This week my wife and I, along with 30 other leaders were invited to a roundtable in Oklahoma with the pastoral G.O.A.T. of leadership, Craig Groeschel. What an honor (Special shoutout to Zak White for arranging the invite). It was two days with one of the most incredible minds in leadership, business, and the church. I have been in a lot of conferences, roundtables, and trainings over 27 years of leadership, but I have never take 26 pages of handwritten notes at one event. There were so many nuggets of leadership in this 2 day opportunity.
Let me say this, Craig & Amy Groeschel are two of the most incredible leaders on the planet, but they are also humble, empathetic, focused, and disciplined. Kindness is one of the most overlooked traits of leadership and that is the Groeschels.
So, I thought I would share with you my TOP FIVE LEARNINGS from my two days with Craig Groeschel.
NEVER THINK RIGHT HAND PERSON, BUT ALWAYS THINK RIGHT HAND TEAM.
LIFE.CHURCH does everything in teams. So, they do not focus on individual success, but developing teams to accomplish their mission & vision. They are always think team. Teams are vital parts of all that we do in life. God created man with a team - "Let us make man in our image." Think team, not person.
YOU CANNOT BUILD YOUR CHURCH ON 7'S - YOU MUST BUILD IT ON 10's.
This was a huge learning for me. I am so loyal, but sometimes I overlook faults because of faithfulness. I am going to have to increase the 10's around me in order for our church to hit the next level of leadership. After all, leaders don't just go to the next level, they grow to the next level. Build your church with 10's or gonna be 10's, but not people content to be 7's.
WHEN YOU CORRECT YOUR TEAM THEY MUST KNOW IT IS NEVER TO"CHEW THEM OUT," BUT TO "COACH THEM UP."
Most of church leadership team members are in it for the right reasons. That's why it's so important to bring correction to teammates to help bring them to the next level. Those who serve under you have to be okay with being told they "are or were wrong." If you cannot handle correction, you won't be able to handle leadership.
YOU NEED A SCRAPPER TO TAKE A CHURCH OR CAMPUS BEYOND 200.
That's a fact. For the first 10 years of the church I had to scrap, claw, and fight for every new ground or opportunity. That's what got Church Unleashed to where it is today. But it's not what is vital to take us where we need to be tomorrow. I am now working on being a builder more than a scrapper.
THEOLOGY DETERMINES STRATEGY.
Brilliant statement. Not new. But a great reminder that every strategy or system we develop must have an 'ology to it. Too many systems we create a business models, but they should be theological beliefs. The Word drives everything we say, do, and build. Whatever your theology is on any subject will drive your strategy.
One final thought. We started our time together with Ps Craig asking the pastors to name one of our biggest growth area and our biggest opportunity. I happened to be the last one up - but instead of listening to everyone else's answers I was scrambling thinking of mine. When it finally came to me, last, I said, "My biggest growth area is my own insecurity as a leader." Then I shared my biggest opportunity.
Ps Craig said, "That's the best answer of the night." He went on to say that everyone's answers were about the church, systems, and work, but "that answer that he gave was about something more." He must have referenced my answer a half a dozen times over the two days. It was really weird, but cool too. In one session, Ps Craig made this statement, "You cannot out succeed your own insecurities." That statement. Dang.
Over those two days I kept coming back in my mind to all the insecurities I have as a leader. I have made a decision to not fear my insecurities, but to face them with a bold confidence in who I am in Christ. I needed these two days more than I realized.
I still stand amazed at all the places God has taken my life, my marriage, my family, and my church. What a journey. And yet the best is still to come.