The 4th Dimension of the Entrepreneurial Personality: The Leader

The last dimension according to Michael Gerber in his book, Awakening the Entrepreneur within, is: The Leader

By far, leadership is the most important. You can have a great vision or dream, think strategically about that dream, and even tell the story of the dream effectively, but if you don't have the ability to lead people into the new reality, you're sunk. Here are a few of my personal thoughts from my experiences with start up leaders:

1. Think Growth. Leaders grow people. Plain and Simple. In order to realize your dream, you've got to be committed to the personal growth of the people that are around you. A leader who only focuses on growth the vision and not the people of the vision has missed the whole point.

2. Think Effectiveness. In every dream there are a multitude of smaller dreams that can sidetrack an organization. Jim Collins would call it "Good, the enemy of Great." Michael Gerber would call them, "nusances." Others might call them "chasing rabbits." The best leaders know how to keep their people focused on the right priorities long-term.

3. Think Systems. The greatest leaders, as Michael Gerber has so effectively claimed in all of his E-Myth books, know how to use systems to accomplish a goal. The best leaders move the focus away from their personality and toward systems all of the time. If it can't be systematized then it shouldn't be done.

? What level of leader are you, 1 to 10? ? What can you begin to do to grow yourself and the leaders around you to become better leaders? ? How system driven is your thinking?

The Greatest Entrepreneurs are the ones who leverage each of the 4 Dimensions of their Personality to accomplish the Dream God has placed in their heart.

The Dreamer, The Thinker, The Storyteller, & The Leader. 4 Essentials to every great start up organization.

Matt

Dimension #3: The Storyteller

This week, we're looking into what Michael Gerber calls the 4 Dimensions of the Entrepreneurial Personality. The 3rd Dimension could be my favorite because it is: The Storyteller.

No vision will ever come to reality unless an Entrepreneur becomes great at telling the story. People cannot and will not connect with a vision without a story. It's just that simple. Here are a few thoughts on telling your story:

1. A leader in a start up has to work hard at telling the story in a compelling and concise way. As my friend, Mike Ash, likes to say, "No one likes to hear your story like you do." And it's true. The danger in telling the story of the vision of your start up is that you will go into too much detail because you think everyone likes to hear it.

2. Don't share too few details. The other side of the pendulum is to leave out too much detail and consequently not move the emotions of the listener. Every great leader knows how to incorporate just the right amount of emotion and detail in telling the story.

3. Practice telling the story. Tell everyone. Tell the 3 minute version, the 30 second version and the 30 minute version. the only way to get good at telling the story of your vision is to practice, practice practice... and...

4. Critique yourself. The greatest leaders of start ups are watching how listeners respond while they are telling the story of their start up. Make a mental note when an audience looks uninterested or glazed over. Note when they are completely engaged or moved emotionally and then critique yourself afterward. It's the only way to get better.

? How well do you tell the story of your start up? ? Is it compelling or dry? ? What response do you get from your hearers?

Tomorrow we will look at the final dimension of the Entrepreneurial Personality. It's probably the most important... by a long shot!

Matt

Dimension #2: The Thinker

The 2nd Dimension of the Entrepreneurial Personality as described in Michael Gerber's book, Awakening the Entrepreneur Within is: The Thinker.

Michael says that the Thinker is the "HOW" behind the "WHAT" of the Dreamer. In my experience, it really is true that every Entrepreneur must have some Thinker in them as well as a healthy dose of Dreamer.

At some point in the vision of your start up, a leader has to cross a line in their mind to "Getting Stuff Done." I have met many leaders who have been so in love with the vision of their new organization that they have completely forgotten about the work that needs to be done.

There is a delicate balance in this b/c to the true Dreamer, actually thinking and working kind of stinks. So permission has to be granted in the Entrepreneur to float back and forth between Dreaming and Thinking about your Vision.

In addition to being a Dreamer, I am a Strategic Thinker as well. I enjoy the discipline of drilling down and finding how all the puzzle pieces will fit together. But I must admit that too much Strategic thinking and not enough Dreaming wears me out.

