Reasonable leaders get reasonable results and make reasonable progress. Sounds reasonable, right? But to accomplish significant progress, change, and effectiveness, you may need to think unreasonably.
In his talk at The Global Leadership Summit: Special Edition on February 24, 2022, Craig Groeschel unpacked how to be strategically unreasonable. There seems no better time in our world, our churches, and our businesses that some unreasonable leadership might be the way forward.
Enjoy these official notes from Craig Groeschel’s session on Strategic Unreasonableness.
Unusual times often demand unreasonable leadership.
Unreasonable leaders might:
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- Lead with top-down force demanding unrealistic results.
- Be blindly unaware of the real issues at hand.
- Lack empathy that devalues the team and kills morale.
Reasonable Leaders
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- Reasonable leaders tend to produce reasonable results.
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- Progress often depends on unreasonable leaders.
- It takes intentionality to overcome the gravitational pull to reasonableness.
- Reasonable leaders are rarely controversial.
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- It does not often require risk.
- They rarely rock the boat.
If you want to break out of what is and break into what could be, you’ll have to be strategically unreasonable in your leadership.
3 Ways to Be Strategically Unreasonable
1. Think “what” first. Think “how” later.
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- What is your “what”? Be incredibly clear about what you want to accomplish.
- Be clear about the words you use to define your goals.
- Build toward something in the future.
- It’s impossible to have a “how” without a “what.”
- If your “what” is compelling enough, you’ll figure out a “how.”
2. Embrace your limitations.
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- More resources do not drive innovation. Limitations drive innovation.
- You have everything you need to do everything you are supposed to do.
- You don’t need more time or more money, you need more unreasonableness.
- Quit saying “We cannot because we don’t.” Say, “We can because we do not…”
3. When you fail, fail actively, not passively.
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- As a leader, you’re not going to hit every target or achieve every goal.
- When you do fail, fail leading with faith instead of cowering with fear.
- Sometimes failure is the tuition that you pay for success.
- Sometimes you have to be willing to fail.
- Failure is not an option; it’s a necessity.
- If you aren’t failing every now and then, you’re playing it way too safe.
- If you’re succeeding too easily, you’re not thinking big enough.
Call to Strategic Unreasonable Leadership
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- To do something great, you’ll have to lead with unreasonable faith.
- You have to continue to believe.
- In the middle of a difficult time, dream some unreasonable dreams.
- People who do five times as much as you are not five times as smart as you.
- Find comfort in being uncomfortable. Growth and comfort never coexist.
You’re a leader. You go first. You have vision and passion. You create culture. You add value. You take risks. Lead with integrity, multiply resources. Your calling is too great, and your God is too good for you to play it safe in your leadership. What are you waiting for? It’s an unstable time. It requires leadership. There are problems to solve, opportunities to be seized. It’s time to be unreasonable in your leadership.
Craig Groeschel
Founder & Senior Pastor | Life.ChurchGlobal Leadership Network
GLN Staff Writer | globalleadership.orgGLS22 Special Edition Notes—Strategic Unreasonableness
Published February 24, 2022TOPICS IN THIS ARTICLE
CallingChange ManagementConfidenceCultureExecutionLeading OrganizationsPeople OperationsResilienceStrategyVisionReasonable leaders get reasonable results and make reasonable progress. Sounds reasonable, right? But to accomplish significant progress, change, and effectiveness, you may need to think unreasonably.
In his talk at The Global Leadership Summit: Special Edition on February 24, 2022, Craig Groeschel unpacked how to be strategically unreasonable. There seems no better time in our world, our churches, and our businesses that some unreasonable leadership might be the way forward.
Enjoy these official notes from Craig Groeschel’s session on Strategic Unreasonableness.
Unusual times often demand unreasonable leadership.
Unreasonable leaders might:
Reasonable Leaders
If you want to break out of what is and break into what could be, you’ll have to be strategically unreasonable in your leadership.
3 Ways to Be Strategically Unreasonable
1. Think “what” first. Think “how” later.
2. Embrace your limitations.
3. When you fail, fail actively, not passively.
Call to Strategic Unreasonable Leadership
You’re a leader. You go first. You have vision and passion. You create culture. You add value. You take risks. Lead with integrity, multiply resources. Your calling is too great, and your God is too good for you to play it safe in your leadership. What are you waiting for? It’s an unstable time. It requires leadership. There are problems to solve, opportunities to be seized. It’s time to be unreasonable in your leadership.
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About the Author
Craig Groeschel
Founder & Senior Pastor
Globally recognized as a leader of leaders, Craig Groeschel is the founder and senior pastor of Life.Church, rated the #1 place to work in 2021 for small and mid-size companies by Glassdoor. Known for their missional approach to leveraging the latest technology, Life.Church is the innovative creator of the YouVersion Bible App—downloaded more than a half a billion times worldwide. In 2020, Life.Church provided free tools to thousands of churches who quickly transitioned to a virtual church experience in the wake of the global health pandemic. Traveling the world on behalf of The Global Leadership Summit, Groeschel advocates for building leaders in every sector of society. He is also the host of the top-ranked Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast. A New York Times best-selling author, his latest book is Lead Like It Matters
Global Leadership Network
GLN Staff Writer
The Global Leadership Network is a community committed to learning from each other and using our influence to accomplish God’s purposes on earth. No matter where your influence is, when you commit to grow your leadership, everyone around you wins—businesses work for good, communities are transformed and churches thrive! Both global and diverse, our network includes partners in 1,400+ cities and 135+ countries. We are committed to deliver fresh, actionable and inspiring leadership content both at The Global Leadership Summit, and year-round through our digital platforms.