At Leader Formation International we believe two realities mark every leader: gift and growth. Gift gets you on the team; growth gets you on the field. If you're an influencer…if others follow your lead…you are a leader. You have the gift. You're on the team.

But are you on the field? All leaders have gifts. All leaders get on the field for at least some of the time. But no leader lasts without growth.

But what is growth all about? It's about breaking through the barriers that shackle our gifts and keep us off the field: fear, anger, pride, bitterness, unforgiveness, immorality, competition, self-centered ambition, unhealthy control to name but a few. But how do we break through these barriers? Brokenness. Brokenness in those painful and unwanted times when we are forced to face ourselves in ways we never would choose so we can become ourselves in ways we never could accomplish. Growth comes through struggles in our places of leadership that feel like death. Whatever our field may be—business, medicine, law, ministry, the arts—without these periods of brokenness we are all gift and no growth, all potential and no fulfillment. We become the object of words like "He had so much promise. She was going somewhere. But they're just sitting on the bench. What a shame! All that wasted potential!"

We at LFI focus on what gets you on the field. We want to help you understand what God is doing when He brings brokenness into your life. We've been there. We've struggled in those moments. We've seen midday turn into midnight. We’ve waited and waited and waited for God to get us back into the game.

And here's one important lesson we have learned. Competition for superiority guarantees you a seat at the end of the bench. To become a player for God you must turn away from all the natural drives that arise out of self-interests and set your mind on His interests. And how do you do that? By saying “No” to self and “Yes” to the cross. By following Jesus into death. According to the world’s playbook, we must prove we're the best by beating the rest. But in God’s playbook, we must do what Jesus did and become slaves to the rest and by calling them to follow God's agenda no matter what it costs us. But who can do this? Only Jesus. And only us when He lives in us and raises us up from the dead so we can lead in His resurrection resources.

A leader’s gifts are only released through growth and a leader’s growth only comes through death, burial, and resurrection in Christ. Are you on the bench or on the field? It's your call. What do you say? Got game?

Bill