The Gift of Disorientation

I love to experience what Craig Groeschel calls, “the gift of disorientation.”

That’s when you encounter a new idea or a new perspective that makes you think, “I’ve never thought of it that way before.” That’s the zone where growth happens. If you’re not experiencing that regularly, you’re not in a high- growth environment. It’s time to change that.

The senior pastor I worked for in Texas used to joke that he could tell immediately when I experienced a new idea or perspective. He said I would get a thousand-yard stare-into- the-distance expression on my face and I’d lift my hand to my beard as I thought about what I had just heard. I think I still do that!

Growth doesn’t just happen. It didn’t just happen for me, and it won’t for you either.

So how will you determine and choose to grow intentionally as a leader?

Mark Miller said, “We will not drift to greatness. If we go there, it will be because of discipline and thoughtful actions executed consistently over time.”

Marcus Buckingham wrote, “As you grow, you become more of who you already are. You grow the most in
your areas of greatest strength, not weakness.”

When is the last time you received the gift of disorientation?

When is the last time you were significantly challenged by a new idea, or knocked out of your comfort zone by something unexpected?

What is your intentional plan for growth?

And what are your next steps toward implementing it?

My plan for pursuing the disorientation that comes with intentional growth includes the books I read, the podcasts I listen to, the conferences, seminars, and webinars I attend, and the articles and blog posts I digest. It also includes the environments I enter into—the people I spend time with. I have a leadership coach who provides an external perspective when I need to talk through challenges that I face in my own leadership.

I believe every leader needs an intentional growth plan that is designed around their wiring that helps them develop their strengths and leverage their contributions to the team and organization they lead.

Later this year in August, Southview will be hosting the Global Leadership Summit. I first attended this in 2000, and we’ve been hosting at our site since 2015. It’s well worth the investment of your time and resources; I speak from my own experience and that of the scores of leaders I’ve taken with me over the years and heard feedback from. I’d love for you to register to attend at our site and learn with me!

Do you have a plan for your own intentional growth this year?

Like the old saying goes, “failing to plan is planning to fail.”