Book: Next Generation Leader
Just finished reading Next Generation Leader by Andy Stanley. It’s pretty much one of the best books on leadership I’ve ever read. It’s pretty small and very easy to read. It’s already on my list of re-reads! The book is centered around five principles which he says are the fundamentals of leadership.
These five principles are:
competence, courage, clarity, coaching, and character.
The competence section focuses on identifying your core competencies and discovering the gifts and strengths that God has given you. He talks about how you don’t need to be good at everything and that good leaders focus on developing their strengths. They realize that their weaknesses are somebody else’s strengths. Some of the things that are hard for you to do actually energize other people. So, by focusing on your strengths you are giving someone else the opportunity to flourish. Conversely, if you are always micromanaging your weaknesses, you’re robbing someone else of the opportunity to leverage their strengths.
The courage section talks about how wherever there is great fear, there is great opportunity. He used the story of David and Goliath to demonstrate this reality. He talked about letting your vision drive you. Let the what precede the how. We should not let the how questions deter us from pursuing what could be and should be. We should not let the how questions, no matter how impossible, paralyze us and keep us from going after the dreams God has given us. He also talks about having the courage to say no, the courage to face current reality, and the courage to dream. He says, “The leader who accomplishes great things will not always be the most talented or the best educated – it will be the leader who refuses to put brackets on his thinking. It will be the leader who refuses to limit himself by what others have done or failed to do.”
The clarity section discusses how uncertainty underscores the need for leadership. He says that clarity of vision is more important than certainty of outcome. He talks about how every great idea came in contrast to someone’s current reality. He says, “In the beginning there is always enough uncertainty to shut down a vision – thus the need for leadership.”
The coaching section develops the need for a leadership coach. We will never grow in our leadership capacity without someone pushing us to become better. A good leadership coach doesn’t measure us with other people, but against our own potential. They push us to be the best “us” that we can be. A leadership coach can give you honest feedback on how you’re doing because he is helping you see yourself from a different perspective than you may not have seen before. Having a leadership coach requires the leader to have a teachable spirit and not limit himself by thinking he has all the answers. He ends the section by encouraging us not only to find a leadership coach, but to be a coach for someone else and help them to become better.
The character section was probably the strongest section of the book in my opinion. He talks about how character makes you a leader worth following and that your character determines you legacy. He says “Character is the will to do what’s right even when it’s hard.” He talks about the importance of deciding ahead of time what your reaction will be when faced with a decision to compromise your values. He talks about how “there’s no cramming for a test of character, they are always pop-quizzes.” They’ll come when your not ready for them. When they come, who you really are will come out. Another good thing he talked about was how we never need to violate the principles of God to maintain the blessings of God. He says, “To become a leader worth following, you must give time and attention to the inner man. To leave a legacy that goes beyond accomplishment alone, a leader must devote himself to matters of the heart.”
Really good stuff. I heartily recommend this book to anyone in leadership.
Book: Next Generation Leader
Just finished reading Next Generation Leader by Andy Stanley. It’s pretty much one of the best books on leadership I’ve ever read. It’s pretty small and very easy to read. It’s already on my list of re-reads! The book is centered around five principles which he says are the fundamentals of leadership.
These five principles are:
competence, courage, clarity, coaching, and character.
The competence section focuses on identifying your core competencies and discovering the gifts and strengths that God has given you. He talks about how you don’t need to be good at everything and that good leaders focus on developing their strengths. They realize that their weaknesses are somebody else’s strengths. Some of the things that are hard for you to do actually energize other people. So, by focusing on your strengths you are giving someone else the opportunity to flourish. Conversely, if you are always micromanaging your weaknesses, you’re robbing someone else of the opportunity to leverage their strengths.
The courage section talks about how wherever there is great fear, there is great opportunity. He used the story of David and Goliath to demonstrate this reality. He talked about letting your vision drive you. Let the what precede the how. We should not let the how questions deter us from pursuing what could be and should be. We should not let the how questions, no matter how impossible, paralyze us and keep us from going after the dreams God has given us. He also talks about having the courage to say no, the courage to face current reality, and the courage to dream. He says, “The leader who accomplishes great things will not always be the most talented or the best educated – it will be the leader who refuses to put brackets on his thinking. It will be the leader who refuses to limit himself by what others have done or failed to do.”
The clarity section discusses how uncertainty underscores the need for leadership. He says that clarity of vision is more important than certainty of outcome. He talks about how every great idea came in contrast to someone’s current reality. He says, “In the beginning there is always enough uncertainty to shut down a vision – thus the need for leadership.”
