Archives For Lifelong Learning

Multiplying Your Growth

September 15, 2012 — Leave a comment

The concept of multiplication isn’t new, especially in the world of leadership. While it may not happen as often as it should, most leaders understand that unless they move beyond the addition of workers to the multiplication of leaders, they will never maximize their potential, or the potential of the organization, ministry, or department they lead.

The same principle holds true with personal growth. You can grow yourself and even impact others, but multiplication is an entirely different level. In the same way a rock tossed in a pond creates a series of ripples, the Multiplying Level of personal growth initiates an enduring process of personal growth ripples. Those ripples form when you help somebody grow, and then they turn around and invest in the growth of others. At this level, personal growth revolutions spread and even have the potential to go viral.

My grandmother—Violet Morley—recently passed away at the age of 92. She wasn’t popular or famous or rich. You won’t find her name in the history books of earth. But you can be sure that her name is remembered in the halls of eternity. She was a deeply spiritual woman with an unwavering commitment to prayer.

I’m convinced that Grandma’s name was known in heaven and in hell—heaven because she spoke to Jesus daily, and hell because she fought the enemy fearlessly. She once told me, “We have to do many different things, but prayer is the main thing.”

On the day that she died, my mom told me that grandma’s life was like a ripple—an enduring set of prayer ripples. Those ripples were felt in countless lives as one friend and family member after another surrendered their lives to Christ. At her funeral, letters were read and messages were shared by people who grandma “prayed into the Kingdom.” On three separate occasions, those in attendance stood to their feet in applause of this tiny, insignificant lady who had a Mount Everest sized prayer life.

When I reflect on her prayer journey, I realize that she didn’t take the journey alone. She mentored others in prayer, and she passed her prayer habit on to future generations. Prayer was more than a personal habit. It was a multiplied habit. She might have been a little lady, but she grew and multiplied a contagious prayer life…in her, around her, and beyond her.

A great biblical example of the highest level of growth is found in the book of 1 Thessalonians. Paul, Silas, and Timothy express gratefulness in their letter to the church in the city of Thessalonica. After an initial greeting, they write:

For we know, brothers loved by God, that He has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. (1 Thessalonians 1:4-8)

I want you to see the personal growth ripples in this passage. It started with Paul, Silas, and Timothy when they said, “You know how we lived among you for your sake.” They began by living their growth. What they learned and thought transformed how they lived. Out of the overflow of personal transformation, they intentionally impacted the Thessalonians—“You became imitators of us and of the Lord…”

But the growth didn’t stop there. Multiplication kicked in: “And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere.”

What the Thessalonians received from Paul, Silas, and Timothy’s growth was more than an inspiring model that impacted how they lived. They were empowered to multiply that transforming work in the people around them. These men didn’t keep their growth a secret. Nor did the Thessalonians let the growth ripple end with them. They chose to invest in the believers in Macedonia and Achaia who then, invested in people “everywhere.” That’s exponential growth. That’s the power of multiplication. Paul, Silas, and Timothy’s personal growth started a growth revolution in people they never even met.

Question: What would have to happen for you to begin multiplying your growth through others?

This post was adapted from my book, GO! Starting a Personal Growth Revolution. You can order a copy in my store here or on Amazon or Kindle. GO! is also available from Barnes & Noble. For bulk orders, email me here.
In Leadership, Personal Growth Growth, Leadership, leadership development, Lifelong Learning, Multiplication, Personal Growth, Prayer
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How to Inspire Growth in Others

September 14, 2012 — Leave a comment

One of the most powerful, yet most underestimated, ways to inspire growth in others is through equipping relationships. Equipping relationships are any kind of growth-focused relationship such as coaching, mentoring, discipling, or small groups. These relationships help people close their growth gaps by equipping them with the knowledge and skills they need to maximize their potential. In the same way that equipping relationships were likely an essential part of your personal growth, you can also be an equipper for others.

Take coaching for example. Before you completely check out and dismiss yourself as “non-coach material” let me explain.

A coach is someone who provides assessment, insight, and motivation.

