A couple of months ago, I had a meeting with one of our clients and presented some significant data about our existing project. I was so excited to share insights about what had been happening as a result of our partnership and predictions about growth in the months and years to come.

Uncharacteristically for me, my presentation included graphs, lots of numbers, and tangible evidence of our success. These insights were something we lacked in the past, so I was particularly proud to talk about how far we had come in this project and as a company. The client appreciated the information and complimented us on our achievements and progress. However, he said something at the end of our conversation that struck me: “Kevin, I love all of this stuff, it’s really good. Just don’t become too focused on it. Remember why we wanted to work with you in the first place. We didn’t hire you for your insights; we hired you for your instincts.”

He went on to explain that to them, our predictions and projections were interesting, but not nearly as valuable as our ability to do something different—something that’s going to be on the cutting edge. The best organizations have great data and good insight, but the organizations that change the world couple those insights with instincts to solve problems in a unique way.

‍1. Insights help you identify your target audience. Instincts help you connect with that audience in an authentic way.

Let’s look at Apple. Why do you think they are so much more successful than other tech companies? They aren’t the only ones that manufacture high-quality computers, tablets, and cellphones, but Apple continues to come out on top with loyal customers willing to wait in line for hours to get their hands on their most up-to-date products. Other companies are privy to many of the same insights about consumer trends and behavior. Apple, however, has strong instincts. They know that their target audience is people who appreciate accessible, easy-to-use technology, so they appeal to their audience with simple, clean advertising. Their billboards, posters, and commercials draw their customers in with quick and clear explanations of their products. The insights tell them what customers want, but the instincts help them accomplish the goal in a far more compelling way. These types of instincts will draw customers in and help them move beyond interest to action and buy your product.

‍2. Insights tell you what people want. Instincts help you design what people need.

‍Your insights illuminate what people are looking for, but your instincts tell you how to create something new and different to fill a gap that exists in the market.

Steve Jobs famously said, “If Henry Ford had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” Ford had the insight to see people wanted a faster means of transportation, but he also knew that most of them couldn’t dream beyond the horse. His instincts gave him the creativity necessary to make automobiles affordable and accessible to a greater audience, and our world has never been the same.

‍3. Insights tell you where you’re going. Instincts help you change course to end up where you want to be.

‍Insights are good. They help us predict our measure of success and determine what our customers are most likely to buy. Insights show us trends, what our predicted success rate will be if we keep going on the same path. However, our instincts help us change that course to create a different outcome, one that could make the future even better.

It’s encouraging to see where ADDO has come as a company and to use data to predict potential future success, but I don’t want to become too content with these predictions. Our client challenged us to stay on the forefront and to not neglect the piece of our company that set us apart—our instincts. So, my hope is that we’ll use these instincts to move forward and to continue to work to innovate and change the world around us.

Insights coupled with instincts lead to innovation that impacts your organization and the world.

Have you spent the time to gain the correct insights? Are you focusing so much on those insights that you’ve forgotten to use your instincts?

Don’t rely so much on the former that you forget to leverage the latter.

Today is the 4th of July. On this day in 1776, our forefathers signed the Declaration of Independence, so it’s the day we, as Americans, celebrate our freedom. Later this week I’ll be traveling to Simi Valley, California, to visit the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library for the first time. There are few things I love more than 4th of July cookouts, fireworks, and celebrating the freedom we have in the USA. As we think about this holiday and my upcoming visit to the Reagan library, let’s take a look at the lessons we can learn from the legacy of President Reagan. Here are five of the most crucial components of Reagan’s leadership:

‍1. Compelling Vision

Where there is no vision, the people perish.

Proverbs 29:18a

People are motivated and moved by vision, and Ronald Reagan’s was both powerful and compelling. Ronald Reagan wanted America to be a country where individuals have an opportunity to pursue their dreams. This compelled his vision of a United States government that would create and foster an environment that encouraged people to pursue and achieve success. He wanted America to be a beacon of hope and democracy for the world, famously saying, “America is too great for small dreams.” Reagan’s vision was concrete and captivating, and Americans wanted to be a part of it.

‍2. Clear Goals

‍Reagan defined success clearly, and he communicated in a way that people understood exactly what he wanted. On June 12, 1987, President Reagan gave a speech at the Brandenburg Gate and boldly declared, “Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” He knew that the only way to reestablish peace and prosperity in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe was for the Berlin Wall to fall. The fact that one world leader stood in a foreign country and publicly told another world leader what he should do is extraordinary. In today’s environment, many would feel outraged by this kind of declaration and even consider it disrespectful. However, Reagan’s clarity and courage were refreshing. There was no mistaking President Reagan’s goal, and both Americans and the world responded to his leadership.

