WINNING THE WAR IN YOUR MIND: MASTER CLASS WORKBOOK

YOU’RE A PASTOR. YOUR MIND MATTERS.

Our minds are elastic. Over time, they grow, change, and evolve. Neuroscience shows us that the more we
think a thought, the more we create neural pathways. So if you don’t like where your thoughts are taking you,
you can change the way you think. And for pastors and leaders, growing, evolving, and changing is
mandatory.

You are a leader in your church. You have influence. You have God-given strengths, burning passions,
innovative ideas, and the ability and responsibility to impact a world desperate for hope and healing! Like
never before, our world needs humble, confident, bold, and integrity-infused leaders.

In the Winning the War in Your Mind master class videos and this workbook, you’ll get practical advice on how
to change your thinking to improve your leadership. You’ll also get some questions and prompts to help you
identify concrete ways you can reshape how you think about the problems you face, the resources you have,
and the people you empower and inspire. You can find the videos anytime on YouTube.

As pastors and leaders, we will grow and get better.

Why? Because everyone wins when the leader gets better.

SESSION 1: HOW THE BEST LEADERS THINK

Watch the video, 3 Ways to Change How You Think. Let’s start with a quick summary of this session.

Your leadership is always moving in the direction of your strongest thoughts. How you think will determine how you lead.
The problem is what you believe about leadership may be wrong.

Most people want to know “What do other leaders do?” While that’s not a bad place to start, the better question is “How
do other leaders think?” Try these three steps:

1. Find a leader several steps ahead of you.

2. Watch for where you push back the most.
3. Be willing to be wrong.

The best leaders think differently from the rest, and we’ll cover why in the next four sessions:

The best leaders don’t control, they empower.

The best leaders don’t spend, they invest.
The best leaders don’t think problems, they think possibilities.
The best leaders don’t motivate, they inspire.

NOW, LET’S START THINKING:

Here are exercises you can do to grow as a leader—ask yourself and your team these questions:

1. Are you willing to be wrong? What’s one area where you might need to challenge your thinking in order to grow,
succeed, or see a perspective you might have missed?

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2. We all have a leader we admire and would love to learn from. Write down three questions you’d like to ask them
about the way they think about leadership.

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SESSION 2: THINK EMPOWERMENT

Watch the video, Think Empowerment. Let’s start with a quick summary of this session.

If you feel overworked, overwhelmed, and overstretched, chances are you are overestimating your own importance.
When you overestimate your own importance, you unintentionally undervalue the pastors, volunteers, and leaders around
you.

Many leaders are obsessed with finding the right strategy, the right product, or the right opportunity. The best leaders
are obsessed about empowering the right people.

The Two Currencies of Empowerment:

• Clear Communication
• Genuine Trust

The strength of your church or organization is not a reflection of what you control. The strength of your organization is a
reflection of who you empower.

“You can have control or you can have growth, but you can’t have both.” –Craig Groeschel

NOW, LET’S START THINKING:

Here are exercises you can do to grow as a leader—ask yourself and your team these questions:

1. Most leaders delegate tasks. The best leaders delegate authority. When you delegate tasks, you create followers.
When you delegate authority, you create leaders.

If you lead others, who’s one person you lead who shows leadership potential, but you haven’t trusted with
authority yet? How can you give them the two currencies of empowerment?

And if you’re not in a leadership position, what’s a task you can proactively take off your leader’s plate so they
feel less overworked, overwhelmed, or overstretched? Write it down.

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SESSION 3: THINK INVESTMENT

Watch the video, Think Investment. Let’s start with a quick summary of this session.

A resource is what you have that you can leverage to accomplish your goal. Your resources include staff or volunteers,
money, time, energy, buildings, and supplies. Resource allocation is investing your available resources in the present to
accomplish your goals in the future.

As leaders, when we think about resources, we have to think investing, not spending. Spending is a trade. It’s something
fair in return for what you give. But an investment is expecting an exponential return on what you put in.

NOW, LET’S START THINKING:

Here are exercises you can do to grow as a leader—ask yourself and your team these questions:

1. How do you personally invest your time? As much as possible, direct your time toward whatever brings your
highest return. What parts of your personal ministry or leadership bring the highest return? Is it your leadership
of volunteers? Is it your innovation? Your knowledge of scripture, love for kids ministry, or creativity? Take a
minute or two to brainstorm a few below.

