⁴⁶And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. -Luke 2:46

I’m recognizing that a key to growth and success is the environment you are in. The environment you were raised in,  the environment you work in, and the environments you choose to put yourself in.

The environments you position yourself in will be a determining factor on whether or not you succeed in life.

I’ve been so blessed to be in the leadership environment at Victory Family Church for the past few years. Here are some things I’ve noticed about leadership environments that work:

1.) They make you better than you really are -this can be a downfall. If we’re not careful we’ll think we’re amazing, when really, we’re just in an amazing environment where leadership is valued. We must be humble and learn as much as we can about why the environment works, so we can apply it when we enter a non-leadership environment.

2.)They Empower You to Lead – They don’t have micro-managers, they have leaders that empower you to make decisions, hear from God, develop your team, and leverage your creativity.

3.) They Don’t Let You Settle - There is accountability for results. They demand the best out of you, give you honest feedback consistently, and coach you when you need coached.

4.) They allow you to Grow - Personal growth is highly valued. Growth opportunities are available for you.

5.) They Allow you to Fail – If you’re in the right environment, you’ll feel safe failing. Just remember to learn from your failure and not to repeat it!

5.) They Teach you to Create Leadership Environments – It’d be easy to leave a leadership environment  think it will be just as easy to lead wherever we go. It won’t. We must learn how to create a leadership environment that works and the only way I know of to to do that is by seeing on modeled and being a part of it.

I know that one day, I’ll have to create a leadership environment on my own, and I’ll have to rely on what I learned while I was in one.

So, my question for you is:

Are you in a leadership environment? If you’re not, I’d consider finding one to be a part of. Find mentors who are currently in one, join a local leadership network, or visit organizations where there is a leadership environment.

I’ve been in leadership environments and I’ve been to places without them, there is no comparison. You’ll never be all that you can be unless you’re in an environment that will make you all you can be.

Thoughts?

Serve Your Way to the Top – 7 Lessons I Learned While Serving My Way onto a Church Staff

Lesson 7 – You’re not that Bad

⁶ And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. – Phil 1:6

I heard John Maxwell say this to young leaders once, and it’s encouraged me to this day: “In the beginning, you’re not as bad as people think. Don’t you just want to say that sometimes to people, “You know I’m bad, but I’m not that bad.” But if you do things right in life – in the end, you’re not as good as people think. Somewhere in between those two, is where you should live.”

“I’m not where I’m supposed to be, but Thank God I’m not where I used to be.” -Joyce Meyer

When we’re young it’s so hard to get this, I know it’s a struggle for me. We place huge expectations on us that often, aren’t fair at all. We expect to be where others are, without recognizing it took those people 30 years to get there. Here are a few thoughts:

1.) Just Get Good – A mentor once told me, “Your 20′s isn’t for fruit, it’s a time to be developed. Follow your passion and grow as much as you can.” Get good at what you’re doing – it will pay off down the road.

2.) Remember the Faithfulness of God – it’s so easy to forget that God’s been faithful in the past isn’t it? However, when we look back, none of us can say that God hasn’t done incredible things in the past, He’s doing them right now, and He’s faithful – He’ll do them in our future if we’ll follow Him with everything we got.

3.) Surround Yourselves with Encouragers - We all want to throw in the towel at times. Make sure you have safe relationships in your life. People you can share struggles with, and don’t be afraid to ask for encouragement. Everybody needs it, and in reality – encouragement will push you through the toughest moments in your life.

4.) Enjoy the Journey – easiest thing to talk about, hardest thing to live out. Success is never a destination, success is living everyday giving God your best. Take time to enjoy where you’re at right now, because in just a little while, you’ll be saying “I love that season of my life, I wish i enjoyed it more than I did.”

So there you go – 7 lessons I learned while serving my way on staff at a church. I hope it blessed you!

What lessons have you learned through serving?

Serve Your Way to the Top – 7 Lessons I Learned While Serving My Way onto a Church Staff

Lesson 1 – Develop a Plan for Personal Growth

Give your complete attention to these matters. Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress.

-I Tim. 4:15

“The motivation behind personal growth: The conviction that you value yourself and that there is value in your dream.”

One of the best decisions I ever made was the decision to do something each day to intentionally grow in three areas:

1.) Grow in my Relationship with God- Nothing is more important than this. Without God, you can not do anything worth doing. Everyday I spend time with God, I get in the Word, and I listen to sermons.

2.) Grow in Leadership – If Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less, then we are all leaders in some aspect. I believe everyone should continually be doing something to grow in their leadership. There are tons of book and cd’s you can get your hands on. Perhaps the greatest thing you can do to grow as a leader is what Bill Hybels said, “Always be leading something.” – Nothing helps you grow like actually doing it!

3.) Grow in the Area of my Gifting and Passion - Want to know what you’re supposed to do in life? What are you passionate about and what are you good at? When you find those two – I promise it’s linked to your call. Once you find these two – give yourself to them. Do everything you can to grow in those areas.

Everyday I read, everyday I file, everyday I write, and I try somehow, to get mentored everyday.

If you don’t grow – you’ll go.

Do you have a plan for personal growth? What are you doing intentionally to grow?