Leadership From The Inside Out
Learning To Lead Yourself Before Trying To Lead Others
There was a season in my life where I was subconsciously being outer-directed.
I was emotionally influenced by:
• people
• circumstances
• pressure
• competition
• opinions
• fear
• insecurity
And for years I wondered:
“Why am I constantly stressed, confused, and emotionally drained?”
Then one day the light came on.
I wasn’t leading myself from the inside out.
I wasn’t being honest about:
• my thought patterns
• my emotions
• my fears
• my reactions
• what I truly believed
The missing word was:
Leadership
The Bible says:
“Where there is no vision, the people perish…”
Proverbs 29:18
Many people think they have:
• a money problem
• a relationship problem
• an IRS problem
• a career problem
• a family problem
But many times underneath all of those things is actually:
A leadership problem
Leadership Begins Within
The moment you take responsibility for your life, you stop blaming everything outside of you and begin to possess the power to change.
That is when your light begins to shine.
That is when chains begin breaking internally.
That is when your mind starts becoming renewed.
A Man That Rules His Spirit
The Bible says:
“He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.”
Proverbs 16:32
One of the greatest forms of leadership is emotional leadership.
Many people can control businesses, money, ministries, and environments…
…but cannot control:
• their emotions
• their reactions
• their thoughts
• their words
• their appetites
Real leadership starts internally.
Christianity Is More Than Religion
Christianity is not simply about preparing to go to heaven.
It is about transformation.
It is about discovering the agency, authority, responsibility, and government God placed within His creation.
Jesus didn’t just come to save us from sin.
He came to restore man back to alignment with God.
Your Life Follows Your Allegiance
Every morning I go walking.
I don’t expect results if I lay around doing nothing.
My results are connected to what I give myself to consistently.
“Faith without works is dead.”
James 2:26
Your future is shaped by:
• your routines
• your thinking
• your disciplines
• your words
• your environment
• your spiritual condition
Leadership In My Own Life
I lead a church and several businesses.
But everything I lead starts with my relationship with God.
That relationship helps keep me:
• anchored
• integral
• discerning
• grounded
Leadership begins with:
• your thinking
• your words
• your choices
The COC Foundation
Love • Kindness • Leadership • Connection
Love
Love is the foundation of everything.
“God is love.”
1 John 4:8
Kindness
Kindness allows us to become the embodiment of Christ toward others.
Leadership
Leadership helps us set the example instead of simply talking about change.
Connection
Connection teaches us to listen, discern, understand, and relate to people instead of constantly judging them.
You Cannot Materialize The External Until You Spiritualize The Internal
Most people spend their entire lives trying to control external outcomes while neglecting their internal world.
But when you begin living from the inside out:
• you stop reacting emotionally
• you stop blaming everyone else
• you stop living unconsciously
• you begin owning your experience
One Of My Greatest Lessons
When I was younger in college, I rushed into marriage with a beautiful young woman.
The marriage didn’t last a year.
At that time, I lacked wisdom, maturity, patience, and understanding.
I later realized that marriage is one of the most important decisions a person can make outside of accepting Jesus Christ into their life.
Years later, after growth and healing, I remarried.
Now I have been married for 22 years to an amazing wife, and together we have four beautiful children.
Marriage Taught Me Something Powerful
If you are married, challenges will come.
But one of the greatest lessons I learned is this:
Work harder on yourself than you do trying to change your spouse.
Many people exhaust themselves trying to control:
• people
• outcomes
• circumstances
• situations outside their responsibility
Instead:
Learn To Lead From Within
Five Principles Of Leadership From Within
1. Self-Awareness
You cannot heal what you refuse to acknowledge.
2. Responsibility
Ownership creates power.
3. Daily Discipline
Your future is connected to your routines.
4. Emotional Control
Strong people rule their emotions instead of allowing emotions to rule them.
5. Spiritual Alignment
Your relationship with God stabilizes your inner life while the external world constantly changes.
Final Principle
You cannot take people where you have never gone within yourself.
Real leadership is not control.
Real leadership is transformation from the inside out.