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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Leadership Addition

Leaders Add Value by Serving Others

The interaction of every leader and follower is a relationship and all relationships either add or subtract from a person’s life. One thing I know as a leader, I am either having a positive or negative impact on another person’s life. The critical question to ask is……

“Am I making things better for the people who follow me?”

There it is! One single question that demands an answer. If we cannot say without hesitating say YES and give some evidence that backs it up, then we are most likely a SUBTRACTOR! Most leaders do not realize they are subtracting from others – it is unintentional! However, leaders who add value to others do so intentionally. Many previous Nobel Prize Winners offer us examples of what adding value really looks like – Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa, Bishop Desmond Tutu to name a few. There focus seems to be more on impacting others. They worked tirelessly to make life better for others with little thought about their own creature comforts.

To start any discussion about adding value to other people begins with actually valuing people. As a leader you see worth and value in another person that you attempt to enhance and strengthen their capabilities. Simply stated, you value the things that another person values.

Most importantly, leaders must add value to the things that God values. God desires for us to not only treat people with respect, but to also actively reach out to them and serve them. When you strive to lift up your followers, help them advance, and make them part of something bigger than themselves, you are adding value to them.

Case Study – A New Definition of Leadership

Jesus’ Example Mark 10: 35-45 The Bible

Study Questions

What was the motivation of James and John when they made their request to Jesus?

Why do you think the other 10 disciples became indignant with James and john?

Jesus suggested that someone become GREAT by becoming a servant. How is that possible?

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Does My Dream Compel Me

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 14:25 — 19.8MB) | Embed

If you are working on something that is really exciting, you do not have to be pushed. The vision pulls you – Steve Jobs

The question, “Does my dream compel me?” is really a question about PASSION. This is a difficult question. How can I know if my passion is sufficient to carry me through to the realization of my dream?

Passion is a critical element for anyone who wants to achieve a dream. WHY? Because it the starting point of all achievement. The road to any dream is cluttered with detours, problems and disappointments. It is on this road where many dreams die. This is why passion is so important. Here are three key truths about Passion.

Passion Pulls Us Up – Enabling Us To Overcome Adversity

Anytime you attempt to accomplishment something of value, you will face adversity. Between the dream’s inspiration and its manifestation, there’s going to be a lot of perspiration. Poet William Ward suggests: Believe while others are doubting – Plan while others are playing – Study while others are sleeping – Decide while others are delaying – Preparing while others are daydreaming – Begin while others procrastinate – Work while others are wishing – Listen while other are talking – Smile while others are frowning – Commend while others are criticizing – Persist while others are quitting.

Passion Pushes Us Out – Giving Initiative

To succeed in life, we must stay within our strength zone but continually move outside our comfort zone. We naturally resist this kind of outward movement. As we get older we tend to get complacent. That is a problem because it kills passion. It reduces us to average. It clips our wings and keeps us from soaring no matter how much we may to do otherwise.

George Bernard Shaw stated reasonable people see all of the reasons for not doing something. Passion however, makes us unreasonable. It prompts us to get out of our comfort zone and cross the threshold of our doubt.

Passion Positions us Well – Giving Us The Greatest Odds For Success

Dr. Schweitzer observed that success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be a success. If we do not follow our passion in life, we will be in a difficult place, one that will not serve us well.

LINKS

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on iTunes – SUBSCRIBE

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on Stitcher – SUBSCRIBE

FREE GIFT – “The Art of Balancing Candor With Care” – Click on the icon at the bottom of the page

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

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





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Great Leaders Add Value

People who add value to others do so intentionally…Leaders must give of themselves. That rarely occurs by accident – John Maxwell

Leaders add value by serving others! The bottom line of leadership is not to see how far that you can go, but how far you can take others. The interaction between every leader and every follower is RELATIONSHIP! As a leader you are having either a positive or negative impact upon those you are attempting to lead. How can you tell?

Are you making things better for the people who follow you? That’s it! if you cannot answer this question with an unhesitating YES and provide evidence that backs it up, you may very well be a subtractor in your team’s life.

Great leaders get out of their comfort zone on a daily basis and unselfishly give of themselves for the benefit of their team. Leaders who subtract, divide their team daily by dividing their impact. History is filled with leaders who thought little about their position and thought more about others around them- – Mother Teresa, Desmond Tutu, Martin Luther King Jr to name a few.

