Author Archives

Garry Brackett

BA - Fort Wayne Bible College
MAR - Trinity Evangelical Divinity
D.Min - Grace Theological Seminary
Birkman Certified Coach
John Maxwell Certified Team Member
Myers/Briggs Certified
FIRO-B Certified
TKI Certified
25 Years Executive Coaching

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Making Today A Better Tomorrow

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 17:29 — 24.0MB) | Embed

Few people realize that success is within their reach right now! The secret of success is determined by your daily agenda. Most people overestimate today and underestimate tomorrow. 

My success agenda is determined by the daily decisions I make and the daily disciplines I practice. You do not make decisions because they are easy. You do not make decisions because they are cheap. You do not make decisions because they are popular. You make decisions because they are right!

Here are 5 Decisions and Disciplines to practice daily.

1.Responsibility – I have decided to accept responsibility and be responsible daily.

2.Values – I have decided to embrace and practice right values. A practice is an activity that may work in some situations but not all. A value applies to all situations. 

Principles are important because they function like a map allowing us to make

wise decisions. If we ignore them or deny their reliability, we become like travelers refusing to use a road map because we don’t think it’s accurate. While we may acknowledge the reliability of many principles, we only internalize those we deem important. When that happens, the principle has become a value that serves as an internal map that we use to direct our lives. A value, then, is an internalized principle that guides our decisions.

3.Improvement – I have decided to grow and improve daily. “When you cease to be better, you cease to be good. When you stop growing, you cease to be useful – a weed in the garden of prosperity … We are what we are today because we were what we were yesterday. And our thoughts today will determine our actions tomorrow.” ―George Knox, on Leadership

4.Health – I have decided to practice good health daily. According to Duke Medical Center, men who are in poor health are 4x more likely to die of a heart-attack than men who are physically fit. People who cannot find time for recreation  are obligated  sooner or later to find time for illness.

5.Relationships – I have decided to invest in healthy relationships. There is a Law of Relationship that says every person is merely four people away from any other human on earth. Think of it! This simply means that you know Bill, who knows Judy, who knows Charles, who knows anyone else you would ever want to know. You are already networked with the entire world. Reciprocity Rule of Human Behavior: Over time, people come to share, reciprocally, similar attitudes toward each other.

Almost all our sorrows spring out of relationships with the wrong people.

Every day of his adult life, Ben Franklin set aside the time to examine two

Questions:

The morning question was, “What good shall I do today?”

The evening question was, “What good have I done today?”

LINKS

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on iTunes – SUBSCRIBE

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on Stitcher – SUBSCRIBE

FREE GIFT – “Servant Leadership Questions” – Click on the icon at the bottom of the page

Executive Coaching Service– Private message me for details on this customizable service

Birkman Assessment

Leadershift by John Maxwell

Q&A – Contact me at ShepherdsAdvantage@gmail.com

Music: “Gratitude Mood” by David Arivett. You can learn more about his music by clicking on his name. THANKS DAVID!

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Your Ability To Think Effectively

LEARN IT

  • You must increase your thinking potential for increased success
  • Success requires action, but action has its limitations
  • Great lives are created by taking good actions on great ideas

LIVE IT

  • Value your thinking
  • Clarify your thinking
  • Capture your thinking
  • Evaluate your thinking
  • Verbalize your thoughts
  • Own your thoughts

LEAD IT

  • Do you have a system of capturing your thoughts?
  • Who in your inner circle can help you improve your ideas?
  • Do you have a greater bias toward action or thinking?
  • What would happen if you could harness action and thinking?

Shepherds Advantage provides Servant Leadership that helps people close the gap between where they are and where they want to be. Shepherds Advantage closes that gap by providing Leadership Development, Keynote Speaking, and Executive Coaching. 