The coaching section develops the need for a leadership coach. We will never grow in our leadership capacity without someone pushing us to become better. A good leadership coach doesn’t measure us with other people, but against our own potential. They push us to be the best “us” that we can be. A leadership coach can give you honest feedback on how you’re doing because he is helping you see yourself from a different perspective than you may not have seen before. Having a leadership coach requires the leader to have a teachable spirit and not limit himself by thinking he has all the answers. He ends the section by encouraging us not only to find a leadership coach, but to be a coach for someone else and help them to become better.
The character section was probably the strongest section of the book in my opinion. He talks about how character makes you a leader worth following and that your character determines you legacy. He says “Character is the will to do what’s right even when it’s hard.” He talks about the importance of deciding ahead of time what your reaction will be when faced with a decision to compromise your values. He talks about how “there’s no cramming for a test of character, they are always pop-quizzes.” They’ll come when your not ready for them. When they come, who you really are will come out. Another good thing he talked about was how we never need to violate the principles of God to maintain the blessings of God. He says, “To become a leader worth following, you must give time and attention to the inner man. To leave a legacy that goes beyond accomplishment alone, a leader must devote himself to matters of the heart.”
Really good stuff. I heartily recommend this book to anyone in leadership.
Recommended Podcast
In my line of work, preaching is very important. Therefore I try to surround myself with good preaching. I typically listen to anywhere from 1-4 sermons a week. One of my favorite preachers is John Piper. John is the Pastor for Preaching and Vision at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, MN. He’s also the author of numerous books including his best known, Desiring God.
If you’re looking to listen in on some great preaching, Check out John Piper’s podcast here. You can also get it by going into the itunes store and typing “john piper” in the search engine and click subscribe to Desiring God Sermon Audio. If you don’t have itunes, you can download it here for free. Enjoy!
Recommended Podcast
In my line of work, preaching is very important. Therefore I try to surround myself with good preaching. I typically listen to anywhere from 1-4 sermons a week. One of my favorite preachers is John Piper. John is the Pastor for Preaching and Vision at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, MN. He’s also the author of numerous books including his best known, Desiring God.
If you’re looking to listen in on some great preaching, Check out John Piper’s podcast here. You can also get it by going into the itunes store and typing “john piper” in the search engine and click subscribe to Desiring God Sermon Audio. If you don’t have itunes, you can download it here for free. Enjoy!
Mark Batterson At Catalyst Group
I’m a part of something called the Allison Park Catalyst Group. This is a gathering of pastors, youth pastors, and ministry leaders from the Pittsburgh area associated with the Allison Park network of churches (BTW ACC is the 2nd of 6 churches planted by APC). We gather every month for worship, encouragement, fellowship, discussion, and last but not least…food 
The guest speaker for today’s meeting was Mark Batterson, Lead Pastor of National Community Church in Washington DC. NCC currently has 7 weekend services in 3 locations , two of which are movie theaters. Their larger vision is to meet in movie theaters in metro stops throughout the DC area. About 70% of his church attenders are single 20 somethings.
Mark shared and awesome, thought provoking talk with us about 5 challenges ministry leaders face. Real brief, here are a couple of notes from his talk:
The Identity Challenge
Pastors must work hard to find their identity in Christ because the ministry is so all encompassing.
We can minister because we have to or we can minister because we have to. Either we are preaching because we can’t hold it in, or we are preaching because we are scheduled.
There is a fine line between building Thy kingdom and building my kingdom.
There are no limitations when you stay humble and keep your motives right.
The Family Challenge
Your family is more important than your ministry. If you don’t set boundaries, your calendar will control you.
The Criticism Challenge
Quoted Erwin McManus: “Don’t let an arrow pierce your heart unless it has first passed through the filter of Scripture.”
Pleasing God has to be the #1 priority.
He also said, “If you’re not offending some Pharisees you may be offending Jesus.”
The Creativity Challenge
In the Bible, God did not give us an order of service for church. Could it be because that would stifle creativity?
The most important truths should be communicated in the most unforgettable ways.
The Growth Challenge
The key to church growth is personal growth. Leaders are readers. Find a way to keep growing.
Great stuff. It was really refreshing to hear from someone so real, honest, and passionate. Mark has also written a great book called “In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day: How to Survive and Thrive When Opportunity Roars“ which is well worth the read.
