I was sent on a trip to Atlanta this past week to attend Catalyst, which is a leadership conference.  There were a ton of great speakers there, so here are some of the things I pulled from each one.

Andy Stanley - pastor North Point Community Church (http://www.northpoint.org/)

  • Forgiveness is our message.  We have been forgiven, therefore we should forgive.
  • There’s no excuse for angry, vengeful church leaders
  • The boldest move you could make is to release all the anger and vengeance
  • If your wife thinks the church/business is your mistress, you’ve lost moral authority against what you’re fighting.  You’re part of the problem.
  • Prioritize the role that only you can play over the role that anyone can play
  • Give 10% to God, save 10%, and spend the other 80%

Jim Collins- American business consultant (http://www.jimcollins.com/)

  • If we only have great business corporations, we will be merely prosperous.  We must have great healthcare, education, non-profits, etc
  • How do you know when it’s time to make a change?  The moment you start asking the question
  • Good is the opposite of great
  • We are not imprisoned by our circumstances, we are freed by our choices
  • You find a culture of discipline in any truly great enterprise
  • It took Sam Walton seven years to get two stores.  After 13 years, Starbucks had five stores.  Greatness takes time.
  • You cannot prepare for what you cannot predict
  • The greatest executives in Fortune 500 companies shared a charateristic: humility
  • If it’s about you, you will not be able to build something great.  It has to be about the work, the cause, or the value
  • The idea of finishing work is a prescription for a breakdown.  Work is infinite, time is finite.
  • Greatness is a function of the choices nobody can see

Brenda Salter McNeil- (http://www.saltermcneil.com/)

  • Nobody wants to change the world more than God
  • Catalytic events provide opportunity for movement
  • Christianity was always intended for all races, creeds, etc

Steven Furtick - pastor Elevation Church (http://www.stevenfurtick.com/)

  • Between the promise that God gives you and the payoff, there’s a process
  • Be faithful in the process
  • God is preparing you for what he’s preparing for you
  • Believe in the vision when there’s nothing to see

Seth Godin - author/blogger (http://sethgodin.typepad.com/)

  • People like being with people like them
  • Tribes have a connection, a leader, and a mission
  • Most people want to be sheep, nobody wants to follow them
  • Be inspired to be inspiring

Tim Sanders - author (http://www.timsanders.com/)

  • Create abundance by living
  • Abundance is the essence of your faith
  • Good is the new great
  • Tell your people to take your values to work
  • Have contagious compassion
  • If not you, then who?  If not now, then when?

Dave Ramsey - financial advisor, radio/tv host (http://www.daveramsey.com/)

  • The five enemies of unity are: poor communication, gossip, unresolved disagreements, lack of shared purpose, sanctioned incompetence
  • When the right hand doesn’t know the left hand is doing, strife sets in
  • Gossip is degrading and will destroy an organization
  • Hand negatives up and positives down
  • Gossip is when a negative is discussed by someone who can’t fix it
  • Unresolved disagreements is when a leader doesn’t know that they exist
  • A little confrontation cleanses the wound and allows the parties to go forward
  • When feelings are hurt, act quickly and decisively
  • Lack of shared purpose is caused when a leader doesn’t state the goal and mission early and often
  • Sanctioned incompetence demoralizes
  • Leaders must battle enemies early to save unity