Patrick Lencioni’s latest article, giving excellent insight into what we can learn from the San Antonio spurs about organizational health. Here’s the start:

I loved basketball as a kid, wanting more than anything to play in the NBA one day. But I didn’t make it past high school, my 5’9 inch height and limited jumping ability holding me back. If I were only eight inches taller…

Now, I have to admit that since then I’ve lost much of my interest as a fan of professional basketball as the game has become less about teamwork and finesse, and more about individual, physical, one–on–one challenges. Which is why it was so fun to watch the San Antonio Spurs win the NBA championship this week. They are an old–school reminder of the days of passing, teamwork and strategy — the antithesis of what the NBA has become.

But a closer look at the Spurs, the organization and the team, reveals that there is more going on in San Antonio than meets the eye, and it is something that any organization can learn from. See, the Spurs are the healthiest organization in the NBA, and probably in all of professional sports.

A healthy organization, as I’ve defined in my book, The Advantage, is one that maintains a cohesive leadership team, establishes clarity about what it stands for, communicates that clarity repetitively, and puts in place processes and systems to reinforce that clarity over time. How do the San Antonio Spurs match up? Well, when I talk to people in the industry and ask them which organization is best across all sports, most of them will pause for just a few seconds before arriving at their answer: the Spurs. What is it that makes this organization so special?

Read the whole thing.

This is a fantastic post by Brad Lomenick, who directed the leadership organization Catalyst for years and is author of The Catalyst Leader: 8 Essentials for Becoming a Change Maker. 

Here’s the start of his post:

Young leaders are the future. They actually are the present as well. Lots of leaders ask me how best to lead the millennial generation, basically those born after 1980. We gather thousands of leaders who fit this category on an annual basis, and most of the Catalyst staff are under the age of 30. I have the privilege to get to hang out with 20-somethings a lot, and I’ve noticed some things very particular to this generation.

I have to admit — I don’t always get this right. As a 100% Gen X’er, my tendency is to lean away from several of these points, and lead how I’ve been led over the years by Boomer and Busters. But I’m working on it….

I’ve managed several teams of those in the millennial generation, and totally agree with Brad on his list. The best news of all is that these principles are not just helpful for leading millenials; they are simply good leadership in general. Because millenials tend to get these principles more than most, they tend to be among the most enthusiastic, capable, and committed team members. That’s why I love working with millenials.

In terms of where I fit myself, I was born just a few years before 1980, so I don’t know if I’m a millennial or not. But I do know this: I don’t fit into Gen X. That puts me in some strange sort of in-between category. Perhaps there should be some category for people born right on the boundary between Gen X and millenials. Here’s the take-away on that for me: while Brad points out that sometimes his tendency can be to lean away from some of these points, my tendency can sometimes be to take a few of them too far. It can be hard to get the balance right.

Here are some of the highlights from Brad’s 20 items:

1. Give them freedom with their schedule. I’ll admit, this one is tough for me.

3. Create a family environment. Work, family and social are all intertwined, so make sure the work environment is experiential and family oriented. Everything is connected.

4. Cause is important. Tie in compassion and justice to the “normal.” Causes and opportunities to give back are important.

5. Embrace social media. It’s here to stay.

7. Lead each person uniquely. Don’t create standards or rules that apply to everyone. Customize your approach. (I’ll admit, this one is difficult too!)

10. Give them opportunities early with major responsibility. They don’t want to wait their turn. Want to make a difference now. And will find an outlet for influence and responsibility somewhere else if you don’t give it to them. Empower them early and often.

12. Partnering and collaboration are important. Not interested in drawing lines. Collaboration is the new currency, along with generosity.

13. Not about working for a personality. Not interested in laboring long hours to build a temporal kingdom for one person. But will work their guts out for a cause and vision bigger than themselves.

18. They’ve been exposed to just about everything, so the sky is the limit in their minds. Older leaders have to understand younger leaders have a much broader and global perspective, which makes wowing Millenials much more difficult.

19. Recognize their values, not just their strengths. It ain’t just about the skillz baby. Don’t use them without truly knowing them.

20. Provide a system that creates stability. Clear expectations with the freedom to succeed, and providing stability on the emotional, financial, and organizational side.

Note that these principles are in contrast to the leadership culture that has typically (though not always) been in place from generations before. That leadership philosophy tended to be authoritarian and based on some strange mindset that you should just be happy to have a job, rather than being committed to making a difference (and being given the freedom to do so).

I’m not saying that leadership mindset is what always prevailed in generations past; but millenials seem to “get” leadership and what it takes to make an impact in the world much more intuitively. That’s why knowing the keys for leading 20-somethings is not just important for its own sake; it also helps anyone (whether a millennial or not) simply understand leadership itself better.

See the full list.

This week, Jenni Catron’s new book Clout: Discover and Unleash Your God-Given Influence, is out.

Jenni is executive director at Cross Point Church, a multi-site church in Nashville, Tennessee. I know Jenni from being on the blog team for the Global Leadership Summit, and she is super smart, an excellent writer, and understands leadership very well. She is a young leader that is worth paying attention to and learning from.

Her book focuses first on overcoming the seven clout killers of fear, comparison, jealousy, the scarcity mentality, insecurity, pride, and control. Then she focuses on the four clout cultivators of identify, confidence, mission, and passion.

This book will be helpful for anyone wanting to learn more about leadership because, first of all, it is filled with great insight and, second, the structure of the book is so easy to grasp. Knowing the 7 clout killers and 4 clout cultivators is a very helpful tool for navigating your leadership.