Now think about those three things as they relate to one of your close friendships. Have you ever helped a friend gain perspective by asking them a few clarity-boosting questions—questions that helped them cut through the fog surrounding their situation and think more clearly? If so, you’ve provided assessment.

After listening and helping them gain some perspective, did you ask your friend a few more questions that helped them come up with a solution to their problem or even led to an “aha” moment in their life? If so, then you’ve stimulated insight. And when things got tough for your friend, did you come along side them with an encouraging word that affirmed your belief in them? If so, then you’ve provided motivation. Essentially, you took A.I.M. at their potential and carried out the three functions of a coach: Assessment, Insight, and Motivation.

So why couldn’t you do that same thing for people around you who want to grow and need your help? That doesn’t mean you’re the “expert” life coach with the answers to all of life’s problems. I like to coach people, but I’ll also readily admit in which areas I have no business coaching people. I have the greatest coaching equity in my areas of strength…and so do you. Look for two or three areas in your life where you have passion and where you’ve honed your skills and acquired valuable experience. Then ask yourself, “How can I use this mix of strengths as a springboard to equip—or invest in—somebody else?”

When you’re intentional about growing yourself and building trust with people, opportunities will emerge to equip others. It might be over lunch with a co-worker, in an annual review with an employee, in a small group with other Christ followers, or through a meaningful connection with your children. In a world where growth-focused encouragement is a rare commodity, most people are more than willing to receive some extra confidence-building support from somebody who cares.

As you gain experience, why not make the role of an equipper part of your own growth plan. Identify a book or two that will help you understand how to invest in people or equip them to succeed. You might even participate in a leadership workshop, or if you’re really aggressive, look for a coaching certification program. Then, as you ratchet up your skills, seek out more intensive equipping relationship. For example:

  • Employees – Meet once a month with a new employee to discuss sticking points, help them get adjusted, or to coach them in their new role.
  • Volunteers – Meet with a volunteer (in the church or community) to help them refine their skills, learn their role, or assume greater responsibility.
  • New Followers of Christ – Meet a new believer once a week for prayer, Bible study, and accountability.
  • Students – Mentor a student in a new skill or help a college senior put together a resume.
  • Small Groups – Form a small group and focus on personal growth in a shared area of interest.

Entrepreneur and author Regi Campbell took the opportunity seriously to inspire growth in others. As a young Christian, Regi and his wife volunteered to lead a singles ministry in their church. It grew rapidly, and before long Regi was consumed with meetings as he invested in single men who were looking for practical advice. Feeling exhausted and wearing himself ragged, Regi heard Tim Elmore, an author and speaker committed to investing in young leaders, make this statement: “More time with fewer people equals greater kingdom impact.” That phrase started a journey for Regi that culminated in what he calls Next Generation Mentoring.

Since 2000, Regi has strategically invited a group of eight young business executives to join him at his home for a mentoring experience. The group meets once per month for twelve months and is committed to reading books, sharing their takeaways, memorizing Scriptures, praying together, and holding one another accountable. His mentoring process isn’t rocket science. It’s simply a clear strategy Regi has developed to leverage his personal growth to impact younger leaders.

In 2009, Regi published his ideas in a book titled, Mentor Like Jesus. He records the names of each of his mentees in his book and then he makes this observation:

In the past eight years, I’ve intentionally mentored sixty-four guys. Most report that they have a deeper, more meaningful walk with Jesus than they did before the next generation mentoring experience. They are disciples…learners and followers of Jesus. To my knowledge none have fallen away. All are still married. All are involved in a church. All are attempting to raise their kids in the faith. And from what I can tell, they are, to varying degrees, walking with God. (Mentor Like Jesus, 2009, p. 12)

These sixty-four men have grown as a result of Regi’s influence. He simply took his knowledge in the areas where he has grown the most, and intentionally invested it into a group of guys whom he was best equipped to help. He saw their potential, understood their needs, and knew what kind of deposit he could withdraw and invest into their lives. As a result, he’s helped start a personal growth revolution in 64 men.

