Month: June 2016

A Bar None Audacious Goal to Bring the Summit to Prisons Across the Country

Posted on June 29, 2016 by - Business, Calling, Execution, Government, North America, Prison, Stories

Erin Keating discovered her grander vision after attending the 2015 Summit. Erin’s youngest brother is currently incarcerated, and while seeking to share her newfound faith in God, bring light into her brother’s life and help him find his self-worth and value, she encountered the Global Leadership Summit. After three years of attending, the 2015 Summit brought a profound inspiration to her field of vision to bring the GLS, not just to the prison where her brother is, but to prisons across the country. This is the story of her incredible journey.

 

Discovering Jesus through pain


Jonny and ErinWhen I was 36, I lost my father to suicide; 17 months later I lost my mother to cancer. These tragic events deeply impacted me and my three brothers, especially my youngest brother Jonny who was incarcerated at the time. While processing their deaths, I took a long hard look at my life and decided I wanted to have a relationship with Jesus. I began attending church at Columbia Baptist in Falls Church, VA and from there my faith blossomed. In 2013, I was baptized. I started to share my faith with Jonny and talk with him about how he could make huge changes in his life if he were to accept Jesus as his Lord and Savior, and spread the word within his prison walls. I wanted him to experience what I had found in Jesus.

God works in mysterious ways

The year I was baptized in 2013, I attended the Summit for the first time and have gone every year since. It was the first time I attended something that provided a different lens through which to look at leadership. At the Summit I discovered that wherever you are, you were born to lead and you were put on this earth to do good things to further God’s Kingdom through leadership whether it be at work, in your home or in your church. The Summit has helped me better understand my impact on others and to focus on using it for good. It is two days of uninterrupted time for me to contemplate my faith and how I can best use it as a leadership tool to make an impact on the world.

The lessons I have learned at the Summit have absolutely impacted the way in which I’ve chosen to be brave about sharing my faith and to look differently at those I lead and serve in the organization. When I began telling people about the new spiritual journey I was on, I started to discover there were a lot of Christians at Audi, where I work. I now participate in a prayer group, and have been hosting monthly brown bag lunches to play Summit sessions from the past. I open it up for discussion afterward and try to use language that allows people to see and hear my faith. It’s been life changing.

I’m very open about most of my life, and to me, my Christianity is a very important part of who I am. Being vulnerable with those in the office can often help people open their hearts and minds to doing better in the world.

Struck with a calling to serve prisoners with the GLS
The Summit has not only impacted my workplace, but last year I was so struck by the story about Angola prison that in that instant I knew what God had been calling me to do.

While I have been doing my best to share my faith with my brother Jonny, who has been in in prison for five years, I realized that bringing the GLS to his prison could have immense impact.

He has started his faith journey, and is beginning to see that his life has meaning because God loves him. If he were to see the Summit, he could be motivated and inspired to realize that he also has a responsibility to live into the Word and take a leadership position. If he could impact those around him with love and kindness, even while taking a risk, God will reward him for living out his faith.

When we begin to work on the hearts and minds of those in the prison system, we give them hope and encouragement to strive for better things, to build themselves up in a positive way and to remember that they were built in God’s image for greater things.

 An opportunity and an audacious goal

Early this year, Audi offered a $10,000 prize for an essay contest for all their employees, for the best story on how they would use the funds. Erin won and is using the funds to bring the GLS to her brother’s prison this year. In addition, she’s taken on an audacious goal to raise $250,000 to fund the GLS in prisons across the country!

“Every day, no matter what it is you do, it’s important to realize those around you are God’s creation and deserve your time, your open heart and your blessing. When we understand that, there is an automatic openness about the way we lead—a positivity that can’t be restrained because you realize you are leading for good.”

 

Please pray for our prison sites in 2016. This year there will be 25 prisons experiencing the GLS teaching.

Imagine what God might do!

4 Ways That Vision Gets Lost (and How To Get It Back)

Posted on June 27, 2016 by - Articles, Change Management, Execution, Leading Organizations, Vision

I wear contacts.  There, I said it.

Listen, vulnerability is not easy for me…so that was tough to admit.

But, seriously, I wear contacts. I’ve been wearing them for a long time now and I love the fact that I don’t have to put on glasses each day. I apologize for my strong views – especially to my glasses-wearing friends out there…but I’m a contacts kind of guy.