Servant leadership permeates their mindset. Servant leading does not happen in front of an electronic devise, it happens literally when you walk with others. When you strive to lift others up, help them advance, make them part of something bigger than themselves, and assist them in becoming who they were made to be, you are now adding value to others!

CASE STUDY: Paul Encouraged Putting Others First – Philippians 2:1-11 (The Bible)

Questions

Jesus had position and power as God, yet he humbled himself and made himself nothing. Why did he do that?

The passage says that Jesus took on the form of a servant. What differences are there between someone who serves others and someone who takes on the very nature of a servant?

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Am I In Control of My Dream?

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Reality…is the enemy of fantasies but not of dreams – Rudy Ruettiger

Dreams by definition are not supposed to start with reality. They are supposed to be fantastic, incredible, and out of the box. After all they are birthed from hopes, desires, and possibilities. They are after all the products of imagination and creativity. But this poses a problem. Is a dream worth pursuing if it has no chance of becoming reality? I do not think so!

If your dream depends a lot on luck, then you are in trouble. If it depends entirely on luck, you’re living in fantasyland. Ralph Waldo Emerson stated that shallow men believe in luck whereas strong men believe in cause and effect. Ann Landers says it this way, Rose-colored glasses are never made in bifocals. Nobody wants to read the small print in dreams.

The more unrealistic your dream, the more you will be tempted to depend upon things that you cannot control to make it become a reality. If your talents do not match your dreams and you fail to recognize it, then you are destined to work but not win. Here are three insights to help you build upon your strengths

Building on Your Strengths Activates The Law of Least Effort

This is about finding your true purpose and your true area of excellence. Your effort becomes much easier and you are more excited about your dream. The single biggest mistake in leadership is that we help others see the potential of obtaining goals without helping them to see who they are first. We strive for the goal without training the person.

Building On Your Strengths Enables Consistently Good Results

Dreams do not come true because a person does something well once in a while. Success is not an event – it is a lifestyle! Dreams are accomplished when someone performs with excellence day after day.

Building On Your Strengths Gives You The Highest Return

Greer Garson, winner of the 1943 Academy Award or best actress stated, Starting out to make money is the greatest mistake in life. Do what you feel you have a flair for doing, and if you are good enough at it, the money will come. Successful people always put their time, energy, resources into their strengths because they receive the highest return from it.

Here are 5 questions that demand an answer from you if your goal is to succeed in your dreams.

What is my dream?

What is my starting point?

What are my strengths and weaknesses?

What are my current positive and negative habits?

How long must I practice these habits to reach my potential?

LINKS

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on iTunes – SUBSCRIBE

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on Stitcher – SUBSCRIBE

FREE GIFT – “The Art of Balancing Candor With Care” – Click on the icon at the bottom of the page

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

Music: “Wishful Thinking” by Dan Lebowitz





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Leadership Navigation

Anyone Can Steer The Ship, It Takes A Leader To Chart The Course

Imagine leaving for a vacation with a destination in mind but no idea of how to get there. If the trip is short, you can probably guess and stumble your way from here to there. However, if the trip is unknown and the terrain is all new, you might stumble your way to the edge of the cliff. Great Leaders study the maps before embarking on any journey. They chart the course of travel. They have a clear image of the trip in their mind. They see the trip! Preparation is KEY!

The preparation begins with a look backwards to draw on past experiences and lessons learned from other trips taken. Lessons of success and failure are applied to the current trip being studied. Times of failure are loaded with insights on how to change future trips.

Evaluating the current conditions are the next step of preparation. Knowing your current location and conditions seems obvious, yet, it is often overlooked before embarking on a new journey. What is the current conditions of our Team, what resources are missing, what are the conditions surrounding this trip that could cause failure at the starting line?

Great Leaders will next, dig deep into themselves to study the journey of others who have attempted a similar path. they consult with other leaders and coaches. They strive to see reality with as much clarity as possible. You cannot minimize obstacles, or rationalize away challenges and still lead effectively. If you do not begin with your eyes wide open, you will get blindsided. Leaders who are good navigators can take their Teams just about anywhere.

CASE STUDY: Joshua 8:1-19, 28 (The Bible)

QUESTIONS

The nation of Israel first attempted to conquer AI failed because of one member that disobeyed God. How did this set back impact Joshua’s leadership?

How much of the strategy for conquering AI was given by God and how much was contributed by Joshua? Explain?

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Is My Dream Clear?

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“Give us clear vision that we may know where to stand and what to stand for” – Peter Marshall

“If you have a clear vision, you will eventually attract the right strategy. If you don’t have a clear vision, no strategy will save you” Michael Hyatt

Here are 5 insights on bringing your dream into focus.

