Ignite Leader Guide Preview

leader guide Student guide Ken Blanchard & Phil Hodges

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:3-6 The Apostle Paul reminds us of the importance of giving thanks to those who’ve partnered with us.

There have been many people who participated in the creation of Ignite to whom we are grateful...

Our Heavenly Father who gives richly to all who ask, to His Son, Jesus for a life well-lived that perfectly demonstrated the message we teach and to the Holy Spirit for the ability to live, love and lead like Jesus…

Phyllis Hendry for championing the message that Jesus is the greatest leadership role model of all time…

Tommy Moore for his practical leadership and strategic thinking in support of the product development process that created Ignite…

Karen McGuire for her direction and wisdom in insuring the integrity of the Lead Like Jesus message is reflected in the content of the Ignite program…

Wendy Seidman for leading the charge of turning an idea into reality through her gifts, talent, expertise and endless hours of priceless time…

John Herring, Life Bible Study and NavPress for catching the vision of students who lead like Jesus and investing time and resources into making it a reality…

Mark Clement, Scott Ross and Big Picture Media for writing, filming and creating video content that would inspire students to reach higher and dream more…

Jerry Haddock and the Association of Christian Schools International for encouraging the creation of a leadership experience for students to support the ACSI mission…

Julie Georggin for her commitment to bringing this experience to students and vital leadership in establishing Lead Like Jesus as a trusted provider to ACSI… The Youth Advisory Council of the LLJ facilitators who dreamed dreams, shared ideas, and believed that the Lead Like Jesus message should be taught to students…

Word Worship and Brett Rutledge for the permission to use Make Us More…

Every adult leader, teacher and parent who invests his or her life in raising up the next generation of leaders in the image and model of Jesus…

And every student who is inspired and challenged by Ignite to transform the world.

1

IGNITE LEADER GUIDE TABLE OF CONTENTS Welcome ............................................................................................................................................. 3 Facilitator Tips ................................................................................................................................. 4 Session 1: Who Will I Follow? ...................................................................................................... 9 Session 2: The Heart of a Leader—How Am I Edging God Out?.................................19 Session 3: The Heart of a Leader —How Do I Exalt God Only? ..................................31 Session 4: The Head of a Leader —Where Am I Headed? ............................................43 Session 5: The Hands of a Leader —How Do I Develop People? ...............................55 Session 6: The Habits of a Leader —How Do I Stay Connected with God? ..........69 Appendix:...........................................................................................................................................81 + Takeaways + Experiencing God’s Unconditional Love (verses) + EGO Assessment: o Pride Assessment o Fear Assessment

2

WELCOME TO IGNITE! On behalf of the Lead Like Jesus organization, I want to thank you for your willingness to serve the best interests of the students under your care by guiding them through this student leadership training. By doing so, you have joined tens of thousands of people around the world who have discovered that there is a leadership model they can trust—His Name is Jesus.

The purpose of this guide is to help you facilitate an interactive learning experience using video (depicting a group of high school students engaged in daily leadership issues), group discussion, and individual activity that will help your students discover their own identity and role as a leader in their everyday world and relationships.

Preparing the next generation to advance the Kingdom through their demonstration of Jesus’ love-based leadership is a high calling. It is worthy of our continuing prayers and trust in the work of the Holy Spirit that He will fill in the blanks and inspire the hearts of your students.

Blessings to you as you live, learn, and lead in the name of Jesus!

Phil Hodges and the Lead Like Jesus team

3

FACILITATOR TIPS PERSONAL PREPARATION 1. Pray—for yourself and for those you will lead in Ignite. Ask the Holy Spirit for guidance.

2. Commit yourself to being: + A growing Christian. + A person of personal prayer and Bible reading. + Willing to give time and energy to preparation, participation, and follow-through. + A teachable spirit. + Sensitive to the leadership of the Holy Spirit in personal preparation as well as during the sessions. + A person who loves God and loves people. + A servant leader.

