Leadership, Leadership Axioms

Change Equation

Yesterday I teased a new weekly feature here for the blog where I plan on writing about some of my favorite Leadership Axioms that have impacted me personally and professionally over the years. I define a Leadership Axiom as a short, concise phrase that conveys a leadership truth or principle. These axioms also need to be memorable and applicable to everyone. The first Leadership Axiom comes from Pastor Mark Batterson from National Community Church in Waschington, DC.

Pastor Mark believes that from time to time a leader and/or the leadership team should get away from the hustle and bustle of day-to-day ministry for a time of reevaluation. In fact, if it is possible step away from the office, get out, and get away. Or as he says it:

Change of Pace + Change of Place = Change of Perspective


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What a great equation! I love it because I have benefitted from it time and time again. Without fail when I unplug from my normal surroundings and schedule I see a huge benefit all the way around. Getting outside of the normal routine does wonders for my creativity, my focus, and my productivity.

Examples of how I put this axiom to work:

  • Going to the coffeehouse. As you can see from the picture above, I never go to the coffeehouse alone. Sometimes, I just have to get away from my email, Twitter, and phone calls to spend sometime reading or taking notes. I strap on my headphones and start up my study playlist and get to work. 30 minutes in a coffeehouse equals at least 1 hour of uninterrupted focus.
  • Attending conferences. Attending conferences offer both a change of pace and a change of place. Next Wednesday, we are piling into Edna, the church van, and hitting up the Catalyst Conference in sunny Atlanta, GA- or the ATL as I like to call it. This will be my 9th Catalyst ATL appearance and my first as a lead minister. The normal routine will be thrown out the window in order to make room for a couple of days of being challenged and pushed with new ideas and fresh thoughts. Love, love, love it!
  • Longer lunches. Much like my coffeehouse trips, I never go to lunch empty handed. I always take a book or my Moleskine with me to capture new thoughts and notes. Sometimes I just need to sit with my thoughts and big ole soda to get unstuck or experience a creative break through.
  • Bookstore Crawl. Remember Borders Bookstores? (Too soon?) I get some of my best ideas while “wandering” up and down the aisles of my local bookstore. The pictures on the covers, the titles, philosophies, display stands, you name it feed my creative juices and help me clarify my thoughts.
  • Retreats Nothing helps you change your perspective like getting away from it all on an extended retreat. I am actually working on scheduling some time away before the end of the year. In fact, in the next 3-6 months, it is my hope that I can take a personal retreat, a ministry staff retreat, and a church leadership team retreat. These don’t need to be a week long excursions into the woods where you forage for berries armed with only a flashlight and your Bible. You just need to get away for a set period of time (usually 24-48hrs), unplug your phone, and spend an extended period of time focused on listening to God. That’s it.

Change of Pace + Change of Place = Change of Perspective

I’d encourage you to incorporate this great Leadership Axiom into your routine and it is my hope that you will benefit from this truth as much as I have.

Next week’s axiom will be about Vision. You won’t want to miss this one.