Maurilio Amorim

Author: Maurilio Amorim

  • Instead of More Effort, Try a New Strategy

    “That guy works hard, but he has looked the same for the past year,” was the remark. It was true. The man at the gym we were watching was no slacker. He had been hitting the weights hard for nearly an hour and the sweat dripping down his face was proof of his commitment. Sadly, however, he had not made any gains in muscle size, weight loss, or definition for a long time. While there are a lot of factors that go in changing one’s physique–from genetics, to diet, exercise form, etc–one thing stood out to me: he has had the same exercise routine since I had first noticed him. As I contemplated this man’s dilemma, I thought of all the effort we put in other areas of life with seemingly little or no return.

    change new strategy

    It’s part common sense, part human nature to press on towards a break through. If we are not producing at work, we just work harder, longer hours. If our organization is not growing, we work the same plan harder. It seldom seems to occur to us that “more” or “harder” might not be the answer. Sometimes the only thing that works is “different.”

    It’s the old definition of insanity that’s so overused these days but that still works: “insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results.” I’ve tested this theory several times. Most recently I did it with my workouts and diet. I have always been active, but in order to get to single digits body fat and put on about 10 lbs of muscle I had to completely change my diet and exercise routine. Same effort + a new plan = different results.

    It sounds so obvious and elementary as I write this, but much like the man who is stuck on a no-change routine, we get stuck more often than we care to admit. I know there are other areas of my life that I need this lesson. If I were completely honest with myself I would have a self conversation that says, “you’ve got to do something different. Quit the insanity and change strategy”

    Have you ever been in a high-effort, little-result situation? How did you deal with it?

  • The Rule of Five

    “You are the average of the five people closest to you.”

    you are the average of the 5 people closest to you

    I have been thinking about this statement for several years now. The more I analyze it, the more it seems to ring true, even though I cannot prove it.  If it’s true, those closest to us have a tremendous influence in our total well being. They impact us:

    professionally

    financially

    spiritually

    physically

    How do you feel about the idea that you are the average of the five people closest to you?

  • Why Non Christians Cannot Lead Successful Christian Businesses

    Christian industry businesses run by non Christians cannot succeed. I know that’s a bold statement, but after years of watching large conglomerates buying Christian music labels, publishing houses, retail stores and failing to make it work, I’m more convinced than ever that a non-believer cannot successfully lead a Christian businesses. Here’ s why.

    Greedy business man and Christian business

    It’s all about the message. Unlike any other industry, the Christian message is key to product development. If you don’t understand, relate, and more importantly, believe in the message, nothing else matters. If the power of the message is not there, then you no longer have a compelling reason to sell your product and you are competing in the same crowded waters as everyone else. Your focus then, has to be on price, packaging and marketing–the product becomes a mere commodity. At this level your uniqueness is gone and you have to do your best to outsmart the big players of in the secular arena.

    It’s also about the audience. There’s a big difference in creating products that you hope people will buy and creating product you believe will change their lives. One is a simple product. The other is a personal mission. The motivations are years apart. Most of the Christian industry businesses have been started by churches, movements, and individuals whose goals have first and foremost been to resource God’s people with music, literature, tools that would enrich their relationship with God. They sprang up from a revival, from a movement that swept across the land, from a vision given to a man or woman to make a difference. Along the way they found a way to monetize their resource and make the organization sustainable.

    The day the focus becomes solely on profitability, market share and the bottom line, the very reason a Christian business has for existing begins to die. The internal culture changes. It has too. The mission that once wanted to resource now wants to sell. The visionary who wanted to enhance the lives of believers is now replaced with the executive who needs to deliver dividends to his stockholders. After all his very job depends on it. And so the culture changes.

    I’m not naive to think Christian businesses don’t face the same issues other business do. No matter your foundation, whether Christian or secular, if you are not profitable or at least sustainable, you won’t be around, period. Good business practices help every one. But if you remove the heart and soul of an organization and replace it with people who don’t believe, understand and cannot relate to the original vision, it will not succeed. And if it does, I guarantee you, it will no longer be a Christian business.

    How do you feel about this? Am I being unreasonable?