You can do the same thing Regi did. Maybe it won’t be a mentoring group, but you can take the areas where you’ve grown the most and use them to impact somebody else. Each one of us has influence—even if only with a small handful of people. You might influence your family, a small group of friends, or even an entire division in your company. The question isn’t “how many” but “how intentionally.” How intentionally are you helping others grow? Are you using your influence to deliberately unlock peoples’ potential? When you do, you’ll experience the power of the Impacting Level.

Question: What step can you take to begin inspiring growth in others this week?

This post was adapted from my book, GO! Starting a Personal Growth Revolution. You can order a copy in my store here or on Amazon or Kindle. GO! is also available from Barnes & Noble. For bulk orders, email me here.

 

In Personal Growth Coaching, Equipping, Growth, Learning, Lifelong Learning, Mentoring, Personal Growth
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How to Turn Personal Application into Personal Transformation

September 13, 2012 — Leave a comment

Your life is the result of your “inside decisions.” Inside decisions define your habits—whether good or bad. What happens on the inside manifests itself by your habits on the outside. In Colossians 1:9, the Apostle Paul writes,

“…we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.”

This verse reveals a natural progression in the growth process: It begins first with knowledge, then moves toward spiritual wisdom and understanding.

The word Paul used for knowledge is epignōsis (eh-PIG-noh-sis). Author and professor Dr. William Yount (1996) describes epignōsis as “a knowledge that reaches out and grasps its object and is in turn grasped by its object.” What you learn becomes more than knowledge—it changes how you live. You grasp the knowledge, and the knowledge grasps you. It forms a new habit. Yount further observes,

“Epignōsis moves beyond mere head knowledge to what we might call ‘heart’ knowledge: a knowledge that affects the way we live. To be filled with the epignōsis of His will means to take hold of God’s Word, and allow God’s Word to take hold of us.” 

As this knowledge becomes understanding, it finds application—what Jesus calls “wisdom.” He says in Matthew 7:24, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” (emphasis mine). Learning allows you to gain knowledge. Thinking allows you to understand that knowledge. Living is where you finally see it translated into wisdom—through application.

When you decide to apply what you’ve been learning, you walk right into new habits. You begin actually doing what you’ve been learning and thinking about. You leap from possibles to actuals. A debate rages inside you at the Thinking Level of personal growth? The Living Level silences it once and for all. The rubber meets the road. You’re committed. President John F. Kennedy once said:

“There are risks and costs to a program of action. But they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction.”

You just passed the last exit for comfortable inaction. The risks of action are straight ahead.

When you adopt a new habit, there is evidence of a transformed life. Everything’s actually happening. You’re doing more than accumulating knowledge; now you’re applying its lessons to your everyday life. The things you decide aren’t just idealistic; they’re realistic. You’re practicing, implementing, and completely applying. Your knowing has become your growing. You’re no longer pointing to how you want to grow; now you’re pointing to the evidence that you are growing. Your learning feeds new habits (habits of the head, hands, and heart), which demonstrate a transformed life.

Personal transformation is difficult. Human beings resist change, and the process of forming new habits isn’t easy. And while we work hard to form new habits of the head (how we think) and new habits of the hands (what we do), changing habits of the heart is entirely different.

Your heart represents the very core of who you are, which is why it’s the hardest thing to change in your life. The best way—in fact, the only way—to reach true, honest, heart transformation is to allow the Spirit of Christ to do the transforming. If you try to just “do” the right behaviors without God’s Spirit changing you on the inside, you’ll find yourself with little more than two legalistic lists: Do’s and Don’ts. Don’t do that to yourself.

Your Work (the discipline) x God’s Work (the transformation) = Exponential Life Change

The writer of Hebrews chastised the Hebrew Christians for being “slow to learn.” (Hebrews 5:11) He wasn’t criticizing their mental abilities. It was their spiritual laziness that was the problem. They were resisting the path to maturity by staying on “milk” instead of moving up to “solid food.” Hebrews 5:14 says, “But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” To get that maturity, you have to fully trust Christ and practice personal application through disciplined intentionality.

Notice that both “constant use” and “training yourself” are required. In fact, Jesus said,

“If you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards” (Matthew 7:26–27, MSG).

Did you catch that? You have to “work” God’s word into your life. New habits don’t form by themselves. Learning without applying what you have learned is just plain laziness. Lazy Learning = Lukewarm Living.

