LeaderLABS
was founded and incorporated in 2004 by Fred and Shirley Garmon, as a source of leadership development to both leaders and staff of charitable organizations, churches, missions, civic organizations and other areas of ministry and service to better equip them to serve. LeaderLabs is also available to marketplace businesses. It is our goal to provide the highest level of training available to those who are looking to serve in their place of influence with the greatest impact. We can provide many tools in a variety of settings. Let us help you reach your personal goals and the goals of your organization. "Leadership Development begins with Self-Development. We exist to serve you.
Leadership
FRED GARMON, PhD
Fred Garmon, the president and founder of LeaderLabs, holds a bachelor’s degree in Biblical Studies, a master of divinity with an emphasis in Ministerial Ethics, and a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership from Regent University, Virginia Beach, Virginia. His doctoral dissertation research examined leadership and conflict in the ministerial context.
Garmon was born and reared in Charlotte, NC. He was the youngest of eight children, and following a childhood of tragic events, became the first of his family to graduate from high school. He shares his personal testimony and transformational story in his book, Lucky Number 8 (which can be purchased at our bookstore online or at Amazon.com. He is also available to speak at your church or event.)
A university-level lecturer and instructor— Fred speaks from experience, but he also understands theory and research. He is involved daily in the life of the church. During his 47 years in the ministry, he has served as Senior Pastor for over 25 years; as superintendent of Southeast Asia for the Church of God World Missions; as Executive Director of PCL -People for Care and Learning (a humanitarian arm of the denomination), a professor in the doctoral program at Regent University and the Pentecostal Theological Seminary; as a board member of SOW (Serving Orphans Worldwide); and as a consultant to administrative bishops and pastors across the country and around the world.
Dr. Garmon has presented his LeaderLabs Executive Leadership material all across the United States in conferences and workshops as well as internationally in over 42 countries.
Fred is a marathon runner and was honored as an Olympic Torchbearer in 2002. Fred and his wife, Shirley, have been married since 1982 and have a wonderful nest of children and grandchildren of whom they are very proud.
For more information about Fred's transformational life-story, get his book "Lucky Number 8," from Amazon.com or an autographed copy from our online bookstore.
Fred Garmon, PhD
Founder and Executive Director
Why
LeaderLabs?
Can leadership be taught or is it natural gifting? The consensus is that leadership involves the employment of understanding and skills, and these can be learned.
Consider the following:
Realizing that leadership has a spiritual dimension is vital. Jesus taught, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different” (Matthew 20:25, 26, NLT). The servant quality of Christian leadership is the underpinning of a spiritual approach, and this—along with integrity, honesty, and other spiritual qualities—is emphasized.
Understanding leadership skills builds self-confidence. When a man or woman grasps essential background knowledge and techniques, he or she is better qualified to act based on the ability to look at a challenge from a different perspective.
Learning about oneself empowers potential leaders. What is your motivation to lead? What is your level of self-confidence? How do you measure your level of emotional intelligence? These and other qualities are explored in leadership training.
Being surrounded by other leaders enriches influencers. Leadership training teaches how leadership ideas have emerged and changed over time, helping learners make sense of conflicting ideas about leadership that cause confusion. Rubbing shoulders with other leaders, exchanging experiences, interacting with LeaderLab coaches expands your frame of reference.
Seeing your organization from a distance clarifies your vision. Leadership training lets you step away from your daily responsibilities to look at your church or organization from a different perspective and think about how the future may unfold. You will learn new vocabulary to help communicate your vision.
Influencing others is a key leadership component. Discover the elements of motivation. Learn to discern between good and bad sources of motivation, and between strong and weak methods of influence. Excellent leaders know how to motivate people correctly.
Building a team ensures effectiveness. Learn how to give direction without appearing overbearing or weak. Gain insight to how to pick team members and develop a team capable of following your vision.
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Why
Fred Garmon?
“Someone along the way convinced me that it was important to learn all I could about leadership, and I’ve tried to wade through some of the books written by the leadership gurus. I made a good faith effort, but a lot of what I read—I could say, most of it—seemed disconnected from my life and work. Then I attended a LeaderLab session conducted by Fred Garmon. It clicked! He gave me in-depth leadership insight, using vocabulary I understood, and I could immediately apply it in my setting.”
The quote from a pastor who attended a two-day workshop conducted by Dr. Garmon provides a
good answer to the question, why Fred Garmon? Good leadership information.
Totally understandable. Eminently practical. Immediately applicable.
Fred, the president and founder of LeaderLabs, is a spiritual benefactor of the theology and practice of John Wesley. The founder of Methodism taught his followers a valuable lesson from Exodus 12:36, which states “And the LORD had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians so that they granted them what they requested. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.” Just as the Israelites gathered valuables from their captors before the exodus, Wesley explained, so should God’s people today collect intellectual data from wherever it might be found and put it to use in the Kingdom.
Fred Garmon has been plundering the Egyptians for a long time, a pursuit that has taken him through college, seminary, a university Ph.D. program, subsequent workshops and seminars, and—perhaps most valuable—25 years in the local church pastorate, learning all he can about the principles and practices of leadership. He sincerely believes that one of the church’s greatest missions is to instill leadership skills in the new generation of spiritual leaders.