The Global Leadership Summit

I was blessed with the opportunity to again attend the Willow Creek Association’s Global Leadership Summit this year. Some of the key points I thought valuable and worth sharing are listed below.

Bill Hybels, Opening Session

• Not challenging people will result in a high turn over

• If you do not deal with the people who challenge your organization, you discourage all the other employees. You have to address the challenging people, they also are some of the unhappiest people

1. Are you naming the problems that exist in your organization? Some signs to look for include:
2. External reviews can be helpful to identify problems
3. Volunteerism was identified as being a decelerating
4. Stewardship also was in the same place along with evangelism

Five words that most describe the products or services of your church or business? Per Bill they are:

• Love, John 3:16
• Evil
• Rescue, God can rescue you with forgiveness
• Choice
• Restoration

Len Schlesinger, Action Trumps Everything

• Entrepreneurship can be learned
• If you can’t predict the future, then create it

Corey Booker (Mayor of Newark, NJ)

• Love, the central theme of the Christian faith
• Attitude speaks to your character
• Focus on the good and the potential
• How you live is defined by your values and actions

What a great speaker, he is realistic and honest.

Other speakers during Day 1 was the Rev. Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil, Seth Godin, and Steven Furtick. They all had a great story to tell that very much was inspiring and brutally honest, especially Steven Furtick’s presentation.

From Mama Maggie Gobran, Tough Callings

• Forgiveness is between you and God
• When one has nothing, God becomes everything
• Silent our body to listen to words, silent your tongue to listen to your thoughts, silence your hear to listen

Michelle Rhee, Students First

What a great and tough story about her experience as Chancellor of Washington DC schools. Her efforts to cut waste and poor productivity were very note worthy and something that I believe that needed done. It’s also says a lot about the DC Mayor Adrian Fenty in how he supported her even to the point of losing his reelection bid. In my opinion, school districts need more people like Rhee!

Dr. Henry Cloud, The Evil, The Foolish, The Wise

• Correct a wise person and he will get wiser still
• Listen to the truth
• Give me a gift! Aka give me feedback
• Being resourced is being given feedback
• Make sure people are gifted in what you want them to do, give them good feedback and coaching while being challenged appropriately
  
• Fools will try to adjust the truth or they shoot the messenger
• They (the fools) deny the message or situation, and they get angry and have a meeting after the meeting to spread their angry

Patrick Lencioni; check out his books 5 Dysfunctions and Getting Naked.

If you ever get a chance to attend the Summit, I would urge you to do so, it is very uplifting, offers great suggestions, and is grounded in Love, even for the hard choices.