We must do what we can do (the discipline), and let God do what only He can do (the transformation). The Apostle Paul described God’s transforming work when he challenged the church at Ephesus to abandon their old way of life, inviting them instead to “take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you.”

What an amazing picture. Take a moment to imagine what it might look like for God to “reproduce his character in you.” No matter how much you have your act together, you’ll never be able to take the place of God. Reproducing His character inside of us is God’s job, not yours or mine. Our job is simply to trust Him and cooperate with His Spirit.

If you consider yourself a follower of Christ, but you’re not willing to allow Him to transform you, then you’re what Craig Groeschel calls a “Christian atheist”: you believe in God, but you live as if He doesn’t exist. And if you’ve never surrendered your heart to Christ, are you willing to take that step? Are you willing to say “yes” to the transforming work of the Holy Spirit when He comes to live inside of you? A fully devoted “yes” to Christ’s transforming work will turn your personal growth efforts into a powerful makeover of the soul.

Question: What needs to happen to move beyond good intentions and actually see transformation take place in your life?

This post was adapted from my book, GO! Starting a Personal Growth Revolution. You can order a copy in my store here or on Amazon or Kindle. GO! is also available from Barnes & Noble. For bulk orders, email me here.

 

In Personal Growth Application, Growth, Learning, Lifelong Learning, Personal Growth, Transformation
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Becoming a Lifelong Learning

September 11, 2012 — Leave a comment

When I was in high school I made the wrong choice—I only learned when I had to, and just enough to get by. The only thing I went out of my way to learn was shortcuts. I didn’t cheat, but I also didn’t apply myself. I was typically content with Bs and Cs (even the occasional D or F). I rarely put in the time or effort to do better. One reason was that I hated reading. It didn’t matter what kind of reading—novel, history book, short story—reading was not my thing. Unlike my wife, who grew up with a steady diet of books, I restricted my reading to TV Guide. Reading drained me. And most of what I read was boring.

College could have opened my eyes to reading, but no way I was going to let that happen. Throughout most of college, I only cracked half of my textbooks. (Nothing like spending dad’s money to buy books you never read.) It wasn’t that I couldn’t read—I just didn’t like to. Turns out, I wasn’t alone. Only 45% of Americans over the age of 13 read a book in the course of a year.

After graduating college with all the answers, it took me a couple of years to realize just how little I actually knew. In fact, those first two years of ministry were…how should I say this?…an experiment in stupidity. I alienated people, made dumb decisions, had a negative attitude, and was extremely naïve. Once my pastor tried to buy me a book on attitude. Ironically, I was offended. As if all those things weren’t enough, I once burned a hole in a church pew with a flash pot gone bad—less than 12 months after we had just remodeled the auditorium. Forrest Gump’s famous words encapsulated my life: “Stupid is as stupid does.”

When I finally realized how well prepared I was for irrelevance, that newfound humility forced me into a learning mode. I had come face-to-face with my growth gaps, and humility was the only road to change.

In the years that followed—mostly out of necessity—I developed a habit of reading. At first it was slow and inconsistent. I’d pick up a book here or there and occasionally read a magazine article. I can still remember reading John Maxwell’s early leadership book, Developing the Leader Within You, and thinking, “This is the best leadership book I’ve ever read.” Suddenly it occurred to me: “This is the only leadership book I’ve ever read.”

But that book, along with others, was a spark that ignited personal growth in my professional life. A subtle, but powerful, revolution had begun. I made a decision to grow. I took to heart the words of Mark Twain: “The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them.” And I discovered a simple truth—with every page I read, my appetite for personal growth grew.

Today I’m an avid reader, but more importantly, I’m a lifelong learner. I made a decision to let my missional potential drive my learning, and then I followed that decision with one baby growth step after another. What about you? Would the people who know you well describe you with the phrase “lifelong learner”? If not, that can change. But you have to make a decision to grow.

As simple as it sounds, many people never make that decision. It won’t happen if you just wait for life and your circumstances to demand that you grow—like I did when I started in ministry. Mediocrity is tempting, because it’s easy to just take a seat in someone else’s ride and let your potential lie dormant inside of you. But if you choose to cruise through life in the passenger seat, learning only when you have to, then your growth won’t be on your terms. To truly grow into your potential, you have to decide to pick out your own car and head out onto the open road. That’s where the action is.

