Alas a much needed website overhaul and update has happened. WordPress is awesome in how easy it makes a website look good. I hope to blog a lot more often.
Leadership Lessons Over the Past Two Years
The last two years have been big years for growth in my understanding of leadership. Many of the lessons resonated with me. I have had many moments that encouraged me because my leadership instincts were right and it took reading someone talking on the topics to make me see that I am not crazy.
The book Switch by the Heath brothers was amazing. We were having to make some decisions on some difficult change in the church and the youth ministry. We knew there would be some resistance. The book builds around the concept of every human having the elephant (emotions) and the rider (brain/common sense). If you want to bring successful change, you need to get the rider and the elephant moving in the same direction. Many of us know things that need to be changed, but the emotions keep us from it. When it comes to leading people through change, a pastor/leader needs to appeal to both the elephant and rider to get people moving the same direction.
After reading Next Generation Leader by Andy Stanley, several quotes clicked with me.
Wherever there is fear, there is opportunity. Wherever there is great fear, there is great opportunity.
As leaders, we are asking people not only to follow us to a place they have never been before; we are asking them to follow us to a place we have never been before eitherLeaders are not always the first to see an opportunity. They are simply the first to seize an opportunity.If you don’t conquer your fear, you are going to miss out on some great things in life.Courage is the willingness to move in a direction in spite of the emotions and thoughts that bid you do otherwise.Fear often disguises itself behind the mask of care. Fearful people often excuse their fear as caution.
Great people are not attracted to average causes.Dream no small dreams, for they stir not the hearts of men.
A vision statement without a strategy is just a motto.
Great reflection! Looking forward to reading the Stanley and Heath brothers books.