• Excited to read Charles Lee’s new book: Good Idea, Now What?  Charles is a great thinker. Congrats friend!
• Love creative work environments.  Here’s a look inside Yelp’s NYC Offices.
• Great quote by design legend, Paul Rand:  “The role of the imagination is to create new meanings and to discover connections that, even if obvious, seem to escape detection. Imagination begins with intuition, not intellect.” (via)
• What does it mean to teach creativity?  Every school in America should be having this conversation.
• But parents, let’s not wait for the schools…  12 Most Loving Ways to Spark Creativity In Your Child.
• Some newly released unpublished photos of Miles Davis. (BTW…have you purchased “Kind of Blue” yet?  Best jazz album of all time.)
• A $23 Starbucks drink.  Sounds awful…
• Love the Tribeca neighborhood in NYC.  This penthouse on Duane Street isn’t bad either…

Posted in Books, Creativity, Design, Music |

That’s a vague title for this post, I know.  The truth is, art matters for more reasons than I could ever attempt to capture in a single post.  So let me start with just one.

One of the reason art matters is because of its ability to take us places.  Or to invite us – no disrupt us (often regardless of whether we want to be or not) into places and spaces that the majority of us would probably never otherwise explore.  Think about street artists like Banksy, Princess Hijab, or Shepard Fairey.  Or even pieces like Picasso’s Guernica - which opened the world’s eyes to the devastation of the Spanish Civil War in the 1930’s.

Art lands us smack dab in the middle of paradox.  It angers us.  Soothes us.  Frustrates us.  Calms us.  Infuriates us.  Inspires us.  Pisses us off.  Sometimes all of that at once.  

And yet, it’s in the middle of those artful paradoxes that we are often given the most beautiful gift imaginable – the gift of fresh lenses…unique perspectives….new narratives that tell stories in ways that impact how we perceive….and ultimately engage the world around us.

Why does art matter to you?

Posted in Art |

This is totally random.  But hey…that’s how my brain works, so here I go.

5 things I’m anal retentive about:

1.  Burned out light bulbs.

2.  Smudged windows & glass.

3.  Nasty smelling candles (vanilla, potpourri, cinnamon, & other artificial’s).

4.  Bed sheets not tightly pulled and smooth. 

5.  Dull dry erase markers. 

Believe me, there’s more where those came from…

Your turn!  Comment below.

Posted in My Life |

Every Tuesday morning I begin my day with these words: “Today is not about ME.”

That probably sounds a bit arrogant (as if all the other days are about me).  But the truth is, this has become an important mantra for my Tuesdays because it has helped set me free to accomplish what that day is supposed to be about for me – which is devoting as much of my focus and energy into the coaching and development of my team as possible.

When I first started getting serious about this, I really struggled.  See, the problem was that I was still trying to squeeze as much “Scott Stuff” into that day as possible (i.e. email, writing, reading, research, sermon prep, etc…), while at the same time attempting to be fully focused, engaged, and devoted to my team.

But it didn’t work.

Instead, I was walking away on Tuesday afternoons feeling frustrated and deflated because I wasn’t fulfilling all of the unrealistic and unattainable expectations I was setting for myself.  On top of that, I was constantly feeling rushed to finish meetings and appointments so that I could shift my focus to Scott’s stuff.

I finally realized that the only way to fix this was to free myself by going into my that day with a clear understanding and admittance that Tuesdays are NOT about ME.  I even say it out loud as I’m starting my day: “Today is NOT about ME.”  And it never fails – the minute I say that, I feel a sense of relief and freedom from worrying about all the small stuff…that somehow still gets completed.  Imagine that.

Tuesdays are about my team.  And yet…the more I think about it, they’re still just as much about me - but in a different way.  Because now I’m finding myself energized in all kinds of fresh and unique ways as I freely pour myself into my team in the way they deserve, want, and need.

Generosity always wins.

Posted in Uncategorized |

I still like a good magazine.  The iPad is great, but there’s still something about an actual, physical magazine that the iPad can’t quite replace.  Here are my current monthly reads/skims.

  Wired – a nice dose of technology, innovation, and science.

  Fast Company – Longtime reader.  Starting to feel a little tired, but can’t seem to let go yet.

  Food & Wine – the title says it all.

  Dwell – love, love, love great design & architecture. Makes me wish I lived in New Zealand.

  Wallpaper - art, architecture, design, fashion. Need I say more?

  Monocle – by far, my favorite. Pricey but worth it. Global affairs, business, culture & design.

What are your favorites?

Posted in Culture, What About You? |

I’m gaining a ton of personal fulfillment and energy these days from coaching, developing, and leading my team.  My desire is to do whatever I can to help them succeed and win.

What drive me to do this?  Well, several things.  For one…I love my team and care about their development as leaders…or better yet – as humans!  And secondly, I know that if they succeed, so will The Orchard’s mission.  

One practical way I try and help set them up for success is by giving each of my direct reports an opportunity to give me – their leader – direct feedback on how they feel I could do a better job of leading them.  So once a month, right alongside my input and development of their leadership, I ask them to answer a very simple, three-part question:

What can I (as your leader)….START, STOP, & CONTINUE DOING…..that would help set you up for greater success?

This is an important question because it cuts out any assumptions I may have about how well I’m leading my team.

More specifically, here’s what I’m asking:

START – What am I not currently doing that could potentially set you up for greater success?

STOP – What am I currently doing that is frustrating you or that you feel could be hindering your success as a leader?

CONTINUE – What am I currently doing that is helping you to succeed?

I’m convinced that building a strong team isn’t just about the leader developing, growing, and stretching their team…..it’s also about providing that team with regular and consistent opportunities to develop, grow, and stretch their leader.

What are some of your best practices for doing this?  

Posted in Leadership |