Word of the Week - Certainties - Impact Leadership Conference

Therefore, we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  2 Corinthians 4: 16-17

Our firm, Founders Advisors, was honored once again this year to serve as the Title Sponsor of the Impact Conference 2022 on behalf of Highlands College .  Highlands College is a biblical higher education institution that exists to supply the Church with leaders of competence, character, and spiritual maturity, holistically trained to lead lives of eternal impact by fulfilling the Great Commission.  I personally love the Vision and Mission of Highlands College that addresses the challenge in Luke 10:2 “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few”.    

It was an amazing day with Dr. John Maxwell, Pastor Chris Hodges, and Jamie Kern Lima.  I was encouraged, inspired, and equipped by all of these leaders.  If you were not able to attend in person or virtually, I would highly recommend that you take some time to listen to the talks from the Impact Conference by clicking the following link Impact Leadership Conference Talks .

My friend Dr. John Maxwell, who recently turned 75, shared some wisdom and insight from his perspective looking back over his life.  He said you can gain great insights by learning from those who have gone before you, especially as they reflect and look back over the ground they have travelled.  He shared that as he gets older there are lots of things in the world that seem more complicated and uncertain, but there are a few things that grow more assured and certain.  The 13 certainties of life and leadershp that John shared resonated with me, so I wanted to share them with you.  You can get more insights by watching Johns 50-minute talk by clicking here John Maxwell - 13 Life Certainties .   

John Maxwell’s 13 Certainties of Leadership:

  1. Attitude is the difference maker

    • Attitude is not everything, but it is the main thing

    • Attitude can’t make up for incompetence, but experience + attitude the winning combination

    • Attitude is a choice – choose a positive life stance everyday

  2. Adding value to others adds value back to me

    • Zig Ziglar: put others at the top of your agenda and you’ll get where YOU want to go

    • Judge the success of your day by how much seed you sow – harvest is automatic

    • Giving (unconditional) vs swapping (expecting something in return)

  3. Personal growth is the only way to guarantee tomorrow is better than today – be INTENTIONAL

    • Aging is inevitable, but growth is optional

    • There is no finish line: if you cross the finish line, you are DONE

    • Focus on growing in areas you are strong in

  4. Everyone needs forgiveness, so forgive everyone – KEEP SHORT ACCOUNTS

    • Giving and forgiving requires a generous lifestyle and unconditional love

    • Forgiving is not forgetting, but acknowledging what was done and forgiving anyway

    • Travel life without the emotional baggage of unforgiveness

  5. Everything rises and falls on leadership

    • Good skills + good values = leading well

    • Your team deserves to be led well

    • How well you lead determines how well you succeed

  6. Intentional living maximizes life

    • Good intentions are worthless unless you move good intentions to good actions

    • Someday vs today – dreaming vs doing – Love/give/serve TODAY

    • Small deeds are better than great intentions – traction requires action

  7. One is too small a number to achieve greatness – TEAM

    • “I want to make a difference with people that want to make a difference”

    • If you are self-made, then you haven’t made much

    • We need others to achieve our full potential – we are better together

  8. Your perspective becomes your world

    • How you view things is how you do things / what you see is what you get

    • Choose others over yourself / gratitude over complaining

    • Choose faith over fear, gratitude over entitlement, generosity over stinginess

  9. Consistency compounds

    • It’s not sexy and no rewards the first week

    • When you can afford to quit is the point when you really can’t afford to quit, this is where compounding kicks in

    • Sowing and reaping principle

  10. Keep success and failure together – win and lose each day

    • When you are on a roll, failure will give you humility

    • When you bomb out, failure will give you resiliency

  11. Success is having those that know you the best, love and respect you the most

    • If people that don’t know you well like you better than people that do know you well, watch out

    • Social media – a lot of people fake it until they make it

    • Be bigger on the inside than you are on the outside – if you have good values on the inside, you need less validation on the outside

  12. Significance satisfies

    • Success is about having stuff but significance is about serving others

    • Once you have tasted significance, success will never satisfy

    • Life of significance = my life is not my own

  13. Faith works – it gives us true identity and purpose, which drives everything else

            “Now faith is the substance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we cannot see” Hebrews 11:1

I hope this adds value to you and blesses you as much as it has blessed me. 

Have a great week…

 -Duane

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Word of the Week - Solitude and Reflection

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Word of the Week - Spiritual Growth