Today I will be bringing you the top leadership quotes and lessons from the Defy The Odds Conference. Hosted and led by Rock Springs Church senior pastor Benny Tate, this event is to encourage church leaders in their current season by providing practical tools and resources for the next-level of growth. I also recommend you purchase Pastor Benny’s wonderful book Defy the Odds: How God Can Use Your Past to Shape Your Future by clicking HERE.
The morning’s first breakout session was conducted by Cameron Shiflett. Cameron is the executive pastor or Rock Springs Church. He joined Pastor Benny’s staff as a 20-year-old youth pastor. He has been with him for 23 years. Cameron brought some incredible insight about serving a legendary pastor and what he learned from Pastor Benny.
Before getting to his thoughts, I want to further invest in you as a leader. Everyone wins when a leader gets better. That’s why I created The 2-Minute Leader Coaching Course. These 11 modules will give you the exact tools needed to grow and develop into the type of leaders your organization desperately needs.
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Now on to Cameron’s lessons he learned from Pastor Benny:
- Have a “Whatever It Takes” Attitude. If serving is beneath you, then leading is above you. You must take ownership of every aspect of the church. This type of attitude is hard to stop and success almost always follows it.
- Work Hard. Nothing will work in your life until you do. If you’re lazy and don’t have a sense of urgency, you won’t accomplish much.
- Be Loyal. Support one another both publicly and privately. Don’t tell me what they said about me. Tell me why they were so comfortable saying it around you. Silence speaks.
- Be Intentional. Nothing worthwhile happens accidentally. Plan AHEAD. Think in advance. Prepare. Create a goal with steps to achieving it.
- Pursue Excellence. Why not be the best? If you can’t do it well, don’t do it all. Be observant and pay attention to the details. In this day and age, there is not customer service anymore. If we as the church fill that gap, they’ll come. COVID has given everyone an excuse for being sorry. Sweat the small stuff. For more on this topic, click 39 Leadership Quotes On Creating A Culture Of Excellence From Benny Tate’s Defy The Odds Conference.
- Evaluate and Reevaluate. Have meetings to evaluate what you are doing every week. Celebrate but critique. Inspect what you expect.
- Establish Discipline. What begins with desire must be maintained by discipline. Success is the sum of small efforts repeated day in and day out. Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishments. Motivation gets you going but discipline keeps you going.
- Be Generous. Pastor Benny was the first person in my friend group who ever bought a meal for me. If you’re not prepared to buy the meal, don’t go to lunch. The only way to fight greed in your life is to give. Every day, give.
- Embrace Change. The message cannot change but the method must. Don’t hole on too tight to your own preferences. Ask what is best for the the future of the church? If you change something and no one gets upset, you haven’t changed anything at all. Change will never be easy; but it will always be necessary.
- Never Stop Learning. Invest in growing yourself. Always be investing into yourself. Albert Einstein once said, “Once you stop learning, you’ve start dying.”
- Lead By Example. The most powerful leadership principle is “Monkey see. Monkey do.” The three most important ways to lead people is By Example, By Example, and By Example. Never ask people to do what you are unwilling to do yourself.
- Smell like Sheep. Pastors should be with their people. Be accessible; you’re not a CEO. If you’re a pastor, you’re a shepherd. I’ve never seen a shepherd leading from a distance. Go to them. If the liquor store is essential, don’t tell me the church is not.
- Care for People. The church will not grow beyond its ability to care for its people. When everyone is walking out – you need to walk in. Why would we send more people to our church so we can neglect them? Every member of our church, Pastor Benny calls on their birthday or anniversary.
- Find a Need and Meet It. If you see a true need, do something about it. If someone is doing a great work, don’t feel the need to start it. Join it. We’re not in competition.
- Start with “Yes!” Everybody loves saying “No.” Look for ways to make it happen. Be optimistic! Don’t approach an idea or a request with all the way that it won’t work. Pastor Benny says, “If it does you so much good and me so little hard, why not do it.” I want problem solvers, not problem pointers.
- Expect Loneliness and Pain. The life that pleases God is often painful and difficult. You’ll never be able to please everyone. You will often be misunderstood. There will be times that you will have to stand all alone, even against those closest to you. For more on this click, 36 Leadership Quotes From Benny Tate’s Defy The Odds Conference Opening Session. If you need them, you can’t lead them.
- Be Kingdom Focused. Be more concerned with the “C” Church than your own church. Look for ways to help churches in your immediate community and far away.
- Seek God & Seek the Counsel of Others. Never rely on your own wisdom or giftedness. Always and earnestly seek God’s wisdom and the wisdom of Godly leaders.
- Have Faith. You will never be 100% sure on any decision. If you’re waiting to be 100%, you’ll die waiting. You will have to step out and do what you believe God has told you to do. Make the decision and then… make it the right decision. Believe God for great things.
- Have Fun. Laugh WITH one another. Laugh AT one another. Enjoy the ride.
What an incredible opening session!!! Next up is Saturday morning’s opening session.
The Top 75 Leadership Quotes From 2021 Part 2 is my latest ebook. For many entering a post-pandemic environment, leadership looks completely different than the pre-pandemic world. People are more broken now. They are more uncertain. Fear and anxiousness are unwelcome constant companions. Cultures are more unhealthy. Relationships are more dysfunctional. Hope seems to be in short supply. Every day seems to bring a new hacking, natural disaster, or unexpected calamity.
Therefore, the fundamentals of leadership are more important than ever. The quotes in this book deal with the basics of leadership. If you want to be the best leader you can possibly be, click HERE or on the image provided to download this FREE resource. The lessons learned from last year, if applied, will sustain you for years to come.