‍3. Connecting with Others

‍There are countless stories of Ronald Reagan’s relatability and desire to connect with other people.

For example, Reagan chose to attend Eureka College, a co-educational school open to a diverse community of students and only one of a few such institutions at the time. While there, he befriended Willie Sue Smith, the first African American female to graduate from college. Smith would help Reagan pass notes between him and his girlfriend during class.

Another story that exemplifies his relatability comes days after he was shot. He accidentally spilled some water on the floor in his hospital room. He was caught on his hands and knees wiping up the water and said that he wanted to clean it up, so his nurse wouldn’t be blamed for the mess. Proverbs 18:12 says, “Humility comes before honor,” and Reagan was a man who lived out this principle. President Reagan truly valued people, and his authenticity allowed him to connect easily with others.

‍4. Choosing to be Optimistic

‍Reagan’s optimism stands in stark contrast to so much negativity seen in leadership today. Throughout his presidency, he maintained a positive temperament and paired it with bold, persistent action. Reagan was eager to move forward and grow, saying, “Like most Americans, I live for the future.” He would never settle for dwelling on what had been and was hopeful for what Americans could achieve.

‍5. Consistent Character

‍More than anything, Ronald Reagan was consistent, and to him, character was king.

Peggy Noonan, President Reagan’s speechwriter, said it best:

“In a president, character is everything. A president doesn’t have to be brilliant; Harry Truman wasn’t brilliant, and he helped save Western Europe from Stalin. He doesn’t have to be clever; you can hire clever. White Houses are always full of quick-witted people with ready advice on how to flip a senator or implement a strategy. You can hire pragmatic, and you can buy and bring in policy works, but you can’t buy courage and decency; you can’t rent a strong moral sense. A president must bring those things with him.”

Reagan held his role as a leader with courage and decency, using his strong moral convictions to make wise decisions for his country.

Whether you’re the president of a company or the coach of a little league baseball team, we all can become better leaders by looking at and learning from Ronald Reagan’s legacy.

We all can become better leaders by looking at and learning from Ronald Reagan’s legacy. #RonaldReagan #IndependenceDay

Today, I hope you have the opportunity to rest, to spend time with family, and to celebrate our freedom. Let's take these lessons from the past and apply them to the present to help create the brighter future Reagan saw for America.

A few months ago, I was in Africa with CARE for AIDS and participated in client home visits. For many individuals in Kenya affected by HIV, one of the worst parts of living with the disease is being ostracized from your community. This shame and separation from friends, neighbors, and family creates a void in their lives and prevents experiencing the connections that are essential to a fulfilling life. During one visit inside a gentleman’s home, he explained to the group that in his entire adult life, he can only remember two people ever visiting him: the landlord and the debt collector. He desired community so deeply, but the only people who would visit him were ones who needed his money.

Although our circumstances may not be nearly as dire, we all desire community. Even the most introverted among us seeks connection with those arounds us. Constant contact through our phones and social media might make us feel more connected to more people than ever before. The reality is, we often lack the community that we truly desire and need.

So, what does real community look like?

1. Real community, when possible, is face-to-face, not virtual. These relationships spring out of intentionality and are not centered on comfort or convenience. They require creating room in your schedule for personal and present interactions with your friends and family.

2. Real community is authentic and exists beyond surface-level conversations. These relationships thrive in openness and honesty and leave the small talk at the door. They force you to allow people to see who really are, so they can help you become who you want to be.

3. Real community is responsive and leads to action. These relationships spur on intentional service and generosity. When one friends sees a need, they respond to it and do not seek anything in return.

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If you’re reading this and you desire to have community with others, here’s a bold challenge: Instead of sitting around and waiting for community to come to you, be intentional and pursue it. Go. Connect with others. Create community.

Instead of sitting around and waiting for community to come to you, be intentional and pursue it.

Zig Ziglar said it this way: “If you go out looking for friends, you’re going to find they are very scarce. If you go out to be a friend, you’ll find them everywhere.”

This week, find an opportunity to create community.

Talk to the neighbor you’ve never met.

Ask your new coworker out to lunch.

Reach out to the family member that moved away and feels distant.

Work to create real community with the people around you and thrive in intentional relationships.

