LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"I've laid down a pattern for you. What I've done, you do." Jesus

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

I've been talking about INFLUENCE for a number of weeks. You can read the posts off of my website HERE if you're interested. This will be the last post on this topic, then we're going to move into a different theme talking about REST for a few weeks.

I hosted a Leader Mundial Global Summit event a few weeks ago in Georgia, and spent 4 full days with a group of 66 leaders, representing about 15 different countries and about 30 different organizations. We spent the week focusing on the topic of INFLUENCE and were encouraged to examine the scope of our personal and organizational influence and pay attention to those that are impacted through us and by us.

As I moved through the week, I spent some personal time simply looking at Jesus and his instruction to each of us to follow his example.

The quote above comes out of John 13:15 in the Message translation, and I love the simple image he gives... "I've laid down a pattern for you" or in the ESV or NIV, "I've given you an example".

I remember as a small child dreading going with my mom to the fabric store. That was a place I never wanted to go because it felt that we were there forever and it was really boring (at least for a 7 year-old boy).

What my mom was doing was buying fabric so that she could match it to a pattern and make a shirt or a dress or whatever out of it. She had a template of what she wanted to make, and she was following that plan.

I thought she was just going to the fabric store to talk and to torture me, but there was a purpose behind it.

Jesus says this to us: I've given you a template, a model, a plan, now follow it. He wants us to follow his example and do what he did.

If you read a few verses earlier in John 13, you see exactly what he was modeling when he washes the feet of his disciples. He's illustrating a powerful message here of influence. He's showing his disciples what to do, then he's telling them to go and do it and then he's telling US to do it.

We learn by watching, but we learn best by doing. Jesus did both and in that moment he turned the message of leadership upside down teaching leaders to serve others first.

This is the greatest example of influence.

How has Jesus influenced your leadership? What do you do differently because of what He said, what He did and what He challenged each of us to do?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"The most influential people in my life are probably not even aware of the things they've taught me." Scott Adams

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

We're going to explore this word INFLUENCE for 2 more weeks. I just finished a week outside of Atlanta with 66 Global Leaders & Coaches, and the theme of our week was "The Influence of a Leader".

Coming out of these days together, I really resonate with Scott Adams quote above. I'm sure this is true for many of you as well.

There are people who have had and continue to have a profound influence on my life, and they are completely unaware of that influence. They are simply living their lives, leading, impacting their sphere of influence, and I get to somehow learn from these people, I'm inspired by watching these people and they shape me as a leader and as a person.

In my life, I'm thinking of a couple of people that stand out:

Don Schuler was my middle school carpentry teacher. A very quiet, gentle man. He taught me some basics in carpentry, and I really enjoyed the class. What I learned from him was PATIENCE. He was the most patient person I've ever met, either with a group of middle school boys, or years later as he continued to serve that school in many different capacities, he was just willing to serve others and to do it with patience. I remember being inspired by him many times in how he related to people, but I've never had the chance to tell him how he influenced me.

Guy Adams was an advisor in college, and he had a unique way of AFFIRMING me and CHALLENGING me at the same time. I was serving in a student government role my senior year and Guy just pushed me gently to believe in myself and those around me. I always felt more confident after spending time with Guy and I want people to feel that way about me when they are with me. I'm sure Guy doesn't know the impact he had on me, but it was profound.

Patrick Lencioni, one of my favorite business authors, has written a number of books that have profoundly influenced my life and leadership. The 5 Dysfunctions of Team transformed the way I led my team, and his work through The Advantage impacted the health of the organization I was helping to lead at the time. Lencioni has influenced millions of people through is writing and speaking. I've heard him speak in person, I follow his social media and I devour every book or article he writes. Deep influence, and he has no idea!

I could go on and on as I think through a flood of faces and names who have influenced me in unique ways, and they probably don't know the impact they've had on me.

Don't underestimate influence that happens from a distance.

Make your list? Who has influenced you over the years that most likely doesn't know about it? Maybe you should let them know!

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." Maya Angelou

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

We're going to explore this word INFLUENCE over the next number of weeks. I'm hosting a Global Leadership Summit in Georgia in March with Leader Mundial, and the theme this year is The Influence of a Leader. While we have a number of topics, books and presentations to address this, I wanted to simply look at some quotes that explore this more.

This quote from Maya Angelou is so powerful. As we talk about influence for a couple more weeks, we're reminded that the way we treat people shapes our influence.

One of my favorite books from last year is the book Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara.(Thanks Eric for introducing it to me). Really impactful because the entire book is really about this quote.

How people are taken care of, how customers feel, how memories are made, how people are valued, how generosity impacts people.

While the book is written from the perspective of a restaurant, it's applicable to us all in any industry.

I've shared this before, but it's worth sharing again.

Years ago, as a young youth ministry couple with small kids and no money, we were invited to a couples retreat in Santa Barbara. We had to pay a little bit of money, but were told it would be a great "break". When we arrived, we were treated like royalty. There was a gift bag for us, the hotel we were in was right on the beach and was nice. We were welcomed warmly, and then they shared that the purpose of our time was to simply catch our breath and build some meaningful relationships. The 3 days were filled with great food and worship, time as a couple enjoying the beach and the area, and zero expectations. We were celebrated for the work we were doing with young people, and we were filled up.

The last evening, we were taken to a special dinner with the President of Westmont College where he thanked us personally for our impact into youth ministry and he shared about how Westmont College cares about youth pastors, and that this retreat was a gift of appreciation from them.

That was it. No sales pitch, no bait and switch, no expectations.

Just appreciation.

Can I tell you how many people I've encouraged to check out Westmont College over the past 35 years as a result of their "hospitality" in our lives?

Their genuine care for us at a time that mattered still sticks with us today.

Hospitality & Influence.

Think of a time when someone invested into your life and made you"feel" something?