Orrin Woodward on LIFE & Leadership

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Archive for September, 2016

SailFish: Persistence in PDCA

Posted by Orrin Woodward on September 28, 2016

The longer I live, the more I realize the importance of a concept seemingly forgotten in today’s post-modern age, namely, experiences are many but principles are few. Persistence, for instance, is a principle that winners apply to many different experiences. After all, it takes time to master the thinking and skills necessary to produce excellence in any area. To use one example, true love is rare because it is not a wild flower blossoming overnight; instead its the fruit produced after years of cultivation through serving and encouraging another human being. Unfortunately, the principle-centered perspective, to put it mildly, has fallen on hard times.

Indeed, one of the greatest insights on my leadership journey was learning to view particular experiences through the lens of the underlying general principle. That is to say, although a person has a myriad of particular experiences throughout life, he would be surprised how few underlying principles are involved in all of the experiences. In fact, the reason I wrote RESOLVED, was to reveal how 13 Resolutions can apply to practically any experience a person has in life. Once understood, the thousands of issues a person faces in life can be boiled down to principles to be applied consistently. This is revolutionary for mastery of 13 resolutions (and the few principles behind the resolutions) is much easier than memorizing the proper course of action in the thousands of individual experiences without the master code.

Not surprisingly, these concepts are not new, for over 2,000 years ago Plato explained in his cave example how most people merely look at shadows reflected upon the wall rather than turnaround to see the actual objects. Plato, in short, taught a person to look for the underlying principles within reality to stop merely living a life of shadows. I explain all of this as background information to one of the greatest fishing experiences that occurred in my life last week.

On a sunny Saturday morning, Captain Bill Howard was readying the DreamBuilder II for our fishing expedition while my beautiful daughter, Christina, and I discussed our plan for the day. She had taken the day off to go fishing with her dad, hoping to finally catch a Sailfish, a fish that had eluded us for over ten years. Of course, even if we didn’t catch one, we would still settle for some big Mahi-Mahi like I had caught the week before. Still, the dream was centered on catching a Sailfish, the fish that built the reputation of Stuart, FL, as the Sailfish capital of the world. What makes the Sailfish so special? For one thing, Sailfish are the fastest fish in the ocean reaching speeds in excess of 70mph. For another, Sailfish have incredible aerial acrobatics and will fight with everything in them to escape. The typical south Florida Sailfish averages 7ft in length and weighs between 35-40lbs; however, the big boys can surpass 8 feet and weigh over 50 pounds. 

Clearly, the odds were against us. Despite fishing on average five times per year during the Sailfish season, I had NEVER caught a Sailfish, not even one. A cynical person would suggest I had no business taking my daughter out fishing for the dream fish since I had no results, but I knew the underlying principles in the quest. For past failures are not defeats but merely repeats with better information. Over the ten years of failure, Captain Bill and I had practiced the process I teach in RESOLVED of Plan, Do, Check, and Adjust, making every failed attempt a teachable moment on our way to victory. Between a better dredge line (fake fish that stir up the water while trolling), better bait, improved knowledge of drag settings, proper trolling speeds, and the best equipment money can buy, we had PDCA’d nearly every step of the process in the over ten years of failure.

Still, the facts were that after nearly fifty attempts, thousands of dollars of gas, and hundreds of hours, we had zero results. This is where another underlying principle of success comes in, namely, God’s delays are not God’s denials. Many times in life, the best things take time and God delays results until the principles are mastered. Because I understood this, I did not feel defeated nor dejected. If anything, I was more excited than ever, because I knew we had the best process yet to catch Sailfish. After catching a King Fish, a Blue Runner, a Sea Bass, and a baby shark, Christina and I asked to go trolling for the big ones. Early on, I knew something was different because we ran into a school of some mysterious fish that destroyed thee of our five baits. I say mysterious fish because I had caught plenty of Mahi-Mahi and had never seen us go through a school without a hooking up at least one.

