Michael's 3 Rules for Turning Troublemakers into Leaders

One of the biggest disrupters of the middle school student group became the most powerful catalyst for personal change.

Michael Wiggins, a Gen Ignite mentor who leads a group of middle school students, shared this story at a "Leader's Celebration" we held earlier this month. He explained how a particular student was a sort of influential trouble maker--apparently he had the personality of a goof ball mixed with the influence of a mob leader. Not a bad kid, just a class clown type. Instead of chastising the student or whining about having tough kids, Michael singled him out as a leader. He confronted the kid and told him he needed "to man up"--to take his ability to influence people seriously. After this talk, the young man's influence took on a completely different nature.

The troublemaker-turned-leader opened up with his entire small group about something in his life that wasn't right and that he knew he needed to change. In response to his earnestness, other middle school students in the group began to open up as well, admitting publicly the changes they needed to make.

This story represents what I personally consider the one thing that most sets apart Gen Ignite: the emphasis on a mentor raising up students to become leaders that impact their peers for Christ. If you want to know the heart of Gen Ignite, think of Michael Wiggins and his troublemaker-turned-leader.

Michael graciously shared with the entire Gen Ignite crew of leaders some of his leadership insights (I also later got to have a great follow up conversation with him about this). Here are some of my mental notes, with very rough paraphrases from Michael.

1. Talk to the kids like they're in college. ("I never treat them like middle school students. I talk to them like they're adults, and I expect things from them at that level. More times than not, they will rise to the expectations that you have for them.")
2. Have more faith for them than they have for themselves--and tell them they matter. ("I want to say this to them so often that they have it memorized and groan when I repeat it.")
3. Spend 80% of your time with the 20% who are the most influential. (Michael says he intentionally follows this leadership rule, which he learned from Pastor Michael Fletcher. "Whenever I pick up students, I always make sure that the "20%" I want to invest in have the most time with me in the car. I pick them up first and drop them off last. I'm intentional about that time we have together.")

Stories like Michael's are why Gen Ignite exists, and they're the pay-off from your investment in this ministry. Thank you so much for choosing to support me.