No dream ever becomes a reality without a lot of time spent by the Entrepreneur in the Thinking Dimension.

? How comfortable are you transitioning from the Dreamer mindset to the Thinker Mindset of your vision? ? How willing are you to get your hands dirty in the Thinker Dimension of your Vision?

Tomorrow is the 3rd Dimension. This is one of my favorites...

Matt

Dimension #1: The Dreamer

The first of the four dimensions of the Entrepreneurial Personality as described in Michael Gerber's new book, "Awakening the Entrepreneur Within" is The Dreamer.

Every great church, organization or business begins as a Dream. And in the Dream State, they are amazingly fragile. A Dream can be crushed, shattered or broken with just the slightest bit of pessimism or dissent. Here are a few of my own thoughts on The Dream that we Dreamers often dream:

1. Protect your dream. In the early stages of a start up dream, you've got to be very careful who you share your dream with. Inadvertently, most people will crush a dream without even intending to. The reason is, "People like the status quo." And any real dream always threatens or challenges the status quo. This is precisely why most people are not dreamers.

2. Surround yourself with Dream Expanders, not Dream Killers in the early stages. Chances are you have a couple of people in your life that are Dream Expanders. In the early stages of your dream, find those people and paint clear expectations for them. Stay up late "Dreaming" together and expanding the dream. I can remember no small amount of Smarties and Mountain Dew that was consumed in the early stages of many of my dreams.

3. Recognize the difference between Daydreams and Real Dreams. Not every dream we dreamers dream is a dream worth chasing. One of the most mature things a leader can do is learn to recognize the difference between a Daydream and a Real Dream.

4. Real Dreams consume us. When you find a Real Dream, you'll know it, because over an extended period of time, the dream will eventually consume you. It will become the only thing you can think about. It will keep you up at night, and it will spread. Suddenly others around you will start asking you when you're going to do something about your dream. In that moment, you'll know you're probably on to something big.

? Are you a Dreamer? ? Do you have a dream that is consuming you? ? Who are the 2 people you can share your dream with that you trust to expand it and not crush it?

* Share your dream with those people in the next 48 hours.

Tomorrow we'll look at the 2nd Dimension of the Entrepreneurial Personality,

Talk to you then,

Matt

4 Dimensions of an Entrepreneurial Personality

I have the privilege of working with a lot or church planters and leaders who have a vision to "Start something from scratch!" And as someone who has spent the last dozen years of my life starting stuff, I have become a student of entrepreneurial thought and processes.

I am currently reading a book called, "Awakening the Entrepreneur Within," by Michael Gerber. Michael has written several books on his 1st concept called, "The E-Myth." I believe that his book, "The E-Myth Revisited" is an absolute Must Read for an church planter, or leader who is thinking about venturing out into the unknown world of a start up. Seriously, Michael is one of the foremost thought leaders on what it means to truly start a business, organization or church successfully today.

In his "Awakening the Entrepreneur Within" book, he describes Four Dimensions to the Entrepreneurial Personality and as I read them, I couldn't help but think how True they are. This week's blogs are dedicated to his 4 Dimensions. (Not Dimensia, by the way, although at times it may feel that way in a new organization!)

If you are someone who is intrigued by the thought of a start up or find yourself in a start up reality in any capacity, then stay tuned this week to MattKellerOnline.com because these 4 Dimensions are for you.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Tainted Love Series Begins in 2 Days!

Hey everyone,

I wanted to personally invite all of you who follow me in the blogosphere to be at Next Level Church this weekend at 9 am and 10:45 am on Sunday morning for the launch of our Brand new series, Tainted Love. We're talking about relationships and if ever there's a time that we need to zoom in on our relationships and be challenged to face reality and go deeper, it's now.

I'm sure that each and everyone of us can think of multiple people who we know are struggling in the relational zones of their lives right now and that's what this series is all about.

For those of you who are outside of the region of Southwest Florida, I hope you'll podcast all of the messages from the series and pass them on to friends who need to hear what we're talking about.

One additional note to all the Next Levelites out there, this is the same week that we're debuting our brand new sound system and live video on the screens! it's going to be a whole new experience in our Sunday mornings!!!

