Intentionally shaping your future!

Get around people who are better, or further down the road, than you. 

I think most people would say they believe in this principle. Very few, if any, would say "I prefer to be around those whom I am smarter and more talented than...and preferably further down the road in terms of experience and wisdom." 

The anecdotal evidence that I have gathered suggests that people are completely okay with being around average and make no real discernible effort to get around people better than themselves. 

If we want to grow at a faster clip than nature would say (Natures growth: I am less of a moron at 50 than I was at 20) then we don't have the luxury of just sitting back hoping it happens. We have to be uber intentional. 

What prevents us 
I've wondered lately why this doesn't happen more and why passivity causes us to leave it up to chance.

I think deep down, there is insecurity. Insecurity of getting exposed or being seen as less than, insecurity to put ourselves out there.  

I also wonder if it is not laziness or our love for comfort. We just don't want to put the effort into starting and then building relationships. That would get us out of our comfort zone so we sit by passively. 

If we want to be better, grow, and develop, it takes intentionality to get around people who can sharpen and grow us. 

Rodney Hobbs
In 2010, I approached a guy named Rodney Hobbs to see if he would be available and willing to meet up every two or three weeks. We met consistently for about a year, then he hired me on staff at the church he planted. I then spent the next 6 years working for him. 

So much of Rodney Hobbs' fingerprints are on how I think, how I process, how I see things, etc. And without that time with Rodney, I would not be where I am today. Asking Rodney to meet up monthly so I can learn from him was one of the best decisions I have ever made. 

I could share the names of multiple others whom I have sought out, knowing I needed to get around them to learn from them - Kyle Stark, Brett Ledbetter, and John Mayer (volleyball coach) are three that come to mind. It is the reason I started my Head Coach Cohorts...so I could find a way to get around the sharpest leaders and coaches in the country.

Jim Rhone said, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” 

The people you are around are shaping you are shaping what you become. 

Choose wisely who you surround yourself!

Practical next steps:
+ Ask that person who is smarter and further along than you if they would be open to connecting (in person, phone, or Zoom) every two to three weeks so you can run things by them and learn from them.

+ If they say yes, maybe say, "If you are okay with it, why don't we connect for the next three months, and at the three month mark, we can check in to see if this is still something we want to do. So be brutally honest with me." Give them and you an off-ramp.

+ When you meet up, have a list of things you want to get their take on. Don't come empty-handed.

+ Ask them to freely speak into your life. If they notice anything about how you think, how you process things, how you see certain issues, how you communicate, etc, and they think you need to adjust, ask them to be forthcoming...and mention to them you won't get your feelings hurt.

+ Ask them what they think might be the most beneficial use of y'all's time.

+ Be flexible and as accommodating as possible. You need to go meet them on their turf, at a time that works for them, etc. For example: Don't ask them to make the 20-minute drive to you.

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**FAITH AND LEADERSHIP**

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