3. Don’t be overly concerned about how your presentation or how the sessions will go.

Remember, your sessions are not about you; they are about helping others learn to Lead Like Jesus.

4. Remember that Jesus said, “Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me.” John 15:4 5. Understand and apply God’s Word: + Review all scripture used in each session. + Consider what the truths taught in each session mean to you here and now: + How does knowing this truth about God make a difference in your life? + How can you apply this truth? o What are the implications for you and the students? o Is there a command in this passage that leaders are to obey? o Is there an example to follow? o What does this truth tell you about people in general? How does this truth apply to you and the students? Now that you have learned these things what can you do to help others walk in obedience?

6. Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit: + Pray for and expect the Holy Spirit’s leading in each session. + Be open to His leadership as you meet and discuss the key issues surrounding leading like Jesus. + Ask God to help you model leading like Jesus in all areas of your life.

4

7. Provide an atmosphere for comfortable discussions: + Create an environment where everyone is free to ask questions. + Create an atmosphere of respect. + Create an atmosphere that is not distracting: + Provide adequate lighting, comfortable seating, and appropriate temperature. + Cell phones are turned off. + Room is neat and clean.

HOW TO USE THE LEADER’S GUIDE GROUP SIZE Ignite works with any size group: + Small groups of less than 10 + Large groups of 10-100 people or more FORMAT OPTIONS Ignite can be used in a number of delivery formats: + Six Sessions of 35-40 Minutes Each Teaching the sessions over six weeks or six days gives students time to absorb the content and put it into practice. If you teach the course over six weeks or days, although the sessions are only 35-40 minutes long, we recommend that you allocate 45-50 minutes for each session. This extra time will allow you to debrief students’ past week (or day) and provide a Q and A time.

The six-session format option allows some flexibility, so if you need additional time for the discussions, activities, Q and A, and debriefing, you’ll be able to take it. Note that the time allotted of 35-40 minutes is intended to keep you and the participants moving quickly through the material. + Two Sessions of 21/2 Hours Each

By teaching sessions 1-3 together and then 4-6 together, you will be able to give students some concentrated time to reflect on the state of their Heart as a leader (sessions 1-3) before moving on to the next domains of a leader (Head, Hands and Habits). If you use this format, we recommend allowing 45 minutes for each session with a 5-minute break after Session 1 and a 10-minute break after Session 2.

5

+ Two- or Three-Day Retreats

In a retreat format you have the flexibility to present the material to accommodate any schedule you create.

+ One Day

There are six 35-40 minute sessions, which total approximately 4 hours of content. In a one-day format you would also need to allow 30-45 minutes for lunch and additional time for breaks. Short breaks of 5-10 minutes are recommended following sessions 1 and 4; longer breaks of 10-15 minutes are recommended following Sessions 2 and 5.

Below is a sample schedule with 45 minute sessions, 10- and 15-minute breaks and a 45 minute lunch: 9:00-9:45 9:45-9:55 9:55-10:40 10:40-10:55 10:55-11:40 11:40-12:25 12:25-1:10 1:10-1:20 1:20-2:05 2:05-2:15 2:15-3:00

Session 1: Who Will I Follow?

Break Session 2: The Heart of a Leader—How Am I Edging God Out? Break Session 3: The Heart of a Leader—How Do I Exalt God Only?

Lunch Session 4: The Head of a Leader—Where Am I Headed?

Break Session 5: The Hands of a Leader—How Do I Develop Others?

Break Session 6: The Habits of a Leader—How Do I Stay Connected with God?

FACILITY SETUP The more intimate the setting the better. You can achieve that by having the students sit closer together. If you use round tables keep them close together, allowing approximately four feet between each table, with a maximum of six people per table (set the seats up so that no one has their back to the front).