See you Sunday at South Fort Myers High School,

For all the details or to see the Tainted Love Promo Video, click here,

Matt

Christ for India - Jameson Titus

In November I am leading a team of 8 Next Levelers to India for 12 days. I'm so excited about all that we're going to experience. It's going to be life-changing I just know it.

This past weekend, I got to spend a few days with Jameson Titus who is the stateside director for the Missions Organization that we are partners with: Christ for India.

I am asking all of you who follow me in the blogosphere as well as in Facebook or Twitter world to check out their website and consider supporting them. They are an incredible ministry that does 10 x's as much as we do in a year with a 1/3 of the budget! They literally feed thousands of meals a day, house hundreds of kids, have 160 pastors in training in their seminary and provide medical relief through their hospital and medical teams to an entire region of the nation of India. It's incredible!

Do me a favor and spend 5 minutes checking out their website, and then spend 5 minutes praying for their ministry. It's some of the best ministry investment dollars you can spend!

Keller

I'm on Twitter Now!

So the 2nd way you can keep up with me is on Twitter.

I'll be honest and confess that I didn't fully understand Twitter for about the first month I had heard about it, but then through much coercing and multiple people (all of whom I admire greatly) telling me that "I gotta twitter..." I have finally seen the genius in it.

So, sign up for Twitter and you can begin "following me" on there.

I promise that I will try and make my twitters as funny as possible.

www.Twitter.com

P.S. Twitter is like an insta-blog in real time. It's pretty cool.

Keller

2 New Ways to Follow Me!

Hey everyone,

I couldn't wait to tell you that there are now 2 new ways to keep up with yours truly... The first is on Facebook.

Next Level Church officially has a Facebook page, & if you're not on there, you totally have to connect. It's a great place to keep up with what's up around the NLC world and the world of MWK! (which is me by the way!)

It's easy, it's fun, it's really sweet!

Keller on Facebook via NLC... nice.

Rays win! Rays Win! Rays Win!

I just can't help but brag a little bit!  Call me a bandwagon jumper, I don't care!!!  For the last 173 games I have been a Tampa Bay Rays fan!  No, strike that, it actually dates back to July of 2007, when we did our Take me Out to the Ballgame series and I said in an intro video we did that I was "secretly a Rays Fan!"

Well, it's official now!!!  I LOVE THE RAYS!!!  We're the American League Champions and the favorites to win the World Series!  After 33 years of Chicago Cubs Loyalty, I am officially an American Leaguer and my blood runs Rays blue, not Cubby blue!

Go Rays!!!  I'm so excited!  And so are my 2 boys!

Wednesday, the World Series Fun begins!

Keller... out... celebrating!

www.TampaBayRays.com

More Thoughts on "Being Funny" - Part 5

#10: Repetition, properly utilized is hilarious.

Well, it’s been 2 full weeks now since we started our series on My Thoughts on Being Funny. One final tool I want to share with you is Repetition. When someone learns to properly use repetition in conversation or in a presentation the end result can be absolutely hilarious.

David Letterman is one of the all time masters at this. Many of the funny things that David Letterman does are NOT in and of themselves, all that funny. (Remember how he tosses a pen up in the air while sitting at his desk…) But the fact that he repeats it over and over at awkward moments and then looks right into the camera while doing it, is absolutely hilarious about the fifth time.

Napoleon Dynamite is one of the those movies that gets ever increasingly hilarious the more you see it.

Once something obvious and funny has been pointed out in a group of people, returning to it at pinnacle moments can send people over the top.

Every once in a while, comedians can run for repetition and it falls flat, when that happens, move on and don’t try again. People will remember the last time they heard a word and if it was flat the last time, it’s not going to be any funnier the next time.

Try and pick up on when repetition is used in a comedic way sometime in the near future. Trust me, it’s there a lot more than you think.

I hope you’re weekend is a hilarious one,

Matt

More Thoughts on "Being Funny" - Part 4

#9: Funny Stories connect with people.

I am a story teller. It’s one of the most frequent tools I use in Being Funny. Jesus was a story teller, and I think Jesus probably was a lot more funny than history records of him.