A few days ago, I was leaving work and my right contact became extremely blurry.  I’m still not sure why exactly, but I could hardly see out of my right eye. I was confident that I could tolerate a little “blurry vision” since I only have a short drive home…but then my wife texted me and asked me to pick up dinner. So, instead of a 10-minute drive home only being able see out of my left eye, I now had to drive an extra 10 minutes AND interact with other people. It was an experience that I hope I never have to go through again.

I made it home, took out my contact and cleaned it, and then I was able to see clearly again. All was good in the world again. But, I think this happens in our organizations more often than we’re willing to admit.

The vision gets blurry.  We can’t see clearly where we’re going. We can feel our way around and use our instincts to get us where we need to go…but it’s awkward and dysfunctional and we can end up at a place where we never wanted to be.

I’ve found that there are four primary ways vision gets blurry, or lost in an organization. The good news, though, is that here is a way to get your vision back and get on the right track again.

How Vision Gets Blurry

  1. The leader stops talking about it. We think we’ve said it enough…or too much. Or, other issues come up that require our focus. Whatever the rationale or the excuse is, we just simply stop talking about it. It’s our vision and it’s intuitive to us, but for everyone else, it’s not their vision – so they need to hear about it regularly. They need to hear your passion for the vision. They need to understand that the vision is still relevant. No one is going to talk about the vision the same as you do, so it is vitally important that you, as the leader, talk about it regularly and often.
  1. The people get distracted by tasks. There’s a lot to be done, right? There are calls to be made, people to be visited, meetings to be had, and the list goes on and on. The reality is that the tasks that are on the to-do list should be more than just a task…they should be a way to achieve the vision. What happens far too often is that the people we work with exchange the vision for tasks – and the vision gets lost. They begin to lose the understanding of the connection between their tasks and the vision. As leaders, it is key to remind the team regularly of how their tasks move us closer to the goal.
  1. The losses outweigh the wins. On any journey toward a vision, there are going to be losses. These can be temporary setbacks, mistakes, missed opportunities, etc. What can happen is that the losses can begin to outweigh the wins. And, I don’t just mean there are MORE losses than wins. I am also suggesting that the losses can end up getting more focus than the wins. When we lose on the way toward a vision, it means there’s often a problem that needs to be addressed. If we only talk about mistakes and setbacks and we never share the wins, then the team (and the leader, too) can begin to become disillusioned with the vision and lose focus. But, if we are intentional about sharing and talking about wins, then the vision becomes more appealing and attainable in the minds of everyone involved.
  1. Key people on the team change. When a leader casts vision, he/she cannot carry out that vision alone. They need others to help them not only complete the tasks, but also carry forward the passion behind the vision. This is the role of the key leaders on your team—board members, executive leadership, etc. And, when someone on that team changes (or, a lot of people on those teams change), the vision can easily get lost. The important thing to recognize here is that as much energy as you spent on the front end casting the original vision, you must be careful to take just as much energy to onboard new key leaders to that vision. The benefits will be exponential and will increase the likelihood of getting closer to the vision.

When my contact became blurry, I wasn’t at my best. When the vision of your organization becomes blurry, it is not at its best. Take some time today to consider if your vision is lost and which of these four reasons is impacting it the most—and then take action. Get your vision back and lead your team forward!

Making Time to Develop Your Leadership Skills is Good for Business | An Interview with Peter Vardy

Posted on June 27, 2016 by - Business, Europe, Leadership Development, Stories, Western Europe

In a recent article by the Scotsman, Peter Vardy, a successful British businessman and philanthropist, shares his key to success — a motivated staff. He believes that investing in developing the leadership skills of his staff contributes to the growth of his organization, and for the past 14 years, he has been a regular attendee of the Global Leadership Summit. Below are excerpts from the article. To read the entire article, click here.

[…] “We are better,” he says, without a hint of arrogance but simply the assuredness of a man who believes that doing the right thing is also good for business.

Unlike most car dealerships, Peter Vardy is closed on a Sunday, but not in deference to its founder’s Christian faith. The decision to go to six days a week was in response to a staff survey that raised concerns about work-life balance, and on making the switch seven years ago, car sales increased.

The company has a flexible work policy and recently Vardy set up a staff share scheme to hand over as much as 5 per cent of the equity in the next five years.