Shepherdsadvantage@gmail.com

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Manage Your Emotions

LEARN IT

  • Emotional potential is the ability to handle adversity, failure, criticism, change and pressure in positive ways
  • Most people do not see themselves as they really are
  • Most people do not want to solve their problems, they just want someone to listen to them talk
  • Some people are not emotionally strong and therefore are not able to handle life’s pressures

LIVE IT

  • Strong people are proactive in dealing with their emotions
  • Strong people do not waste time feeling sorry for themselves
  • Strong people do not allow others to control their relationships
  • Strong people do not waste energy on things they cannot control
  • Strong people do not keep making the same mistakes
  • Strong people do not allow the highs and lows to control their lives

LEAD IT

  • Have you considered yourself to be emotionally strong or weak? Why?
  • Which of the previous practices of emotionally strong people are you best at doing?
  • Which of the previous practices of emotionally strong people are difficult for you? Why?

Shepherds Advantage provides Servant Leadership that helps people close the gap between where they are and where they want to be. Shepherds Advantage closes that gap by providing Leadership Development, Keynote Speaking, and Executive Coaching. 

Shepherdsadvantage@gmail.com

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Spiritual Authority In A COVID World

4 Levels of Authority

No one will argue the fact our world is upside-down! This upside-down world has been thrust upon us. We did not get a vote in the matter. No one asked our permission to start this crazy making. Social Distance, Shutter in Place, Coronavirus, Mask Mandates, Necessary Workers, Pandemic, Election Fraud, and Political Corruption are all terms and concepts that are now familiar expressions in our daily communication. This upside-down world is revealing the need for the sound of Leadership that speaks with Spiritual Authority.

Max Weber gives us a matrix in which to think about the voice of Leadership Authority. He suggests the following ………..

When you consider communication voice in a national crisis or seasons of peace you hear the following ……..

Traditional – The Kings says so – little or no outside opportunities for debate

Legal – The elected individual; Government, Corporate, or Denominational; communicates vertically because of the elected position that is held. Change is brought about via elections. This function operates within a prescribed legal documentation that grants authority and function.

Charismatic – These captivating personalities are your modern-day YouTubers. They gain massive following because of their compelling personality and story they share. These individuals speak horizontally; person-to-person, outside the boundaries of governing documents that may otherwise give them their voice.

There is one concern regarding Max Weber’s matrix – TRANSFOMATION! In times of national peace or crisis, transformation is limited to the system of authority, time, and geographical boundaries. The weight of limited transformation is most severely felt in times of national or global crisis. There is an additional type of authority that is needed – SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY!

The voice of Spiritual Authority is first represented by the Old Testament character of Moses. He ascended up the mountain with the smoke, lightening, thunder, and trumpet blasts. Moses returned with a fresh Word from God to a troubled nation (Exodus 34:29-35 ESV). Immediately the people notice his countenance shown to the point he had to wear a face mask. The New Testament character to illustrate Spiritual Authority is the Apostle Paul. In the Bible book of 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 (ESV) Paul states; And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

How do we apply the function of Spiritual Authority? First of all, this authority is for those who have dared to acknowledge God’s calling upon their life no matter what their trade or craft may be. The voice of this authority is first vertical – I must go to Him! Once a fresh message is received that is Biblically sound and eternally focused, our message then must be horizontal – reaching people with a message of hope in the face of a crisis. Understand that I am not suggesting a hyper-spiritual experience! I am suggesting that God’s message in us will sound different than the current series or methodology that everyone is using. While our nation is on fire, our message cannot be lofty speech and worldly wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that our faith will not rest in the wisdom of men, but the power of God!

Shepherds Advantage provides Servant Leadership that helps people close the gap between where they are and where they want to be. Shepherds Advantage closes that gap by providing Leadership Development, Keynote Speaking, and Executive Coaching. 

Shepherdsadvantage@gmail.com

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Develop The Potential You Already Possess

LEARN IT

  • Your days on earth are numbered – FOCUS is required!
  • Focus your energy by using the 3 R’s
    • REQUIREMENT – what you have to do
    • RETURN – what you do well
    • REWARD – what you love to do

LIVE IT

  • Answer these 5 questions for greater energy
    • When am I fully charged?
    • What wears me down?
    • How accessible are my energy pluses?
    • When do I need to be full of energy?
    • Where is the space for the unexpected?