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If you can’t think of anything, ask the people who work closely with you about what you bring when you’re at
your best.

2. Who should you be investing in? Your most valuable resource is always people! The potential of your church rests
on the strength of its people. So—who are the people you haven’t invested in enough yet?

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SESSION 4: THINK POSSIBILITIES

Watch the video, Think Possibilities. Let’s start with a quick summary of this session.

Most people obsess about the problems, rather than the possibilities. So train your mind to remember: Problems are
opportunities in disguise. You cannot control what happens in the world, but you can control how you frame it. No one
can stop you from reframing problems as potential ministry opportunities.

Every crisis creates unexpected problems. Every crisis also creates unprecedented opportunities. Most people just see the
problems, but the best leaders address the problems and seize the opportunities!

“Apathy finds an excuse, but passion finds a way.” —Craig Groeschel

NOW, LET’S START THINKING:

Here are exercises you can do to grow as a leader—ask yourself and your team these questions:

1. You might be facing a difficult choice, or you might see a problem with only two solutions. Take Option A and
Option B off the table. Is there a third solution you haven’t considered yet? What’s your Option C?

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2. Anyone can point out a problem. A leader does something about it! If you want to make a bigger difference,
solve bigger problems. Do you know of a problem you can solve for your leader or ministry area before it ever
becomes an issue? How could proactively solving it reflect positively on your own leadership?

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SESSION 5: THINK INSPIRATION

Watch the video, Think Inspiration. Let’s start with a quick summary of this session.

The best leaders don’t just think about motivating their teams. The best leaders work to inspire. What’s the difference?
Motivation is an external force moving someone forward. Inspiration comes from within.

Our goal isn’t to motivate leaders. Our goal isn’t just to find self-motivated leaders. Our goal is to inspire self-motivated
leaders toward a world-changing mission.

All you need is one or two well-developed strengths to inspire the people you lead. And the best way to inspire others is
to be inspired yourself.

NOW, LET’S START THINKING:

Here are exercises you can do to grow as a leader—ask yourself and your team these questions:

1. In the video, we discussed a study that listed 33 attributes that regularly inspire others to action. In Session 3,
you asked yourself and others to identify your strengths. How can you use those strengths to inspire others?

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2. Take a look back on everything you’ve learned during the last five video sessions. Pay close attention to what
you’ve written down personally. Take a few minutes to put together a plan to keep growing, and make sure to
answer these two questions:

What steps will I take to commit to change my thinking? With my new mindset, how will I take action?

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MORE FROM CRAIG & LIFE.CHURCH
• Find more leadership and ministry trainings and coaching videos on Life.Church Open Network…check the
“training” tab at the top
• Subscribe to the Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast —leadership for pastors and business leaders—and get new
episodes on the first Thursday of every month: www.life.church/leadershippodcast
• Read more of Craig’s New York Times Best-Selling books: www.craiggroeschel.com/books

WINNING THE WAR IN YOUR MIND

Some of this content is expanded on in Pastor Craig’s latest book, Winning the War in Your Mind. It’s available now
everywhere books are sold—find it in hardcover, audio, or digital formats.

LEADERSHIP PODCAST RESOURCES

• More from Craig: www.craiggroeschel.com
• Download Leader Guides: www.life.church/leadershippodcast
• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: www.go2.lc/cglpitunes
• Subscribe on YouTube: www.go2.lc/cglpyoutube
• Free Church Resources & Tools: www.life.church/churches

CONNECT WITH CRAIG

• Ask questions: www.craiggroeschel.com/connect
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/craiggroeschel
• Twitter: @craiggroeschel
• Instagram: @craiggroeschel

THREE KEYS TO SHARPEN YOUR LEADERSHIP

Craig hand-picked three episodes designed to help you build a strong leadership foundation. You'll learn practical ways to
influence your leaders, manage your time wisely, and improve how you communicate. Head to www.go2.lc/threekeys to
get the episodes and leader guides sent right to your inbox.