Truthfully, I can’t help but read the Bible with a humorous edge. You know there had to be moments where Jesus and the disciples just busted out laughing. At least I hope so.

Anyway, learning the art of telling a funny story can bring down a dinner party, long day on the bleachers at a little league game, or break down walls around new friends.

If I were you, I would find about 6 funny stories from your life and then practice telling them over and over again until they are truly funny.

If you've never heard the one about my wife falling on her face on our honeymoon, then you've never really lived!!! It's hilarious. (Intrigued??? I'm telling you funny stories work to capture people's attention.)

One of the greatest ways to build your self-esteem and let others know you are secure is tell a funny story with yourself as the butt of the joke.

Matt

More Thoughts on "Being Funny" - Part 3

#8: Using Sarcasm is funny and dangerous.

I have learned there is a fine line between Sarcasm & Cynicism. And truly great communicators know the difference. Biting sarcasm can hurt people and although it may be funny in the moment, it will often do more damage than good.

Being funny at someone else’s expense is another form of cheap humor. If a sarcastic punch line is aimed at a truth about someone else that is out of their control, then it loses it’s humor.

And the reality is, most listeners will come to the rescue of someone who is being attacked in a condescending, sarcastic way. Which immediately causes the humor to be nullified.

When I use sarcasm, I try most always to aim it at myself, but again, not in a condescending way. (That just makes people think you have low self-esteem, which is anything but funny…)

matt

More Thoughts on "Being Funny" - Part 2

#7: If it’s dirty, it’s not Funny.

One of the great comedic principles I have been instilling in my 2 boys since they could talk is this: If it’s dirty, then it’s not truly funny.

Crude humor is the easy way out. Anybody can throw in a bodily function or swear word and get a laugh. I don’t call that humor, I call it cheating. If you want to be truly funny, find the common stuff of life that no one sees and learn to exploit it to a hilarious level. ( Like the fact that the back of a lot of Florida License Plates looks like a dinosaur monster from far away… It wasn’t til recently that I realized it was actually two oranges hanging over the top of the state of florida. I have lived in Florida almost 7 years... that's funny.)

I have very little tolerance for “cheap humor.” It’s just too easy to be funny without all that.

Matt

Back by Popular Demand - More Thoughts on "Being Funny"

So last week’s “Being Funny” blogs were so well received, I decided to throw out 5 more thoughts on How I think about Being Funny. So without further ado (again) and back by popular demand… Here are 5 More Bloggish thoughts on Being Funny.

#6: Laughter truly is the best medicine.

The Bible gets this one right in Proverbs when it says that “Laughter is like a good medicine.” I have found that to be true. People love to laugh and the truth is, something physiological takes place in our bodies when we laugh regularly.

Are you laughing enough in your life right now? This is a weird time in our nation and for a lot of us we’re struggling in a lot of different areas.

My recommendation would be to tap some humor into your life. 3 Thoughts:

1. Laugh Intentionally. Find funny stuff to watch or listen to and give yourself permission to Fully Laugh.

2. Laugh at yourself. Find the funny, quirky, and goofy stuff you do on a regular basis and laugh at yourself. (Like talk to yourself, or make up strange or ridiculous rules for your kids… like “No more talking with your mouth full and looking away while you’re scooping ice cream for your little brother and watching TV.” Not that I’ve ever said that…)

3. Laugh at life. Give yourself permission to laugh while you’re sitting in traffic, or at the doctors office reception area. Don’t worry about what other people think, trust me they’re not thinking about you anyway!!!

Matt

My Thoughts on "Being Funny" - Part 5

#5: People are a bottomless pit when it comes to laughter.

As we conclude this week’s set of blogs on My Thoughts on Being Funny, I want to point out a reality that too few communicators ever realize. When it comes to laughing and enjoying themselves, people can never get enough.

Now let me be very clear to say that, that doesn’t mean that as a communicator you shouldn’t know when to cut it off and move on. It’s always better to leave an audience saying, “It’s over already,” rather than, “When is this going to end?”

