That should be one of the first questions you seek to answer when divulging a new enterprise you are about to launch. You don’t need to hear what is great about your idea. You already know what’s great about it, that’s why you are launching it. And that’s where your greatest weakness lies.  You are so pumped about the great aspects that your view of the negative is flawed. This is why seeking council is so crucial to your success.

Ways to find out what stinks about your idea. Ask these questions:

1. Would you give $10,000 to see this idea take off? If no, why not?

2. What will stop people from using this idea (buying this product, using this service, coming to this church, reading this book?)

3. What are the outside circumstances that could stop this from being successful?

4. Can you repeat back to me the premise of the idea? (If they can’t tell you the idea after you explained it to them, then rethink the idea immediately.)

Find out what stinks about your idea and see if any of those will stop you from having a great idea.

Take advantage of the abundant amount of time you have. Holy goodness you will be busy with children. I am so excited about being a new dad, but it comes with many challenges. The time I used to spend writing, is now reallocated. The time I used to watch TV, reallocated. The time to read, reallocated. The time to exercise has been reallocated.

But I still want to do all those things. And I imagine you will too.

So what do you do? For me it has meant trimming the fat on all the activities I do. Less goofing off, more focus. Tasks are now done with greater efficiency. It means getting up earlier and staying up a little later. It means prioritising the priorities. It also has meant saying no to things I used to say yes to. I’ve skipped some conferences I normally attend. I’ve had to pass on some lunch and dinners I would normally say yes to. Times have changed, but my desires and goals haven’t. They’ve only increased.

The last thing I have to remind myself is that this is a new season of life. It will not always be this way. So, you rearrange, make some changes, adjust. If you stay focused, the new season will bring growth you could not have experienced any where else.

What season are you in?

Any parents out there have thoughts on this?

I’m still learning in a lot of areas of my life. I realize this when a newly wed will ask me a marriage question or when a soon to be writer asks about writing a book.

I’ve been married almost 7 years and I’m still learning how to be a good husband.

I’ve been blogging for 4 years and written one book and I barely know anything about writing.

I’ve been playing golf for 25 years and I still need a few mulligans to shoot a decent score.

In all the areas of life, when we think we have arrived, there is a danger to think we can stop learning. This is a dangerous place to be. Here you find complacency and pride. To continue to learn is to be a good steward. If you arrived, then maybe the destination was too easy.

What have you been learning lately?

I believe that all leaders should be consistent learners. For most, this comes in the form of reading. I’m not sure how it was 20 years ago, but there seems to be a greater number of church leaders putting more stock in current business and secular leadership theories. Many pastors are quoting CEOs and Professors from research schools like Harvard and Princeton.

Is this a healthy trend for the church? Should pastors be spending more time reading the latest leadership theories or the Bible? What is a healthy percentage to spend on each?

What are your thoughts?

There has been an increasing amount of conversation about Christians and culture. What is our role? How much should we consume versus create? Should churches copy ideas from culture? Should there be a “Christian” music and film industry?

What are your thoughts on the topics of Christians and culture?

Last year was an amazing year. It was probably the busiest of my life though. There were more demands last year than ever before. I had more meetings, more projects, and more deadlines that I can ever remember. I love being around people, but people can be draining. I was often tired.

This year is looking to be even busier than last. With the addition of a new family member, the demands for time will be multiplied. There will be more meetings, more projects, and more deadlines. But this year, I’ll have less time to get them all done. Looks like I’ll be even more tired.

So, what do you do when the demands increase, but the available time decreases? Where do you find the strength to fulfill your God-given vision when the demands drain you?

Some obvious answers would be:  get a better plan, delegate, hire an assistant, focus, or be more intentional with your time.  All of these are good answers. But they are lacking.

The answer is not so obvious and I freely admit that while I “know” the answer, I still have trouble living the answer.

Jesus did more grueling ministry than any of us can imagine. He preached to huge crowds, cast out demons, ran huge pot-luck dinners, raised people from the dead, led discipleship groups, all while walking everywhere he went, constantly dealing with huge crowds. Jesus had more demands and less time.

So how did Jesus refuel? How did he handle more demands and less time?

But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed, Luke 5:16

Not the answer you were looking or hoping for? Honestly, me neither. But we see it constantly throughout his ministry. Jesus withdrew from the crowds, the meetings, the ministry and got alone with the Father. Spending alone time with the Father is the single greatest thing you can do to get recharged, focused, and prepared to lead where God has called you.

This will take work and discipline to become a habit. In the beginning it may be difficult. You may not even feel any different or see the results. Don’t let this stop you. It will take time and eventually this will be your safe haven and recharge station that you will run to.

Get up before the crowds, the demands, and the stress grab your attention, and spend time with the father!

Everyone wants a great idea. But where do great ideas come from?

To have a great idea, you have to have a lot of other ideas. Some good, some bad, and a lot in the middle. The key is to have a lot. But how do you sift through all the ideas to find the great one? You have to push them down the field, a little bit at a time. Along the path of execution, ideas will begin to drop off your screen. Some you will lose interest in. Some will fail. Some others will champion. Some stick around for a long time.

The ideas that stick around need to be nurtured. They need to be pushed on. Advance them down the field. As you do this, it will become clearer which ideas have the potential to be great. Sometimes an idea that you are pushing on morphs into a bigger and better idea. That’s how Backstage Leadership was born.

Every great idea started as just an ordinary idea. Great ideas only come when they are nurtured, implemented, strengthened and executed. The more options you have, the better chance you’ll have of finding that great idea. If you want a great idea, find a bunch of regular ideas first.

What are some ideas you’re working on now?