Sticky Teams (pt2) by Larry Osborne

Leadership is not an academic subject. It’s an art and skill that’s best learned in a hands-on environment. 

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At no point should a policy ever be allowed to trump common sense.

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Everyone needs to agree on the pastor’s role.

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Pastors who don’t lead, can’t lead, or aren’t allowed to lead seldom see their church break through growth barriers.

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I always ask pastors to honestly answer this question before attempting to take a strong leadership role: is this a step in my career path, or is this a long-term calling to these people and this community?

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A strong, initiating leader who presents everything in final form puts the rest of the team in an awkward position. 

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The fact is, I can be right about what we’re supposed to do but dead wrong about when we’re supposed to do it. 

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The primary role of the board will always be the same: to determine God’s will and then see that it’s carried out.

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Our primary job is to listen to, discern, and carry out God’s will, not the congregation’s.

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Specialists who can’t become trainers or who aren’t willing to become trainers will eventually put a ceiling on the growth of your church or bust your budget.

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Focusing on training and equipping lay leaders and staff member to be better leaders doesn’t just pay dividends for the church. It also pays dividends in the marketplace

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I find it relatively easy to get our entire staff headed in the same direction and aiming at the same goal. I find it much more difficult to ensure that everyone is taking the same route to get there.

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Some things are simply too important to waste on one sermon or sermon series. They are better dripped into everything.

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Getting on the same page is one thing. Staying there is quite another, because mission tends to creep and vision tends to leak.

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All quotes were from Larry Osborne in his book: Sticky Teams. You can purchase his book here.

Sticky Teams (pt1) by Larry Osborne

Sticky teams know how to deal with the issues at hand and still come out united in purpose and vision.

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The dysfunction and disunity in our churches often is not so much a matter of sinful people with evil motives as it is a pattern of failed traditions, policies, and structures that unintentionally tear us apart.

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By spiritual maturity, I mean, a life that consistently exhibits the character of Jesus Christ.

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Location and environment matters; it’s never neutral. It always works for us or against us. 

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It’s hard to have a winning team with losing players, which is why guarding the gate is one of the most important tasks of leadership.

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The best time to remove a problem player is before they have a place on the team.

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Selecting leaders is too important to be treated this casually. It demands the best people we’ve got.

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Rather than trying to figure out what everybody wants them to do, leadership teams have only one question: what does God want us to do?

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If you don’t have the guts to speak up on the front end, you don’t have the right to complain on the back end.

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Getting everyone on the same page is one of the most difficult and important roles of leadership.

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Finding leadership-oriented people is important. But it’s even more important to find folks who meet the Bible’s minimum requirements for spiritual leadership.

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It’s far better to have a long-term vacancy than a long-term cancer on the team.

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I’ve learned that God’s will has a what and a when.

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All quotes were from Larry Osborne in his book: Sticky Teams. You can purchase his book here.

Brothers, We Are Not Professionals (Pt2) By John Piper

"The goal of spiritual leadership is to muster people to join God in living for God’s glory."

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"Good deeds do not pay back grace; they borrow more grace."

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"A pastor who feels competent in himself to produce eternal fruit—which is the only kind that matters—knows neither God nor himself."

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"The essence of the Christian ministry is that its success is not within our reach."

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"How do we serve so that God is glorified? We serve by the strength He supplies."

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"The difference between Uncle Sam and Jesus Christ is that Uncle Sam won’t enlist you in his service unless you are healthy and Jesus won’t enlist you unless you are sick."

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"The great threat to our prayer and our meditation on the Word of God is good ministry activity."

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"Our suffering is not in vain; God never wastes the gift of pain. (Philippians 1:29)"

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"God will gladly receive anything from us that shows our dependence and His all-sufficiency."

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"A pastor who does not know the rhythm of desperation and deliverance must have his sights only on what man can achieve."

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"God does all His gracious work in such a way “that no human being might boast in the presence of God” (1 Corinthians 1:29), which means He usually does it in answer to prayer."

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"God is the only sure and stable thing in the universe."

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"For in your working, God is working."

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"There is an infinite difference between the pastor whose heart is set on being a professional and the pastor whose heart is set on being the aroma of Christ, the fragrance of death to some and eternal life to others (2 Corinthians 2:15–16)."

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"If you want to be a conduit for God’s grace, you don’t have to be lined with gold. Copper will do."

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"God is not looking for people to work for Him but people who let Him work mightily in and through them."

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All quotes were from John Piper in his book: Brothers, We Are Not Professionals: A Plea to Pastors for Radical Ministry. You can purchase his book here.