The true test of whether your decision sticks will be the behavior that follows it. But you won’t start until you first make a clear-cut, uncompromised decision. Revolutions start with “Go!” Your life today is the sum total of all your decisions. That means that your decision about personal growth today will greatly determine your life tomorrow.

Don’t take this decision lightly. And once you’ve made it, you’ll still have to manage it daily. Growth is a posture, not just a phase you go through. A phase lasts for a season and then it’s over. But a posture is an attitude. Your decision to grow is more than a single act of growth—it’s a frame of mind and a lifestyle of continual improvement.

So, let me ask you one more time—have you made that choice? Have you decided to become a lifelong learner, to set aside the “easy” life of mediocrity and grow to your full missional potential? If you haven’t, stop right now and make your choice. Don’t just flirt with the decision—marry it!

Question: Have you made the decision to be a lifelong learner?

This post was adapted from my book, GO! Starting a Personal Growth Revolution. You can order a copy in my store here or on Amazon or Kindle. GO! is also available from Barnes & Noble. For bulk orders, email me here.

In Personal Growth Growth, Learning, Lifelong Learning, Personal Growth
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The Role of Humility in Personal Growth

September 10, 2012 — 1 Comment

All personal growth requires humility. Without humility, pride takes the wheel and aims for the ditch. History is littered with the pages of brilliant and talented men and women who were ultimately destroyed by their own pride.

Humility reveals our humanity. Let that idea really take hold in your mind. Humility reveals your humanity by keeping your failures and your successes in proper perspective to each other. Humility makes you teachable, a constant reminder of how much you need lifelong learning.

Abraham Lincoln, an avid reader and voracious learner, understood the importance of humility. When some editors were preparing a directory of congressmen, they asked Lincoln to submit his biography. He humbly wrote, “Education defective.” He was keenly aware that even though he had closed many of his personal growth gaps, humility was still the key to all future learning.

When we lack humility, our pride builds our knowledge into monuments of our own greatness. Although we can’t see it at the time, those monuments are actually barriers and roadblocks to our future learning. Humility, on the other hand, is like the gatekeeper to growth—and its gates are always open. If we begin to value what we’ve already learned over what we have yet to learn, those gates slam shut, sealed tight with the padlock of pride. Your current knowledge cannot be the permanent watermark for your future. Past learning does not guarantee future growth.

In the Beatitudes, Jesus was crystal clear about the importance of humility. Matthew 5 begins, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”(Matthew 5:3) Professor and author Bruce Winston (2002) observes:

“‘Poor in spirit’ is a state of being opposite of ‘rich in pride.’”

Winston says that we should not view ourselves as a full cup—something that cannot receive more—but rather as an empty cup, always willing to learn more from others. Humility reminds us just how empty our cup really is. Humility helps us remember that what filled our cup yesterday won’t continue to fill our cup today.

Humility calls us to increasingly depend on God, acknowledging that His infinite wisdom far surpasses our finite minds. Proverbs 1:7 captures it best:

“Start with God—the first step in learning is bowing down to God; only fools thumb their noses at such wisdom and learning” (MSG).

Bowing implies submission, respect, honor, reverence, and humility. Without this lifelong learning posture of the heart, we’ll enthrone our knowledge as an idol and turn God into our footstool. Humble yourself! Doing so will give you the attitude you need to grow for a lifetime and ultimately close your growth gaps. Is your posture bent toward humility? Or are you drowning in the glory of your own press release?

What’s the easiest way to cultivate humility? It’s simple: shut up! Seriously. We all like to talk about ourselves. The problem is, so does the person we’re talking to. When you put a verbal zip tie on your mouth, it might surprise you how much more people will enjoy hanging out with you.

Question: How does humility shape your personal growth journey?

This post was adapted from my book, GO! Starting a Personal Growth Revolution. You can order a copy in my store here or on Amazon or Kindle. GO! is also available from Barnes & Noble. For bulk orders, email me here.

