Pastor + Author
We all know that Albert Einstein is known for his brilliant mind. However, as much as a great mind is a prerequisite to innovation, so is action. Without action, your thoughts will amount to nothing.
Hence, here is today’s thought by Albert Einstein:
Reading, after a certain age, diverts the mind too much from its creative pursuits. Any many who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking.
The best leaders are consistently learning and challenging themselves. They are not content with the status quo. Neither are they content with leading the way that they’ve been led or simply according to their gut instincts. The best leaders are on a lifelong journey of learning because they know that when they stop learning, they stop leading.
However, it’s not just about learning because any good leader knows the importance of learning.
The thing that sets the best leaders apart from the pack lies in Todd’s quote above. The best leaders not only strive to become experts in their field, but they also broaden their field of vision.
When you develop this discipline, you begin to see connections between seemingly disparate themes, ideas, and concepts. You develop the ability to integrate diverse perspectives into a collective whole. It’s like a light turns on in your brain.
As a pastor and as a church leader, I love to read spiritually formative books. I love to read books from thought leaders in my discipline, like:
However, if I stop there, then my leadership will only go so far.
That’s why these are the books that I’m currently reading to challenge and grow myself:
1. How Brands Grow: What Marketers Don’t Know – Byron Sharp
[Read more…] about How To Advance Your Leadership
If you are on a journey to discover your calling in life, then you should acquaint yourself with the works of Parker Palmer. If you want to think deeply about your vocation, then you need to read Let Your Life Speak: Listening For the Voice of Vocation by Parker Palmer.
Here’s Parker Palmer’s perspective on vocation:
Before you tell your life what you intend to do with it, listen for what it intends to do with you.
Today’s Tuesday thought comes from John Wooden, the renowned coach nicknamed, the “Wizard of Westwood.” Over a 12 year period as the head coach of the UCLA basketball team, they won 10 NCAA national championships!
To learn more about him, you can check out his site.
Here’s his perspective on leadership:
You have to really love your people to get the most out of them.
Every Tuesday morning, I’ll be posting an intriguing quote or thought related to ministry, leadership, or culture.
For our very first Tuesday’s Thought, I wanted to share this powerful insight by Wesley Clark, a retired General of the US Army and a former NATO Supreme Allied Commander.
When asked, “What do you make of all the how-to books and seminars on leadership? What true leader would ever take a leadership seminar?” here is his answer as first appeared in this New York Times Magazine Article.
I’ve never met an effective leader who wasn’t aware of his talents and working to sharpen them.