I have the privilege of doing a lot of different things for work and, sometimes, I am on TV.

Recently, I went to a wedding with my wife. We were talking to friends we knew, stacking food on our plates, and enjoying our time together at this beautiful Southern wedding. Suddenly, a guy walked up to me and said, “Hey, I think I saw you on Fox News last night.”

Admittedly, I was flattered and introduced myself, “Hey, I’m Kevin Scott. It’s nice to meet you. And, yes, I was on Fox last night.”

This stranger grabbed my arm and insisted he introduce me to his friends and family as “the guy on TV.” This exchange quickly turned from flattering to embarrassing, and even a little awkward. I realized that these people (or at least this one guy) were impressed by me and interested in me for one reason— that I’m on TV. And that small role I play, the part he was most impressed by, is by far the easiest part of my job.

Think about it. When I’m contributing commentary on a news station, I sit in a chair behind the security of a camera and lob compliments or criticisms toward people in the public eye—people actually doing something. Don’t misunderstand me. I enjoy doing this, but compared to the other aspects of my job, it’s easy.

The mundane tasks, the activities off camera, and things no one else sees are actually the most important contributions I make.

It’s the intentional conversations with a coworker that can offer encouragement or direction for them professionally or personally.

It’s the phone call I make to the payroll company that confirms my team members will get a check at the first of the month.

It’s the emails and calendar invites I sort through on a Monday morning that establishes my work load, and often our company’s direction, for that week.

It’s the meeting with a new customer that creates a lasting and mutually beneficial business relationship.

I like the stuff I get to do on TV, but at the end of the day, the most meaningful work that I do inside and outside the office is often the most mundane. Believe me, I understand the desire to be known and admired, but we must realize that focusing on fulfilling this desire should not be our primary goal in life.

The greatest work we do requires us to be faithful in the small, everyday, mundane tasks of life. It’s reaching out to the people around you at work, church, and home and understanding that the the kind word, the helping hand, and the consistent service is far more important than recognition and praise.

The easiest part of my job is not the most important thing I do, and I bet the same is true for you, as well.

This week, consider the most important things you do personally and professionally. In the most boring, frustrating, or mundane moments of your day, take heart that what you do matters and can make a significant, lasting impact.

On a recent trip to Africa, I had the opportunity to do one of my favorite things in the world—go on a safari. There is something so unique and exciting about encountering animals in their natural habitat. Instead of standing on the other side of a cage at a zoo, we rode in a Jeep with open sides, completely exposed to the heat, the dust, and the landscape of the African savannah. Our group was amazed. We were all so excited to see such beautiful and powerful animals up close. But, as we neared our time to leave and head to the airport, we were slightly disappointed because we hadn’t seen many elephants. You would think that such large animals would be easy to find, but we drove around and searched for them for three hours.

On our way out, we finally came upon a group of them. We were surrounded by adults and baby elephants. Unfortunately, we were running late, so we didn’t have time to linger. After pausing for a few minutes, the Jeep charged ahead a little more quickly than usual, and the elephants responded. One elephant began to charge our vehicle, so we stopped immediately. The elephant stopped but stood ready, his eyes on the Jeep. I applied a death grip to my seat, as I watched this elephant poised and ready to charge my side of the vehicle. My heart raced, and I held my breath. When it seemed the elephant had calmed down, we slowly drove away, out of the present (terrifying and exciting) danger.

At the risk of sounding like a spoiled brat, I have to be honest: After this type of experience, it’s hard for me to enjoy the zoo. There is just something about seeing an animal in its natural habitat. There is even that element of risk involved that creates a feeling in me that I don’t experience on the other side of the metal bars that stand between me and the elephants at the zoo.

As I’ve reflected on this experience, it makes me ask this question: Have institutions done to individuals what zoos do to animals? Have the structures we put in place removed so much of who we truly are? We take away most of the risk with the goal of creating a safer space, but in the process, we suppress our uniqueness, our individuality, and our gifts.

Too many businesses make people leave their personality at the door. Too many offices create a culture that rewards routine over innovation.

Too many schools force their students to give up creativity to color inside the lines.

Too many colleges mandate a curriculum of checklists instead of a training ground for the real world.

Too many churches allow Christians to give up their calling for the comfort of the pew.