 

In Personal Growth Growth, Humility, Learning, Lifelong Learning, Personal Growth
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How to Face Your Growth Gaps

September 9, 2012 — Leave a comment

All of us have growth gaps. My friend Steve Moore refers to these gaps as our “capacity challenge.” The capacity challenge is the gap between the person you are today and the person you must become to reach your dreams. The following diagram best illustrates your ultimate God-given capacity, how much of your potential is being reached, and the remaining gap between the two.

Growth Gap

Capacity defines what a person can contain. It is the total of your God-given potential. In the same way a milk carton has the capacity to hold a gallon of milk, God created every one of us with a specific capacity. In some areas of life, your capacity is like a gallon, in others it’s like a quart, and in still others it’s like a pint. Put simply, your strengths are greater in some areas than others.

The more you understand your greatest strengths (how God uniquely designed you), the more you will understand where you have the largest capacity for personal growth.

Let me give you some personal examples. My capacity for leadership is greater than my capacity for basketball. My capacity for teaching is far greater than my capacity for music. My capacity for writing exceeds my capacity for counseling. No matter how hard I work to grow the low-capacity areas of my life, my performance in these areas will only marginally improve. In areas of weakness, I am limited by a very low capacity ceiling. It’s not a matter of effort or desire. It’s completely a matter of capacity.

If I acquired leadership coaching, my leadership abilities could grow by say, 20 percent. However, no matter how many basketball camps I diligently participate in, I will never excel on the basketball court. Simply stated, my capacity for growth in leadership, teaching, and writing will always outperform my capacity for basketball, music, and counseling. The same is true for you:

The gifts and passions God builds in to you define the areas where you have the greatest capacity and aptitude for growth.

Your growth gap is like the half-full cup in the diagram above. The size of your gap is felt the most when you understand your present state…that is, how much of your potential you’re currently reaching. The cup might have the capacity to hold twelve ounces, but your present state may show you reaching only 40 percent of your potential. This is a crucial point to understand: just because your life has capacity for growth doesn’t mean it will automatically be filled to capacity.

Many people go through life with the capacity to do far more than they’re currently even trying. They’re only realizing half of their potential because they haven’t developed the other half. Only by developing ALL of our potential can we reach our full God-given capacity and, ultimately, fulfill the mission He created us for. When you grow consistently, you’re closing the gap between being half-full and being filled to the brim.

The gap is a reality in all of our lives. Nobody is immune to the gap, but how people respond to it is as diverse as the gap itself.

Some people don’t even recognize that a gap exists. They struggle with nearsightedness, walking obliviously past every opportunity to grow. Others acknowledge the gap in some areas of their life but ignore it in others. They grow cafeteria style, thinking, “I’ll take a little bit of this and a little bit of that.” Still, others take their growth gaps seriously, choosing to grow on purpose in strategic areas of their life.

Think about the faces of the growth gap in your own world. Why can some of your business friends grow thriving companies…and others can’t? How come some of your kids’ teachers create powerful learning moments in their classrooms while others do nothing more than count the minutes until the next bell rings? Why do some pastors break growth barriers while others remain trapped under a lid? Believe it or not, it’s not about desire—it’s all about reaching God-given capacity. The individuals who consistently achieve superior outcomes choose to close the gap between who they are and who they must become. In other words, they face their personal growth gaps head-on and pay the price to close them.

Questions: What are the growth gaps you’re facing right now? What is one step you could take to positively respond to your gaps?

This post was adapted from my book, GO! Starting a Personal Growth Revolution. You can order a copy in my store here or on Amazon or Kindle. GO! is also available from Barnes & Noble. For bulk orders, email me here.

 

In Personal Growth Growth, Learning, Lifelong Learning, Personal Growth, Potential
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GO! Starting a Personal Growth Revolution

July 16, 2012 — Leave a comment

GO!

My New Book is Coming in August

I cannot tell you how excited I am about the upcoming release of my new book, GO! Starting a Personal Growth Revolution. Writing is both a calling and a passion for me, and the message in this book has been cooking inside of me for well over twelve years. I’m so glad to finally share it with you.

So What’s the Message?