HOW THIS LEADER’S GUIDE IS ORGANIZED SESSION OVERVIEW: + Purpose of the Session: The goal or action the students are to take at the end of the session + Objectives of the Session: Description of how students will accomplish the session goal (what they will learn and how they will learn it, whether it’s through the video, a discussion, or some type of individual/group activity)

6

+ Optional Additional Information: Recommended pages to read from the Lead Like

Jesus book and study guide to further equip the facilitator + Outline: An overview of the session INSTRUCTOR NARRATIVE: 1. Is what you are to say to the students. If you had to, you could read this start to finish, word-for-word, and the material would be presented completely. However, the more effective way is to use this information as a resource as you prepare to facilitate the six sessions.

We recommend that you personalize this material by using your own words and illustrations. You might want to highlight key words and phrases or make your own outline so you don’t have to read it word-for-word.

We recommend practicing each session at least once so that you are comfortable with the material, and you’re able to keep to the time allotted.

2. Statements that should be read verbatim are bolded. It’s important to read these word-for-word because they either appear in the student guide, are questions for you to ask or instructions to give.

3. Directions to you, the facilitator, are shown in a intended for you to read to the students.

white or gray box like this

and are not

ACTIVITIES: + Large Group Activity: Everyone in the group does an activity together. For example, you read scenarios and students vote which answer they agree with. + Video: Students hear teaching on leadership concepts and watch them played out in a story. + Large Group Discussion: You facilitate a discussion with the entire group based on the video they just watched. + Small Group Activity/Partner Activity/Just You Activity: Students either get into groups, work with a partner, or work alone to apply the leadership concepts. Most often, your role is to make sure they stick to the allotted time. + Large Group Debrief: You debrief the above activities (small group/partner/just you) with the students by asking them questions in a large group; sometimes you’re guided to repeat comments you heard so that the discussion is not predictable.

7

+ Large Group and In Closing: You share the information that’s listed in that

section with students.

OVERALL MATERIALS LIST + Bible + Leader’s Guide + Student Guides + Computer, projection, and sound equipment (DVD player if using a physical DVD instead of downloadable video files). Be sure to test the videos ahead of time to check the volume level and that everyone in the room can see the videos well.

Also, be sure the lighting is adequate so that the video is not washed out but that students can still see their student guide, as it includes notes from the video. + Optional: Name tags and markers + Optional: Candy or other treats to give out as prizes/rewards to the students for answering questions in the large group; volunteering to come up to the front, etc. + Optional: Music to play before and after sessions, as well as during the breaks, to create a welcoming and relaxed atmosphere MISCELLANEOUS TIPS Microphones: If you have a large group in which students wouldn’t be able to hear each other without a microphone, try to get a handheld mic. When you give it to a student, do not let go, so that you can make sure answers are kept brief. It also gives you control, so if someone has a long answer that’s losing other students, you can jump in and keep it moving.

Group/Individual Activities: It’s critical to keep the energy up during these sessions. An essential way to do that is to KEEP THE SESSIONS MOVING ALONG at a good/fast pace. So, when students are doing an activity in groups or on their own, DO NOT WAIT UNTIL EVERYONE IS FINISHED! When 75-80% of students have completed the assignment, move on! If they’re doing an assessment, tell those that aren’t done to go ahead and complete it while you move on.

Encouraging Students to Answer Your Questions/Participating: Try using an incentive like throwing candy for answering a question, or giving a candy bar/gift card/go to lunch first pass if it’s a really important point or they volunteered to come up front.

8

SESSION 1 [36 MINUTES]

WHO WILL I FOLLOW?

The goal of this entire course is for students to take one step toward leading like Jesus in a work/serving group they are currently involved with (at school, church or home).

The purpose of this session is for students to choose Jesus as their leadership role model.

Objectives for students: + Determine whether they view themselves as a leader or not by using the leadership continuum to evaluate their leadership + Realize that leadership is important because leaders impact the lives of others—positively and negatively (The video shows the problem with bad leadership through Jake’s father’s boss and its impact on Jake.) + Realize, whether they like it or not, that they are a leader and that they in turn are being led/influenced by others (Leadership Definition: “Anytime you seek to influence the thinking, behavior or development of another person”) + Decide to follow the Greatest Leader of all time, Jesus—beginning by taking one step to be more influenced by God the Father, just as Jesus was (through video and a small group activity) For more information, please read pages 3-35 in Lead Like Jesus and pages 10-13 in Lead Like Jesus 6-week Study Guide.