In all my years of public speaking, I’ve never had someone say to me, “You’re too funny… you really should try and be more serious, more often.” Never. Not once.

Kind of makes you rethink the definition of “Effective” when it comes to public speaking doesn’t it?

Have a hilarious weekend,

I would love to hear your funny stories in the comments section by the way,

Matt

My Thoughts on "Being Funny" - Part 4

#4: Comedy is a set up for the serious.

One of the greatest advantages to being funny is that it opens the door for the serious. In my world, it’s not enough to just speak about serious stuff, or even to just be funny. True greatness in public speaking comes from learning the art of entertainment and education, information and inspiration.

I will always try and use comedy as a way to break down walls that people put up toward communicators like me.

Truly great speakers will set you up with humor and then “drop you” with something serious immediately following. The usual result being a collective, “hum,” from the audience.

There is no greater way to make a point then by first setting it up with humor.

Matt

My Thoughts on "Being Funny" - Part 3

#3: Physical humor connects.

I am a very physical communicator. I enjoy using body language to bring humor to a good story. Jim Carrey was the first one I really began watching and learning from in regards to using Physicality for humor. (Ace Ventura, Pet Detective continues to rank as one of my all time favorite movies, just because of Jim Carrey’s hilarious physical humor.)

People would rather see a story, than just hear one. (That's why TV killed Radio 50 years ago...)

Physical humor gives you the ability to over-exaggerate something to a humorous degree. Try and tell a funny story without using your hands. That’s the power of physical humor in a microcosm.

Matt

My Thoughts on "Being Funny" - Part 2

#2: Timing is everything.

So this week we’re talking about My Thoughts on Being Funny. The second thing I’ve learned about being funny is that Timing is everything. The best comedians are the ones who know how to use timing in amazingly effective ways.

1. They have mastered the dramatic pause. Watch for it the next time you’re watching or listening to someone who is making you laugh. Notice how they don’t rush a punch line.

2. Awkward silence can be funnier than words. Great comics know how to create awkward moments that build space for laughter. That’s an artform. When a comedian points out the humor in an everyday, ordinary thing, they will often use awkward silence to let it sink in to the listener.

3. A look and a pause, well placed can deliver a punch line much more hilarious than anything someone could say. (Think The Office TV Show on NBC… They have built an entire comedic brand on awkward looks by Jim into the camera.)

Hope you’re having fun,

Matt

My Thoughts on "Being Funny"

Over the years, I’ve been able to collect several “principles” about comedic delivery. In fact, I’ve been labeled as “very funny” on several occasions in my life. So this (& a really great episode of SNL) got me thinking about “Being Funny.”

Enjoy this week’s blogs. (I’m not sure why I’m sharing these this week, but I hope they make you think, laugh, & give you a bit better insight into me, & if you’re a communicator, I hope they make you better.)

So without further ado, here is a snapshot of How I think about Comedy…

#1: Find the Funny in the Ordinary.

I live by the personal belief that there are funny things happening all around us, most all of the time. The problem is, we just fail to notice them.

As a communicator who speaks close to a hundred times a year in various environments, I’m always on the lookout for something funny happening in my everyday life.

For example, the night my wife was in a car accident 6 weeks ago, I parked in a nearby parking lot and then decided to run to the scene. Well, in my hurry to get to her, I ran over a grassy hill and then down the other side heading for the sidewalk. When I ran to the bottom of the hill I didn’t realize in the dark, that there was about 14 inches of standing water in the grass!

As I tried to run through it, my slip-on sandals got stuck in the muck and I fell flat on my face. When I arrived at the scene of the accident, I was soaked from head to toe.

When we arrived at the Emergency Room, my wife finally saw me in good light and with a puzzled expression on her face, asked, “What happened to you?” To which I responded, “I got stuck in the mud trying to get to you.” We both burst into laughter.

Funny lives inside the ordinary zones of our lives. If you don’t watch for it, you’ll miss it.

(My wife is doing fine by the way…)

Matt

The Last Supper

On Thursday, my brother drove the 2 ½ hours north from Indianapolis to spend one last night together in our old house, just the 4 of us. Dinner was a bit surreal.

