10 Things I Learned In Leadership Class...

Next week winds up the Leadership Class that I have been attending for the past 2 months. Can I tell you, I have learned SO much & it was definitely worth the loss of sleep. =P

I could never begin to cover all the excellent points that were made or lessons learned, but I thought I would share with you here some of the messages that really hit home with me. These are thought-provoking statements that EVERYONE can implement in their lives whether it be in the Church or in the secular realms of our lives:

1) Your IDENTITY should never be about what you do, your degree, or your job title -- and it certainly should not be defined by your past! You have to move on; don't lead others into your bondage; rise up and lead people into freedom.

2) True leadership is about investing in OTHERS and empowering THEM to live up to their full potential. It should never be about US. We have to lay aside our own insecurities and our pride in the "title" and find our significance in the anointing God has put on our life.

3) If you are leading and no one is following you, you're not really leading.

4) It's wonderful to have dreams and ambitions, but if you only keep your eyes on the summit of God's vision for you, you may lose your footing & miss what God has for you where you are NOW. Be faithful to where God has you at this moment, even if it is not your "calling" or "dream," and He will bless you for it.

5) Go in the strength that you have; don't be afraid to step out! Don't look at the situation or circumstance with trepidation -- Keep your focus on God and step out in faith. He will supply the rest.

6) Leadership is more about character -- WHO we are, not what we "do." Character and integrity are a day-to-day process. Character is what comes out when you SQUEEZE someone. Character is what gives us credibility.

7) We can make all the "plans" we want, but without God's anointing, we can't do anything -- no matter how noble we think our plans might be.

8) The WORLD equates leadership with power and fame, but God equates leadership with humility and servant-hood.

9) To whom much is given, much will be required. There is tremendous responsibility that comes with the gifts God has given us. USE YOUR GIFTS. If you don't they will almost certainly be taken from you.
Think of it: What might the world look like if we all used our gifts???

10) Next-level leaders always find a need to fill or a hurt to heal. Making a difference in this life is simply a matter of CHOICE. You have to make a choice to ACT & decide to make a difference in this world.

Lord, help me to use every gift you've given me to make a difference in my world and let me never put power or position before PEOPLE.

NEXT!

Two weeks ago, I started Leadership Class at HPC and it has been phenomenal! It's only the 3rd week and I feel like I have learned so much already. A lot of it is not necessarily a revelation of things I didn't *know* so much as it's helping me to see them more clearly
It has been a very revealing class for me, personally. I am seeing major areas in my personal walk that I really need to work on!

Today, they talked about NEXT-LEVEL LEADERSHIP and I have enough notes for 10 blog posts -- it was so great!
Ann Morrow spoke to us about how we can be content, but not be satisfied, and this is a good thing! We should always be seeking to improve -- always asking Jesus to take us to the next level, spiritually.
No matter what "season" your life is in right now, learn to embrace it and seek to learn all you can from it -- whether the circumstances are good or bad. Embrace it with joy and without complaining; otherwise, you will not learn anything and you'll never move to the next level. This makes a lot of sense to me.

Often, life can hit us with circumstances that we never dreamed or imagined... and we often don't have a say in how things play out. But when we don't have control over the EXTERNAL, we do have control over the INTERNAL: Our response to what we are going through.
We can either choose to remain in the "victim" mode and kvetch and complain
OR
we can choose to accept the lessons and training that being caught in such a situation affords us.
If we choose to learn from it, there is a good chance that somewhere down the line, we will find that we are better equipped to handle another situation better, because of what we learned from this one. That may be hard to believe in life's toughest moments...
It's difficult to see the beauty in our darkest hour until another challenge illuminates the positive change in us.

So, will you stay where you are, or are you ready to move forward?