8'2" Sailfish

8’2″ Sailfish

Undaunted, we reset the baits and speculated on what type of fish we had run into. I asked Cap if he thought maybe it was a school of Sailfish. In his mid-sentence reply, we received our answer. One of our lines was hit with such violence that I though we would lose the pole. Line ripped out of the spool as I grabbed the pole, realizing this was something special. The speed and force of this beast sped away from the boat is indescribable! However, I still wasn’t sure if I had a Sailfish or a massive Wahoo, but my answer was not long in coming. After spooling out over 400 yards of line, an 8’ 2” Sailfish proceeded to leap out of the water, its majestic sail fin stretched to the max as it arched though the sky. Pandemonium is the only word I can say to describe the next 35 minutes as the Sailfish repeatedly  jumped out of the water (seven times in total), rocketing itself into the air and dancing on its tail to escape the hook.

Thankfully, the drag was set properly, the correct hook was used, and the best pole was employed to help me bow the pole when the Sailfish launched himself into the air. The only problem was my left forearm exploded to twice its normal size as I sought to maintain the grip on the pole during the fracas. Fortunately, Cap gave me a ten minute breather in the middle so he could also experience the completion of a ten year plus dream. Finally, I was able to bring it up to the boat and Christina took several stunning pictures before we released him back into the water. The dream fish swam off and my  thoughts drifted back to the underlying principles behind this amazing experience.

To achieve this dream, Cap and I applied several principles of success. First, anything great, anything truly worth accomplishing, demands persistence. Quitting is not an option for winners. Second, since Cap and I were not going to quit, we might as well improve from our failures. The PDCA process is the most honest process because it admits failure is a necessary for all success. In fact, show me someone who is not willing to fail and I will show you one of the biggest failures. In contrast, if a person refuses to quit and constantly changes to improve, then he is a walking success bomb, eventually exploding onto the scene even though it actually took years to do so. Learn the PDCA process and persist in life’s worthwhile goals and the reader will meet with a level of success few can even imagine.

How did a kid from Columbiaville, Mi, with no money, no connections, and no confidence escape the Financial Matrix and live the life of his dreams? Simply stated, I learned and applied great principles by studying great people. Coach John Wooden, for example, taught me persistence when I learned he coached for over twenty-five years before he won his first NCAA tournament. Sure, he won 10 NCAA championships in his last 12 years, but do you realize it took 27 years to win his first one? Everyone seems to remember the last twelve years, but few realize his first quarter century of failure made him who he was. The same is true for the reader. Do you have a dream and are getting hit with failure after failure? GREAT! You are right on track compared to my Sailfish experiences and Wooden’s coaching experiences.

The question is: are you getting bitter or better? Winners get better and losers get bitter. Losers, in other words, aren’t people who lose, but people who react wrong to losing. If you are losing and getting better, then your victory is nearer today than ever before. Because I learned the underlying principles involved, no matter how many failed Sailfish attempts I experienced, I knew I was closer to victory than ever before when I took my daughter out for a Saturday morning fishing excursion. The results speak for themselves.

Sincerely,

Orrin Woodward: LIFE Chairman of Board

Posted in Freedom/Liberty, Orrin Woodward | 21 Comments »

Shining Light into a Dark World

Posted by Orrin Woodward on September 21, 2016

Historically, Christians have been the “Salt and Light” within society, tempering the process of decay (salt), while renewing the world with the gospel of Christ (Light). Over the last fifty years, however, a radical change has occurred. Christians today, instead of living “Salt and Light,” practice a peculiar “halt and hide” methodology. Fearful of standing out from the crowd, desiring instead to “fit in” with non-believers, Christians “halt” any efforts to share truth to a lost world, hiding their light as if ashamed. Dismally, rather than seeking to make a difference in the world by being different than the world, most Christians today outdo one other in silly attempts to be relevant to a world rotting away in darkness.

