29 Things Young Leaders Must Know To Be Successful

Enlisting, equipping and then releasing young leaders to be all God created them to be is critical to becoming a sustainable church or organization.  You must always be green and growing as a staff.
But the temptations which face young leaders has an intensity unlike anything we have seen before.  The Opposite Sex, Money, Drugs, Greed, Debt, Violence.  All are pitfalls which can derail a burdgeoning career.  Providing young leaders appropriate coaching and guard rails are necessary for their and your long-term success.
This is something the National Football League is quite aware of.  Shown above is session conducted by Coach Herm Edwards at a 2011 league event called “The Business of Football: Rookie Edition”.  As a former player and coach, his insights are something all young leaders can learn from regardless of their profession.
The following are 29 Things Young Leaders Must Know To Be Successful I gleaned from this session.  All quotes are from Coach Edwards.

1. Free Advice Can Have Great Value – “A lot of things in life are not free.  This is free.”
2. Take Personal Responsibility For Your Preparation – “The only thing you can control, you be ready to go…If you’re not ready to go physically, that’s on you.”
3. It’s A Cold World Out There – “We don’t care.  Nobody cares.”
4. There Is A Limited Amount Of Opportunity.  Take Advantage Of It. – “1,900 football players are professional football players.  That’s it.”
5. Talent Is Never Enough – “Right now they got more experience than you.  Nothing you can do about that.  You might have more talent but they have more experience.”
6. This Is Your Job – “It’s your job men.”
7. Providing For Your Family Is A Privilege – “It’s not a right but a privilege to play and coach in the National Football League.”
8. Unto Whom Much Is Given, Much Is Required – “Talent, expectations and production can sometimes be a curse.  You’ve got so much talent you don’t live up to it.”
9. God Gave You Your Talent – “Talent, you didn’t earn it.  God gave it to you.”
10. You Must Produce With Your Talent – “You got talent but does the production equal the talent?..If you’re not a productive player then it becomes a curse.”
11. Don’t Waste Your Talent – “You’ve got an opportunity.  Don’t waste your talent.”
12. Have A Plan For Your Career And Life – “Expectations.  A goal without a plan is a wish…What’s your plan to be a professional football player?”
13. Take Personal Responsibility For Your Success – “Nobody’s going to play for you.  Nobody’s going to practice.  You got to do that.  You got to do all the work.”
14. Your Habits Will Make You Or Break You – “This is where young players struggle.  Priorities.  Your habits create who you are.”
15. Be Willing To Change – “If you’re not willing to change your habits, you’re not changing.”
16. Jesus Christ Should Be Your Top Priority – “My priorities are real simple – My Faith.  My Family.  My Occupation.”
17. Only Your Faith And Family Should Be Above Your Career – “Somewhere on that list, this football thing is kind of important.  And if it’s way down the list, you got issues men.”
18. Success Comes With A Cost.  Make Sure You Are Willing To Pay It. – “I’ll tell you something about being famous.  Be careful what you wish for.”
19. You Are Always Being Watched – “When you leave this room today there are cameras watching you wherever you go.”
20. Immature Behavior Is Embarrassing – “It’s embarrassing (when a player gets in trouble).”
21. Your Immature Behavior Affects All Of Us – “You think it only affects you.  It affects everybody.”
22. We Love Your Passion But Be Humble – “You think, ‘I’m all this.’  You ain’t all that.”
23. Leadership Is Temporary.  Steward It Well – “When you get that jersey it’s rented.  When you come out of the league they’re going to take your name off and give somebody else your number.”
24. You Have More Influence Than You Know – “Everything you do on the field, and now off the field, it becomes news.”
25. When You Get Off Work Go Home – “Nothing good happens after 12:00 o’clock…After midnight, something bad’s going to happen.”
26. You Get One Of Everything – “In life all you need is one of everything.  When you get your first paycheck – one car, one house, one piece of jewelry.”
27. You’ve Got One Wife – “You get one girlfriend OR you get one wife.  You can’t have both.”
28. Don’t Mess Up Your Family – “If you play for the Dallas Cowboys and you go to Philadelphia, you still got that one girlfriend or that one wife.  Don’t screw that up.”
29. “You’ve been told.”

Young leaders, now that you have gotten the pep talk, go take the world by storm!

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