  • How Not to Leave a Job. A Lesson From Caddy Steve Williams

    The way you leave a job says more about you than the way you started it. Recently Tiger Woods fired his caddy of 13 years, Steve Williams. Unfortunately for Mr. Williams, his public reaction to the event is a classic case of how not to walk away from a job. Whether or not Tiger was justified in firing Williams, the time and manner of it is truly irrelevant. The only thing Williams can control is his reaction. In Steve’s own words:

    “Following the completion of the AT&T National I am no longer caddying for Tiger after he informed me that he needed to make a change. After 13 years of loyal service needless to say this came as a shock. Given the circumstances of the past 18 months working through Tiger’s scandal, a new coach and with it a major swing change and Tiger battling through injuries I am very disappointed to end our very successful partnership at this time.” You can watch the video announcement below:

    The words “scandal,” “earn my respect,” “put my family through,” and “I’ve been loyal” do nothing to help a man who made 31 million dollars from his job as a caddy. If there was ever a chance of reconciliation between Tiger and Steve, I’m sure this interview killed it. If I were a professional golfer looking for a new caddy, I would think twice before hiring him.

    Being fired is beyond our control, but leaving a job well is a 100 percent in our hands. Had Mr. Williams said, “I’m disappointed but it’s Tiger’s decision and I wish him well,” most of us would have a lot more sympathy for the man. After watching the interview, I’m thinking: quit your whining.

    Have you ever left a bad work situation? How did you handle it?

  • Best Defense Against an Insult

    The best defense to an insult is a greater insult, but not back to the person who slighted you, but to yourself.

    The inherent problem with an insult is that often we don’t know if it’s meant as a joke in poor taste, a true put down wrapped in a joke for the passive aggressive or a true ugly slight.  Before I figured out how to deal with these, I found myself in no-win situations. If it was meant as a joke and I over reacted, I would come across as an insecure jerk. If the put down was wrapped in a joke and I called the person on it, they would quickly remind me “I’m just kidding. Where’s your sense of humor?” And if it was meant as insult, it was most likely there to bait me into an argument or a fight at the wrong place and time.

    Years ago I decided on a different approach: taking the insult a step further.  It has worked well. The approach makes me come across self-deprecating and humorous. It usually says, “hey you think you can insult me? I can do it better than you. Watch this.” Here’s a couple of come backs I have used in the past.

    Unfriendly negotiator: “I don’t think you’re worth that much money.”

    Me neither, but for some reason crazy reason people are willing to pay it.

    Guy at the gym: “It takes you longer to get ready than most women.”

    I know. If I looked half as good as you I could do it much faster.

    Usually there’s no come back when you take their put down and turn it up a notch. I find that for those watching the exchange, you’ll come across endearing and funny while the other person not so much.

    How do you deal with insults?

     

  • Workout Systems to Help Your Lack of Motivation

    I’m a naturally disciplined person. I exercise 6 days a week, usually early mornings. It’s not always easy. That’s not true. It’s never easy.  Getting up at 4:30 a.m., hitting the pavement for a run or going to the gym for a hard workout is often the last thing my body wants to do.  So I have come up with a few systems to help push through when motivation alone is not enough, which happens to be pretty much every day.

    workout partner

    Set up goals. Different seasons in life I have different goals. They provide me with the motivation I need.  I have trained for a 5k, 10k and marathon. I’ve done triathlons. My current goal is hitting single digits body fat. I’m almost there. If you have a goal, you’ll go much farther, faster.  It gives you a reason to say “no” to the warm cookie the flight attendant offers late at night after a brutal day, or to order the baked tilapia and steamed broccoli at Maggiano’s when your entire family is feasting on a mountain of delicious carbs.

    Schedule the workouts. On Sunday night I schedule my entire week’s workouts. If I’m traveling I try to find a gym near my hotel, and if I can’t workout, then I make that day my rest day. This week, for example, I’m doing chest, triceps and abs on Monday, back and biceps and running on Tuesday, shoulders and abs on Wednesday, running and legs on Thursday, arms on Friday and a long run on Saturday.

    Prepare the night before. I have a tendency to walk around aimlessly in the mornings. If I don’t pick my clothing and pack my gym bag the night before, I’m usually late for the gym and my workouts don’t get done. I get everything ready so all I have to do is get up, brush my teeth and get out. Self motivation is not enough.

    Have an accountability partner. I have a workout partner, several running partners and I even have friends in cities I visit often to get a good workout or run in. Knowing someone is waiting on me, forces me to get up and get going. I also work harder when I’m doing it with another person. But make sure you find someone who is reliable and who’s going to push you. A demotivating, unreliable partner can derail your plans faster than training alone.