LEAD IT

  • Become aware of activities, people, tasks, and places that drain your energy
  • Become aware of the activities, people, tasks, and places that give me greater energy
  • What are the areas of your life that you are maximizing your energy?

Shepherds Advantage provides Servant Leadership that helps people close the gap between where they are and where they want to be. Shepherds Advantage closes that gap by providing Leadership Development, Keynote Speaking, and Executive Coaching. 

Shepherdsadvantage@gmail.com

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Are You Aware of Your Potential?

LEARN IT

  • What is limiting you from reaching your potential? What is getting in the way?
  • If I do what I have always done, I will get what I have always gotten
  • Change does not have to be drastic to be effective
  • Change is necessary to reach your potential

LIVE IT

  • Understand that your potential is not predetermined and set in stone
  • You can become aware of the possibilities that can make you a better person
  • Look for what you need to know
  • Discovering what you need to know
  • Focus on what you need to know
  • Act upon what you need to do
  • You can remove the CAPS on your capacity

LEAD IT

  • Understand there ae some CAPS on your life you cannot change or remove: Birth and Life Experiences
  • Understand there are caps you can remove
    • Caps that other people place on you
    • Caps we place upon ourself
    • Always looking for approval
  • What is your strategy for developing a greater self-awareness?
  • What are the Birth and Life Caps that you cannot change?
  • What are the Caps that others have placed you that you can remove?

Shepherds Advantage provides Servant Leadership that helps people close the gap between where they are and where they want to be. Shepherds Advantage closes that gap by providing Leadership Development, Keynote Speaking, and Executive Coaching. 

Shepherdsadvantage@gmail.com

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People Will Summarize Your Life In One Sentence – Pick It Now!

LEARN IT

  • “I certainly don’t want to be remembered for trophies and national championships. I hope people will remember me as one who was kind and considerate of others.” John Wooden UCLA Bruins Coach
  • Who will attend your funeral?
  • What will they say?
  • How would you summarize your life?

LIVE IT

  • Choose today the legacy you want to leave others. Have you thought about what you want to leave behind?
  • Live today they legacy you want to leave.
  • Appreciate today the value of a good legacy.
  • What kind of bridge are you building for others to walk on?

LEAD IT

  • How important has a legacy been to you? Are you motivated?
  • What exactly is your legacy?
  • Answer these 3 questions
    • What are my responsibilities? What you should do.
    • What are my abilities? What you can do.
    • What are my opportunities? What you could do.

Shepherds Advantage provides Servant Leadership that helps people close the gap between where they are and where they want to be. Shepherds Advantage closes that gap by providing Leadership Development, Keynote Speaking, and Executive Coaching. 

Shepherdsadvantage@gmail.com

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Making The Most of Our Mistakes

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 19:29 — 26.8MB) | Embed

The three most difficult words to pronounce are I Was Wrong!

There are three things people can do when they make mistakes. (1) They can resolve that they will never make another, which is fine, but impractical. (2) They may let their mistakes make cowards of them, which is foolish. )3) They can make up their minds that they will learn from their mistakes, and so profit by the experience, that when the situation comes again, they will know just how to meet it.

Today’s leaders’ top ten mistakes:

1) The Top-Down Attitude

2) Putting Paperwork Before People-work

3) The Absence of Affirmation

4) No Room for Mavericks

5) Failure to Delegate Well

6) Dictatorship in Decision Making

7) Communication Lines Confused

8) Failure to Cast Clear Mission and Vision

9) Success Without Successors

10)Failure to Focus on the Future

Hans Finzel, “The Top Ten Mistakes that Leaders Make”

I want to give you 9 insights on how to make the most of our mistakes.

Stop Fearing Mistakes – “The greatest mistake one can make in life is to continually fear that you will make one.” ~ Elbert Hubbard

Don’t Make The Biggest Mistake of All by Doing Nothing – “You miss 100% of the shots you never take. ~ Wayne Gretzky

Learn From The Mistakes of Others – To impress others, tell them about your successes and how you achieved them. To impact others, tell them about your mistakes and how you fixed them.