Vardy says happy and motivated staff are key to success in the modern market, where so much information about trade-in values and financing options are now available online. These days, dealers must rely more than ever on providing excellent service. “Everything is much more transparent now, and there are less cowboys out there,” Vardy says. “Now you actually have to do a good job. We have always tried to do that, so perhaps things are swinging our way.”

The group employs about 800 people in total across three divisions, with its network of 12 franchises representing Vauxhall, Jaguar, Land Rover, Porsche, BMW and Mini generating the majority of turnover and revenues.

[…] But Vardy also has his own take on the world, which has been partly shaped by his participation for the past 14 years in the Global Leadership Summit run by the Willow Creek Association in Chicago. Originally developed to help church leaders sharpen their skills, speakers have included a large range of high-profile names from a variety of fields such as Bono, Carly Fiorina, Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice.

“I wouldn’t miss it,” says Vardy, who has taken groups of staff from his company to the annual event in August. “Everything moves so fast these days, you have got to try and make some time to develop your leadership skills.

“Probably the most important thing I have learned from it is that when a leader gets better, everybody wins. If you can upskill all the leaders in an organisation, then it can grow.”

Are you registered for The Global Leadership Summit 2016? Register today! 

Six Leadership Themes You Can Expect at the 2016 Summit

Posted on June 23, 2016 by - News & Updates, The Global Leadership Summit

In less than two months, thousands of us will walk into The Global Leadership Summit at a venue in our areas. As we take a seat and start to thumb through the Summit notebook, a thought will cross our minds. “I wonder what God will have to say to me this time?”

God has a habit of showing up in significant ways at the Summit. Time and again, we hear the stories of people who have experienced new levels of learning and life-change: from hospital presidents to youth pastors, from soccer moms to small business owners.

As we thoughtfully and prayerfully put the faculty together each year, our goal is always the same. We want to bring the best, most current, most relevant leadership learnings to faith-centered leaders. We resist the temptation to create a theme that might constrain our faculty choices. Instead, we like to say:

Our theme is leadership – plain and simple.

At the same time, we often see sub-themes emerge in unexpected ways. Each year, we believe that the Holy Spirit weaves together the right messages that He wants to bring to our community for this season.

Here are some themes we see emerging for the 2016 conference.

  • Teamwork. Teams that work well together accomplish more and have a great time doing it. Patrick Lencioni will explore new insights into how we can identify the Ideal Team Player.  Erin Meyer will explain how understanding improves collaboration in multi-cultural teams. Dr. Travis Bradberry will help us understand the impact of emotional intelligence.
  • Empowering Others. When leaders empower others, they maximize their ability to accomplish big goals. Jossy Chacko will share his process for raising-up and empowering thousands of church planters to reach remote people groups in Northern India. And, after decades of leadership, John Maxwell is more convinced than ever that empowering people is the key to success.
  • Execution. Have you ever felt like the whirlwind of everyday priorities keeps you from moving forward on your most important priorities? Chris McChesney will share the proven process from his book, The Four Disciplines of Execution. Melinda Gates will describe how the world’s largest private foundation ensures progress on its critical development goals. And Horst Schulze will help us understand how to execute a strategy for increased operational efficiency.
  • Turnaround. The turnaround at the Ford Motor Company has been one of the biggest U.S. business stories of the past decade. Alan Mulally will explain the keys that were essential to his success. And Danielle Strickland will examine the story of a biblical leader whose life was turned around when God interrupted his plans.
  • Convictions. How do we stay grounded in our principles and relationships as our leadership footprint increases? Wilfredo de Jesús will encourage us to Stay the Course even in the face of opposition. And Bishop T.D. Jakes will reflect on his tenure in ministry and how he remains grounded even during seasons of explosive growth.
  • Grander Vision. God made you a leader for a reason. How are you living out your faith in your sphere of influence? This year, we will feature four stories of people who are living the Grander Vision. You will be inspired by the stories of a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot, the owners of a unique home-building company, a college-aged leader whose heart broke for AIDs orphans, and an international business leader who is standing firm for biblical ethics in a challenging cultural context.

It is shaping up to be another great year at the Summit! Make plans today to attend the conference at a satellite site near you. And come prepared for two full days of learning, inspiration and impact!

To attend the GLS at a premier host site near you, register here by June 28, 2016 date for the best rates. Check out The Global Leadership Summit website for additional information.