A Clear Dream Makes A General Idea Very Specific

The indispensable first step to getting the things you want out of life is this; decide what you want. (Ben Stein)

In deciding what you want requires that you will be specific with measurable goals. ILL. Move from “I want get out of debt – to – I will pay off all credit cards by December 31st this year? Or I need to improve my leadership – to – I will read one leadership book every month.

A Clear Dream Doesn’t Become Clear Without Effort

When Michael Hyatt took over Thomas Nelson Publishing he tells about a retreat that he took with just pen and paper. He wrote down all of the problems that he was facing to better understand the solutions for growth. Learn to ask good questions, utilize good resources, learn from other people’s experiences, and interview key people. The key idea is to land on a process and method that will work for you. EFFORT is required.

A Clear Dream Affirms Your Purpose

In clarifying your dream you will discover that your purpose becomes more clear. If you have already answered the ownership question to verify that your dream is really your dream, you should be encouraged that clarifying your dream will reinforce your work. It is transformational when your dream and clarity are aligned, your work becomes transformational for you and others.

A Clear Dream Determines Your Priorities

New lifestyle habits must emerge to keep your clarified dreams alive. You will learn to say yes to the things that advance your dreams and NO to the distractions that keep you from accomplishing your dreams. Clarity of vision beings clarity of priorities!

A Clear Dream Gives Direction & Motivation To The Team

Your dream will require the participation of others. Targets that are not hit usually are the result of fuzzy goals. Author Ed Rowell says a dream is a better future in need of an architect who will show others how to make it a reality. If you are a leader, you must become the architect. You must draw the picture with clarity so that your team will know where they going and why. Followers do not give their best to something they do not understand. People do not stay on course for something they cannot see. Nobody becomes motivated by something they kind, sorta believes in.

LINKS

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on iTunes – SUBSCRIBE

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on Stitcher – SUBSCRIBE

FREE GIFT – “The Art of Balancing Candor With Care” – Click on the icon at the bottom of the page

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

Music: “Wishful Thinking” by Dan Lebowitz





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Leadership Influence

Walk SLOWLY Through The Crowd

What is leadership? Many people believe it is position. If you watch closely the dynamics that occur between people in just about every aspect of daily life, you will see some people leading and others are following. The one thing you notice is that position and title have little to do with is really in charge. At times those who have the title often assume this gives them responsibility. Position has little to do with who is in charge. Those who often have no title feel they cannot lead because of this fact. Both groups are wrong!

True leadership cannot be awarded, appointed, or assigned. It comes only from influence and that cannot be mandated. It must be earned. The only that title can buy is a little time – either to increase your level of influence with others or to undermine it.

Another misconception is that leading and managing are one in the same thing. The main difference the two is that leadership is about influencing people to follow, while management focuses on maintaining systems and processing. Systems and processes can only do so much. To move people in a new direction, you need influence.

What about entrepreneurs? Most people assume they are natural leaders.They so see needs and opportunities faster than the average person and they go after them. But some entrepreneurs are not good with people. They will many times partner with someone who has people skills to let them do all of the upfront people work.

In today’s society we tend to believe that expertise equals leadership. Again another misconception. Neither IQ or Education equals leadership.

Finally, anyone who out in front of the crowd is a leader. Again, another misconception that being first or ahead of the crowd is not the same as leading. Yes you need to be in the front, but intentional at the same time to see others following after you. Being a trendsetter is not the same as leading.

The old adage is true; “He who thinks he is leading, but no one is following, is only taking a walk. It is simple, if you cannot influence people they will not follow you. If people will not follow you, you are not a leader. No matter what others say remember that leadership is influence, nothing more and nothing less.

CASE STUDY: Rahab’s Influence Joshua 2:1-24

Study Questions

  • What kind of leadership role do you think a prostitute like Rahab might have had in Jericho?
  • Why did the spies chose Rahab to help them? Why did thy trust her?
  • How were the spies influenced by her? How were Joshua and the nation of Israel influenced by her?
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10 Ways To Handle Criticism

