Information and Insight alone do not make a leader. What makes me into a leader is how I respond to
- Unexpected Opportunity
- Unavoidable Adversity
- Undeniable Calling
The leader is not the first to SEE an opportunity. They’re the first to ACT.
My response needs to be a story worth telling. The younger you are, the more important this is. But less significant this feels. Be careful!
Andy illustrated his thesis through several autobiographical stories:
The Life Mantra
Andy’s dad repeatedly spoke and prayed Psalm 32:8 over him as a child.
The LORD says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.”
— Psalm 32:8 (NLT)
He would tell Andy over and over:
God has a plan for you, and you don’t want to miss it.
This stuck with Andy so thoroughly that as a junior in high school, when he tried his hand at prayer journaling, it was his first prayer. Andy’s dad’s prayers over him had penetrated into his spiritual DNA.
The Lesson: The greatest thing you do as a leader may not be what you do, but who watches you do what you do. Actions not only speak louder than words, they echo into the next generation.
The High School Bible Study
Just after Andy started college, the new youth pastor at his church asked him to lead a high school bible study. Andy had no idea what to do, but in preparing for those studies, he began to lay the foundation for his unique and influential one-point communication style.
The Lessons:
1. Influence is more important than title or position.
2. God may choose to make you through an unexpected opportunity for which you feel totally unprepared.
The Gay Pride Parade
Early in his career, Andy faced unavoidable adversity: the Gay community in Atlanta chose to time their Pride Parade to coincide with the end of their morning worship gathering. In dealing with that tension, Andy learned
The Lesson: It’s better to make a difference than to make a point.
I have no idea what hangs in the balance in my response to leadership moments.