. I have been a big fan of Maxwell for many years and was looking forward to reading his latest book. To win a free copy was icing on the cake.Many people don't know how easy it can be to receive free items from their social media accounts. This is the second time I've won a free book this summer. Earlier in the summer I actually won two free books and a DVD simply by responding to a question about how I planned to spend my summer. I won Maxwell's book by promoting its release on my social media sites a few weeks ago. The publisher had a random drawing of all the people who did that and give away 25 copies of the book, and I was one of the recipients. Counting the other books and DVD I've won this year it would come to about $75.00 worth of free top quality material for very little effort on my part. You may want to check out some of the sites you regularly follow and see if they ever do any promotions.
The book came today and I've already read the first two chapters. In those initial chapters Maxwell argues that one cannot grow as a person and as a leader unless he or she is intentionally seeking such growth and is aware of what needs to be done in order to grow. It seems so simple, and yet many people lack the self-awareness needed to do that. They have never identified their strengths and weaknesses and thought about what steps they need to take to begin to grow. Most people seem to think that growth just happens as it did when they were children. We didn't have to do much to grow. Every few weeks you could have someone measure you and you could see how much you had grown. Well, there comes a time when physical growth ends, at least vertical growth, but the mental, spiritual, and emotional aspects of our lives should never stop growing. But such growth will not just happen on its own. We must be very intentional about seeking growth and very intentional about taking the necessary steps that will enable such growth to occur.
I became a pastor in 1981 with only a high school education and no pastoral experience. I soon realized I was in over my head and began to seek growth opportunities. About a year later I began my ministry education at a Bible college about a hour's drive from my home. Working full time in a factory and pastoring a church meant that it would take me four years to complete their two year program, but shortly after graduating from that school I enrolled at a university also a hour away from my home to begin work on a college degree. Since 1981 I have been committed to being a lifelong learner, and two years ago at the age of 62 I earned my doctorate. All of those years I have been involved in ministry and working other jobs as well, but it was important to me to continue to learn and grow, and I've been willing to pay the price to do so.
I am not suggesting that you need to pursue a formal education, but you do need to be committed to a lifetime of growth if you want to grow as a leader. If you're not sure how to begin such a journey I would suggest you begin by reading Maxwell's book. I normally do not recommend books I haven't completed, but this book has started so strong and I have such confidence in Maxwell's writing that I will recommend this book without hesitation. As you read the book keep asking yourself what steps do you need to be taking to grow as a person and as a leader.
No comments:
Post a Comment