[This post is from a series of notes from Catalyst 2012]

The first session of Catalyst 2012 was "The Making of a Leader" by none other than Andy Stanley.  The theme for this year of conference was "Make" which focused on the making of a leader and by a leader.  As we become leaders, the information that we obtain is certainly valuable, but the making of a leader is defined by significantly more than information and insight.  "Information and insight alone do not a leader make."  Instead there are three things that a common in the making of a leader.

What Makes a Leader:

1. Unexpected opportunitiy

2. Unavoidable adversity

3. Unquestionable calling

These 3 things are common in the stories of leaders.  If you look at your own life an how you've become the leader you are today, these are likely key components to your story.  Leaders have unexpected opportunities, they have seasons of adversities, and the feel a weight or burden for something that they cannot explain.  These events in the making are not unusual, in fact they are common, but the making of a leader is defined not by the events themselves but by your response.  Your response is what makes the difference.

This is especially true for you if you are younger.  When you are young, your response to opportunity, adversity, and calling is less consequential but it also exponentially more important.  For parents as you lead and wrestle with opportunities, adversity, and your calling, one of the most important things you can remember is that you are ministering to your family.

"The greatest thing you do as a leader is not what you do, but who watches you do what you do."