Recently the leadership of NavPress has been discussing a great book by Simon Sinek called Start with Why. No matter what business or ministry you are in, I recommend you read this book. It shows how we often focus on the what and how of our enterprises but forget the why.

Watch this video; it will challenge you!

(This is a repost from a few years ago.)

Does your organization operate by your values? Do your employees practice them?

It happens almost every morning. I show up in a small cozy shop where the smell of coffee floats out the door and the sound of happy people talking fills the air while staff members wearing green aprons smile and greet you at the counter.

Have you guessed where we are yet? Yes, it's Starbucks, where the Green Apron People want to serve you.

I had an employee who served as a manager in the Starbucks chain. She described the company's values and the training staff goes through. She also told me about The Green Apron Book. Some of you might be familiar with this book already, but I hadn't read it yet, so I got my hands on a copy. It helped me to understand the environment I was experiencing at Starbucks.

Here are some thoughts from the book:

1. Give, connect, elevate.
2. Be welcoming.
3. Be genuine.
4. Be knowledgeable.
5. Be considerate.
6. Be involved.

The book concludes with these words: "Make a friend, make a difference, make someone's day!"

The Green Apron People I've met practice the values presented in this book. They seek to create a place where I can come and experience acceptance, service, and pleasure. I can't think of a better example of servant leadership. Starbucks is an established part of so many people's daily lives, and it all revolves around a form of servanthood.

So here is my challenge: Ask yourself, "Do I serve others in that way? Is my work exemplified by that kind of servanthood?"

Thank God for the Green Apron People!

This post was originally written in 2008. But still really important for life balance. Is it time to DeFrag?
I recently defragged my computer. Perhaps you have worked through the same process with your machine? Defragmentation is simply reorganizing files and free space in contiguous areas. As I sat watching the program run on my computer, I thought, I need to defrag my life! Fragmentation on your computer causes it to run slowly because the computer isn't using storage space efficiently. Under these conditions, the machine won't perform to the maximum capacity designed by the manufacturer. In the same way, fragmentation in our lives causes us to perform at a level below God's design for us. Overtime we have developed gaps in our lives. We become slow, indecisive, unproductive--in other words, we, too, lack capacity! We need a defragging! So, how do you defrag your life? Ask yourself these questions: 1. Where are the gaps in my life that keep me from living at full capacity? 2. Do I practice destructive habits that destroy my ability to live in joy and fulfillment? 3. What personal gifts and talents do I use in my daily life? 4. How much of the "free space" in my life is focused on the most important aspects of life? I'm still working on my defragging process. Is it time for a defragging in your life?

I originally published this blog post in 2009. The trends continue.

The publishing world is moving through a major transition period. For those of us who are part of the industry, this time of rapid change is raising many new issues. We face questions that don't have clear answers.

For example, the dramatic rise in both digital platforms delivering content and consumers' desire for inexpensive or free resources is putting the current publishing business model at risk. Consumers are moving away from retail stores to virtual retailers. The ebook and ereader world, while still in the early stages of adoption by consumers, will have an impact. At this time a 3% to 5% market share does not seem to me to be too significant; however, this trend will continue and publishers must determine now how they will adjust to this growing demand for digital products.

In addition, the publishing monetary model is under assault. The web is resetting the rules for commerce--you start with free and move to premium products for sale online. Wow, just talking about these issues makes my head spin! But this is the new normal for publishing in the 21st century.

Any thoughts?

I wanted to repost a blog from 2008 about books as souvenirs. The concept is more powerful in 2011 than when originally I wrote it. Enjoy!
Have you been on a trip recently? Perhaps like most of us you picked up a few items to bring home. My wife and I have collected all kinds of things from our trips over the years. We have postcards, refrigerator magnets, art, and carved figurines from various places we have visited. These items remind us of places and experiences we have enjoyed together. Recently I viewed a talk by Seth Godin. (I have attached a link if you would like to view it. It is worth the time!) Godin talks about a book being a souvenir. I had never considered a book to be a souvenir, but after viewing the talk, it makes sense! As I think about my time with books, they really are reminders of the experiences I have had on my reading journeys. Now as I look at the books in my library, it's fun to reflect on the many places I have explored in history, business, and spirituality. And my books are the written souvenirs I have collected. Your books tell the story of your reading journey. What do they say?

