This past week the Willow Creek Association announced his faculty for the upcoming 2018 Global Leadership Summit. The speaker I am most excited to hear is not Bill Hybels, Craig Groeschel, or even Simon Sinek. The speaker I most excited about is the Oscar award winning actor Denzel Washington. If you want to know why, watch the video below of his 2015 address to the graduating students of Dillard University. It will likely be the best 8:36 of video you will watch this week.
After watching this incredible speech, the following are 4 life lessons for every leader with supporting comments.
Put God First
- Great Leaders Put God First – “Put God first in everything you do.”
- “Everything you think you see in me. Everything I’ve accomplished. Everything you think I have and I have some things. Everything that I have is by the grace of God. It is a gift.”
- Struggle Is Necessary For Strength – “40 years ago this past March I was flunking out of college. I had a 1.7 grade point average.”
- Great Leaders See What You Could Be Rather Than You Currently Are – “You are going to travel the world and speak to millions of people.”
- Great Leaders Have Been Protected, Directed And Corrected – “I’ve been protected. I’ve been directed. I’ve been corrected.”
- Great Leaders Are Humble Leaders – “I’ve kept God in my life and it’s kept me humble.”
- God Always Sticks With You – “I didn’t always stick with Him but He always stuck with me.”
- Great Leaders Model What Success Looks Like – “If you think you want to do what you think I’ve done then do what I’ve done and stick with God.”
Fail Big
- Great Leaders Properly Evaluate Reality – “It can be frightening. It’s a mean world out there and you only live once.”
- “Do what you feel passionate about.”
- Successful Leaders Are Risk Takers – “Take chances professionally.”
- Successful Leaders Go Outside The Box – “Don’t be afraid go outside the box. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box.”
- Successful Leaders Have Dreams AND Goals – “Dreams without goals are just dreams and they ultimately fuel disappointment. So have dreams but have goals.”
- Successful Leaders Have Daily Goals – “I try to give myself a goal every day.”
- Successful Leaders Are Disciplined And Consistent Leaders – “To achieve these goals you must apply discipline and consistency.”
- “You have to plan every day. We don’t plan to fail. We fail to plan.“
- “Hard work works. Working really hard is what successful people do.”
- “Just because you’re doing a lot more doesn’t mean you’re getting a lot more done. Don’t confuse movement with progress.”
You’ll Never See A U-Hual Behind A Hearse
- Money Cannot Satisfy Your Soul – “I don’t care how much money you make. You can’t take it with you.”
- Great Leaders Are Great Stewards Of Their Financial Resources – “It’s not how much you have but what you do with what you have.”
- Selfishness Is Good – “The most selfish thing you can do in this world is help someone else. Why’s it selfish? Because of the gratification that comes to you. The good feeling that I get from helping others. Nothing’s better than that.”
- The Joy Is In Helping Others – “That’s where the joy is – in helping others. That’s where the success is.”
You Put Your Slippers Way Under The Bed Tonight. So That When You Wake Up In The Morning You Have To Get On Your Knees To Reach Them.
- “While you’re down there say ‘Thank You’ for grace.”
- “(Say) ‘Thank You’ for mercy.”
- “(Say) ‘Thank You’ for understanding.”
- “(Say) ‘Thank You’ for wisdom.”
- “(Say) ‘Thank You’ for parents.”
- “(Say) ‘Thank You’ for kindness.”
- “(Say) ‘Thank You’ for love.”
- “(Say) ‘Thank You’ for humility.”
- “(Say) ‘Thank You’ for peace.”
- “(Say) ‘Thank You’ for prosperity.”
- “Say ‘Thank You” in advance for what is already yours.”
- “True desire in the heart for anything good is God’s proof to you, sent beforehand, to indicate that it’s yours already.“
- “So Claim it. Work hard to get it.”
- “When you get it, reach back. Pull someone else up.”
- “Each one teach one.”
- “Don’t just inspire to make a living. Inspire to make a difference.”
After watching and listening to Denzel’s speech, what difference do you wish to make in someone else’s life?
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