GLS 2019: Session 1 – Craig Groeschel

We are all about leadership. We know that everyone wins when a leader gets better.

What is leadership? Leadership is influence. And everyone has influence. You are a leader and leaders make things happen.

I’ve accepted role as Global Leadership Champion. What does it do? My role is to represent the Global Leadership Network as a voice, providing leadership, helping lead the mission forward.  I can not tell you how much I believe in this mission, what we’re called to, what you’re called to do. I believe in this mission with all my heart. It matters more than you can possibly imagine.

You are not here by accident. Some of you will mark this event as something that changes your leadership, your organization, your life.

2014: My wife was changed by this event. Called to help hurting women. Felt called to start a ministry home for women coming out of trafficking, prison, addictions. It’s now called Branch 15 Ministry Homes. One talk has grown to 6 homes ministering to 38 women at any time. Six full-time staff caring for women. There are women gathered together at a host site and watching the Global Leadership Summit. Thank you for the event that sparked the ministry that has transformed their life.

You never know what one talk, one line, one relationship that will spark into action and the world will be different because you got better at leadership.

One of the top values is humility. Leaders can learn from anyone. Pastors can learn from business leaders. Business leaders can learn from pastors. Older can learn from younger, younger from older.

Our world needs strong, consistent and integrity-fueled leadership. We will cast vision for a better future. We will strive for excellence giving our best and demanding the best. We will apologize when we get it wrong. We will confront injustice. You are not here by accident.

Here’s what I know: if you’re a leader, you want to get better.

In 1996, started Life Church in a two car garage. It had an overhead projector. The lyrics were usually off-centered.  We had a new volunteer Jerome (“the four-fingered flipper”). I was convinced that what we needed to get better was a video projector. But it cost $3K, or one month’s income for our church. I did a cost-benefit analysis.

We do cost-benefit analysis all the time. We do this at restaurants, when deciding on college, in relationships.

The assumption that many leaders make is that better always costs more.

You bought a suit that costs $300. It might be long in sleeves, but it works. You can buy another that costs $700. It has been altered and tailored to you. It has better material. You can buy a $3000 custom-made suit. The additional benefit may not make sense to you.

The same may be true if you’re making a presentation. You can spend 3 hours preparing. Or you can spend 10 hours and improve it greatly. You can spend 40 hours but the additional 30 hours does not make enough of an improvement.

We assume that investing more brings a better return. Over time, investing more eventually brings a diminishing return.  At some point there is always a cap.

At some point you realize that this is the sweet spot, the strategic spot before diminishing return.

In the next two months, I will write and present 16 different talks. In 8 hours I can get it to 90%. In 20 hours, I can get it to 95%. If I spend 40 hours, I can get it to 90% because I’ve overcooked it.

Perfection is often the enemy of progress.

The pursuit of excellence will motivate you. The pursuit of perfection will limit you.

If we spend more on something, we aren’t really making it better. We are making a trade. Better is a higher return for an equal or lower investment.

Constraints drive creativity. Constraints eliminate options.

My son Sam was born between the Saturday night service and Sunday morning service. Someone suggested that we show the video of the night before. As of last weekend, we were able to communicate to 33 different locations in 191 worship services. Through constraints we were able to bend the curve.

Where do you have tension? Where are you hung up and need a breakthrough?

We have a Vision Night. We have 33 locations and 10 states. Vision Night happens on a Thursday night. There’s hours of preparation. It’s a full-day event. It wasn’t able to be replicated. I had a strong sermon on a Saturday night. I said, let’s just use that and I’ll drop in on a campus. I spent more time with people. I had less prep. It meant more to the campus. We bent the curve.

Don’t allow your constraints allow you to develop fear.

Instead of adding a campus, what if you had to add two services? Instead of six months for a project, what if you only had two months?

You have everything you need to do everything you are supposed to do. The reason that I believe this is that there is a Bible verse that sort of says that.

In church, we have this saying, “God guides by what He provides.” I would also suggest that God guides by what He withholds.

There’s this guy who was sitting by gate begging for money. Peter said, “I don’t have money. What I do have, I give you.” He healed the guy. If Peter had what the guy wanted (money), he might not have given him what he needed (miracle).

Embrace your limitations.

If you had everything you wanted you might miss what you really needed.

Hernan Cortes landed in Mexico. Cortes told his team to burn the ships. Eliminate the option to turn back.

Commit to what you are compelled to do.

I love my wife. I am driven by my calling to the church. I am driven to invest in leaders.

I had the idea for a leadership podcast (Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast). Now over 3 million will listen. We bent the curve.

We started a church online. It’s an ongoing conversation with live pastors, live language translation. We bought Google Adwords. We bought “church online.” Nobody was looking for church online. We asked what are people looking for? An intern said, “I have lots of friends looking for sex online.” We bought a campaign that said, “Looking for sex online? Try church online.” You would not believe the click-through rate

What are you called to do? Why does it matter?

If you commit to the WHAT and are consumed by the WHY, you will figure out a way to make it happen. There’s always a way.

This is very emotional to me. It was at this event that my life was changed. I was a young pastor and never viewed myself as a leader. I thought that was a business thing. I still have those same voices in my head.

I was turned down for ordination. I got in my red Geo Prizm and cried all the way home.  “You’re not good enough.” “They won’t listen to you.” “You don’t have their respect.” Every time I speak, I take one big step forward, I’m stepping out of my doubts, insecurities. I’m stepping into the calling, the authority. In this moment, as unworthy as I feel, I’ve been chosen to inspire and encourage you.

Step out of insecurity and into the calling. You are one step away from leading your organization where it is supposed to go. You are one step away. Step into it!

Take your valuable resources and invest it elsewhere. GETMO. Bend the curve. You have everything you need to do everything you are called to do. Every time you face a problem, an obstacle, decide that this is not a problem, it’s an opportunity to bend the curve. Think inside the box. Sell-out, bet the farm, go all in.

Leaders: GETMO. Bend the curve. Add value. Help people. Create jobs. Solve problems. Meet needs. Make a difference. Offer hope. Change the world. Because that is what great leaders do!