My favorite chapter is the one on the scarcity mentality. In my opinion, Jenni does an even better job unpacking this concept than Stephen Covey did, from whom I originally learned about this and whom I think first made that concept widely known.

Briefly, the scarcity mindset is the notion that life is a fixed pie—if someone else has more, then you have less. It keeps us from seeking the success of others, because it thinks that there is only “so much” to go around. Hence, the thinking goes, if you seek to help others succeed, you will be reducing your own potential for success.

But in reality, the opposite is true. We become more successful ourselves precisely by seeking the success of others. Great leaders have an abundance mentality, not a scarcity mentality. As Jack Welch has said, great leaders have “a generosity of spirit.” (This actually ties in to my forthcoming book very well, where I argue both from the Scriptures and the best business research that generosity is the key to success.)

Hence, though there are some things to learn from scarcity (this is one of the other notable features of this chapter — it was helpful to hear Jenni talk about her own experience with the scarcity mindset and some of the few good things we should learn from scarcity), letting scarcity be your dominant mindset is a definite clout-killer that we need to get rid of.

Here are some of the key quotes from the chapter:

When leaders manage from a position of scarcity, they create unhealthy environments for those they influence. Rather than focus on developing and investing in others, we focus on protecting and defending ourselves.

Stewarding our position is impossible from a position of scarcity because our actions are motivated by self-preservation.

When we gather rather than give, we erode our influence with others. We impair clout rather than earn it.

Scarcity also shows up in the words we don’t say. [We can] withhold good words [and be] quick to speak frustration or discouragement.

The real test of leadership and influence is when we’re willing to stand behind others and let them shine.

Generous leaders are contagious. Generosity multiplies our clout. Our God-given influence thrives and blesses others.

You can get Jenni’s book at Amazon and learn more about her at her blog. And here’s the trailer where she talks a bit about the book:

This is perhaps one of Seth Godin’s most difficult blog posts to grasp — but also one of the most important. Kudos to him for writing something that goes so deep.

At root, he’s talking about the difference between leadership and management. Management is about changing people one-on-one and is about individualizing; leadership is about groups and tapping in to what is universal. 

That’s a broad brush, and the best leaders can individualize very well (and need to more and more, in our age — so you can’t ignore that). But it’s a critical distinction to keep in mind. Godin’s post helps.

Here’s where it leads: “To change the culture, change the conversation.” That is, culture change requires leadership, not just management.

Brad Lomenick, president of Catalyst, has an excellent post on why he’s excited about the next generation of leaders — specifically, those in their 20’s and 30’s. He writes:

I love leaders. And especially next generation leaders. Specifically those leaders who are currently in their 20′s and 30′s. And I’m incredibly hopeful regarding this next wave of leaders. Incredibly excited and hopeful and expectant. Expectant that they are going to take the reins and move things forward like no other generation before them.

I agree. Here are the ten reasons Brad gives for why he’s excited about this generation of leaders and how they stand out from all generations before:

1. Passion for God
2. Willing to work together
3. Don’t care who gets the credit
4. Generosity and sharing are the new currencies
5. They understand the holistic responsibility of influence
6. Authenticity wins
7. Not willing to wait
8. See social justice as the norm
9. Seeking wisdom and mentors
10. A change the world mentality

Read the whole thing to see Brad’s comments on each of these ten points.

(Note: I think Brad is too modest not to include himself in this generation of leaders! He exemplifies all of these qualities and more, and he’s just barely out of his 30s, so technically, he’s still in this generation. Brad: we want to see your leadership continue for many more decades to come!)

Colin Powell, in It Worked for Me: In Life and Leadership:

Leaders and bosses see qualities that separate some few from the crowd. What do they see?

For starters, they see consistently outstanding prior performance in different positions.

They see someone learning and growing intellectually, someone preparing for the next level, not just maxing out in his current job; someone who is ambitious, but not cutthroat.

They see someone tested by his assignments and challenges generally given to people with more seniority and greater experience, thus indicating early that he can probably perform well not only at that higher level, but at levels above that one.

They see someone reaching outside his comfort zone to acquire skills and knowledge that are not now essential, but are useful at a higher level.

They see someone who has demonstrated strength of character, moral and physical courage, integrity, and selflessness, and who will carry those virtues to the next level.

They see someone who is confident about the next step. His ego is under control, and he is mentally prepared for the added responsibilities and burdens of higher office. It won’t go to his head. He is balanced.

A very important point from Colin Powell in It Worked for Me: In Life and Leadership:

Every person in an organization has value and wants that value to be recognized. . . . The person who came to clean my office each night was no less a person than the President, a general, or a cabinet member. They deserved and got from me a thank-you, a kind word, an inquiry that let him or her know their value. I wanted them to know they weren’t just janitors. I couldn’t do my job without them, and the department relied on them.

There are no trivial jobs in any successful organization. But there are all too many trivial leaders who don’t understand this oh so simple and easy to apply principle.

I’ve seen so many ministries and organizations go wrong by failing to recognize and abide by this very true and biblical principle articulated by Colin Powell in his book It Worked for Me: In Life and Leadership:

Whenever I took command of a unit, I announced early on that my bias was toward the guys in the field; I took their word as ground truth. Until I was persuaded otherwise, my staff must be wrong. This did not make my staff happy, but that was good.

My bias toward the guys in the field may sound unreasonable, but here’s how it worked for me. First, it let my staff know that our clients were the leaders on the line and their troops. My staff didn’t work for me. My staff worked for them. Problem solving went both down and up. Once every staff member realized that any field commander could drop a dime on them to me, they worked like the devil to solve field problems. The staff realized they couldn’t make me happy unless the line was happy.

….Over my many long years of experience, the line was right about 70 percent of the time.