From April 2nd through 8th, writer and speaker Jon Gordon has put together an all-star lineup of over 30 speakers for this year’s The Power Of Positive Summit. During these times of disruption caused by COVID-19, this event has been a great encouragement to me. So much so, I want to share the content from three of my favorite speakers. To listen to the full line-up, click HERE and sign-up. There is still time!
Also, I want to give a special thanks to Jon and his entire team for putting this event together. Jon is a gift to the leadership community.
Dabo Swinney – Now entering his 13th season (and 12th full season) as Clemson’s head coach, Dabo Swinney has already carved his name into that foundation, elevating himself amid a pantheon of Clemson greats by becoming the first coach in program history to lead Clemson to multiple national championships. For more on Coach Swinney, read 10 Mantras Dabo Swinney Used To Build A Winning And Positive Culture At Clemson.
- “We have to keep faith and we gotta keep moving forward one step at a time.”
- “Faith and fear is the exact same thing. It’s just a matter of which one you choose. It’s a belief in something you can’t see. I choose faith.”
- “Martin Luther King said it best. He said, ‘If you can’t fly, run. If you can’t run, walk. If you can’t walk, crawl. But by all means, we’ve got to keep moving forward.'”
- “When I lost my job at Alabama I had to keep moving forward.”
- “If you keep the faith and keep moving forward, you’ll keep growing and getting better.”
- “I know the best is yet to come. The best is not behind us. The best is yet to come. Especially, for those who know Jesus.”
- “I know true peace and happiness comes from knowing Jesus. Jesus is the hope of the world, always has been, always will be. The hope of the world is not a vaccine. It’s not a politician. It’s not some stimulus package. It’s not any of those things. The hope of world comes from knowing Jesus.”
- “One of my favorite bible verses is Jeremiah 29:11 and it says, ‘For I know the plans I have for you and they’re plans for good, not disaster. They’re plans to give you a future and a hope.’ What I love about that verse is if there is truly hope in the future, then there is power in the present to deal with whatever we have to deal with.”
- “We’ve got an acronym for T.I.G.E.R.S. It stands for ‘This is going to end real soon.'”
Dr. Derwin L. Gray – Pastor Derwin is the founding and lead pastor of Transformation Church, a multiethnic, multigenerational, mission-shaped community in Indian Land, South Carolina, just south of Charlotte, North Carolina. Make sure you pre-order his new book The Good Life: What Jesus Teaches Us About Finding True Happiness. For more from Pastor Derwin, click Catalyst ’16 Labs – 65 Leadership Quotes From Derwin Gray On Creating A Multi-Ethnic Church.
- “We are all leaders in the sense that there is something we can embody we want others to aspire to.”
- “Jesus says in Matthew 5:4, ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.'”
- “The scripture could literally be read this way – Happy are those who are sad and they will be comforted… When we are lamenting and upset about the things that are wrong, it’s like we join with God and He weeps with us.”
- “One of the ways we can find happiness according to Jesus is to weep with Him and cry with Him in the midst of suffering.”
- “As a pastor at Transformation Church, one of the things we’ve said is if our community doesn’t change we shouldn’t be here.”
- “With COVID-19 we’ve started a drive-through pantry which feeds about 325 families per week… We mourned with Jesus. We were sad with Jesus. People shouldn’t be hungry in a country full of abundance.”
- “Happiness is found when what breaks God’s heart begins to break our heart… It moves us to action so we literally become the hands and feet of Jesus comforting other people.”
- “Love is shaped like a cross and hope is shaped like an empty tomb.”
- “As we begin to lament with people we begin to love people more.”
- “Leadership, the goal is to love people… When we love people we are being like Jesus because Jesus loves people so much so that ‘For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son that whosoever believe in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.'”
Christine Caine – Chrstine is an activist, author, and international speaker. She is the founder of The A21 Campaign, as well as Propel Women. Learn more christinecaine.com. For more from Christine, click Catalyst ’15 – 36 Leadership Quotes From Christine Caine.
6 Tips On What To Do When Everything Around Us Is Shaken And Disrupted
- Stay Calm – “We get to choose to stay calm in the midst of the storm and in the midst of chaos… We make better decisions out of a place of calmness… If we as leaders approach a situation with heightened anxiety we are not going to make good decisions for the long haul.”
- Stay Strong – “If you’re not strong physically, spiritually, and emotionally you’re not going to make it through the long haul and chaotic situations… I’ve got to be prepared for a marathon, not a sprint… I’m monitoring what’s going into my mind. I’m not looking at negative news feeds every single moment… Mental nutrition is very important… We need other people to help get through chaos.”
- Stay Open – “Stay open to new methods. Stay open to new ideas. Stay open to new strategies… Adversity and new challenges can force us to find new creative ideas, and methods, and strategies and concepts.”
- Stay Generous – “Don’t let the unknowns about the future paralyze and cripple you from doing what you should do during the present… Leaders, we ought to be visible. We ought to be forward-thinking. “
- Stay Decisive – “When disruption and chaos comes there are so many things we cannot change… Don’t become indecisive about everything because there are some things we cannot control.”
- Stay Hopeful – “Stay vision-focused because we have hope in Jesus who is an anchor for our soul. We have a resurrection hope… Change is going to create opportunities, new ways of doing things… I’m going to believe I was born for this.”
What is one thing you learned from these three great leaders which will help you stay positive during these uncertain times?
My book Timeless: 10 Enduring Practices Of Apex Leaders is available for purchase. If you have ever wanted to become the leader God created you to be, this book is for you! By combining leadership lessons from biblical heroes like Jesus, Daniel and Joseph, along with modern day leaders like Bill Gates, Nick Saban, Kobe Bryant and multiple pastors, Timeless will equip and inspire you. This book is not to be read alone. Discussion questions are included in each chapter allowing you to develop those in your circle of influence. Click HERE or on the image provided and order your copies TODAY.