

Your biggest fan,

Britton Brown

I love it when speakers make mention of the fact that their overnight success was not what you think it is. You immediately know who the entrepreneurs are in the room are based on all the laughing that takes place. You see for most they see the result of walking down that long arduous road, but what most miss is the sleepless nights and the many moments that come your way when you walk through this process to simply throw in the towel.

Its certainly fun to plan for the event and to be quite frank, its what keeps us going, but the event never comes unless we have developed the winning process of how to get there.

My advice for any aspiring entrepreneur is to start by counting the cost and deciding how determined you are to get there. My next piece of advice is to start planning and the best place to start is by knowing your numbers, but what does this mean?  This simply means you need to know your expenses, what your profit is going to be, you market share you are shooting for and what you currently have, etc. This is how and where you start to figure out your finish line.

There are two sets of numbers I look at ever single day:

1. Goals
2. Actual Numbers

You see the numbers you are hitting and the goals you have set actually set up the process you are walking out. They work as your GPS telling you whether you are on the right path or not.

Also, there is an old saying that goes like this; “if it aint broke don’t fix it.” Well I like what Edward Deming said better; “if it aint broke, then improve upon it.”

My last bit of advice that has helped me over the years…follow in the footsteps of those who have gone before you. Find a mentor and have them teach you their process and you will quickly find success is right around the corner.

The definition of “humility” is when you submit yourself, laying down your wants and needs. In essence you withdraw from your way to yield to another’s. So if its honor you seek, then it is going to come by humbling yourself first.

It may seem like humbling yourself will cost you a lot, but the Word of God says; ‘that of you humble yourself, then He will lift you up.’ It also says; ‘that before honor is humility’ along with ‘by humility and the fear of the Lord, are riches and honor and life.’

It is very easy to see that it’s the world’s way to get you to fall into the trap of pride. Its deception lies in the fact that when you get into pride, you will never taste the riches, the God advantage (and who doesn’t want the God advantage?), and ultimately will lead you to destruction.

What’s the cost of Honor? Simple really; it will cost you your life!

So is the price worth it?

Well, if you are willing to pay the price then God says; ‘you will receive four blessings for humbling yourself (1 Peter 5:5-9):

1. Vs. 5- You will receive more grace (more abilities)
2. Vs. 6- God will lift you up and exalt you.
3. Vs. 7- You will experience a touch of Gods care (the God advantage)
4. Vs. 8,9- You will have no trouble resisting the devil

So you tell me, is the price worth it?

If you are a business owner, then you have probably asked yourself this question at some time or another. But here is the simple point I want to make…Your ceiling in business is typically self inflicted!

Ever been boat shopping? Most people start out by buying a little boat and hope it grows; but it doesn’t. You have to buy the boat that you want to grow into or you will get stuck with a Dinghy. In business, it’s really no different. If you start out thinking small then that’s the way you are most likely to remain. You see, if you want to do 100 transactions a year but your business is only built to do 50 then you are never going to get to where you want to go, it’s simply impossible!

The trick is to work one step ahead of where you are today. Most successful business moguls tend to either set unrealistic goals with action plans to hit them, or they remove the goals all together and move towards a direction that most would see as impossible to obtain. For me, this is where I am focused to move toward. A life with no ceiling means a life with unlimited potential and unlimited growth.

So quit thinking in terms of Dinghy’s and start moving towards Yachts!

“Some people drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.”

-Anonymous

Action:

Is your wisdom from above or are you just a tool for the enemy caught up in the world’s folly?

There is a difference between the knowledge of man and the knowledge of God. However, for some they have never contemplated that thought; not even for a minute.

Some seek knowledge but never really partake in it and other think they have it but simply don’t have a clue.

Knowledge that comes from above is for the use of Gods people to help others; it’s never for personal gain.

The following are some clues to help you determine if you are tapping into knowledge from above.

Clues:

• You will find that you have a healthy fear of the Lord.
• You will be given discernment to recognize what is good verse what is bad.
• You will have the desire to seek knowledge and understand the value of obtaining it.
• You will show the characteristics of using sound judgment in practical affairs.
• You will be a lover of discipline.

“The greatest good we can do for anyone is not to share our wealth with them, but rather to reveal their own wealth to them. It’s astonishing how much talent and ability rests inside a human being.”

-Zig Ziglar

Action:

It’s so easy to forget that right here in the United States were so many people come to tap into opportunity that, “we the people” have somehow become people with entitlement issues.

In fact, if you read the constitution it says; “the pursuit of happiness,” not the right to get whatever you want, right?

It is my opinion that we have done a disservice to our younger generation by allowing them to think that success is simply just given to someone.

It’s as if we have disarmed our youth from tapping into their real power source.

How about instead of allowing them to take hand-me-downs, we start to encourage them to cultivate their talents and for those that have tasted success, we begin to give them the tools; not the money to succeed in life.

“Decision is the spark that ignites action. Until a decision is made nothing happens.”

-Wilfred A. Peterson

Action:

The Word says that faith without action is dead, right?

Well, unless you make the decision to go for it, you will never put any action behind your faith.

I would even go a step further by saying that if there is no action then there isn’t any real faith.

Reality is that we make decisions all the time; it’s just some of those decisions are decisions not to do anything, yet most of the time we never realize it.

My point for you to consider today is whether you realize it or not, you are always making decisions and those decisions are producing results.

So are you making decisions that line up with your goals or are the counterproductive decisions that are derailing your objectives?

Thought:

“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Action:

A person’s enthusiasm is one of the most contagious tools we have.

Most of my friends have heard me say countless times; “you can’t sell a dream dragging a nightmare,” and yet I still have people that come to me and ask what it is that they need to change in order to break out of their business funk.

Truth is that almost 90% of the time, that funk they are in is directly related to the level of enthusiasm they bring to each and every encounter they have, whether its business or personal.

You see, it’s your enthusiasm that is what inspires others to want what you have.

If what you are bringing to each encounter is something of enjoyment, high energy, friendly and inspirational then how can others resist? The instinctively want what you have, right?

However, if what you bring is boring, hurtful, a lack of energy, or negativity; then who wants any of that?

Thought:

“Men and women are limited not by the place of their birth, not by the color of their skin, but by the size of their hope.”

-John Johnson

Action:

I have heard so many excuses over the years of why people can’t seem to reach the success that they see others having however, what I have found is that all the excuses they shell out are actually screaming to the world that they have no real hope or expectation of succeeding on their own anyway.

So if success is not determined by where someone is born or the color of their skin and it has more to do with the hope they have inside them, then what exactly does “hope” look like?

In essence; to have hope is to be in a place of joyful expectation. It’s the feeling of what is wanted can actually be had.

So where are you in this journey? It’s important to realize that it this process of moving from want-to need-to being in a place that you can actually see it coming your way is a journey or better yet a process we all have to go through.

So learn to be patient and to constantly chew on that “want” until it becomes a reality.

“It really doesn’t matter what the world thinks; the only thing that really matters is what you do!”

-Britton Brown

Action:

If I let the world’s way of doing things dictate or measure my performance, then I would be in big trouble.

I have come to realize over the years that the very things that are meant to be good and right are most often the very things that are mocked and thrown to the wayside by most people.

However, I can’t afford to let that dictate what I do and neither can you.

We read in the Bible that we are warned that the world’s ways are not the Kingdoms ways, so why do we let it dictate what we do?

Why not decide today that you will no longer be concerned about what others think or say?

The simple truth we can glean from Jesus is that “wisdom is proved right by her deeds.”