Work and civilization run parallel. From an individual perspective, work can seem like you are constantly trying to scratch out a living. Yet the urge to work springs from a longing in the human heart to survive, to build something, to nurture someone, to make a difference in your generation. Work has a purpose...a direction...an ending from which to begin resting or playing.

From a generational perspective, though, work can be viewed as the brush strokes on a mural of civilization-building.



Work means that building civilizations has consequences over the generations. Work implies that God works with a purpose in mind.

"The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it." (Genesis 2:15, NIV)

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward." (Colossians 3:23-24, NIV)

Why do you work? What work has been the most satisfying to you? What does your current work have to do with your destiny?

Searching the Ordinary for Meanings...NavPress

(Originally posted in 2008, but NavPress remains committed to this mission.)

Understanding who you are in business helps you manage your expectations for your organization and for your customers. As NavPress moves forward, our leadership team has given considerable thought to our place in the Christian publishing world. We recognize that we aren't the largest Christian publisher. We don't have the largest staff or a large amount of capital for new product development. But we do know who we are.

As a leadership team we have determined NavPress will operate as a small giant. We want to be giant in our impact on producing spiritual-formation products that lead to the transformation of people's lives. So how do we measure our work as a small giant? Well here is our list, which I don't mind sharing with all who read this blog.

1. NavPress will be the best in producing spiritual-formation and leadership products.
2. NavPress will not set revenue growth as our first priority.
3. NavPress will focus on financial profitability based first on mission, then on finances.
4. NavPress will be a great place for our employees to work.
5. NavPress will provide great service to our customers.
6. NavPress will maintain great relationships with our suppliers/vendors.
7. NavPress will make a significant contribution to our local community.
8. NavPress will encourage employees to live in balance in their lives.
9. NavPress will provide a growing amount of financial support for The Navigators' mission.

We at NavPress understand our place and stewardship responsibilities in the Christian publishing world. I can't tell you how many times we have heard from customers who are very supportive of our focusing again on our core mission.

NavPress intends to work as a small giant. We welcome your input and opinions to help us be better at our work.

The road ahead will be exciting and filled with many challenges. I was reflecting the other day on some comments I have received since coming on board NavPress:

• "There is no hope for publishing!"
• "If you change your publishing strategy, you will destroy the business."
• "I didn't even know that NavPress was still around."
• "Do you really think that focusing on discipleship as your brand and product focus will be financially successful?"
  

I believe that with FOCUS anything is possible!



I have to tell you that I sometimes grin when I hear these things from people who aren't leading publishing organizations. When I used to play basketball, our coach would remind us, "You have to be careful not to be distracted by the people watching the game instead of the players."

Here are some lessons I am learning about focus:

• Focus sets priorities.
• Focus is powerful.
• Focus simplifies life and business.
• Focus draws out passion and commitment.
• Focus leads to success.

Here is a goal for us all: Focus in all things--personal, spiritual life, and business!

If you are not aware of cloud computing, it would be good to get caught up! Again the dizzying speed of change in the world of technology is at work around us. As a courtesy to my readers, I wanted to introduce the latest from Apple. They are rolling out iCloud, a technology that WILL impact us personally and in business.

Enjoy!



And it's FREE!

As a publisher I have been facing a growing reality about the future. As a Baby Boomer, I have and will live the rest of my life in a text-driven world. "Reading is fundamental" is a phrase I have heard all my life. But as I observe the next generation's behavior, I am stunned by the power of images and their impact on their learning processes. The evidence is growing that the next generation starts with an image and then moves to reading text. Consider this: Children and young adults are bombarded with an overwhelming number of images everyday, and technology supports this image-dominant reality. We can connect to images from our mobile phones, TVs, computers.The power of image is a reality. A picture is now worth more than a thousand words. Here is an example of the power of images: NavPress is excited about these innovative image-based resources. There will be more to come--hope you will stay tuned.