Do you feel stuck? Is your personal growth on pause? Is the gap growing larger between where you are and where you want to be? Do you want to help others grow but you don’t know where to start? My new book equips you to unlock your personal growth and inspire a growth revolution in others.

Whether you’re just starting your growth journey, you’re a lifelong learner with an unquenchable appetite for growth, or you’re somewhere in between, GO! will help you to:

  • Identify and close the gap between you and your dreams
  • Access the three on-ramps to personal growth
  • Create a customized personal growth TRAC
  • Experience the power of the five levels of personal growth
  • Embrace the five GO! Practices that take personal growth to an entirely new level
  • Leverage your personality type to grow to your full potential
  • Make intentional investments in others by using six growth deposits

GO! will not only challenge you to grow yourself and the people you influence, but it will also equip you with the tools to turn growth potential into reality. Whether you’re a pastor, coach, teacher, leader, HR professional, student, or you simply want to take your personal growth to a new level, GO! is your roadmap to get there.

What Others Are Saying About GO!

“Some books are written to inform, and others to inspire, still others to motivate you to action. In GO! Starting a Personal Growth Revolution author Stephen Blandino does all three. You will learn, grow and move forward. The concepts are real-life and the strategies, if followed, will actualize your full capacity potential.”

- DR. SAMUEL R. CHAND, Leadership Coach, Consultant, and Author of Cracking Your Church’s Culture Code

“Anybody who wants to become all that God wants them to be has to read GO! Stephen hits the nail on the head on how we develop personally so that we can maximize our God given potential!”

- HERBERT COOPER, Lead Pastor, People’s Church, Oklahoma City

“In business I’m always looking for a competitive edge, and in GO! Starting a Personal Growth Revolution Stephen Blandino gives you that edge. Through the five levels of personal growth you create a pathway for personal growth both for yourself and the people you lead. This book is one you’ll actually implement the wisdom it contains.”

- BILL BARNETT, Nationally Syndicated Radio Host and the Best Selling Author of Are You DUMB Enough to be RICH?

I hope you’ll pick up a copy of GO! upon its upcoming release. If you want to get the latest news on my new book, sign up in the top right margin to get email updates.

 

In Church, Culture, Leadership, Miscellaneous, Organizations, Personal Growth, Uncategorized Growth, Leadership, Learning, Lifelong Learning, Personal Growth
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10 Words of Wisdom to Young Leaders

February 29, 2012 — 4 Comments

Young leaders are full of energy, vision, passion, and faith. Identifying emerging leaders is essential to building good teams, and established leaders play an instrumental role in their growth and development. After 20 years of leading, here are a few tips I’d like to share with young leaders…things I wish somebody had shared with me. And if you work with young leaders, consider how you can help them grasp these ideas.

1. Put Character at the Top of Your List - Most young leaders want to prove themselves. It’s a natural reaction because you’re trying to get people to take you seriously…which tends to happen when you have a solid track record. But be careful not to sacrifice your character on the altar of achievement. Ruth Barton once said, “We set young leaders up for a fall if we encourage them to envision what they can do before they consider the kind of person they should be.” What kind of person do you want to be? Work hard to cultivate character so that what you do doesn’t outpace who you are.

2. Make Listening Your Default Response in Meetings - As a young leader who wants to be taken seriously, you may feel a temptation to continually voice your opinion. However, it’s important to realize that when you give voice to your opinions, credibility hangs in the balance. Remember the words of Jonathan Swift: “It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.” Ask yourself, “Is what I’m about to say helpful, respectful, and beneficial?” Helpful is “what” you’re going to say; respectful is “how” you’re going to say it; beneficial is “who” will benefit from it. As Jim Collins says, “What’s your questions to answers ratio, and how you can you double it in the next year?” Learn to ask more questions rather than declaring all of your answers.

3. Develop the Master Skill - Authors Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner once wrote, “Learning is the master skill. When you fully engage in learning–when you throw yourself whole-heartedly into experimenting, reflecting, reading, or getting coaching–you are going to experience the thrill of improvement and the taste of success. More is more when it comes to learning.” You may have graduated from school, but never graduate from learning. Being a lifelong learner is what empowers your relevance for the rest of your life. Eric Hoffer captured it best when he said, “In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.” Don’t be equipped for irrelevance…keep learning.

