Catalyst Thoughts: Pre-Labs

Within fifteen minutes of arriving at Catalyst Conference I’m reminded of why me and my team give up three days to come together, be challenged individually and to grow as a team. Catalyst is a conference for those who love the local church. Here’s a quick recap of some of the statements that challenged me during the pre-labs:

“A dream that hasn’t been tested is a dream that can’t be trusted.” Rich Wilkerson Jr.  Telling the story of Joseph, Rich was challenging us not to give up on our God-given dreams because just because they haven’t been fully realized yet. God’s dream for Joseph took over a decade to realize, and Joseph was faithful throughout.

“Failure is not an option [for innovation]. It’s a requirement.” Bobby Grunewald   Bobby and his team developed the Bible app that over 200 million people use everyday on smartphones. He had a great talk on innovation and the systems needed to develop a culture of innovation.

“Instead of asking ‘is it working?’ ask the question ‘what are we learning?’ You’re not failing, you’re learning. If you’re learning, you’re winning.” Jeff Henderson   Advice given to him by one of the chief innovators at the Coca-Cola company. Always asking “is it working” will create a culture of fear. Asking the question “what are we learning” creates a culture of growth.

“Your team doesn’t need a relevant leader, it needs a real one . . . show your pit stains.” Brad Lomenick   Pushing against the temptation to always appear perfect as a leader, Brad challenged us to lead from a place of authenticity and humility.

I’ll share more tomorrow!