Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

FaithWalkers

Home
Evangelical
Dr Henry Cloud Opens Catlayst 2013 on Identity

Dr Henry Cloud Opens Catlayst 2013 on Identity

Last updated on: October 2, 2013 at 1:57 pm by Bill Blankschaen

Dr Henry Cloud Opens Catlayst 2013 on Identity 2013-10-02T13:57:06-06:00 Bill Blankschaen

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Dr. Henry Cloud kicked off the opening session of Catalyst 2013 Labs with a session inspired by his new book Boundaries for Leaders.

Dr. Cloud challenged Catalyst leaders to honestly acknowledge the reality gap that exists between what we know about leadership and what we actually experience in the real world of daily leadership struggles.

As Christian leaders, we know our identity is in Christ. We believe that proposition. But how do we truly understand our identity?

All too often we miss the reality that leadership is a journey, a faith-walk experience that God takes people through. When we don’t understand that truth, we fail because we’re not clear on who we are in Christ and who we are becoming.

Boundaries leaders must set to clear the path to understanding our leadership identity

We have an identity of a future reality. We start with the proposition that we have an identity in Christ. God secures the Promised Land but then instructs us to go possess it. It’s in the journey of possession that we will come to be possessed by the identity He has for us. It is process driven. It is a paradox that God is perfecting those He has already perfected.

Attention. The brain begins to form circuitry and wiring through attention. Your brain is always asking who am I and what should I do? And these questions are answered by what you give your attention to. What is it that you must attend to in yourself and your mission to be successful? Do you know what you are about? The reality is that if everything is important then nothing is important. Focus requires our brain to interpret everything through that central mission. Find your focus, your strengths, and your gifts, and devote your attention to them.
Positive emotional climate. Identity requires a positive emotional climate because our creative (higher) brains require such a climate to thrive. Otherwise our protective (lower) brains shut down thinking and creativity to preserve our safety. God has designed us to become the leaders He wants us to be in an environment where we feel secure, accepted, and able to let ourselves fail as we grow. “Some of us don’t need another person in the room to get a spanking.” Too many of us live under a constant sense of threat that restricts our ability to authentically engage the growth process. God corrects and forgives without finding fault – what a concept! When we know that grace awaits us, we can find our identity as an overcomer.
Connected. We discover who we are in the context of our community. We find the opportunity to excel in our identity when we give attention to something, develop it in a positive emotional climate, and get connected with others who walk through the process with us. Dr. Cloud cited a curious study in which a monkey was scared witless. When they put another monkey in the cage, the stress level decreased by half. Taking the identity journey with others in a community positions us to handle the stress of the path God has for us.
Control. “If you have a bellybutton, you are a control freak.” Our self is the one thing we all obsess about controlling. When NFL football coach Tony Dungee strove to win the Super Bowl, he challenged his team to do three things over which they had control: 1) Hold on to the football. 2) Don’t break the rules. 3) Develop superior special teams. What do you have control over vs. the things you worry about but cannot control? Own what God has given you and only what God has given you.

The #1 factor that determines whether or not you will accomplish a goal is the belief that you can. By faith, we act. By acting, we achieve.

Christian Living

Leadership

boundaries

Boundaries for Leaders

Previous Post

October 1, 2013

Does God Use Dreams to Speak to Christians Today?

Next Post

October 2, 2013 Catalyst 2013: Doing Bad by Doing Good with Peter Greer, Tyler Wigg-Stevenson, and Bethany Hoang

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Book Reviews Christian Living Church Culture FaithWalkers Family Guest Posts In Your Church Interviews Leadership Movie Reviews Politics Spotlight Uncategorized

Select a Month November 2017 August 2017 July 2017 May 2017 March 2017 January 2017 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 May 2015 April 2015 February 2015 January 2015 November 2014 August 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Where did Jesus spend forty days being tempted by the devil?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Sea of Galilee The wilderness Jerusalem Nazareth