Insights on Philanthropy
by Fred Smith

Some things run in the family. Years ago, author Pat McMillan (http://www.theperformancefactor.com/author.html) went to my father for advice about becoming a consultant.  Dad sat him down and did his best to discourage him with all the obstacles and hardships of building a consulting business and the likelihood of failure.  Fortunately, Pat listened with respect and then went and built a very successful consulting business - Team Resources.  On my part, I spent the better part of a lunch dissuading a young pastor from trying to build a ministry on some wild ideas he had about an innovative ministry he described as Mosaic.  Erwin McManus did exactly the same as Pat had done with my father.  He listened and then went out and spent the next several years building one of the most creative ministries in the country - Mosaic. (http://mosaic.org/about).  I have a number of those stories about my unfailing discernment in picking new leadership and I actually enjoy reading about their success.  I tried my best and, fortunately, they didn't listen.