    Have you developed systems to help when you lack motivation?

  • What to Wear: New Job Edition

    A new job comes with new opportunities, challenges and, most likely, a new dress code. A friend asked me this week “I need new clothes for my new job, but I have no idea what to wear.” There are a lot of pressures about starting a new position and your wardrobe should not be one of them. Guys, here are a few guidelines to help you look your best in your new job. (I’m linking each main point to some of my previous Fashion Friday post of relevance for more in depth information).

    what not to wear to the office

     

    Ask. Don’t interpret. Business, business casual, casual, Friday casual, west coast casual, east coast casual are all subjective to interpretation down to the part of town you’ll be working. I have seen branches of the same company in the same city have different dress codes because of the area of town they were located. So don’t assume you know what the employee manual says, just ask and dress appropriately. 

    When in doubt, step it up. Sometimes even after asking, you might not feel 100 percent sure of what to wear. Most of the time the difference between “casual” and “business casual” falls on being able to wear jeans in a casual environment. You will not regret wearing the nicer option inside any category. For example not all jeans are created equal. If you are allowed to wear jeans, you cannot go wrong with a dark pair that’s simple and yet stylish. Safe brands like Guess and 7 for All Mankind have great options and will set you apart with those who know the difference.  Avoid big embroidered pockets or jeans with holes. Stay away from Diesel and True Religion brands unless you know what you’re doing. It could be disastrous. People ask me about skinny jeans all the time. You can only wear skinny jeans if

    1) you have girl legs,

    2) your job is to be the lead singer of a boy band,

    3) you’re a middle age worship leader holding on to your dream of being at the Catalyst stage, and you have girl legs.

    If everyone is wearing khakis (no pleats, for the love) your shirt will set up apart. Here’s a rule of thumb: the better fitted the shirt is, the better you’ll look. Make sure the shirt does not droop at the shoulders or has a ton of extra material around your midriff . If you’re not a fashion forward kind of guy, avoid bold patterns. And, unless you’re an actor in a 80’s play, please no button downs. No one has ever gone wrong with a long sleeve shirt. Short sleeves are tricky and you need the right stuff and attitude to pull them off. Try them at your own risk.

    Take your lead from above. No, I don’t mean prayer. Even though I know some guys who don’t pray because if they did, God would have told them to change clothes. Look at what your boss and his peers are wearing. You cannot go wrong with emulating your supervisor. But whatever you do, please don’t buy the same clothing items otherwise very bad things will happen to you.

    It’s casual Friday not casualty Friday. Please don’t be “that guy.” You know whom I’m talking about. He takes casual to a whole new low and ruins it for the rest of us. Be casual not sloppy or dirty or smelly.

    whew! This is way more than I intended to write.

    Anything critical I forgot?

     

  • HAES [Health At Every Size] and the Slippery Slope

    I just found out about HAES, Health At Every Size, from a Google+ shared blog by Chris Brogan. The post By Amy Pershing titled “Is The Idea Of Health At Every Size Just Permission To Be Fat?” The implied answer in the title is “no” but I’m having a tough time with overall concept.

    In her own words Ms. Pershing says,

    According to the BMI chart and the cultural message, I still have about 35 lbs to go. My body, however, seems perfectly healthy and happy right here. I figure she knows better. So “HAES” is NOT about “permission to get fat.” It is about each of us individually listening with body and mind, letting our unique bodies find the way to the weight they are happy to be, and valuing whatever the result.

    HAES and obesity in America

    While there is a lot of support for HAES, I think it’s a dangerous slippery slope for those who need the most help. One of my concerns is how a HAES mind set manages the line of settling for what its supporters believe is “appropriate, comfort and enjoyable” weight and the human mind’s ability to challenge ourselves to reach goals and stretch beyond the status quo. And I’m not talking about crash diets and unsustainable exercise programs.

    I’m also not advocating an idea of physical standards that’s unrealistic for every body type. But when results from the 2007–2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), using measured heights and weights, indicate that an estimated 34.2% of U.S. adults aged 20 years and over are overweight, 33.8% are obese, and 5.7% are extremely obese, it’s easy to see how people who don’t want to confront their health issues can use HAES as a cop out not to take personal responsibility. “I’m big and beautiful.” While that might be true you are not healthy and your quality of life is going to suffer greatly.

