Several years ago, a friend of mine who owned a small insurance agency decided to sell his business, and go to work for a large firm in the same industry. He didn’t want the headaches of ownership anymore, and wanted someone else to worry about payrolls and running the business. However, as he was very successful in his own company, people thought my friend was crazy. His colleagues and consultants told him, “It’s not broken, don’t fix it”; “You’ll never make the income you did when you were on your own”; “Why would you give up the freedom after you’ve made it work for you?” and “You’re going backwards.”

My friend listened to all the advice, but went ahead with the move. He had done his homework, and had picked a company to work for that was poised to do very well. All it needed was a person with his talents and abilities. Now he is earning as an employee somewhere around ten times as much as what he was making in his own shop. He gets all the freedom he wants from the company. Today people tell him that he wasn’t crazy, but a genius, for making his decision.

The choice of owning a business or being an employee is not a good or bad one. Different situations fit different people. But the point here is that my friend saw some factors beyond the horizon, and reaped the harvest from them. And here is the point for every leader, whether in business, ministry or a volunteer capacity: stay ahead of the curve of current thinking. In other words, don’t be afraid to be seen as a little crazy. That’s how new ideas and programs are born.

This is one of the essential kernels of leadership. You have a vision inside you, some idea or dream or desire that you believe God has placed in your head. It didn’t come from a group voting for you, or telling you that you’re a leader, or someone telling you what your dream is. It came from you, your heart, and God.

In that way, leadership is about bringing what is inside and invisible, to the visible world. You see a need for small groups in your church. You sign up to make it happen. In a few months, there are groups, facilitators, a curriculum, and lives are changed. Or you have an idea for a product. You sell venture capitalists on the vision, and in time, the product is researched, created and put on the market. But the root of leadership is that where there was little or nothing, you make a way to create something good.

We all are tempted to follow the new trends that are now successful, and what the Amazon bestseller book tells us. And this is very helpful and useful information. But the leader who wants to bear the most fruit is looking beyond that bestseller, and thinking, What is the next trend? What is the next need? Where is the internet taking us? What about globalization? What is going on in the culture and family structure that I can use to help my church?

Most of the great successes of our time had moments when no one understood what they were doing. The Jewish leader Nehemiah had a dream to rebuild a wall around the fallen home city of Jerusalem. It sounded crazy, and he was opposed vigorously. But his response was, “The God of heaven will help us succeed (Neh. 2:20, NLT).” He followed God’s curve, not the curve of popular thinking, and his success has been a legacy of leadership for centuries.

Be a little crazy. You’re certainly in good company, and you may end up being the genius. God bless you.

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible

(Hebrews 11:3)

A one-week
intensive workshop for leaders
with Dr. Henry Cloud
and Dr. John Townsend

 

Upcoming Ultimate Leadership workshop
in San Juan Capistrano, California

July 15 - 20, 2007

What one leader had to say about the Ultimate Leadership workshop experience...

I went to the Ultimate Leadership Workshop fearing I wouldn’t learn anything new, as I’ve read all Drs. Cloud and Townsend’s books. Boy, was I wrong! The real work of the workshop happened in the process groups with the help of the six other members of my group and of the excellent facilitators. It’s hard to explain—even to my small group back home—just how it happened, but my life was changed for the better during the week I spent in San Juan Capistrano. I feel more confident in what I am doing, and I give myself more grace when I fail, as we all do.

Sandra L. Vander Zicht, Associate Publisher and Executive Editor
Grand Rapids, Michigan

 

 

 

It's innovative, it's interactive-          
         it's our new Solutions Web site!

www.solutionsonvideo.com

Take a moment to click on the link-we think you'll agree that this is a site with a lot to offer. It provides hundreds of video answers to questions on topics that are important to you: love, singleness, marriage, parenting, career, leadership, emotional struggles, and more. You can submit questions, participate in a Blog, build community online, and access endless free resources to help you navigate life. This new site is not a replacement for our Cloud-Townsend Resources Web site; it is a new resource we have added. Let us know what you think of it!

DR. HENRY CLOUD AND DR. JOHN TOWNSEND PRESENT THE ULTIMATE LEADERSHIP SIMULCAST SERIES-VIA SATELLITE!

In their ongoing work with hundreds of leaders, psychologists Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend have identified issues and challenges relevant to leaders everywhere. A few years ago, they created Ultimate Leadership, a one-week intensive workshop designed to address these leadership issues. Workshops are held throughout the year in Southern California.

Now, in conjunction with CCN (Church Communication Network), Drs. Cloud and Townsend present a monthly simulcast series that continues and complements the leadership training offered in the Ultimate Leadership workshop. Each one-hour simulcast provides key leadership insights and practices, all solidly based on biblical principles of leadership and character development. Each is designed to help fulfill the desire all leaders share: to become better leaders!

Who's Pushing Your Buttons
Dr. John Townsend
is a must-read for handling the difficult people in your life at work or home.

It's yours at 38 percent off the retail price!

Dr. John Townsend, Who's Pushing The Buttons:
Handling the Difficult People in Your Life (Brentwood, Tennesse: Integrity Publishers, 2004), 5250

Integrity hardcover book
Retails at $21.99,now $13.60―save $8.39!

(Offer good through December 15, 2006)

To receive this special price on the book, please enter the following code number in the "Coupon" box during checkout: UL1106.

Interested in bringing Dr. Cloud or
Dr. Townsend to your organization?
Please call (800) 676-HOPE (4673)
for information about creating an exciting event for your church or group!