OUTLINE

i.

Welcome and Introductions (if needed) a. Large Group Activity (Students assess whether they think they’re a leader or not.) b. Video: Why Leadership Matters c. Large Group Discussion

ii.

Video: Who Will I Follow? (Part 1) a. Large Group Discussion b. Video: Who Will I Follow? (Part 2) c. Large Group d. Small Group Activity: How Can God Influence You? e. Large Group Debrief In Closing...

iii.

10

WELCOME AND INSTRUCTIONS Welcome! The purpose of this leadership course is to ignite greatness in you—as Jesus defines it—so you, in turn, can ignite greatness in others. It’s about how you can influence others with a love-based approach to leadership vs. a power-driven one.

(Facilitator: Remember that whenever you see a box like this, it’s for you to read and follow the instructions. See the “Instructor Narrative” tips on page 7.) + Note: Add additional time for introductions if students don’t know each other or if they don’t know you. + Introduce yourself if they don’t know you. + If students are at tables and don’t know each other have them introduce themselves to their table and tell a little known fact about themselves OR if you have a group of students who have a leadership position, have them tell each other what office/position they hold. + If they’re not at tables, wait to do introductions until the first small group activity.

PRAY to open up the course.

LARGE GROUP ACTIVITY [1 MINUTE] Purpose: For students to evaluate whether or not they think they’re a leader

Before the video begins, take a moment to answer the question on page 4: How do I view myself?

In this first video, we’re going to look at the impact leaders have on us, whether it’s good leadership or bad.

11

WHY LEADERSHIP MATTERS [PLAY VIDEO, 8 MINUTES]

NOTES: Leadership matters (whether it’s good or bad) because it impacts others’ lives Definition of a Leader: Anytime you influence the thinking, behavior or development of another person, you’re taking on the role of a leader

LARGE GROUP DISCUSSION [5 MINUTES] As you just saw, leadership matters because leaders impact us all the time, sometimes it’s for good and sometimes it’s bad. But either way we’re influenced by them. So, let’s think about this.

Who influences your choices on any given day—positively or negatively?

Turn to the person next to you to answer that question. If you need to have 3 people in your group to include everyone, go ahead.

Give them 10-15 seconds to answer.

Whose choices do you influence on any given day—positively or negatively? Share your answer with your partner.

Give them 10-15 seconds to answer.

OK, what were some of your answers?

12

Possible Responses (1 minute): + Brother/sister + Friends + Teammates + Mom/Dad—If they don’t mention parents/guardians, be sure to bring it up.

As you can see, we are all being influenced or led and we are all influencing or leading others.

So, who/what is influencing Jake and in what ways?

Possible Responses: + Parents—Their choice of moving to a new place has negatively impacted Jake: he’s now scared because he doesn’t know anyone and is in an unfamiliar place; and he lost his status with friends and community. + Jake’s dad’s boss— He decided to steal from the company, which put Jake’s dad out of work— obviously negatively impacting the family with loss of income and security, creating fear. + Fear (See examples above.) + Loneliness (See examples above; Jake doesn’t know anyone.)

And who is Jake influencing?

Listen for: his parents.

How did Jake’s response influence his dad?

Possible Responses: + He made his dad feel horrible. + He caused his dad to become defensive/angry. + His dad felt like he let Jake down.

As you’ve pointed out, Jake was influenced both directly and indirectly by the choices of others and at the same time he is influencing others by his choices.

We will come back to the subject of Jake and his dad later, but for now, let’s see how this influence process plays out with a girl from school.

WHO WILL I FOLLOW? PART 1 [PLAY VIDEO, 5 MINUTES]

13