Brothers, We Are Not Professionals (pt1) by John Piper

"Spiritual leadership is knowing where God wants people to be and taking the initiative to get them there by God’s means in reliance on God’s power."

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"Professionalism is not supernatural. The heart of ministry is."

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"The highest, best, and final good in the good news is God Himself."

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"Why Christians do what they do is just as important as what they do. Bad motives ruin good acts."

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"God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him."

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"A pastor who feels competent in himself to produce eternal fruit knows neither God nor himself."

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"Faith unites us to Christ."

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"The great pressure on us today is to be productive managers. But the need of the church is for prayerful, spiritual poets."

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"For your own soul and for the life of your church, fight for time to feed your soul with rich reading."

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"Loving our wives is essential for our ministry. It is ministry."

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"A cry for help form the heart of a childlike pastor is a sweet praise in the ears of God."

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"Let us not merely criticize or commend the seminaries. Rather, let us pray for them."

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"The aims of our ministry are eternal and spiritual."

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"All pastoral afflictions are graciously designed to make us rely on God and not ourselves."

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"Brothers, we are leaders, and the burden of change lies most heavily on us. The place to start is our own lives."

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"God loves us infinitely."

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All quotes were from John Piper in his book: Brothers, We Are Not Professionals: A Plea to Pastors for Radical Ministry. You can purchase his book here.

H3 Leadership (pt3) by Brad Lomenick

"You must lead people the way they want to be led, not the way you want to be led."

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"Asking the opinion of your team members gives them dignity."

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"Effective leaders lead themselves first."

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"The patterns we cultivate shape the person we become."

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"The path to being a better leader is paved with the asphalt of the habits we develop."

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"Self-discovery is not a practice you complete, but a posture you cultivate."

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"Your realness will attract the next generation way more than your relevancy."

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"Leaders must learn to be faithful to what is in front of them."

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"Spend most of your time worrying about the most important things."

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"Always be on the lookout for people who are doing things right, and recognize it."

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"Leaders don’t learn when they are talking; they learn when listening. The more you listen, the smarter you become."

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"Leaders imagine a different future and change the order of things, regardless of title or position."

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"Ask those around you how you can get better."

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"Serving God should elevate our level of excellence in every part of our lives, not lower it."

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"The vast majority of thriving leaders arrived at their current positions through years of toil and sacrifice."

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"Done is better than perfect."

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"If you must have a meeting, focus on solving a problem/creating a solution, not just informing people on what you could have emailed."

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"When you prioritize your team, your team will prioritize you."

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"If you don’t manage your schedule, it will become impossible to manage."

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"Don’t assume your team knows what you need from them."

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"Culture building is too important to delegate."

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"We can do more together than we can do on our own."

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"People will follow the person not the position."

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"It’s often the smallest touches that make the biggest differences."

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“'You decide' is a really powerful phrase for leaders."

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"Be the leader you wish you’d had."

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"Making your organization healthy is one of the top roles you have as a leader."

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"Learning to unwind is a discipline the must be practiced. You must find time to stop moving, stop work, and stop problem solving."

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"Life is about decisions. If you want to change, make a decision."

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"The platform should be for service, not for stardom."

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All quotes were from Brad Lomenick in his book: H3 Leadership: Be Humble. Stay Hungry. Always Hustle. You can purchase his book here.

H3 Leadership (pt2) by Brad Lomenick

Lead yourself. How can you attempt to lead others until you embrace this simple truth? - Seth Godin

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Ask lots of questions from all kinds of people and then listen! - Brian Wurzell

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All our best efforts are worthless unless leaders ask God to open them to learning and creating. - Matt Carter

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Find a single leader in the space or place you desire to grow, and study them intensely. - Brian Wurzell

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People need to be reminded more often than they need to be instructed. - C.S. Lewis

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God made you for a purpose; He made you for a plan. There’s nobody who can be you except you. - Rick Warren

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You can teach what you know, but you will reproduce what you are. - Nicky Gumbel

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We must remember that we don’t find our identity; we receive our identity from God. - Dave Lomas

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Awareness increases as speed decreases. - Pete Wilson

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Leadership functions on the basis of trust. When trust is gone, the leader will soon be. - John Maxwell

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Leaders have to be bold and open when it comes to uncomfortable situations. - Brene’ Brown

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There is no way to look at Jesus and not have humility flood your life. - Kristian Stanfill

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The spotlight will kill you if you haven’t spent time in the darkroom. - Christine Caine

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It is better to be in anonymity and to be marked by God than be in the spotlight and be marketed by man. - Christine Caine

