Skip to main content

BLOG

16 Quotes to Help You Be An Extraordinary Leader

Jenni Catron

Recently, I read Jenni Catron’s new book “The 4 Dimensions of Extraordinary Leadership”.  I have followed Jenni for a while on various social media platforms and when I heard she had a new book coming out, I knew I wanted to read it.

About the Book 

You have the capacity to become an extraordinary leader – if you are willing to embrace a deeper definition of leadership and take action to apply it.

In “The 4 Dimensions of Extraordinary Leadership”, Jenni Catron, executive church leader and author of “Clout”, reveals the secrets to standout leadership found in the Great Commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”

Weaving a winsome narrative filled with inspiring real-life stories, hard-won wisdom, and practical applications, Catron unpacks four essential aspects of growing more influential: your heart for relational leadership, your soul for spiritual leadership, your mind for managerial leadership, and your strength for visionary leadership.

16 of My Favorite Takeaways

There were so many great nuggets to take away from this book that have given me a lot to process in the weeks moving forward.  However, I thought I’d share 16 of my favorite quotes that I hope will help you (and me!) be an extraordinary leader in 2016.

Extraordinary leaders are faithfully leading in their places of influence, whether high-profile or in seeming obscurity, but with such depth of purpose and sincere intentionality that has significant effects on those they lead.

As leaders, we need to passionately protect momentum. Leadership expert John Maxwell expresses it this way: “As a leader, your responsibility is to understand momentum, to get it moving for your organization, and to sustain it over time.” 

Extraordinary leadership takes courage, intuition, discernment, and prayer. It takes energy, patience, hope, and determination. Extraordinary leaders step up to help make decisions and to guide the way, especially when circumstances are complex.

Here are a few tough truths that we need to understand about self-leadership: No one cares more about your personal development than you do. No one is responsible for your leadership development. You can’t wait for someone else to lead you. No one owes you leadership.

Leadership, by definition, involves working with others. The independent spirit that got you to the leadership seat can also be an avenue to derailment if you are not aware of your tendency to leave others behind.

Actions speak louder than intentions. Our leadership will be evaluated by what we do, not what we intend.

Self-leadership is the hard work behind the scenes that prepares you for great leadership.

Connecting is one of the most important tasks of leadership. In order to lead others to new ideas, to goals, and to action, we must first be able to connect with them.

Wisdom may very well be the most important trait we should seek to develop as leaders.

Everything we do in our organization is either keeping alignment with the vision or it’s derailing the vision. There is no neutral. 

Find out more about this great book here!

Did you read “The 4 Dimensions of Extraordinary Leadership”?  What was one thing you took away from it?

A Resource Box for Families to Teach God’s Word at Home {Review}

I have noticed a recent trend in ministry resource boxes lately.  There are a few out there but today I wanted to share my thoughts on SproutBox.

 

SproutBox

 

SproutBox Description (according to their print material):

Launched in September 2015, SproutBox is a monthly box subscription designed to create unforgettable family-based Bible experiences with AR technology, interactive curriculum, and easy-to-follow parent guides to facilitate faith-shaping conversation with your kids (ages 4-10).

Its mission is to help parents and kids engage God’s Word in new creative ways.

My Sample Box

I reviewed the “Creation” theme box, which came with:

  • step-by-step instructions
  • a baseball card-size character card
  • a 20-piece creation puzzle (marked with a number “1”)
  • an 11-page storybook (marked with a number “2”)
  • a 7-piece Parents Guide (marked with a number “3”)
  • a make-your-own flowerpot craft (marked with a number “4”)

Using the resources in the box required four easy steps:

Step One (Captivate)

Before using the box, I needed to download the free SproutBox App.  Then I put the creation puzzle together.  Next, I opened the SproutBox app, pressing the camera icon and pointing my phone (you could also use your tablet) at the puzzle.  What happened next was very cool – the Bible story came to life!  Omari, our storyteller, popped up on the screen and told the creation story.  The story itself was not too short and not too long, making it work for younger AND older children.  Not only did Omari tell the story, but he asked me to be part of it by swiping the screen to see more beautiful images.  The images were high-quality – they were colorful and clear.  Well done!

Step Two (Explore)

The storybook, called “The Master Plan”, brilliantly told the creation story on a child’s level through the use of simple (but not babyish) language and eye-catching illustrations.  The book featured Omari and introduced me to his two friends, Gideon and Danya.  Their conversation exchange was simply delightful.

Step Three (Guide)

This step was by far my favorite step.  Why?  Because it equips parents to continue the conversation beyond the Bible story so that children can apply what they’ve read to their everyday lives.  I love that SproutBox provides a resource to make that happen!