Growing up, dinner was a BIG DEAL. Mom had dinner on the table every night at 5:30 sharp. It didn’t matter if you were hungry or not. It didn’t matter if you were home or not, you just knew that every night at 5:30 sharp, dinner was on the table, and if you were smart you’d be there to eat it. (Of course, my friends in high school quickly got on to this fact and so about 3 nights a week one of my friends would show up at 5:28 for the meal. Mom was great like that.)

So on Thursday night, Mom, Dad, Nick and I sat down at the table for the last time. As we sat, I noticed that we were out of place. So before we all got seated, I stopped and said, “Wait, this is not right,” and as if by memory we all immediately moved to our “right seats.”

I always faced the clock. Nick faced the kitchen across from me. Dad faced the front door and mom faced the window. It was just how it was.

So there we sat, eating a roast like mom had made hundreds of times before having one final time around the table as “the family.” No friends. No girlfriends. No where to go. Only one place to be, Home, at the dinner table.

It was surreal. (To the best of my knowledge the last time the 4 of us had done that was somewhere around August of 1991…) Crazy.

What a week. What a whirlwind of emotion. What memories. 3908 will always have a place in my heart, but it's not home anymore. Home is wherever my wife and two boys are sleeping. Home is where the memories are being made TODAY! Home is right in the next room.

...it's good to be home...

Matt

A Gift of Gratitude

So a friend of mine stopped by the house, while I was going through my 30 years of memories.

Jason moved to my little town when we were Juniors in high school. Jason was in my wedding. Jason and I were really close back in the day. Jason was a great friend.

In the 60 minutes I spent with Jason, we caught up on what our lives look like now and how long it’s been since we’ve seen each other the last time. But then Jason stopped and looked at me straight in the face.

For the next 2 minutes, Jason told me what a difference I had made in his life. He shared that that Junior year of high school had made the difference in the trajectory of his life. He shared that when he moved to my town, there was a small window when his heart was open to a new direction. And in that time, we had introduced him to a relationship with Jesus Christ.

As he stood to leave, he grabbed my hand and said, “Matt, I just had to see you and tell you that I have an amazing Godly marriage and am raising my 3 kids to know how to pray and to know the Lord and it’s all because of you. And I just couldn’t miss this chance to tell you what a difference you’ve made in my life.”

Wow. It was an incredible moment, where you struggle to know what to say. So I said nothing. Nothing but, "you’re welcome." In that moment, anything that would have come out of my mouth would have cheapened what had just come out of his.

That day Jason gave me a gift I’ll keep with me for the rest of my life. The memorabilia from my childhood got thrown away, but his life is changed forever.

Matt

This is the Moment

My parents did a great job of saving everything from my childhood. Every program, baseball card, and significant piece of memorabilia made it's way into a neatly kept box for my brother and I to process through.

The difficult part of going through boxes of your life is that after you’ve looked at something and remembered the memory, what are you supposed to do with the stuff? My mom kept turning to me and asking, “What do we do with all this stuff?” To which my reply was simply, “Mom, I think this IS the moment! This is the moment we were saving all this stuff for. Right now is the moment when we recognize it’s great to remember. And then we move on.”

So we did. We remembered the basketball games and the pictures. We remembered the musicals and road trips. We enjoyed the memory of an absolutely great 30 years of life together as a family.

But memories don’t exist in the past. They exist in the present. And future memories don’t live in the past, they live today! If there’s anything I’ve realized about my 48 hours, It’s that I’ve been given a gift. The gift of today. Because yesterday is gone and tomorrow will have a new memory, but today is the day for making memories with my wife and kids. Today is the day to enjoy the Best Years of my life!

This is the Best Day! These are the Best Years! This is Camelot! There is not someday when, only today, and now!

While I was making my last lap around my house on Saturday morning, my wife called from my son's baseball game. He was the starting pitcher & had struck out 2 kids already! As I hung up the phone I said to my mom and dad, that's why you're selling the house! Because the memories aren't here anymore, they are down there! We all cried, knowing that was right.

Matt