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Listening is central to the development of humility. - Dan Rockwell

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Pride refuses to be taught, humility refuses not to be. - Brian Houston

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Humility is about letting others have a shot, even if we think we have the right answer. - Simon Sinek

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Leaders must begin with the end in mind. - Stephen Covey

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Go out on a limb. That’s where the fruit is. - President Jimmy Carter

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When you’re faced with a problem, try solving it three different ways. - Cass Langton

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The stakes are too high for us to die with small vision. - Louie Giglio

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Do one thing every day that scares you. - Eleanor Roosevelt

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Excellence is not perfection, it’s simply giving God your very best. - Perry Noble

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Surround yourself with people who will challenge you when you’re pushing too hard or too easy. - Jon Acuff

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In a culture where quitting is normal, be crazy enough to stay committed, foolish enough to be faithful, and stupid enough to stick with it. - Robert Made

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It has always been my thought that the most important single ingredient to success in athletics or life is discipline. - Bobby Knight

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You can’t building a reputation on what you’re going to do. - Henry Ford

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However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results. -  Winston Churchill

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Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes. - Peter Drucker

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Always leave a place or person better than you found it. - Propaganda (a rapper)

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Leadership can be one of the most difficult journeys for any person to take.- Simon Sinek

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What are you doing to inspire your team on a daily basis? - Lysa Terkeurst

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If you want to be an expert on something, study it for an hour a day, a few hours a week, over five years. - Lysa Terkeurst

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Let people do what you have asked them to do, but let them do it the way they would like to. - Joel A’bell

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Use what’s in your hand to fulfill what’s in your heart. - Brian Houston

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You can do what I cannot do. I can do what you cannot do. Together we can do great things. - Mother Teresa

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You have to guard the time that you rest and replenish. - Craig Groeschel

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It’s never too early to think about succession. - Jim Daly

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If you claim to be a Christian leader but do not have humility, then you are simply a leader, not a Christian leader. - Jim Daly

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All quotes were from Brad Lomenick's book: H3 Leadership: Be Humble. Stay Hungry. Always Hustle. You can purchase his book here.

H3 Leadership (pt1) by Brad Lomenick

"Leadership is more than hard work; it is habitual work."

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"Leaders can easily forget that people follow them, in large part, because of who they are. So you should own it."

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"Don’t try to be a perfect leader, just work on being an authentic one."

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"The organization’s mission should always be more important than any individual’s personal ambition."

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"Great leaders make everyone around them better."

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"Leaders honor others by showing up early and finishing on time."

"If you’re not learning, you’re not leading to your full potential."

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"Public service requires private submission. Deep roots allow for further reach."

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"Character is like oxygen—it is something we often don’t think about until it is depleted." 

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"What is rewarded gets repeated."

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"People long to be a part of something bigger than themselves."

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"Leaders who don’t communicate their vision are no better than leaders who have no vision to communicate."

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"Every leader should be working toward daily goals and legacy goals."

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"Be faithful with where you are and what you’ve been given."

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"Great leaders are great finishers."

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"Want to build a community? Make collaboration part of your DNA."

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"Sabbath means pausing so that you can connect with God."

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"If you’re hustling but not resting, you need to rework your schedule."

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"Use your platform to help others and put others on it."

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"Habits create sustainable action out of chaotic energy."

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"Talent and ability may help get you to the top, but it takes character and integrity to stay there."

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"Innovation is failing over and over until it works."

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"The more people speak into the process, the more people will respect the product." 

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"If you want your team to be courageous, give them the chance to lead early and often." 

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"I would rather fail at pursuing my calling with courage and passion than succeed at something that doesn’t really matter."

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"Take time to build courage over time by taking risks in everyday and ordinary matters."

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"All leaders can find way to love and appreciate their people and help their people build relationships with each other."

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"A habit of conviction means doing what is right instead of doing what is easy."

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"We impress people through our strengths, but we truly connect with people through our weaknesses and areas of struggle."

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"Excellence is what helps a leader and an organization move from competent to exceptional, from good enough to soaring heights."

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All quotes were from Brad Lomenick in his book: H3 Leadership: Be Humble. Stay Hungry. Always Hustle. You can purchase his book here.

Leaders Who Last (pt2) by David Kraft

"A vision is usually birthed in isolation, but it is most effectively communicated and implemented in community."

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"Character will stand the test of time and hold up when the wind howls and the storm rages around you."

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"Growth means taking calculated risks."

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"Successful people in all walks of life, whether they are artists, inventors, scientists, or executives, never lose the spirit of a learner."

