Brad Lomenick - The Catalyst Leader Participants Guide: 8 Essentials for Becoming a Change Maker

2013 by Brad Lomenick

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Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. www.zondervan.com.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are from the New American Standard Bible, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org).

ISBN: 978-1-4185-5083-7

Printed in the United States of America

13 14 15 16 17 18 RRD 6 5 4 3 2 1

CONTENTS

Dear Leader,

Abraham Lincoln once said, Whatever you are, be a good one. The sixteenth president of the United States knew that living out ones calling is a matter of stewardship. He understood that however youve been called to lead, you must learn to do it well. TheCatalystLeader participants guide and DVD curriculum has been designed to assist you in this journey by helping you apply all eight essentials for becoming a change maker:

1. Called: Finding Your Uniqueness

2. Authentic: Unleashing the Real You

3. Passionate: Living in Pursuit of God

4. Capable: Making Excellence a Nonnegotiable

5. Courageous: Preparing to Jump

6. Principled: Anchored in Your Convictions

7. Hopeful: Building Toward a Better Tomorrow

8. Collaborative: Drawing Power from Partners

Leadership is not a destination, but rather a lifelong voyage. If youve been on this expedition for any length of time, you know that it is fraught with ditches and difficulties. Some days will bring great victories, record sales, and stories of life change. Others will drag you into crushing defeats, financial strain, and feelings of insignificance. You will be forced to face the good days as well as the badthey are two sides of the same coinand the level of your leadership will determine how well you weather them. If you are reading this and engaging in this study, you are not just the future of leadership; you are the present. You are a leader of today. And being a Catalyst Leader gives you the edge, perspective, and tools to becoming a change maker.

As you travel the road that has been designed for you, you must be intentional about growing, maturing, and evolving. The leader you will become is being determined by the investments youre making right now. Thats why I determined early on in this projects life to produce an accompanying curriculum. I wanted to help leaders dive deeper into the practical aspects of the essentials of the Catalyst Leader. The eight characteristics do not work well as trophies or artwork. If placed on your mantel or hung on your wall, they will not benefit you. They must be put into practice.

This study was designed for use in groups or teams so that youll be exposed to a plurality of perspectives. Youll encounter questions for personal reflection and group discussion. Make sure to engage with others as you walk along. In each weeks lesson, youll also find suggestions for incorporating the eight essentials into your professional, personal, and spiritual life. Leadership growth occurs in the laboratory, not just the classroom, so I challenge you to take seriously these suggestions.

Lincoln was right: leadership is stewardship. My prayer for you is that youll learn to better steward the passions that drive you and the gifts God has buried inside of you. The One who called you doesnt simply intend for you to lead; He wants you to lead well. If thats your desire as well, then lets get started.

On the journey,

Brad Lomenick

Lead Visionary and President, Catalyst

TheCatalystLeader participants guide and DVD curriculum was created to help influencers put into practice the eight essentials for becoming a change maker. In the pages that follow, youll find introductions to each leadership characteristic coupled with thought-provoking discussion questions to make learning easier. Each lesson in this eight-week study contains five sections. The first four should be completed with your team; the last one is for individual reflection.

STUDY: A brief introduction to the leadership essential examined in this lesson. General questions are provided to encourage participants to begin thinking more deeply about the trait. Questions can be answered corporately with a facilitator or in small groups.

WATCH: A short paragraph introducing the weeks film clip from the DVD curriculum. After reading this aloud, play the film clip for the entire group.

INTERACT: A series of questions intended for the purpose of brainstorming a list of direct ways to apply this trait to the participants environment.

APPLY: Specific and practical tips for making the essential part of the normal routine in all areas of participants lives: personal, spiritual, and organizational.

REFLECT: Space to journal between lessons about what the participant has learned concerning this trait, how he or she has decided to change or adjust as a result, and successes seen as a result.

Finally, keep in mind that this guide is intended to be a complement to, not a replacement for, TheCatalyst Leader: 8 Essentials for Becoming a Change Maker. The ideas you will encounter in the pages that follow are not complete and are best understood in context of the book itself. The participants guide will often reference the book, so keep it nearby as you work through this study.

STUDY

The calling God has placed on your life is one of the most important discoveries youll ever make. Many people wander aimlessly through life with no sense of purpose. They accept job offers, move across the continent, or make life-altering decisions based on money, familiarity, or the possibility for advancement. But could it be that in our jockeying for success we may be missing out on the thing God has designed for us in this moment?

Ever since I was young Ive felt a call deep down in my gut to lead. I loved being in front of people, influencing their thinking, and holding their attention. I was even willing to make a fool of myself in order to get others to laugh. In college I felt as though I needed to know everyone. When I joined a fraternity, I started a Bible study that attracted lots of leaders from different backgrounds and networks and rival fraternity houses (and, of course, sorority houses as well). I sensed something inside me that pushed me to gather, connect, and inspire others. I didnt know the specific vocational plans God had for me at the time, but I knew Hed marked out a path for me if I was willing to look for it.