Focus On Progress Not Mistakes – “He who makes no mistakes makes no progress.” ~ Teddy Roosevelt

Focus on The Future – It is better to make new mistakes than repeat old ones.

Do Not Make The Same Mistake Twice – “When you make a mistake, there are only three things you should ever do about it: 1) admit it; 2) learn from it; and 3) don’t repeat it.” ~ Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant

Remember that the size of the person, not the size of his mistakes, determines success or failure – We must be big enough to admit our mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them.

Evaluate Your Mistakes and Respond Accordingly – Forget your mistakes but remember what they taught you.

Use your Mistakes To Take You To A  Higher Level – Our attitude toward our mistakes will determine our altitude after our mistakes

LINKS

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on iTunes – SUBSCRIBE

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on Stitcher – SUBSCRIBE

FREE GIFT – “Servant Leadership Questions” – Click on the icon at the bottom of the page

Executive Coaching Service– Private message me for details on this customizable service

Birkman Assessment

Leadershift by John Maxwell

Q&A – Contact me at ShepherdsAdvantage@gmail.com

Music: “Gratitude Mood” by David Arivett. You can learn more about his music by clicking on his name. THANKS DAVID!

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You Only Get Answers To The Questions You Ask

LEARN IT

He who asks is a fool for minutes, but he who never asks is a fool forever! – Chinese Proverb

  • When you know the right questions to ask and the right people to go to, you will get the right answers to your questions.
  • Do you have the confidence to ask questions?
  • NO QUESTIONS – NO ANSWERS!

LIVE IT

  • What is your growth plan? Are you willing to invest into yourself?
  • Are you genuinely interested in others? What would others say is your motive in business?
  • Am I doing what I love and love what I am doing? This a passion question.
  • Am I investing time with the right people?  This is a coaching question.
  • Are you staying in your strengths zone? What pulls you away from your strengths?
  • Are you pleasing God with your life? This is a faith question.

LEAD IT

  • Is your ego getting in the way of your growth?
  • How open am I to questions that expose my ignorance and inexperience?

Shepherds Advantage provides Servant Leadership that helps people close the gap between where they are and where they want to be. Shepherds Advantage closes that gap by providing Leadership Development, Keynote Speaking, and Executive Coaching. 

Shepherdsadvantage@gmail.com

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Few Leaders Are Successful….

LEARN IT

  • As a leader, you will never get ahead until your people are behind you. When I look back at all the people who have helped me along over the years, I realize they fall into two main groups: mentors and supporters.

Interesting Thoughts About Mentors

  • Some helped me who never knew me – books others have written; information others have written about them; and their ideas.
  • Some who knew me never knew they helped me – those who have modeled principles of leadership.
  • Some knew me and knew they helped me – those people were intentional in their assistance.

LIVE IT

  • My dreams are always bigger than myself. I can either give up or get help
  • People appreciate working for someone who appreciate them
  • What is your response to each person that has played a role in making you a better leader?

LEAD IT

Who supports you?

  • Time Relievers – people who save me time.
  • Gift Complementors – people who do things I am not gifted to do.
  • Team Players – people who add value to me and my team.
  • Creative Thinkers – people who solve problems and give me options.
  • Door Closers – people who complete assignments with excellence.
  • People Developers – people who develop and raise up other leaders and producers.
  • Servant Leaders – people who lead with the right attitude.
  • Mind Stretchers – people who expand my thinking and my spirit.
  • Relational Networkers – people who bring other people into my life who add value to me.
  • Spiritual Mentors – people who encourage me in my faith walk.

How Do you Say THANK-YOU?

Shepherds Advantage provides Servant Leadership that helps people close the gap between where they are and where they want to be. Shepherds Advantage closes that gap by providing Leadership Development, Keynote Speaking, and Executive Coaching. 

Shepherdsadvantage@gmail.com