I know this sounds strong, but this isn’t just my opinion. The data backs up the bold statements and then some. According to the United States Census Bureau Records and various denominational reports:

1. Every year more than 4000 churches close their doors compared to just over 1000 new church starts.

2. Every year, 2.7 million church members fall into inactivity.

3. From 1990 to 2000, the combined membership of all Protestant denominations in the USA declined by almost 5 million members (9.5 percent), while the US population increased by 24 million (11 percent).

4. At the start of the twentieth century (1900), there was a ratio of 27 churches per 10,000 people, as compared to the close of this century (2000) where we have 11 churches per 10,000 people in America.

5. Given the declining numbers and closures of Churches as compared to new church starts, there should have been over 38,000 new churches commissioned to keep up with the population growth.

6. The United States now ranks third (3rd) following China and India in the number of people who are not professing Christians; in other words, the U.S. is becoming an ever increasing “un-reached people group.”

7. And the worst one of all, half of all churches in the US did not add any new members to their ranks in the last two years.

If over half of existing churches in the USA have not brought one new member into its congregation in over two years, then “Houston” we have a problem. Without being “Salt and Light” in the world, the Church, simply stated, is not relevant. The Church is supposed to be a rescue mission where saved “ruined sinners” go into the dark world and reflect the Light of Christ onto others’ lives so they can be transformed by the Light. Christians are to be “in the world, but not of the world.” Instead most are hiding out in Christian ghettos, sniping at each other and anyone who dares to leave the ghetto behind to fulfill our calling. Imagine how much better our world would be if Christians shined more Light and shot less messengers!?! Having mentored fifty plus pastors over the years, I know the challenges they face first-hand and respect greatly those who seek to confront them Biblically. Still, Christianity is about service to God and others; thus, any church that cannot grow one member in two years has, to put it bluntly, descended into darkness. How is it possible for a team of rescue workers to not rescue even one new person in over two years time in the locality they allegedly serve? Furthermore, how can even one church be that ineffective, let alone over half of them?  A shameful lack of Christ-centered leadership is the only possible answer. 

Be the "Salt and Light" of the world

Be the “Salt and Light” of the world

While I realize the God is sovereign and “works on whom he will” perhaps Christians can begin to work as God’s servants as we are commanded, shining Light rather than cursing darkness. This reminds me of the statement I read daily for years, “Work as if everything depended upon you and pray as if everything depended upon God.” Christians, after all, are God’s hands and feet on earth and its time to get the feet and hands into action by reflecting Light into the darkness. To be sure, the best way for a person to start the process is to model before he messages. The world is filled with people whose message is better than the model, but Christians, while not perfect, should seek to model the love and grace of Christ through their actions. A word of caution here: although the church is woefully ineffective today, if a Christian actually seeks to live Biblical principles, he must be prepared to be shot at, shot at not only by non-believers, but also, depressingly, by hypocritical “halt and hide” Christians. Just as Christ had unjust mud slung at him by non-believers and the religious establishment of his day, so too, not surprisingly, will today’s Light-shining Christians receive unjust abuse from vitriolic unbelievers and the lukewarm religious establishment. For when a person is in darkness, any person who dares to shine Light will either draw him out of the darkness or arouse him to destroy the Light.  Of course, since throwing mud on others is more comfortable than seeing the dirt within, hypocrites always end up throwing mud. Nonetheless, shine your received Light anyway because Christians would rather be criticized by man than disapproved by God.

Personally, I will turn fifty years old next year and I thank God for his many blessings in my life. I no longer am driven to build communities for personal success of financial reasons, but I have a bigger dream than ever before from a spiritual yearning. Through studying the Bible, I realize God has prepared footsteps for me and I intend to walk in them. Regardless of how many Christians have chosen to “halt and hide,” I am on a mission to find the remaining few who will fulfill The Great Commission, becoming the  “Salt and Light” to a lost world groping in darkness. Indeed, the darker the world becomes, the more Light impacts those it reaches. For example, I have had the blessing of seeing my wife (Laurie Woodward) display the Light of Christ into thousands of lives and her example inspires me to do similarly. Quit playing it small; quit fearing rejection, and start serving God and others. Even if everyone else in your church is hiding out, it’s time for you to lift Christ’s Light up. Be the example and start real change in your community.

