29 Things We Learned at Catalyst

A Catalyst One Day event is an intense, leadership-packed day full of sessions with world class speakers. Yesterday, we had the opportunity to attend one here in Oklahoma, hosted for the first time by the Life.Church Oklahoma City campus.

If you’ve ever attended a Catalyst event before, you know you can spend the day frantically scribbling down notes and walk away with dozens of new principles that will sharpen your leadership and inspire your team.

We’ve distilled yesterday’s event down to 29 of our favorite quotes and principles from Pastor Craig Groeschel and Pastor Levi Lusko.

29 Things We Learned at Catalyst

About Leading Through Change

1. There are two times when people change: when they want to and when they have to.
2. If you’re not ready to embrace change, you’re not ready to lead.
3. People may go along with a ‘how,’ but they will give their lives for a ‘why.’
4. Great leaders don’t ever cast blame. Great leaders take responsibility.
5. Be bold. Tweaks never change the world.
6. You cannot change what you are willing to tolerate.

About Systems

7. If you ever find yourself saying ‘there aren’t enough hours in the day,’  you’re probably experiencing a breakdown in systems.
8. Weak systems make great people look bad. Strong systems make good people look great.
9. Systems matter because they create behaviors. Behaviors become habits. Habits drive outcomes.
10. Quality is never an accident. Consistency is never an accident.
11. If you’re too busy to create the right systems, you’ll always be too busy.

About Developing Others

12. We cannot look at people and see only what they are, we must look at them and see what they will be. As leaders, we have to help them become who they will be.
13. If you take care of the depth of your devotion, God will take care of the breadth of your ministry.
14. We have to unlock the greatness in others so they can become the people we know they can be.
15. Say, “How do I want I feel at the end of my life?” and that will help you make decisions now.
    
16. We’d much rather dismiss a generation than disciple a generation, and that must not be.
17. Look at people as God does.
18. Be a multiplier not a diminisher. Be the kind of leader that makes the people around you better.

 

About “Weeding” in Leadership

19. Growing weeds is easy; growing wheat takes work. You can’t become a better leader without effort.
20. Good leadership habits start small, grow slow, and sprout small. Do not despise small beginnings.
21. The seed never looks like the harvest it contains.
22. When others attempt to pull weeds from your life, do they get poked? Allow people to speak in to your life and help you weed out the negative elements.
23. Original is only better when it’s better. Sometimes it’s better to copy than innovate.

About Anticipating in Leadership

24. The difference between a good leader and a great leader is that a great leader learns to anticipate rather than react.
25. The lifespan of your current structure is diminishing as we speak. If you aren’t changing, you are quickly falling behind.
26. The greatest innovations are born out of limitations.
27. Ask questions, but don’t gather information just to confirm your bias. Ask open-ended questions and absorb information.
    
28. If you wait until you are 100% sure about something, you’ll be too late.
    
29. The more confident you are that your prediction is right, the more likely you are wrong.

You don’t have to wait for a Catalyst event to come to your town. Find free church resources and great leadership lessons 24/7 on the Life.Church Open Network.

See even more quotes from Catalyst on our Twitter page, watch Pastor Craig’s monthly podcast, and get free resources from Pastors Craig Groeschel and Levi Lusko free on the Life.Church Open Network.