Leverage Professionals Bible Study
who: featuring Scott Austin and Chris Emmitt (for more information visit their blogs)
what: relevant biblical applications for your professional life.
when: Tuedays @ 6:30, starting Feb 10th
where: Quarry Golf Club (444 E Basse rd)
contact: leverage@communitybible.com or 477-1760 for more details.
Leverage [lev-er-ij, lee-ver-] –noun 3.power or ability to act or to influence people, events, decisions, etc.; sway: Being the only industry in town gave the company considerable leverage in its union negotiations. 4.the use of a small initial investment, credit, or borrowed funds to gain a very high return in relation to one’s investment, to control a much larger investment, or to reduce one’s own liability for any loss.
We started kicking around ideas for a new bible study, one with real people who have real jobs. Our bible study grew to the idea of a community where those real people could connect with one another and encourage each other. Somewhere along the way the word leverage started coming into our conversation. “Let’s create a place where those real people, with real jobs, could learn to leverage biblical principles in a professional environment,” we thought.
I love this word leverage. Whether it’s the ability to influence people or making a small initial investment to gain a very high return it’s exactly what we are going for. Welcome to a new bible study where by making a small investment, one hour a week, you can anticipate very large returns. Welcome to a new community where scripture plays an active role in our daily decisions.
Scott Austin
I just finished listening to a speaker by the name of Marcus Buckingham, and what he talked about on leadership was fantastic. He spoke for a little over an hour so if you want to hear the whole thing buy the 2007 Summit Leadership Conference DVD that was put on by Willow Creek or go to marcusbuckingham.com. But here are three truths that he said that stood out to me.
Marcus’ whole speech was on playing to your strengths, and he gives three myths that can keep us from focusing on what we do great.
Myth #1 – As you grow your personality changes.
He joked, “just go to a high scool reunion, did anybody really change?” Here is the truth:
Truth #1 – As you grow you become more of who you already are.
Myth #2 – You grow the most in your areas of your greatest weakness.
Tiger Woods revamped his entire swing just to get better and when Shaquille O’neal went to the Lakers they focused on his abilities to play in the paint rather than to shoot free throws. Here is the truth.
Truth #2 – You grow the most in the areas of your greatest strength.
Myth #3 – A great team member puts their strengths aside and does whatever it takes to help the team.
He says that the team becomes well-rounded be cause each member is not. You help the team by taking each others strengths serious and playing to them. Here is the truth.
Truth #3 – A great team member volunteers their strengths to the team most of the time.
Marcus delivers his talk much better than I could ever blog about it, but I really like these three truths that he laid out and the idea of being a leader who develops a well-rounded team by recruiting members who are not.
–Chris Emmitt
