Month: April 2016

How “Rookie Smarts” Fired Up my Leadership Engine

Posted on April 18, 2016 by - Articles

The April 2016 Rookie Smarts leadership theme series continues with an insightful post from Scott Cochrane, WCA Vice President of International.

“Name a time in your leadership when you felt an exhilarating rush of enthusiasm.”

When I was recently asked that question in a coaching session, I was surprised at where my mind didn’t go, and to where it did go.

While I’ve been fortunate enough to have experienced a few accomplishments along the journey, when I thought of that “exhilarating rush of enthusiasm,” my mind didn’t race to these moments. Instead I found myself thinking back on episodes when I was learning, stretching and growing.

One episode in particular comes to mind that perfectly illustrated what Liz Wiseman calls Rookie Smarts.

In her insightful talk at the 2015 Global Leadership Summit, Wiseman drew on the research she had captured in her Rookie Smarts book, and she pointed out that as leaders, we are often at our best when we know the least. She pointed out that, while experience has many advantages, it can also lead to a stale, safe way of operating.

Similarly when we deliberately place ourselves in places where we have very little experience. there can be some advantages. Certainly, she pointed out, this is where we position ourselves for growth.

The moment I vividly recalled was in early 2009. I had recently been asked to lead Willow Creek Association Canada, and one of my first challenges was to find ways to connect our ministry more effectively with leaders across this vast nation.

A colleague suggested that the best way for me to do this was through social media.

I had just one small problem: I didn’t know anything about social media. I’m not sure I could have even defined the term.

I knew nothing of blogging; I had barely heard of Twitter, and Facebook utterly mystified me. I was, in every sense of the word, a complete and utter rookie.

Fortunately, we had a sharp young leader on our team who was something of a social media expert, and for several months he coached me on the basics of this dynamic, ever-changing world of social media.

And quite apart from any success we achieved by leveraging social media to connect with leaders, the greatest benefit I derived from all of this was simply to tap in to that unique sensation of wonderment we achieve when we are in a high-stakes growth mode.

Wiseman’s Summit talk served to remind me to regularly, intentionally, place myself in these rookie situations.

How? Wiseman outlined five strategies:

  • If things are running smoothly, throw away your notes.
  • If you already have all the answers, ask the questions.
  • If you are getting positive feedback, admit what you don’t know.
  • If you’ve become a mentor, take a vacation from being in charge.
  • If you’re busy, but bored, intentionally place yourself in a new learning situation.

As Wiseman reminded us, experience in leadership has many advantages, but it poses a few pitfalls as well. To avoid these pitfalls we need to tap into a sometimes untested dynamic in our leadership; our rookie smarts.

And let the “exhilarating rush of enthusiasm” fire us up all over again.

What Kind Of Leader Do You Want To Be?

Posted on April 14, 2016 by - Articles, Character, Leading Yourself

The WCA is thrilled to introduce a new voice to the GLS family, Salvation Army Officer and church planter, Danielle Strickland. At a recent GLS Host Site event, Danielle’s story-telling and spiritual depth impressed a room full of seasoned pastors and communicators. The clip below, from her session, will allow you to get a sneak peek into one of our newest friends. You’re in for a treat!

To attend the GLS at a premier host site near you, register right here by May 24, 2016 date for the best rates. Check out the The Global Leadership Summit website to see other members of the faculty and for additional information.

The Impact of the Summit | Building a Business that Glorifies God

Posted on April 13, 2016 by - Business, Calling, Character, Diversity, North America, Stories

st2t3b5vdwn8k3xltopn3k49gmeh66hTerri Greeno, business leader in Chicagoland, attended the Summit for the first time in 2015. What she didn’t know at the time was how God was going to use this event to reveal her ‘grander vision’ and challenge her to make a sacrificial decision.

“If you could see the microfibers of what God has done over the last 12.5 years of our lives, it is an amazing story,” Terri shares. “This particular year at the Summit, God revealed to me that until my dying breath, I am to build leaders. He put everything into place and then sent me to the Summit. By ‘looking away’ from the day-to-day of running a business, so I could attend the Summit, I found that my focus was clearer going forward. I left the Summit with a clearer understanding that my position gives a sphere of influence that is to be handled responsibly. The greatest motivation for me was realizing that I have to ‘get out of the box’ to think out of the box.”

A Grander Vision Revealed

Terri started and runs a business with of team of 23, a very busy job, but God remains at the heart of it all. “My faith is at the heart of the business,” said Terri. “Before investigating industries, we created a pro-forma business plan with the primary aim to ‘Glorify God.’ We look for a vehicle that would allow us to impact lives. This business allows us to impact the lives of our clients, associates and staff.  We have gone through, and continually revisit, the process of determining our values and culture as a team. Our Why is:  ‘We give people hope…because people matter.’”

Terri’s grander vision is to build leaders, and build a team that takes their leadership to the next level, ultimately impacting their homes and their work, as well as their community. “Leadership begins with self,” Terri said. “If I can’t lead myself, I can’t lead others. So as each team member takes responsibility for their core competencies and masters their skills, they become a valued contributor to the team. Great teams hold and are held accountable for performing their job; they are able to then take it to the next level and bring value to the team with ever-improving best practices. I want my team to have the success I’ve had and to realize their dreams.”

A Sacrificial Decision

Not only did God reveal Terri’s grander vision for her business, but He also challenged her with a story about two business leaders who were met with a challenge to forgive a huge debt. “This story hit home for me,” said Terri. “When you are struggling to start a company, it can be a long time before you have income. When someone doesn’t pay you for work and you’ve had to outlay that cash to others, the debtor has stolen from you. It is no small thing to feel anger, even hatred toward the person who took the money you were going to use to pay for food and mortgage.”

The story she heard at the Summit led hear to a sacrificial decision. “We have lost nearly $200K through bad debt since we opened in 2003,” said Terri. “I am going to go back to each of those companies and personally write them a letter of debt forgiveness. I chose to forgive not only in obedience to God, but for my own health and well-being. Going the next step of tangibly forgiving them, and letting them know they are forgiven with no expectations that I will ever receive anything in return takes forgiveness to the level that I believe God wants from of me. I want these people to feel what it would be like to be forgiven completely. To me it is the foreshadowing of standing before God and having Christ cover all of our sin. Honestly, I’m still in the process of writing the letters and sadly there are many to write. But the decision to do it has given me joy and I’m sure there is more joy to come!”

Why Attend the Summit?

For Terri, attending the Summit means gaining a clearer vision, and experiencing stories that call her leadership to a higher level. “I know what the availability and cost is for training of this caliber,” said Terri. “What the Summit provides cannot be associated with the cost; it simply isn’t comparable. Anything close to this would be cost prohibitive for most small business owners, yet the Global Leadership Summit provides it, year after year.”