Christians should understand they are living life before God’s watchful gaze. It doesn’t matter how many approve you in the world if Christ disapproves and it doesn’t matter how disapproved by the world you are if God approves. The following story tugs at my heart every time I read it:

“There was a concert pianist in the last century that longed to play in the great concert hall in Vienna.

When he finished his first concert before thousands, the people gave him a standing ovation.

Afterwards, he was asked, “Was it the greatest moment in your life to receive this long applause?”

The concert pianist replied, “No! I liked it, but it was not the most important thing to me.”

He said, “When the people all sat down, an elderly man who sat in the top corner of the balcony simply nodded his head at me. That was the greatest moment of my life because he is the master who taught me for 30 years. One nod from him was worth much more than the long applause of the masses.”

Needless to say, God is the “Audience of One”. Our life is His gift to us and what we do with it is our gift back to God. One nod from God is worth a thousand boos from the crowd; conversely, one thousand cheers will not be worth God’s disapproval. Therefore, quit seeking man’s approval and start seeking God’s. In a world filled with darkness, the Light of Christ shines brighter than ever before. Despite one of Satan’s biggest insinuations being how little one person can do to make a difference, the fact is that leaders (anyone remember the impact of Joseph, David, or Paul?) make a huge difference when following God’s calling. For instance, imagine a stadium of people filled with 80,000 people in complete darkness. If one more person becomes discouraged and joins them in darkness, nothing much has changed. It was dark before and its still dark now. Darkness and Light, in other words, are not co-equal forces battling it out in some cosmic drama. Rather, darkness is merely the absence of Light, not its opposite. As such, it has no power to do anything, because it’s simply the lack of something. One person, then, who enters the stadium and lifts Light can change everything because 80,001 sets of eyes are now staring at the only thing different in the stadium – the person who had the courage to lift Christ’s Light.

This is the difference a person living his faith can do. Whereas many Church leaders are failing to do what they are called to do, focusing instead on nasty disputes of arcane doctrine and personal vendettas, while the people drown in darkness, perhaps its time for ordinary men and women to do what God commands by showing our love for God by serving people. Maybe its time Christians start meeting non-Christian’s needs, helping serve in their local charities (LIFE on LIFE), helping serve local people by setting them free from the Financial Matrix, and ultimately, helping them see Light in an increasingly dark world. This is a life worth living and a purpose worth pursuing.

Sincerely,

Orrin Woodward: LIFE Chairman of the Board

Posted in Faith | 24 Comments »

Emperor’s New Clothes: Confronting Reality

Posted by Orrin Woodward on September 8, 2016

An excellent example of ego over excellence is found in Hans Christian Anderson’s short story, “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” The wayward emperor cared more about his clothes and status than the people and truth. Indeed, he was so obsessed with his attire that he changed suits every hour, flaunting his wealth and prestige to his subjects.

The Emperor's New Clothes

The Emperor’s New Clothes

One day, two shysters, pretending to be weavers, presented themselves to the emperor. They bragged about their ability to weave the finest clothes with the most beautiful colors and elaborate designs. The clothes, according to the charlatans, were invisible to any simpletons or anyone unworthy of his office. The emperor, seduced by their claims, paid large sums of money to the weavers for new clothes. The two weavers, requesting the most expensive fabrics and threads, set up two looms, pretending to weave on the looms night and day while placing the materials inside their sacks.

The impatient emperor sent one of his loyal ministers to examine the clothes. The minister, discovering nothing, not even a single strand on the loom, feared that he must be a simpleton. He listened to the impostors describe the beautiful colors and patterns, but he only saw them working on empty looms. Still, not wishing to appear unworthy of his office, the minister reported back to the emperor what a genius the king was for hiring such competent and capable weavers. The emperor, after further delays, sent another official, hoping to encourage the completion of his suit. The official also saw nothing but, fearing the emperor’s wrath, reported to the king in a similar manner as the first minister did.