The parent guide offers fun activities, Bible readings, discussion questions, and a prayer for parents to use.  Not only that but the guide provided a “Did You Know Facts” section.  I thought this was brilliant because many parents today didn’t grow up in a Christian household and may not be familiar with the Bible stories they are teaching their children.  Outstanding, SproutBox!

Step Four (Experience)

I LOVE hands-on projects for children, especially ones that encourage children to use their imaginations and be creative!  The experience provided for the creation box included 3 small cardboard flowerpots, 3 soil pods, seeds, paints, paintbrushes, instructions, and blank note cards.  What a great way for the children to create a tangible reminder of the awesomeness and beauty of God’s creation!

My Thoughts

Overall, I think this idea is a great way to equip busy parents to share God’s Word at home with their children.  Having everything in one box removes barriers that could keep parents from feeling ill-equipped on what to do and what resources to use.

At $24.99/month, the box could be financially out-of-reach for some families, so I’d recommend that SproutBox include more at-home activities in the Parent Guide.  Doing this would stretch the discussions out longer over the course of the month, thus making it more appealing for some parents to pay that amount of money.  It would also be great to see some sort of family service project included in the Parent Guide.

Find out more about SproutBox by visiting them on:

Website: http://sproutboxkids.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sproutboxkids

Twitter: @SproutBoxKids

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/sproutboxkids/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/sproutboxkids

Keep the conversation going!  Have you used SproutBox Kids or another resource box to help your families or families in your ministry have spiritual conversation at home?  

Disclaimer:  I was provided a free sample to review and offered my honest opinion without compensation.

Resolve Conflicts With L.O.V.E

CM Magazine Jan-Feb16

In the January/February 2016 issue of Children’s Ministry Magazine, I wrote about training children to resolving conflict in a God-honoring way.  I thought I’d share a behind-the-scenes insight into why I wrote about this important task.

This month, we celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who led the Civil Rights movement from the mid-1950’s until he was assassinated in 1968.  Through all of this efforts toward peace, Dr. King’s platform was based on nonviolence.

Children today are exposed to more violent images than ever before.  Sadly, these images are everywhere our children are: television, movies, phone and tablet screens, and video games.  What breaks my heart even more is that many children experience violence first-hand in their own homes and communities day after day.

I believe that helping children resolve conflict in a healthy way will help them work through down the road.  Whenever my own children have had sibling squabbles or see my husband and I disagree about something, I remind them that healthy conflict resolution will serve them well in relationships with family members, friends, bosses, and their future spouse and children.

Our churches (and homes) are fertile training soil for us to build on.  In the current issue, I share 4 ways that we can do that.  If you are a subscriber, you’ll find my column on page 30.  (There is even a very cute printable bookmark that you can download online.)  If you’re not a subscriber, consider becoming one.  You can find out you can save 70% off here.

Let’s help our children resolve conflicts with love!

16 Books on My 2016 Reading List

2016 reading list

Happy New Year, friends!  I hope you’ve had a great (albeit short) start to 2016!

A new year brings so many possibilities, doesn’t it?  It’s a time most of us reflect on what we’ve done, what we’d like to do.  Many of us aim to do more of this, less of that

I have always loved to read.  Whether for pleasure or professional development, reading has been one of my favorite hobbies since I was a teenager.  In 2015, I read more than I have in recent years.  Not because I had more time (I didn’t) but because I made it more of a priority.  Every day.

One of my goals for 2016 is to continue to feed my soul through books.

I have chosen 16 books to read in 2016:

For The Love by Jen Hatmaker (I started this book in 2015 – looking forward to finishing)

Move: Nine Conversations to Build Your Kids Ministry by Brannon Marshall

Leading & Loving It: Encouragement for Pastors’ Wives and Women in Leadership by Lori Wilhite and Brandi Wilson

Team Up! The Family Ministry Playbook for Partnering with Parents by Phil Bell

Every Child Welcome: A Ministry Handbook for Including Kids With Special Needs by Katie Wetherbee and Jolene Philo

Do Over by Jon Acuff

The Fringe Hours by Jessica Turner

Teams That Thrive by Kal Otis and Michelle Marx

7 Family Ministry Essentials by Michelle Anthony and Megan Marshman

Wholly Kids by LifeWay Kids

The Bee Eater by Richard Whitmire

Dear Mary by Sarah Jakes Roberts

Tweetable Leadership by Jim Wideman

Audacious by Beth Moore

The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker

Your Beautiful Purpose by Susie Larson

What’s on your “To Read” list for 2016?  Leave me a comment and let me know!

error: Content is protected !!