4.5 LEADERSHIP QUESTIONS: Greg Stier

Over the years I’ve had the opportunity and privilege to hang out with what some people would call “big name” speakers…and, Greg Stier is one of my all-time favorites. Every time I’m with him I say, “If we were neighbors we’d be best friends.” I really have fun with him! He’s passionate, opinionated, smart, incredibly funny, and he deeply loves Jesus and cares about people. And, he’s an amazing leader!

As a leader, Greg has been a senior pastor for 10 years, and now he runs Dare 2 Share (an evangelism training ministry) that leads conferences and creates resources that teach teenagers to share their faith. He also writes a bunch of books, speaks all over the world, and blogs!

I love learning how other leaders think, so I asked him my typical 4.5 leadership questions. Here’s how he answered:

1. What is your definition of leadership?
Leadership is the ability to rally others to change a situation, lead a transformation or accomplish a cause.

2. What’s an important tip you have to share about leading others?
Be willing to admit mistakes and learn from them. People don’t expect perfection but they do expect authenticity. They also expect hard work. We can’t be those who just direct and expect. We must lead from the front and get our hands dirty to accomplish our God-given cause.

3. What’s your biggest failure/weakness as a leader?
At times I can be so relentless in my pursuit of the vision of reaching teenagers for Christ that I forget to be relational with the very staff that God has blessed me with to help accomplish this vision. I need to constantly be reminded of the words of the Apostle Paul that, even if I accomplish the vision, but “do not have love, I am nothing.”

4. What do you do to keep growing as a leader?
I read a lot of old stuff. I love Spurgeon, Tozer, Moody, Wesley, Murray, Luther and the like. In my opinion, a lot of the best selling Christian books today tend to be trite, theologically tepid or trying too hard to be hip. That’s why I tend to be more “old school” in my reading. Many of the preachers from a generation or two ago were driven by an unquenchable passion for God. It was their character that gave them their credibility. It was their passion for God that ignited their followers with a fire from above. Their brand of selfless leadership is very rare today but is needed now more than ever. Reading the old ones helps me to grow stronger as a leader who is seeking to influence the young ones with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

4.5 What is your favorite ____________?
Sport? MMA. There’s something about watching dudes beat the tar out of each other that reminds me of my upbringing, I mean, the Old Testament. Secretly I want to fight in the MMA but I know that I would end up in the fetal position tapping out before the match began.

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If you’d like to see the other leadership interviews, you can see Duffy Robbins, Rick Lawrence, or Doug Franklin and Megan Hutchinson.
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Greg has a great new product out that we’re real excited about called, “Reach Out, Don’t Freak Out.” In this four-week DVD curriculum, Greg uses his dynamic and edgy delivery style to help teenagers discover both the simplicity and necessity of sharing their faith. Click on the image below for more information on this product as well as a short video of Greg describing it.

In addition to the 4 week DVD curriculum, this 30-day devotional is filled with daily motivation, practical tips stories and strategies that will help students reach their friends.