Andy Stanley opened up this year’s Catalyst Conference with a message addressing the integrity of a leader. Here are some highlights from Andy’s thoughts on this issue:

1. Your leadership ability has the potential to take you further than your character can sustain you.

2. Leaders get in trouble when their character/integrity doesn’t keep pace with the momentum created by their giftedness. John Maxwell once shared: “There’s no correlation between giftedness and maturity.”

3. Our commitment to integrity can be easily eroded by our love of progress.

4. These are the excuses we are most tempted to use: (1) God promised it. (2) I deserve it.

When opportunities line up with our prayers and our passion, it is difficult to exercise restraint. Emotional environments are like fog. It becomes difficult to make decisions. An open door, is not necessarily an invitation from God.

Don’t try to replace what God has put in place. Even though you may know where God wants you to be, you need to let God put you there. Don’t compromise.

The most direct route to what you want is rarely the best route. Instead, weigh every opportunity against the law, wisdom and principles of God. Decide everyday that I’m not going to sacrifice integrity for the sake of progress. Give the right people an all-access pass to every leadership decision you make.

Being a leader doesn’t excuse you from wise counsel–it necessitates it.

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