Leadership Summit

Last year, after the Leadership Summit organized by Willow Creek Association, I wrote about different presenters. This event has gotten bigger and better and is now called the Global Leadership Summit. I would highly recommend and encourage you to be a part of this event next year (August 11-12, 2011), even if it is via satellite which is how I participated.
 

Bill Hybels, the Sr. Pastor at Willow Creek Community Church, in South Barrington, IL, was the first presenter. His topic was straightforward and simple -- The Fundamentals of Leadership.

Fundamental #1

“Leaders move people from here to there.”

The challenge is, people like it here. It is familiar here, safe here.They decide we are staying here. What do we do when peoplesay we are staying here? We usually crank up the vision and burn ita bit hotter. We try to convince them that staying here is awful, butif we move to there it will be wonderful. The people say, “Why can’t we just stay where we are if it is working good here?” We just needto be persistent and keep building the case, point after point thatwe cannot stay here. This is important when it comes to vision casting. Staying here breaks the heart of God. Our job is to convince people we cannot and will not stay here. God has told us to go to there. Everything will be better when we get there!

Fundamental #2
“It takes fantastic people to move from here to there.”
One of greatest joys of leadership is assembling this team of fantastic people to get from here to
there. In team building, these individuals must have character, competence, chemistry and culture. When hiring, we are looking for that person who meets the four C’s. We need to get better at attracting and developing fantastic people who will flourish in our culture. The holy challenge of assembling this team is, do we view this as a privilege that God has given us?

Fundamental #3
“Mile markers and celebrations.”
How do we inspire people to stay with us on this journey from here to there? The part of the journey where the whole vision could be impaired is not the first three or four miles or when the end is in sight. The challenge is in the middle of the race. People in the middle forget how bad it was back there and they can’t see there. To get people to hold onto the vision we will need to keep refilling the vision bucket. Keep in mind that every person's vision bucket leaks. You have to celebrate every mile marker on the way to the destination. What keeps people on the journey is the sense that they are going to get there someday. We need to turn setbacks into celebrations, any type of progress celebrate!
 

Fundamental #4
“Hearing the whispers from God.”
We need to hear from God enroute or none of the first three fundamentals will happen (John 10:27). Every leader needs to be an incurable reader of the Bible. As we read we need to be listening for the voice of His Spirit. The Spirit puts thoughts in our minds that are not our thoughts. These are whispers from God! What would we miss if we blow off those whispers? If we are hearing these whispers it would change the face of leadership on this planet. If we would follow through in what God is telling us, it would change the face of leadership. God could be whispering in your ear. Don’t quit. Step up. Take the risk. Apologize now. Make the tough decision. Get help. Stop running from God. Slow down. Show your heart. Let others lead. Feed your soul. Bless the team. Do something more impactful. Come clean. Embody the vision. Celebrate the victories. Speak the truth. Pay the price. Count your blessings. End the secret. Check your motives. Set the pace. Give God your best. Serve your spouse and kids. Pray and humble yourself. Can we say, "Speak Lord. Your servant is listening."

There you have it, four basic fundamentals of leadership that will help us and the people we lead overcome acedia. Good luck on the implementation of these God given principles.