The Discovery of DNA, the meaning of life...

 

...or how individual intelligence led to second place

Fifty eight years ago today, two scientists walked into their neighborhood pub in Cambridge England, ordered their drinks, and one of them announced to the patrons “We have found the secret to life.”

This was no lie – that morning, Cambridge University scientists James D. Watson and Frances H.C. Crick had discovered the double-helix structure of DNA, the biological material that carries life’s genetic information.

On the fiftieth anniversary of that discovery, Watson took part in an interview inquiring about the aspects of their work that had led them to solve the problem ahead of an array of other highly accomplished and recognized rival scientists.

Along with the expected answers – they identified the most important part of the problem, they were passionate about their work, they devoted themselves single-mindedly to the task, they were willing to attempt approaches outside their area of familiarity – came this surprise:

Watson said that he and Crick had cracked the elusive code for DNA primarily because they were not the most intelligent scientists pursuing the answer.

Watson went on to explain that the most intelligent person working on the project in those days was Rosalind Franklin, a British scientist working in Paris at the time. According to Watson:

Rosalind was so intelligent that she rarely sought advice. And if you’re the brightest person in the room, then you’re in trouble.

Watson’s comment describes exactly the error that many leaders in today’s organizations make: they believe that they are the best-informed, most-experienced, or most-skilled person in the group. They may be, but studies have repeatedly shown that the approaches and outcomes of groups who cooperate in seeking a solution are not just better than the average member working along, they are even better than the group’s best problem solver working alone.

Far too often, leaders – who by virtue of greater experience, skill, and wisdom, deem themselves the ablest problem solver in the group – fail to ask for input from team members.

• Lone decision makers can’t match the diversity of knowledge and perspectives of a team
• Input from others can stimulate thinking processes that wouldn’t develop on their own
• Individual thinkers can’t parallel process – dividing parts of the problem among many members

Trying to discover the meaning of life? How about something much simpler, like a new funding initiative to increase service to one of your target groups? Or any problem facing your team?

Don’t forget the danger of being the brightest person in the room.

The Window and The Mirror

This week I was talking with a church leader and the concepts of Jim Collins' "Level 5 Leader" came up in our discussion.

The conversation triggered a quick revisit to the book, and to this little gem by Collins:

Level 5 leaders look out the window to apportion credit to factors outside themselves when things go well (and if they cannot find a specific person or event to give credit to, they credit good luck).








At the same time, they look in the mirror to apportion responsibility, never blaming bad luck when things go poorly.




Every leader looks out the window and in the mirror.


What do you see?

Change is...

Healthy.

Organizations are not alive in a literal sense - but they have to change and adapt in order to stay alive.

Nancy Duarte, writing in "Resonate," talks about the life cycle of organizations - start up, growth, maturity, and eventually decline. But it doesn't have to be that way.

An organization should make continual shifts and improvements to stay healthy.

In order to do that well, leaders must excel at persuasion.

Movements are started, products are purchased, philosphies are adopted, subject matter is mastered - all with the help of persuasive presentations.

Presentations create a catalyst for meaningful change by using human contact in a way that no other medium can.

Go ahead - change the world.

Like a Two Way Mirror...

You see it used in all kinds of movies and television shows, usually the police drama type.

The good guys and the victim are on one side, the suspects on the other. Each are nervous for different reasons: one thinks "Can I be seen?" and the other "Will I be recognized?"

It's called a two way mirror.

We have them in ChurchWorld, too. And they are used a lot of different ways.

How about Simplicity/Complexity?

On one side, we should strive to make everything as compelling, seamless, and simple as possible. The way we welcome guests (facilities, processes, people); how we navigate inside (wayfinding); the worship experience (flow, communicating The Big Idea, call to action); gathering information (connection card, digital system). You get the idea. We want everything our guests and participants see to be clean, elegant, simple, and logical.

Then there's the other side of the mirror - the darkened room of reality where it's often chaos, confusion, last-minute changes, and sometimes flat-out failures. It's the hundreds of details that go into a simple print piece. It's weeks, if not months, of planning and work to make sure the worship experiences go smoothly. It's arriving early to set up, clean up, polish up, and look at your absolute best - because you only get one chance to make a first impression.

Guests and attendees don't need to see the complexity of the systems designed and implemented to give them simple, powerful, life-changing experiences.

But they wouldn't have those experiences without the complexity.

Defying the Odds

Twenty-year old Trevor Bayne (by a day-his birthday was Saturday),
driving in only his second Sprint Cup race (NASCAR's top level),
driving for the Wood Brothers (a storied race car team that predates NASCAR but has fallen on hard times over the last several years)
competing in the sport's biggest event (the season-opener Daytona 500)
on the 10th anniversary of the tragic and untimely death of the sport's favorite driver (Dale Earnhardt Sr, killed in the 2001 race),
competing on a newly-resurfaced track (requiring new strategies)

wins.

"Are you kidding me? What?" were the first words heard over the radio after Bayne took the checkered flag. Later during a post-race interview, he was still in shock - "If I try to put it into words, I wouldn't be doing it any justice, that's for sure."

Was it luck? Driver skill? Teamwork? Experience? Circumstances?

All of the above - and more.

Just like what it takes to have a "win" in your organization.

How Friendly is Your Church?

Just how friendly is your church?

Friendly makes an impact - It makes your guests return
Friendly is a quality - Like all qualities, there are varying levels of competency
Friendly is a degree -What’s the temperature of friendly in your church?

Secret:


We need to create a friendly environment
     and train people to be friendly
          and be friendly all the time

Friendly has to be “on-purpose.”

The value of friendly is beyond measure. It costs nothing, yet it’s worth a fortune. It creates a church’s reputation and it creates your reputation.

It’s the most contagious disease known to man – catch it, and spread it.

Respond to the Vision God Has for Your Life

Perry Noble, pastor of Newspring Church in Anderson, SC, filled in Sunday at Elevation Church for Steven Furtick, who was ill. It was certainly a God-timing thing, as months ago Perry had asked to preach on this particular date, but Pastor Steven was reluctant as we were scheduled to start a new series today. But when Pastor Steven begin feeling ill Thursday, and finally made the decision not to preach around Saturday noon, Perry was on his way an hour later.

In his unique style, Perry preached on Vision. Preaching from Acts 26:15-18, he gave the following four points about vision:

• Vision begins with an accurate view of Jesus - when we recognize who He is, we will do what He says
• Vision calls us to action - In Christ we are completely forgiven, valuable, and unconditionally loved
• Vision will impact you personally - what would you be willing to attempt for God if you knew you could not fail?
• Vision will lead to the supernatural - God doing the "super" through your "natural"

...and a final comment: God's not finished with me yet!

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