Mark Batterson At Catalyst Group
I’m a part of something called the Allison Park Catalyst Group. This is a gathering of pastors, youth pastors, and ministry leaders from the Pittsburgh area associated with the Allison Park network of churches (BTW ACC is the 2nd of 6 churches planted by APC). We gather every month for worship, encouragement, fellowship, discussion, and last but not least…food
The guest speaker for today’s meeting was Mark Batterson, Lead Pastor of National Community Church in Washington DC. NCC currently has 7 weekend services in 3 locations , two of which are movie theaters. Their larger vision is to meet in movie theaters in metro stops throughout the DC area. About 70% of his church attenders are single 20 somethings.
Mark shared and awesome, thought provoking talk with us about 5 challenges ministry leaders face. Real brief, here are a couple of notes from his talk:
The Identity Challenge
Pastors must work hard to find their identity in Christ because the ministry is so all encompassing.
We can minister because we have to or we can minister because we have to. Either we are preaching because we can’t hold it in, or we are preaching because we are scheduled.
There is a fine line between building Thy kingdom and building my kingdom.
There are no limitations when you stay humble and keep your motives right.
The Family Challenge
Your family is more important than your ministry. If you don’t set boundaries, your calendar will control you.
The Criticism Challenge
Quoted Erwin McManus: “Don’t let an arrow pierce your heart unless it has first passed through the filter of Scripture.”
Pleasing God has to be the #1 priority.
He also said, “If you’re not offending some Pharisees you may be offending Jesus.”
The Creativity Challenge
In the Bible, God did not give us an order of service for church. Could it be because that would stifle creativity?
The most important truths should be communicated in the most unforgettable ways.
The Growth Challenge
The key to church growth is personal growth. Leaders are readers. Find a way to keep growing.
Great stuff. It was really refreshing to hear from someone so real, honest, and passionate. Mark has also written a great book called “In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day: How to Survive and Thrive When Opportunity Roars“ which is well worth the read.
Life Control
Have you ever felt like your schedule was ruling you rather than the other way around? Have you ever felt like life was just pulling you along with it? I’ve recently been thinking about the importance of making the most of every moment and being a good steward of the time God has given me on this earth.
Many of us have great ambitions and goals that we believe we were created for. I’ve also noticed that some of our greatest dreams will never become a reality until they are pursued intentionally. Our dreams are vital, and we need them, but dreams that are never acted upon become nothing more than a nice thought. Intentionally pursuing our dreams requires an aggressive approach to time management.
At the end of my life I don’t want to have to look back in regret thinking about what could have been and should have been. I don’t want to have to wonder what could have been if I’d only… or spent more time doing… or didn’t do… so much. I think that an aggressive approach to time management is a demonstration of our committment to God’s purpose and destiny for our lives.
When it comes to working productively in areas of leadership, I’m learning that each of us should look at our schedules and note the things that only we can do and delegate the rest. This will free us up to spend the best time on the most important things. I’m not advocating that we should avoid doing things in our job description though For an excellent discussion on time management and self-leadership check out Jeff’s post here.
Here’s a good verse for thought “Be careful, then, how you live- not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” Eph. 5.15-16
Time management is about honoring God by making the most of every moment he’s given us. I’m certainly not an expert, but I know that if we don’t control our lives, they will control us. Let’s take control of our time and plunge head first into God’s dreams for our lives.
Life Control
Have you ever felt like your schedule was ruling you rather than the other way around? Have you ever felt like life was just pulling you along with it? I’ve recently been thinking about the importance of making the most of every moment and being a good steward of the time God has given me on this earth.
Many of us have great ambitions and goals that we believe we were created for. I’ve also noticed that some of our greatest dreams will never become a reality until they are pursued intentionally. Our dreams are vital, and we need them, but dreams that are never acted upon become nothing more than a nice thought. Intentionally pursuing our dreams requires an aggressive approach to time management.
At the end of my life I don’t want to have to look back in regret thinking about what could have been and should have been. I don’t want to have to wonder what could have been if I’d only… or spent more time doing… or didn’t do… so much. I think that an aggressive approach to time management is a demonstration of our committment to God’s purpose and destiny for our lives.
When it comes to working productively in areas of leadership, I’m learning that each of us should look at our schedules and note the things that only we can do and delegate the rest. This will free us up to spend the best time on the most important things. I’m not advocating that we should avoid doing things in our job description though For an excellent discussion on time management and self-leadership check out Jeff’s post here.
Here’s a good verse for thought “Be careful, then, how you live- not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” Eph. 5.15-16
Time management is about honoring God by making the most of every moment he’s given us. I’m certainly not an expert, but I know that if we don’t control our lives, they will control us. Let’s take control of our time and plunge head first into God’s dreams for our lives.