I think most of us live in a box...willingly. We do everything we can to make our lives comfortable and allow our culture, rather than our convictions, to dictate the course of our lives. Sure, these lives feel safer, but they’re not the lives we were meant to live. We’ve sacrificed what makes us special for what makes us comfortable. Like animals in a zoo, we’ve forfeited what makes us wild and unique to walk willingly into a cage of comfort and ease. Whether you work in a coffee shop, a cubicle, or a corner office, you have a calling on your life! Don’t give in to a pattern of stability to forfeit the future we were created to pursue.

Whether you work in a coffee shop, a cubicle, or a corner office, you have a calling on your life!

This week, unlock the cage and unleash your God-given passion to be who you were truly created to be.

At ADDO, we have an initiative that has been wildly successful. Our target customers are eager consumers, desire to use this product, and believe in its purpose and outcome.

On the other hand, we have another program that is similar in concept— it’s every bit as impactful; we were more thoughtful and strategic in its creation; we did better research ahead of time—but people are simply not as eager to purchase it.

So, what’s the problem? What’s not working?

As a team, we’ve discussed three possible reasons why this product isn’t selling. The process below is simple, practical, and I believe it can be applied to any product or service that you’ve created.

The majority of the time, the problem will be in one of three areas:

1. Prices:

You may have priced your product too high, so your target customers feel it’s too expensive and not worth the money. Conversely, you may have actually set the price too low. Your consumers desire something more elite and exclusive, and the price tag makes it feel cheap. The slow uptick may be because you’ve missed on the price piece. A word of caution: It’s easy to blame the failure of a product launch on its price, but it’s seldom that price is the core of the problem. Keep reading.

2. Product:

For simplicity (and alliteration) let’s allow the word product to stand for whatever you’re selling- a product, a service, an offering, or a program. Is the product you’ve created really what the buyer wants? Is it fulfilling a need that they feel? Is it solving a problem they are having? It’s easy to blame pricing for a slow uptick in sales, but it’s entirely possible that the product is just not right for your target audience. Take the time to ask the tough questions and do the hard work of seeing if you have actually created the right product and identified the correct consumers who need it.  

3. Presentation:

When I say presentation, I am describing the way you have chosen to present your product. Presentation is the way you describe your product, service, or offering to the the potential customer. We seldom place the greatest emphasis, time, and energy on properly presenting our product to our customers, but this is often the main reason our product isn’t selling. We rush to discount the price or label the entire product as a failure, but we may simply need to present our offering in a new way.

It’s important to note: Oftentimes the closer your proximity to a product or program, the harder it is to tell the right story. As innovators, we have a tendency to describe functional details rather than personal impact, and we lose customers in the process.

Oftentimes the closer your proximity to a product or program, the harder it is to tell the right story.

How can we do this effectively?

Instead of describing the minutiae of a new ADDO program, we should emphasize its ability to transform lives.

Instead of outlining her skills as a writer, the freelancer should explain how she can help bring your message to life.

Instead of focusing on their gluten-free products, the donut shop should sell the experience of enjoying their treats.

Instead of explaining their schedule of events, the camp should explain how a week spent with them could bring your family together.

Take an inventory of your offerings. Are they priced correctly? Is the product what consumers want? Have you told the right story?

If something isn’t working, change it. But make sure you’re changing the right thing.

There was a famous English criminal at large in the 1800s named Charlie Peace. After being maimed in an industrial accident as a child, Peace pursued a life of crime, becoming a burglar and a ruthless murderer. After years of evading law enforcement, he was finally arrested and sentenced to death by hanging.

On the morning of Peace’s execution, he ate a hearty breakfast of bacon and seemed surprisingly calm in his final hours of life. As he was being led to the scaffold for his execution, the prison chaplain walked beside him and performed his duty of reading from The Consolations of Religion. As the chaplain unemotionally read from the book, Peace interrupted him and declared, “Sir, if I believed what you...say that you believe, even if England were covered with broken glass from coast to coast, I would walk over it, if need be, on hands and knees and think it worthwhile living, just to save one soul...!”

Do you really believe what you say you believe?

If you really believe God gave you unique talents and abilities, why aren’t you using them?

If you really believe family is important, why don’t you spend time with yours?

If you believe in honest, good work, why are you cheating your employers and colleagues by only working half-heartedly in the office?

If you truly believe that friendships are worth the effort, why have you so quickly given up on your friends?

If you really believe your faith holds truth for all people, why aren’t you sharing it?

If what you believe does not shape your life, maybe you should ask yourself if you really believe what you say you believe.

Your deepest convictions and beliefs should lead you to action. If what you believe does not shape your life, maybe you should ask yourself if you really believe what you say you believe.

