Jeremy Haroldson opens with a bold claim that challenges every fractured organization: "Unity is the most powerful force that the [team] can possess."
Using the vivid imagery of a tug-of-war battle and the architectural necessity of a stable foundation, this lecture dismantles the myth that talent alone creates success. It explores why organizations that "chop off" visionary and strategic roles become fragile, and offers a blueprint for locking arms on common ground to move mountains.
Jeremy paints a picture we've all seen in dysfunction: "If you have five guys pulling one way, and five guys pulling the other way... you have a lot of sweat, a lot of energy expended... and zero movement."
This is the definition of organizational stagnation. Everyone is working hard, everyone is exhausted, but the mission isn't moving. The psychological shift happens when we stop fighting each other and align our vectors. "Take those ten guys... line them up on the same side... Boom. You move mountains."
Practical Takeaway: Energy without alignment isn't work; it's waste. Stop celebrating "the grind" if it's happening in opposite directions.
Why do teams fracture? Jeremy identifies a human tendency to fixate on the negative: "We have got to stop fighting over the 5% that we disagree on and start standing on the 95% of common ground that we share."
In any mission-driven environment, the core values (The "Core Message") are the anchor. When conflict arises, the leader's job is to pivot the focus back to the "95%." If we agree on the foundation, we are partners, not competitors.
Using the framework of the Five Leadership Roles (Strategist, Visionary, Communicator, Mentor, Teacher), Jeremy exposes a critical structural failure. Many modern organizations subconsciously reject the **Strategist (Apostle)** and the **Visionary (Prophet)** because "they made us uncomfortable. They challenged the status quo."
The result? A "Three-Fold" structure that includes only Care (Pastor), Learning (Teacher), and Recruitment (Evangelist). Jeremy warns: "It becomes unbalanced. It becomes fragile... You can't put the weight of the Harvest [Opportunity] on a three-legged table. It will collapse."
The Fix: We must embrace the disruptors. We need the Strategy to give structure and the Vision to give direction, even if it feels less safe than maintenance.
Jeremy delivers a humbling truth about personal significance versus collective mission: "The eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee."
No matter how talented a "Visionary" (Eye) is, they cannot grasp the work without the "Strategist" (Hand). But there is a warning here for the ego: "The only person who loses is you." The mission is bigger than any individual. If you choose to step out of alignment, the mission will continue with someone else, but you will miss your moment of purpose.
The lecture concludes with a call to personal responsibility: "Find your spot on the rope. Don't look at the person next to you and wish you had their spot."
Success isn't about being the loudest person or the one at the front of the line. It's about digging your heels in, locking arms with your team, and pulling in the same direction. When we do that, the friction disappears, and "nothing shall be impossible for us."
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Key Scripture Reference: Ephesians 4:11-12
"And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ."