Category: Leadership

Ok, so, we’ve debunked the myth that building a platform is the most important thing for an emerging artist and instead discussed how building character and relationships first will eventually lead to a more solid way to spread a message.

Here is the third and final part of this lil’ series:

Effort #3

Don’t build your platform, build your message.

It sounds a little over-simplistic, I realize, but hear me out. If you’re anything like me, once something has implanted itself so deeply in your heart, you want to shout it from the rooftops.

I remember being 24 years old and intensely passionate about originality in the church. This was about the same time when a lot of contemporary churches were making sermon series parodies of popular TV shows and movies – including my own church. Coming from a creative corporate background, and being a rule-follower, the copyright implications alone were enough to make me uncomfortable. But I also believed (and still believe) that there is a huge difference between inspiration and emulation, and so many churches were falling into the emulation category.

Sorry. Soapbox over.

Anyway, I had voiced my opinions (passionately) having the platform of Director of Communications/Media and had been repeatedly shot down. A few months into my position, I attended a small conference where Rob Bell spoke and later had some down time where he invited anyone to come and hang out. Just two or three of us took him up on it. I asked him a question about originality in the church, shared my thoughts, and he simply said,

“Don’t let your passion become annoying.”

Ouch!

I’ve learned a lot in the last five years and have realized the importance of building a message through more than just passionately vocalizing it. To build your message, you have to continuously ask yourself, “Why do I believe this?,” “What are the implications of the message?,” “What’s required of me to dedicate this season to this message?,” “Is there a need for this message?,” “How can I learn more about this and sharpen my own knowledge and passion?”

Building a message takes time. It takes repetition of simple communication. It takes being able to handle criticism and even change the course if it’s not the right one. It takes flexibility. It takes commitment.

Your message should be timeless, and not trendy.

Sure, trendy is catchy. Trendy is noticeable. But trendy is not remarkable.

Having a message spread wide and having your message resonate deeply are two very different things. They are not mutually exclusive, but more often than not, we settle for a season of brief popularity.

If your message is as important as you think it is, take the time and expend the energy to make it stick…to allow it the time to embed in the hearts of others. When others are influenced as much as you have been, it will continue to spread both deep and wide in a meaningful way.

It’s been a trip to read a few of the emails I’ve received since shutting down my personal Facebook. If you don’t spell out everything, people make assumptions. Here are a couple of my favorite “Is this really why you shut down Facebook?” questions:

• Were you being tempted to get involved with another man?
• Were you addicted to the games?
• Did you and your loved ones fight about the amount of time you spent on Facebook?

Allow me just a moment to clear the air — NO! None of those. I spent a few minutes one day a week on Facebook. I didn’t play a single game, ever. And um, no…, I’m happy to say I didn’t have any issues with boundaries. :)

Yesterday, we talked about building character…today…

Effort #2

Instead of focusing on building your platform, build relationships.

Online, that’s why I’ve decided to keep blogging and using Twitter and not have a personal Facebook account. The messages, invites, and apps just got overwhelming. With blogging, Twitter, and a “fan” page, I feel like I can actually have conversations with people and interact pretty easily.

I’d rather connect and converse intimately with a handful of people who share the same passion, encouragement, and values than with a bunch of people who I would just be barking to. Sure something may stick now and again, but it’s not as meaningful as it could be.

Offline is just as intentional. There are a handful of people that have been placed in my life to learn from, to grow with, and to also encourage and I want to be open to having these relationships flourish.

Whether online or offline, relationships that give people permission to talk and listen (and know they are being heard) are what help a message solidify and spread.

Your thoughts?

If I had a dollar for every time somebody asked, “How can I build an online platform?” I’d probably have more money than Oprah. Okay. Maybe not that much money, but I’d definitely be a little better off.

With social media being the giant that it is today, every artist is attempting to discover how they can build a larger online audience. Many people think that’s the missing ingredient from their big break, and so they pour a ton of energy into creating a platform.

To begin, I think the idea of building a platform is bogus. Instead, I think there are three other ways we can intentionally spend our efforts into creating movement behind a message. And that’s what we’re going to discuss a little this week.

Effort #1

Instead of focusing on building your platform, build your character.

A platform is what other people see and hear you speak from. It’s what you’ve decided to allow to be public. It’s the mouth of your message.

But what’s behind that mouth? If you’ve spent all your time and energy dressing up the platform, but you haven’t spent any time building your character and integrity, your message won’t have two legs to stand on. It may look pretty from the outside. It may even look perfect from the outside, but when push comes to shove, your platform is built on sand and will easily crash down when the first wave hits. It won’t matter how flawless your platform appeared to be. Your message will be lost.

Spending time building the inside before you spend time building the outside is time well spent.