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Hey everybody, and thank you for joining us for another episode of the unSeminary podcast. Today I’m talking with Clay Scroggins from North Point Community Church.

North Point’s vision is to create a church that unchurched people love, and they filter everything they do through this lens. They want to create the kind of environment and atmosphere which unchurched people would find enjoyable and drawn to, even if they don’t believe or agree with everything they hear. North Point has several campuses, as well as strategic partners around the world, and Clay leads the original campus in Alpharetta, Georgia.

Clay leads in the shadow of senior leader Andy Stanley, and this first hand experience of leading and influencing when you’re not in charge drew him to write his book, How to Lead When You’re Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority. Clay is with us today to talk about leading from no matter what seat you’re in and how to develop influence when you don’t have authority.

• Lead from where you are. // Everyone can relate on some level to wanting to lead, but maybe not having the authority or title in order to make final decisions. But titles aren’t everything. Some leaders have a lot of title and authority, but we don’t consider them great leaders because they lack influence. Then there are great leaders who don’t have a big title, but they have a lot of influence. Don’t believe the myth that you have to wait till you’re in a position of authority to really lead. We can lead from whatever seat we’re in. The key is cultivating influence.
• Have the right posture. // You may have great ideas to lead your church into the future, but knowing how to approach the people above you with the power to make these things happen can be daunting. Clay’s first bit of advice is to have a posture of humility and curiosity. You can’t come across as, “I know I’m right, everyone else is wrong.” Other people in your organization know things that you don’t know and see things that you don’t see. Everyone has different experiences and knowledge, and so it’s vital to recognize that and be open to everyone’s input as you present your ideas.
• Be prepared. // So how do you present an idea to the leadership above you? You can’t be an amateur. Become an expert on the subject matter you’re presenting. Do your research and be as educated as you can about your idea and how to move forward. Prepare a professional presentation. As Clay notes, “When you go into a meeting, the best idea doesn’t usually win the meeting. The most baked idea usually wins the meeting. Any idea that’s spent a little time in the oven, it usually wins.” Thinking through all aspects of your idea and having the research to support it can help you find influence when you are presenting possible solutions.

You can find Clay’s book How to Lead When You’re Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority at Amazon and other book retailers. You can reach Clay through his website www.clayscroggins.com.

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Lightning Round

Helpful Tech Tools // Evernote

Ministries Following // Crossroads Church in Cincinnati

Influential Book // Marching Off the Map: Inspire Students to Navigate a Brand New World by Dr. Tim Elmore and Andrew McPeak and Mo’ Meta Blues: The World According to Questlove by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and Ben Greenman

Inspiring Leader // Tim Cook and Gary Vaynerchuk

What does he do for fun // Golfing

Contact // @clayscroggins on social media or https://clayscroggins.com/