The primary measure of a leadership program’s value is what happens six months later in the lives of the people who sign up for it. A program may sound mighty but unless it transforms people it is worthless. We can only know what a program does by listening to what people say about it in the post-training conversation.
People who participate in Beyond Success, EQUIP’s free leadership small group program, have had similar life changes as they were to express what has happened to them as a result of the program.
“I finally figured out what was keeping me from being effective”
The first thing we see in these responses is self-discovery. The majority of people who are in a leadership program want to learn something new but are surprised that the benefit came in discovering the root of a long-standing bad habit. They don’t merely learn new skills but discover about themselves.
The requirement of self-discovery for good leadership development can never go away. In such programs, you need to train the participants to learn new skills and understand why they are not practicing, and so they can change that behavior as well. Self-discovery activities are of course also as important early on in the program. Leaders cannot duplicate what they don’t know, and Maxwell has long taught this. A leader who doesn’t see the things in his life that he needs to address, or even know why, simply will continue that routine even as he is learning new skills. At some point in the future, the same unproductive behavior will surface again.
One facilitator described a participant who was very defensive for the first three sessions, then in the fifth session admitted he had a deep fear of failure and had avoided confrontation most of his life, a fear that had been quietly driving his controlling leadership style at work all along.
“I stopped leading to be recognized and now lead to serve others”
The second example is that many participants have changed attitude from one of seeking recognition to one of serving others.
Jesus said, “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant” (Matthew 20:26). Beyond Success communicates the kingdom principle that serving others is a prerequisite for effective leadership.
And participants are now saying that their approach to leading others is changing not only in their families but also in their jobs.
As one of the most common post-training feedback comments, a ministry leader said, before Beyond Success she thought the goal was to run her volunteer group more smoothly. But after the program she realized real success meant that her volunteers had been seen and developed as people, not just efficiently managed. Her events continued to go well.
“I knew what my job required, but now I understand my purpose.”
Many people get a leadership program, and then they don’t know why they are doing it. They knew they were hired to be a deacon or leader of a small group, but they had no clear sense of calling behind the title. Beyond Success graduates often say they are finally able to articulate why they lead, not just what they lead. That distinction alters everything about resilience.
A leader who knows what their calling is can survive a rough time. A leader who only knows their title can’t. Your purpose in ministry can be an encouragement in times of trouble. If you don’t figure out what you’re doing in ministry, you’ll get demoralized and leave the moment things get hard.
This is something the people who complete this program consistently gain from it.
“I’m now confident that I can lead.”
And that wonderful moment of the post-training conversation when a participant shares that they have discovered a new self-confidence. They might even have said they will be facilitating the next session or they are going to invest their time and talents somewhere they never have before.
Self-confidence is key for a good ministry. But confidence built in isolation is fragile. Community confidence, tested and confirmed by people who know you, tends to hold.
That’s why small groups provide that kind of space, and it’s why we use small groups for leadership programs.
The bottom line is that confidence is not imposed but can be cultivated if the right conditions are present. So in seven weeks people have learned to trust their own judgment in the small group environment. That’s probably why most of those who complete this program go on to facilitate the next session.
A Free Program That Produces Real Results
None of these outcomes are on the price tag of this program. They’re the hidden gems of the Beyond Success program that help drive its incredible growth rate. These are just a few of the many kingdom results that come from this amazing free leadership program.
The value of a leadership program should not be measured by its price tag but by listening to the life-changing story of someone who has completed the program. Beyond Success is creating those life-changing opportunities in churches that are willing to host a Beyond Success small group.
Start a Beyond Success program in your church today. You can see the free curriculum at iequip.org.
