lessons in leadership from a former pack leader

A few years ago I rescued two pitbulls: Diesel & Armani (formerly “Bronson” & “Gritz”) Each came with their own set of issues (besides having horrible names.) Diesel had been raised to fight and was aggressive toward other animals, while Armani had been diagnosed, treated for, and survived heart worm. Diesel lacked self awareness and didn’t play well with others. Armani had been caged for 6 months to allow the heart worm to dissolve before interacting with other dogs, making him the socially awkward only child. Diesel was the athletic knuckle-head who preferred to be the big spoon. Armani was the sensitive introvert who would often sit extremely still and look at himself in the mirror.

I’m not sure I was any better. I had just been divorced a year previous from the woman who I was expecting to spend the rest of my life with. I worked from home and lived in the suburbs with a huge back yard. It was time to have a family.

I knew that I would need to step up and be the pack leader for these two dogs if there was any chance of us leaving the house. They, like people, needed a leader they could look up to and respect. Said respect wasn’t granted right away. I had to earn it. I had to prove to them I was fit to be their pack leader.

Those two dogs taught me more about leadership than any book on the subject. Here are some examples:

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“I think it’s the black lung, Pop.”

“Well your symptoms sound just like the flu: high fever, chills, aches, and now this cough. Let’s go ahead and test you for it and take it from there,” said Dr. Bethany. “I need to poke this swabstick pretty far up your nose. It’s going to be a little uncomfortable.”

She did and it was.

“Ok, give me 10 minutes and I’ll be back with the results.”

That was Monday. Day 4.

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I don’t get sick. Well, I haven’t in a long time. The last time I can remember getting THIS ill was back in College. I used to have severe seasonal allergies, but they went away after moving to Tennessee (which is strange because this where allergies come to kill people.)

The week leading to Day 1 I had been getting up early to workout and staying up late to work on extra curricular activities. I was juggling three part time jobs, wrapping up the writing for a short film that’s now in pre-production, and getting ready for a table read of my first feature-length screenplay.

“Just make it to Thursday,” I kept telling myself. I just needed to make it to the table read and then I’d have the weekend to recover.

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hard times

This is another video I directed and produced in 2006 while at The People’s Church. As I remember, this was one of the best services I was ever a part of. The message was on brokenness and we opened the morning with this video:

We ended the service with some very powerful “cardboard testimonies” (which I couldn’t find on YouTube) and we used a still from the video as our PowerPoint background. It was probably the most well-branded services I’ve seen. “Branded” here meaning, consistent concept in every aspect from start to finish. Ah, those were the good ole days.

fix you

I’m so excited that I finally found this video file! I thought it was gone forever when the external hard drive it was on literally caught on fire. (What is it with me and things catching on fire?)

Back in 2005, I was on staff at The People’s Church in Franklin TN and this was my first video that I produced and directed. I will never forget the moment it created in church the morning we showed it. I was amazed to see how quickly & heavily people could be impacted by film.

I’m so glad that I found this video and wanted to share it!! Pass it along to anyone you think would enjoy it.

Miracle Maker by Delirious?

There’s something very mystical and almost magical about this song. Very appropriate for Good Friday:

Target: Kaleidoscopic Fashion Spectacular

What do you call 20 sensory-overloaded minutes fashioned out of 60+ dancers, an original visual program created by Daft Punk’s light designers, a new pop symphony from one-half of N.A.S.A., and over 155 rooms of New York’s Standard Hotel? You could start with “Spectacular,” but even that seems limiting.

This one-time-only show for Target’s 2010 fall apparel collection is just about the coolest and most unique event Mother’s ever produced!

chase the lion

A good friend of mine showed me this quote from the book “In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day” and it’s full of life-guiding mantras. I had the honor of reading it aloud at a service for young adults at the church I’m currently attending. I can totally hear Morgan Freeman reading this:

Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Grab life by the mane. Set God-sized goals. Purse God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizons. Accumulate experiences. Consider the lilies. Enjoy the journey. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and last day of your life. Don’t let what’s wrong with you keep you from worshipping what’s right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze a new trail. Criticize by creating. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don’t try to be who you’re not. Be yourself. Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away. Chase the lion.

Pretty powerful, huh? What does it inspire you to do?

having a genius, not being one

This Ted Talk by author Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love) revolutionized my view of creativity and the creative process. I won’t go into it all now because she does such a great job of it herself. Watch it and let’s discuss!

Pretty powerful, huh? I love what she says about HAVING a genius, and not BEING a genius. As creatives and artists, can we really separate ourselves from our work?

Where does your inspriation come from? What is your genius?

What’s your reaction to her talk?

design inspiration

I came across these posters as I was researching ideas for The Park. They’re incredible!

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homeless radio announcer

This is amazing! This guy’s voice is made for radio, or voice overs, or trailers, or for selling products we just can’t live without. Listen to Ted’s story here: