Month: June 2016

Forbes #4 Most Powerful Woman

Posted on June 16, 2016 by - Articles, Calling, Change Management, Leading Organizations

We couldn’t be more thrilled to announce that Melinda Gates, one of the world’s most powerful women, will be joining the 2016 Summit faculty. Just last week, Forbes published its annual power ranking, listing Gates at number four. Here’s why:

Melinda Gates has cemented her dominance in philanthropy and global development to the tune of $4.2 billion in giving in 2015 and more than $36.7 billion in grant payments since she founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with her husband in 2000. Her work has inspired other big donors and has changed the way funders think about effective philanthropy: highly targeted campaigns coupled with data-driven monitoring and global collaboration. As the woman with her name on the door, Gates decides the direction of the organization and reviews the results. Much of her attention is now focused on championing investments in women and girls around the world. This includes a 2016 initiative, announced at the Women Deliver conference in Copenhagen in May, that will funnel $80 million into collecting key data on women in developing countries over the next three years—yielding the information Gates believes is needed to inform efforts to achieve gender equality.

Watch this short video to get a glimpse into the leadership and passion that fuels this powerhouse woman.

Melinda Gates Video

 

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

The Psalms | Bono and Eugene Peterson

Posted on June 15, 2016 by - Articles, Calling, Church & Faith-Based, Leading Organizations

As a songwriter, it’s very clear to me that Eugene Peterson is a poet as well as a scholar. He brings the musicality to God’s Word that I’m sure was always there.   – Bono 

Bono is singing to the very people I did this work for. I feel that we are allies in this. He is helping get me and the Message to the very people Jesus spent much of his time with.   – Eugene Peterson

Recently, Bono (GLS 2009, 2006) sat down with biblical scholar and The Message author, Eugene Peterson, to discuss their common interest in the Psalms. Their relationship, spanning several decades, grew out of a shared passion for a contemporary expression of the Bible. This inspiring video will give you a window into this unlikely friendship and two cultural leaders whose combined influence has impacted millions.

She Watched Her Dad Transform Into a Great Leader… Then Her Community Changed

Posted on June 15, 2016 by - Business, Calling, Change Management, Character, Church & Faith-Based, Culture, Family, North America, Stories

Watch Out! The Summit could change your life!

Before attending the Summit, Bill Burke considered himself more of a “helper” than a leader—even though his leadership gift was evident to the people around him. “People always wanted to work with him,” Bill’s daughter Meghan says. “Our family moved around the country for the global accounting firm he was with, and at every church we attended, the leadership team asked him to be the treasurer. He also volunteered for everything, and was respected by all as a leader, even though he saw himself more as a helper.”

Meghan’s parents began attending the Global Leadership Summit in the 90s. At the time, her dad was a partner at Ernst and Young and served as an elder at their local church.

Over the years attending the Summit, Meghan saw her dad transform into the great leader he is today as he realized and developed his gift.

The Summit gave Bill the skills he needed to serve as chairman of the board of Elders while the church searched for a senior pastor. “He faithfully led the church through a challenging season, which played a role in him discovering his leadership skills,” Meghan said.

At the Summit, Bill sensed God giving him a grander vision, and this is where Meghan saw the biggest change. “With his success, he was comfortable. He could have retired early, but he chose instead to follow a calling and use his business skills as the executive pastor at Grace Chapel in Lexington, Massachusetts,” Meghan said. “He’s been there now for the last 11 years, leading the church and helping them open three additional campuses—something that hadn’t really happened yet at the time in New England, which research shows is the least churched region in the United States.”

Because of the Summit, Bill has developed into a leader of great influence, something that has not only impacted his daughter, but also his entire community. Meghan is thankful for the way the Summit brought out the best in her dad. These are the seven characteristics that most stand out to her:

  1. He brings out the best in people by expecting a lot and holding people accountable, in a caring and personal way.
  2. His teams have always known he cares about them.
  3. He doesn’t shy away from difficult conversations. He knows what to say and how to say it.
  4. He keeps the big picture in mind and isn’t afraid to do hard, potentially unpopular things to get there.
  5. He is what Jim Collins describes as a Level 5 Leader
  6. He is more focused on building and leading healthy teams who work together to accomplish goals, rather than accomplishing the goal at all costs – or at the expense of the team.
  7. His faith drives him. When appropriate, while at Ernst and Young, he shared with his colleagues that his faith was what drives him at work and elsewhere.

Because Bill said yes to God’s leadership call and took the challenge to step out of his comfort zone, he now gets to be a part of helping change eternities in New England. 

 

Meghan says every leader can be impacted by the Summit, even when they don’t know they’re a leader. “The Summit gives me a glimpse into God’s redemptive power through the local church,” she says. “Everyone is a leader in some capacity and the Summit can provide space for your head and your heart to develop and inspire this part of your life. Don’t miss the opportunity. The Summit is one of the only places I know of where religious and secular leaders come to learn from each other.”

Meghan cautions people to Watch Out! “The Summit could change your life in unexpected ways, just like it changed the life of my dad, Bill Burke.”