  • Understand the difference between constructive and destructive criticism (who benefits)
  • Don’t take yourself to seriously (take God very seriously)
  • Look beyond the criticism to see the critic (do you have respect for him? what is her need?)
  • Guard your own attitude toward the critic (don’t get defensive; stay objective)
  • Recognize that good people get criticized (don’t beat yourself up)
  • Keep yourself physically and spiritually in shape ( weariness distorts your perspective)
  • Don’t see only the critic, see the crowd (is the criticism widespread)
  • Wait for time to prove the critic wrong (be mature enough to be patient)
  • Associate with people of faith (spend your optional time with optimists)
  • Concentrate on your mission; change your mistakes (focus on the big picture)

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Is My Dream, My Dream?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 10:10 — 23.3MB) | Embed

Whatever you think, be sure it is what you think;

Whatever you want, be sure it is what you want;

Whatever you feel, be sure it is what you feel. – T.S. Elliot

Simply stated, You cannot achieve a dream that you do not own! Think for just a moment about your personal history. How have your plans, goals, and desires been influenced by others? Are you aware of how your vision for yourself has been impacted? Is it possible that you have been influenced by the comments and decisions of others?

Instead of offering excuses about not chasing your dreams, I want to give 5 insights on taking ownership of your dreams.

Be Willing To Bet On Yourself

You may succeed of nobody else believes in you, but you will never succeed if you do not believe in yourself. Owning a dream means that your belief in yourself outweighs your fears. If you want to succeed, you need to believe that you can. You must bet on yourself if you want to see your dreams come true.

Lead Your Life Instead of Just Accepting Your Life

The power of choice is the greatest power that a person possesses. It is sad but many people just accept their lives, they do not become leaders of their own life. Therefore they cannot get out of their own way. Reaching your God given potential requires taking responsibility for yourself and your life. It means taking an active leadership role of yourself.

Love What You Do – Do What You Love

Successful people allow their passion and talent to guide them? Why? Because talent, purpose, and potential come hand-in-hand. There is always an alignment of talent and passion if we have the courage to pursue our purpose and take risks. Carly Fiorina once stated, “Love what you do, or don’t do it!” Make the choice today to do something that engages the mind and the heart. This decision engages the total person.

Don’t Compare Yourself To Others

Success is doing the best you can with what you have wherever you start in life. Do not allow other people to set the standard for you in the same way you should not live someone else’s dream.

Joyce Myers stated once that God will help you be all you can be, but He will never help you to be someone else. If you focus your attention on who you are not by comparing yourself to others, you risk losing sight of who you need to become.

Belief In Your Vision of The Future When Others Don’t Understand

“If success is not on your terms, if it looks good to the world but does not feel good in your soul, it is not success at all” – Anna Quindlen. The authors of the book, If It Ain’t Broke…Break It, states, “we do not have a clue as to what people’s limits are. All of the tests, stop watches, and finish lines in the world can’t measure human potential. The potential that exists within us is limitless and largely untapped…when you think of limits, you create them.

LINKS

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on iTunes – SUBSCRIBE

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on Stitcher – SUBSCRIBE

FREE GIFT – “The Art of Balancing Candor With Care” – Click on the icon at the bottom of the page

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

Music: “Wishful Thinking” by Dan Lebowitz





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Leadership Process

Leadership Develops Daily Not In A Day!

Question: Are leaders born or made? Perhaps the answer is both. All leaders are born with certain natural talents and gifts. Some are born with greater abilities. The ability to lead is really a collection of skills, nearly all of which can be learned and improved. So while not everyone can be a great leader, anyone can become a better leader. There are many facets of leadership: respect, experience, emotional strength, people skills, discipline, vision, momentum, timing. It is a complicated skill set.

Most people aspiring to become leaders overestimate the importance of events and underestimate the importance of process. We are in a microwave time period in which we desire to have everything instantly. We want the compounding effect of 50 years now. There are no successful day-traders or lottery winners in leadership development. What matters the most is what you do day by day over the long haul.

Notice the difference between an event and a process…..

An EventA Process
Encourages DecisionsEncourages Development
Motivates PeopleMatures People
Is A Calendar IssueIs a Culture Issue
Challenge PeopleChanges People
Is EasyIs Difficult

If you want to be a leader, the good news is that you can do it. Everyone has the potential, but it is not accomplished overnight. It requires perseverance. You absolutely cannot ignore the leadership law of process.

CASE STUDY: Joseph’s Growth As A Leader – Acts 7:9-19

Study Questions

  • How do you think Joseph felt when his brothers, referred to as the patriarchs in this first passage, sold him into slavery and he was taken in chains to Egypt.
  • For more than 2 decades, everywhere Joseph went he rose up in leadership. Why did God have Joseph go through this process? Why didn’t God elevate him immediately?