4. Sharpen Your Self-Awareness - All of us are trying to figure out who we are when we’re young. That’s a natural part of the growth journey. What’s sad is when people get older and yet still lack the awareness of who God made them to be. Increasing your self-awareness while you’re young allows “life purpose decisions” to compound over time. In other words, the more you understand how God wired you, the better decisions you’ll make about the direction you choose for your life. Good self-awareness always leads to better decisions about jobs, priorities, and time management. To increase your self-awareness clarify your strengths, discover your passions, and reflect on your dreams.

5. Seek Out Coaches - Coaching is possibly the most important strategy to help you grow. Seeking out coaches and mentors will push you light years ahead of where you would be if you travelled alone. As Andy Stanley says, coaching helps you go further, faster. Good coaches take A.I.M. at your potential and help you close the gaps between who you are and who you have the potential to become.

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In Leadership, Personal Growth Character, Leadership, Lifelong Learning, Personal Growth, Self-Awareness, Wisdom, Young Leaders
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2 Lessons to Help You Grow in Wisdom

August 29, 2011 — Leave a comment

In a recent post, I said that wisdom is a Leader’s #1 prayer as illustrated by Solomon’s response to God’s question, “What can I give you?” Job 32 gives a bit more insight on wisdom. This passage actually shows us the source of wisdom and a common misperception about wisdom. After listening patiently to Job and his three friends, Young Elihu, frustrated by their responses, concluded two things:

  • God’s Spirit is the Source of Wisdom - No matter how smart man might be or how logical his thinking might sound, true wisdom comes from the Spirit of God. He is the source of wisdom. Elihu said it like this: “…it’s God’s Spirit in a person, the breath of the Almighty One, that makes wise human insight possible.”
  • Old Age Does Not Guarantee Wisdom - This is an all too common misperception. Wisdom is not the automatic by-product of old age. Age often comes alone. Elihu observed, “The experts have no corner on wisdom; getting old doesn’t guarantee good sense.”
Elihu’s observations provide two important lessons if you want to grow in wisdom. First, reliance on God’s Spirit makes wisdom possible. Second, wisdom requires a lifelong learning posture. Interestingly, at the heart of both lessons is humility. How so? The first lesson reminds us that wisdom comes from outside of ourselves. And the second lesson reminds us that we don’t know it all…and never will.
Question: What other lessons have you gleaned to help you grow in wisdom?
In Personal Growth Lifelong Learning, Personal Growth, Wisdom
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Avoiding the Hell of Wasted Potential

August 24, 2011 — 3 Comments

We hear the phrase all the time: “Reach your full potential.” Potential is an interesting thing. None of us really know what our full potential is. In fact, it’s probably impossible to know your full potential from where you stand today. Potential is always unclear when you’re looking forward. But potential is crystal clear when you look backward. It’s easy to point out the gaps where our potential was wasted, sabotaged, or ignored. That’s usually where we experience the most regret. Pulitzer prize winning composer Gian Carlo Menotti captured it best when he said:

Hell begins on that day when God grants us a clear vision of all that we might have achieved, of all the gifts we wasted, of all that we might have done that we did not do.

So that raises a question: If it’s impossible to fully know your potential looking forward, how do you avoid the hell of wasted potential when looking backward? I believe it really boils down to one essential practice: Personal Growth. It’s your unwavering commitment to lifelong learning and personal growth that helps you catch glimpses of your potential. What you once thought was impossible seems possible when you continually grow. It’s your daily growth that reveals your daily potential. It’s your disciplined growth that exposes your mind to new paradigms, best practices, and opportunities to maximize who God created you to be.

So while you may not know your full potential, I believe your potential becomes clearer each day when you choose to grow. Personal growth is the ingredient that closes the gap between the current you and the you of the future.

Questions: What new aspect of your potential have you reached in the last 12 months as a result of your commitment to personal growth? Who do you want to be in the next 12 months? How must you grow to close that gap?

 

In Personal Growth Lifelong Learning, Personal Growth, Potential
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