    Somehow an “average” size person today in America is by any world standards, an overweight, unhealthy individual. I live in one of the most unhealthy places in the country, Tennessee. If I compare myself with the average size person, I would probably gain another 30 lbs and still look average.

    HAES advocates believe one should not use exercise to lose weight. Really!? There’s nothing wrong with exercise to maintain a healthy BMI or weight. People have been doing it for centuries. I enjoy running, but sometimes I run a little farther because I know I’m about to eat a big dinner. I run for competition, for fun and for life and that means controlling my cholesterol, my body fat and the quality of life that being lean allows me to have, and yes, it includes fitting in a size 31 jeans at age 47. I used to weigh 40 lbs more than I do today. I was lethargic, had asthma attacks, and battled depression. Since my teenage years my body had “settled’ around that weight. I was overweight, I ate too much and I was sedentary. I finally had enough and decades ago I changed my mind, my habits, my health and body in the process.

    Again, I’m not advocating an ideal of beauty, but with the obesity epidemic we face in America, the last thing I want my 14-year old son to hear is that his body has found his ideal weight at  230 lbs and he should be ok with that.

    How do you feel about HAES?

  • The Next Level: Do You Have the Right Team?

    “What do we need to do to get us to the next level?” That’s perhaps the one question I get asked the most.  While the answer might include strategies like  better systems, seizing opportunities, new facilities, retooling business or ministry models, they are all predicated on the most important variable of all: the competence of the team.

    next level teams

    As I look back in decades of consulting, I can point to the competence of a team as the key element on taking an organization to the next level. Most businesses, churches or not for profits have gotten where they are in the strength of their current team. In my experience, the next level always requires “next-level” thinking and performance. Good leaders realize that and want to move forward. But unless the team has what it takes to run at a difference pace, the organization will not get unstuck.

    I have sat through many a strategy session where a leader would get clarity on how to move to the next level. In many of those instances, I knew that the team in the room could not go pass where they were. Some members would make the journey by growing to meet their new challenge. Others, sometimes the majority, would not. As a matter of fact, they would usually end up, consciously or unconsciously,  sabotaging the new strategy until it died or they left, or were asked to leave, the organization.

    Early on in my career I would gently walk my clients through these tough personnel decisions. After all, some of those on my not-making list were good people who had been part of the organization for years. In my attempt to soften the blow, I ended up prolonging the pain. Much like pulling a painful band-aid slowly. I have changed my strategy. I find myself being much more direct: “You can get there, but you will not get there with Susan, Bob and Carl. Do you still want to do it?”

    Think about your team. Usually the weakest link at the highest level in the organization will determine how far the organization can go.

    How do you feel about my team assessment approach? Do you prefer the slow and painful or the short, and yet painful method?

  • Confessions of a Hypocrite

    Sometimes I feel like a hypocrite. I know that sounds harsh, but it’s quite descriptive of my feelings. I’ve felt that way since my early professional days as a pastor. Those who work in ministry might be able to identify with the sentiment. After all, pastors and church staff, just by virtue of their positions, are expected to be holier and wiser than the rest of the congregation. Their struggles are beyond the mundane issues of the rest of the non-professional Christians deal with.  Therein lies my problem.

    hypocrite

    While I’m not  lowering the standards for those in ministry, I know the toll those expectations can take on those whose lives are supposed to be a living example of God’s promises, blessings and teachings.

    Every single day.

    All the time.

    With a smile.

    Life under the microscope of unrealistic expectations is painful. The days you question your career path, your spouse choice, even your faith in God are often filled with appointments, counseling sessions, public prayers, faith-building social media posts where you are supposed to be a source of strength to those around. You bear and grin and hope your eyes don’t betray you and show the doubt and guilt you’re desperately trying to hide.

    But somehow God has managed to use even my hypocrisy to his Glory. I can remember on several occasions feeling defeated because of how empty and non-inspiring I felt through a message, meeting or study, only to hear back how my words and actions had impacted someone. Really?!

    So even though I still wrestle with issues I should have won the battle long ago, as any mature believer would have, I still share my faith, the things I know to be true, even if I find myself in the middle of doubt. Because ultimately I believe in a good God who loves me and cares for me and fills my empty offerings with His grace. I don’t understand it. I wouldn’t do it if I were Him. But I’m thankful He does it.

    Have you ever felt like a hypocrite? How do you deal with it?