It’s my great passion to continue to grow…to be more like Christ, to be a better husband and dad, to be a better pastor; which means being a better leader, teacher, and vision-caster. I experienced a lot of personal growth this past year, but I know I still have a long way to go!
To help myself grow, I soak up everything I can on leadership…reading books, blogs, and magazines on the subject; and I go to some great conferences each year that really feed me. As a pastor, I don’t get to sit in church each week and worship and be fed, so I have to crave personal growth on my own. These are some resources that help me.
Last week I posted on some experiences I had in 2006. In response, my Executive Assistant Kathleen (who’s so much more than an assistant, but that’s the title we came up with) emailed me some points of growth she’s seen in me this past year. Now, you need to know, I respect her opinion greatly, so it meant a lot that she noticed growth in me that I hadn’t perceived. So, here’s what she sent me…
Some things you missed in your 2006 reflections:
- You’re a better listener
- You’re more willing to let go of results, giving people room to fail (huge but necessary risk), and succeed.
- You’ve begun to think in bigger global terms (so vital for a leader, but not as much fun sometimes as the nitty gritty of the day-to-day).
- You’re setting/communicating a higher standard for others, challenging them to stand taller (which ultimately garners contentment for them, and great glory for the Lord)
- You look & speak more like a leader (Lori’ also).
- You are humble in important ways, especially when seeking wisdom from others.
