Craig Groeschel Session Notes—GLS: Special Edition 2021

On February 25, 2021, the Global Leadership Network debuted its first half-day Global Leadership Summit: Special Edition event featuring an incredible faculty, including best-selling author, award-winning leader, pastor and The Global Leadership Summit champion, Craig Groeschel.

During his talk, Craig helped us identify the four steps we can take to boost leadership confidence to battle insecurity both personally, on our teams and in this season.

Introduction

• I still battle with insecurity as a leader. I have good reason to battle with insecurity. I was rejected for ordination by the ordaining board of my denomination. That thought in mind echoes, “You’re not good enough. They’ll find out.”

When the leader lacks confidence, the team lacks commitment.

• Early in my ministry, before I would preach, I would vomit in a trash can.
• In some area of your leadership, you feel insecure. You might feel too young or too old. You might feel too green or that don’t have the skills. We all need a boost in leadership confidence.
• An insecure leader comes across as needy. They might avoid conflict. They might be passive, lack direction, or tolerate inappropriate behavior because they lack the confidence to jump in.
• When the leader lacks confidence, the team lacks commitment.

Three Steps to Grow in Your Leadership (Work on 1)

1. A discipline to start.
2. A comparison to kill.
3. A belief to change.

A discipline to start (develop).

• What’s the one thing that has allowed you to grow as a leader? I’ve added one small discipline to my leadership regimen.

Small disciplines lead to big confidence.

• Small disciplines lead to big confidence.
• Discipline closes the gap between want and achieve.
• Small consistent changes over time have changed how I see myself as a leader.
• One example: I floss my teeth. When I floss, I’m mentally triggering my mind that I am choosing to do something I don’t like to do. When I floss, I feel disciplined. I go to bed early. I get up early. I have a productive day. I leave on time to go to the gym. I come home feeling productive. And it starts when I floss.
• As a leader, there will be some small disciplines that will create cascading habits.
• One of the disciplines I added years ago was daily Bible reading, then later the whole Bible in a year.
• Another I’ve picked up is journaling. I journal about what I’m learning, where I’m being stretched.
• Pray every day with my wife before I leave my house.
• Daily confessions–daily declaration of who I am or who I want to become.
• The path to public confidence is always paved with private discipline.
• You want your team to be more disciplined? You might create better systems. Who does what by when? Reward it when they do it or correct it when they don’t.

The path to public confidence is always paved with private discipline.

• Forget BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals). I’ve created SBAGs (Stretching but Achievable Goals). For example: when I meet with our local pastors, they always have an SBAG. It might be 20 new volunteers, launching 10 new small groups, inviting 5 people every day to church.
• It’s the small things that no one sees that creates the big things everyone wants.
• If you want to grow in your leadership confidence, you create a little discipline, and next year you add another.
• The path to public success is always paved with private discipline.

A comparison to kill.

• One of the greatest enemies of confidence is comparison. Comparison is the thief of confidence.

One of the greatest enemies of confidence is comparison.

• In John 20, we see comparison. Back in seminary, I had a professor who said that Peter and John had a rivalry. In John 20, you can see the competition. If I was Peter, John would have annoyed me. He wrote about himself in the third person. John called himself, “the one that Jesus loved.”
• John 20 was Sunday morning after the crucifixion. Notice how many times John tells us that he is faster than Peter in a footrace. The tomb was empty. Jesus was risen from the dead. John was a heck of a lot faster than Peter.
• The fastest way to kill something special is to compare it to something else.
• The fastest way to kill your leadership is to compare it to some other leader.
• No external win satisfies the internal need. There is not enough money, power, promotions, likes, success… Insecurity is woven through so much.
• When we are insecure as a leader, the team lacks commitment.
• For me, the way that my insecurity manifests itself is that I want you to think I’m important, successful. “He’s a good leader, husband, father.” I want you to think I’m important.
• As a spiritual person, God never called me to be important. He didn’t call me to be important, He called me to be faithful. When I am faithful, I am doing something important.

God didn’t call me to be important, He called me to be faithful.

• I’m called to build leaders. I’m called to build the church. I’m called to collect pens. This is to celebrate a year of being faithful. The next year, I got another pen. After 4 or 5 years, it started to get incredibly meaningful to me. They represent striving to be faithful.
• Define your win. I can’t win your race, but I can win mine. Mine is different than yours.
• If you want to kill comparison, look at your win and run your race.

A belief to change.

• I recently released a new book, “Winning the War in Your Mind.”
• Your leadership is always moving in the direction of your strongest thoughts. If you think you can’t, you probably won’t. If you think you can, you probably will.
• If you dwell on problems, they will overwhelm you. If you think about solutions, you’ll see them.
• Most of life’s battles are won or lost in the mind.
• Every time we think a thought, it is easier to think that thought again. If you’re constantly thinking negative or critical thoughts, you are creating negative pathways.

If you’re constantly thinking negative or critical thoughts, you are creating negative pathways.

• Science calls it rewiring the brain. God would call it renewing your mind.
• What wrong belief is limiting your leadership?
• Some think you’re not good enough? I’m too young. I’m not good at vision casting. I’m not good with numbers. Name it. Be clear about it. You cannot defeat what you do not define.
• Very clearly and very specifically name the truth that demolishes that limiting belief.
• Years ago, we played capture the flag in our office. One time I came into the office early. Kevin had been in the office waiting for the 8am start time. I found Kevin hiding in a closet. I told him there was a chair under the door and that he wasn’t going to get out. Kevin believed me. I went into an 8am premarital counseling class. I heard something in the ceiling. Kevin was trying to make an escape through the ceiling tile.
• You think you’re locked in a leadership impossibility. I’m telling you the door is unlocked. It’s time to come out and lead.
• “I don’t have what it takes to be a great leader.” God has given me the gift of leadership. Leadership is not just something I do; a leader is who I am. I cast a compelling vision…
• “No one can do it as well as I can do it.” I’m surrounded by other great leaders who are getting better every day.
• Write it. Name it. Think it. Confess it until we believe it.

You cannot defeat what you do not define.

• My personal insecurity is that I’m not enough. If I give my best to the church, I’m failing as a husband/father. If I give my best to my wife and children, I’m failing the church. Every day I say: Jesus is first in my life. I exist to serve and glorify Him. I love my spouse. I will lay down my life to serve the one God entrusted to my care. My children will love God and serve Him with their whole hearts. I will nurture, equip, train and empower them to do more for His kingdom than they can imagine. I love people and believe the best about others. I am disciplined. Christ in me is stronger than wrong desires in me. You are growing closer to Jesus every day. Because of Christ, my family is closer, my body is stronger, my faith is deeper, my leadership is sharper. I am creative, innovative, driven, focused and blessed beyond measure—because the Holy Spirit dwells within me. I develop leaders. That’s not something I do, it’s who I am.
• You are a leader called and equipped for this moment. Because you can, you will speak for those who can’t. You are strong and bold and courageous, integrity-infused leader. Go out and do what leaders do.
• With God’s help and with God’s power, leaders go out and change the world.

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Experience more from Craig  Groeschel and 15+ world-class faculty at our premier leadership event of the year–The Global Leadership Summit, taking place August 5-6, 2021. Get your tickets today at GlobalLeadership.org/Summit.