Finally, the day arrived for the emperor to preview the weavers’ work. The emperor, seeing nothing, but fearful of being considered unfit for his kingdom, played along with the deceit, proclaiming his love for the patterns and colors in his new outfit. The two con men proceeded to ask the emperor to remove his clothes, raising their arms as if holding something to put on him. The court officials, scared to speak the truth, pretended to agree with the emperor, lauding his genius and the weavers’ design. The people, in anticipation of the king’s most expensive and wondrous clothing to date, gathered for the parade to view the new clothes.

The emperor paraded through his capital city, listening as the people lavished complements on him and his new clothes. Nearly all were spellbound the king’s new clothes, but over the din of praise could be heard the cry of a child, shouting, “The emperor has no clothes on!” The father quickly reprimanded his son, but everyone around the boy heard the truth. The emperor, although secretly agreeing with the child, continued the parade as the crowd fawned in endless adulation because his new clothes were only seen by those with intelligence, worthy of their high offices.

Confronting Reality

The story highlights how easy it is for data to be ignored when false beliefs cause one to reject real data. Moreover, it reveals how most people prefer comfortable lies over uncomfortable truths. Leaders, however, are different. They demand truth, for they know only with truth can a person or business thrive. It’s vital at the check step of the PDCA process that a person confront reality (the king has no clothes) rather than go along with conventional wisdom, company expectation, or peer pressure. The facts are the facts and the PDCA process reveals whether one is dealing in facts or fantasy. Again, in God we trust, all others must have data. If the person suffers from self-deception, a distortion between reality and his perceptions, he will not confront the data accurately nor adjust his plans to win. The person must choose between comfortable illusions or disturbing realities and only leaders choose the latter.

Why do so many people go through the motions and avoid the PDCA process? They have so much potential and yet so few results. On one hand, winners make changing a habit, choosing to suffer the pain of growth rather than live in mediocrity. On the other other hand, losers make lying a habit, choosing to avoid the pain of losing by blaming others. People who lose live lives of delusions (similar to the king) hating to change so badly they distort reality instead. Naturally, this becomes more difficult as life becomes progressively tougher, but for most, this just increases the creativity of the excuses made.

Strangely, both winners and losers escape the pain of losing creatively: one the creativity to change themselves; the other the creativity to excuse themselves. Disastrously, however, the road usually taken, and what at first blush appears to be the easier route, the escape of pain through self-delusion (the emperor’s choice), ends up being the toughest road of all. For the pain of change is temporary, but the pain of regret is permanent. Be that as it may, the good news is that a person can get off the road to regret and change his destiny at any time by ending self-delusions. After all, when a person is sick and tired of being sick and tired, he will confront reality and start changing.

Leaders refuse to run from issues. They allow setbacks to build an increasing internal level of frustration, until finally, fed up, they explode past previous limiting beliefs. The pain of defeat has become stronger than the pain of changing. If, at any point in the process, the person chooses any of the escape valves to avoid the mounting pressure (excuses, blaming,  or justifications), he temporarily kills the pain but only by passing the buck, denying he is responsible for the problem. Leaders refuse this option because the know they kill the pain only by killing the dream.

Anyone can be a leader, but he must refuse the seductive avenues of escape that lead to mediocrity. Reject completely the temporary mental comfort from avoiding the scoreboard of life. Instead, stare at the scoreboard until one has a plan to change and the DO IT! Don’t settle for mental peace and mediocrity. Rather, embrace the mental tumult of confronting brutal reality to win! Ultimately, there are only two choices in life: surviving or thriving. Start starting and quit quitting for (as I say repeatedly) when the going gets tough, the tough get going.

What is the area of life, where the reader has been avoiding truth, that confront and deal with the facts? This will be your finest hour because only the truth will set you free!

Sincerely,

Orrin Woodward

Posted in Leadership/Personal Development, Orrin Woodward | 16 Comments »