When was the last time you were frustrated by a business?

Their product was weak. Their website was not intuitive. The line was out the door. The customer service was terrible.

Our internet-age tendency is to whip out our phone, pull up Yelp, Google, or Amazon, and write a scathing review. We unload on that product, rip the restaurant, or slam the subpar service to make sure nobody else experiences the same frustration and annoyance that we did. Does this make us feel better? Temporarily.

‍Will it help improve the product or business? Hopefully (but not definitely).

I’m not suggesting that we give up reviewing products and services. But could I suggest an alternative option for the next time you really feel like spending your time criticizing something?

‍Create the solution. Create something to make the world better. Make something better than the poor product, the dysfunctional website, the terrible system, or the subpar customer service. The best products are created in response to real problems that we see with the world. I’m well aware that it’s not practical for each of us to create a business every single time we see a flawed product or service.

I firmly believe that the best businesses, products, and services are created in response to real challenges that people face.

Our high school leadership program, Chick-fil-A Leader Academy, was created in response to the need for young people to have a platform to lead. Many students had an outlet to learn leadership techniques, but very few were given the permission and platform to apply their skills and have a positive impact on their communities. We were just bold enough to believe that high school students could make a difference in the world and decided to give them a better way to do it.

‍Amazon Dash was created in response to forgetfulness. Instead of going to the store and forgetting to buy toilet paper, Amazon Dash provides a button you can press that will order you a new case to be sent to your home every time you run out. They eliminate the extra step of forgetting common household items.

‍Uber was created in response to the problem of hailing a taxi at a busy time or on a busy street. Instead of chasing down yellow cars, you can call for an Uber, see the exact time of their arrival, and pay on a convenient mobile app.

The famous artist, Michelangelo, had a modus operandi: “criticize by creating.” He believed the best way to express your displeasure with the status quo is to create something that fixes it.

Learn from the examples of the great artists, innovators, and problem-solvers before you. Stop criticizing. Start creating. Today.

Today, we’re going to dig into one of the exchanges I discuss in 8 Essential Exchanges: What You Have to Give Up to Go Up, but before I begin, I want to reintroduce the concept of exchanges to you.

Exchanges are the toughest choices we face in life. They are trade-offs between two equally good things or between something good and something better. To pursue the better, we have to give up something, often a source of security or something we really enjoy.

Today, I want to focus on exchanging stability for significance. This is the process of giving up something good, and as a result, experiencing discomfort in the pursuit of something better.

Do you think stability is a bad thing? Did you get up this morning and say, “If I could have a little bit more instability at work, in my family, or in my finances, that would be great”? Probably not, and you shouldn’t. We all seek stability in life because it is a part of our human nature. The desire for stability drives us to seek circumstances and situations that are safe.

Nobody naturally seeks instability in the most important areas of their life, but this becomes a problem when our obsession with stability stands in the way of doing something significant.

For me, this exchange happened when I was working for a congressman right out of college. I had my own apartment, a good salary, a nice office, a comfortable work environment—everything that, to me, signaled that I was on the path to success. I was settled into my stable reality when my friend, Garrett, approached me with the idea of starting a company dedicated to equipping and empowering young leaders through experiences around the world.

The mission and vision excited me, but I wrestled with the prospect of leaving the security of my stable job to take a risk and pursue something I was truly passionate about. Ultimately, I took the leap, and it was one of the best and most important decisions of my life. Exchanging stability for significance looks different in each person’s unique set of circumstances. However, the result is usually the same. Most of the greatest regrets happen when individuals choose the safe route rather than the significant route for their lives.

Zig Ziglar said it best: “The chief cause of failure and unhappiness is trading what we want most for what we want now.”

We all seek immediate satisfaction and too often trade lasting purpose to gain temporary comfort. Unfortunately, this promise of present stability doesn’t lead to lasting happiness or a fulfilling life.

In order to do things that are significant, we have to be willing to experience instability.

In order to do things that are significant, we have to be willing to experience instability.

Maybe you need to quit your higher-paying job to pursue your passion of reaching students as a teacher.

Maybe you need to humble yourself and reconcile your relationship to an estranged family member.

Maybe you and your spouse are empty nesters, but you need to consider adopting a child.

Maybe it’s time to be bold and share your faith with the friend you know does not believe the same thing you do.

Maybe you need to use your one free night during the week to cook dinner for the neighbor that’s struggling and needs some extra help.

An exchange for something eternally significant is a change that’s worth making.