Today’s Highlight: Authenticity

[featured_image]I’ve had the amazing privilege to work with a great group of leaders for the past two days.

At the end of each day we take turns sharing our highlights of each day over an amazing meal together around a full table. It was a blessing to hear each person share from the heart something that was meaningful to them from our day’s activities. After everyone had finished, I felt a joy in my heart and a sense of satisfaction that the time we invested here has had a signficant impact.

Then the person next to me turned and asked me directly, “Dave, what’s your highlight?” After a brief reflection I realized what had made today meaningful to me.

My highlight was truly the authentic response of the participants in the workshop to the reality that they were seeing things in their own lives that needed to be addressed at a personal level if they were going to lead their churches to make disciples who make disciples.

One leader had confessed: “I don’t pray. I need to do that.”
Another said, “It’s embarrassing that we don’t know how to make disciples. It’s obvious we don’t know how because we are not doing it. That’s embarrassing.”
For me as a trainer, coach and facilitator, I have goals that I want to see accomplished from any workshop that I lead. However, I am most thrilled when I see leaders authentically addressing their own limitations and faults — and committing themselves to do something to change.

The challenge we all face as leaders is duplicity.

The solution we need to embrace is authenticity – honestly admitting our faults and seeking by the power of the Holy Spirit to stop ignoring our duplicity and committing to take steps to change.