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"The vision needs to be repeated over and over in creative ways by various means and through a variety of people who are committed to it."

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"We must take time from other important and pressing needs to impact the next generation of leaders."

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"The single greatest way to. Impact an organization is to focus on leadership development."

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"Your greatest legacy as a leader is to leave other leaders in your wake that can carry on after you are no longer there."

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"Effort definitely has a place in the Christian experience, but it is a result of salvation, not a means to salvation."

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"Having a biblically based purpose is like a magnet. It motivates, directs, and pulls you around detours and through distractions."

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"Passion will have more of an impact than personality. There is something compelling about leaders who love what they do and do what they love. A leader like this has the power to ignite enthusiasm and dedication in scores of others with whom he has contact."

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"That’s what character is all about: doing what’s right, even if it hurts."

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"Calling has to do with the God of the universe speaking into your life and circumstances, expressing his will…those who are serving in full-time positions of leadership in the church should experience the clear call of God on their life. There is too much at stake to simply fill a slot or assume a responsibility based solely on feeling, desire, or ambition."

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"One reason so many church leaders fail is that their motivation for stepping into a responsibility does not have its source in God, but in self."

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"Everyone is not designed to be a leader any more than everyone is not designed to be a teacher or an administrator."

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All quotes were from David Kraft in his book: Leaders Who Last. You can purchase his book here.

Leaders Who Last (pt1) by David Kraft

"There is nothing as exciting as the local church when it is properly and dynamically led by the right kind of leaders."

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"Sometimes our schedules and egos are writing checks our bodies can’t cash."

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"I am convinced that every leader needs, among resourceful people, at least one person of the same sex to whom she or he may be accountable."

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"Christian leaders have at least four major responsibilities:

• Shepherding—a leader loves and cares for those being led.

• Developing—a leader helps those being led in their personal walk with Jesus Christ to become fully devoted leaders.

• Equipping—a leader trains those being led for ministry.

• Empowering—a leader inspires, encourages, affirms, believes in, and frees people up to serve out of their gifting."

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"I should be concerned with being productive, not simply busy!"

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"The Lord wants all his leaders to be so in love with Him, so excited about His purpose for their lives, that a deep, heartfelt passion results."

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"Make it your priority and goal to pour your life into future leaders!"

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"Leadership begins and ends with a clear understanding of the gospel and being rooted in the grace of Jesus Christ as a free gift."

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"If I don’t create a daily plan that is a reflection of my God-given purpose and direction in life, there are sufficient numbers of people who will create a plan for me."

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"Proper priorities will protect my purpose and passion."

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"One of the worst mistakes you can make as a leader is putting your life on cruise control."

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"Who you are will take you much further than what you can do."

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"It’s the leader’s responsibility to ensure the vision is kept before the people."

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"With a clear word from God, you will have an overwhelming conviction that you can do no other than what he is calling you to do."

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"Quite frankly, I’m tired of reading studies that tell us there is no marked difference between those who profess Christ and those who don’t. There needs to be a difference. There has to be a difference."

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All quotes were from David Kraft in his book: Leaders Who Last. You can purchase his book here.

Measure Of Success (pt3) By Shawn Lovejoy

"We must stop chasing models and start chasing Jesus again!"

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"Zeal is simply not enough to carry us through ministry and leadership. We must be fully equipped to shepherd God’s people."

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"Jesus didn’t say, 'Go and grow large.' He said, 'Go and make disciples.'"

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"Filling our auditoriums is good; filling heaven is better."

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"The church is first and foremost a group of people whom Jesus loves."

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"God gave us a certain amount of talent, and he only holds us accountable for the gifts we have."

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"Too many of us are trying to fulfill someone else’s ministry. Because of this there are too many cookie-cutter pastors, churches, and ministries and not enough pastors fulfilling their unique callings."

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"You and I have to radically alter our schedules so we can spend time taking in the vision God has for us and our ministries."

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"When you get right down to it, resting is a faith issue."

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"We must stop pursuing the Great Commission at the expense of the Great Commandment."

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"If we want to lead our team effectively, we must spend time with and demonstrate care for our team!"

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"Determine what you expect of your team, and then make it clear. Say it. Write it down. Schedule team member reviews as often as necessary. Hold everyone accountable to meeting the expectations."

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"If we really believed that Jesus was the hope of the world, we as pastors would spend more time with him."

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"Our success in ministry will largely rise and fall based on our team."

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"When you are convinced of your direction, you won’t quit when the low times roll in."

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All quotes are from Shawn Lovejoy in his book: The Measure of Our Success: An Impassioned Plea to Pastors. You can purchase his book here.