Month: June 2018

The 5 Levels of Leadership—John C. Maxwell—GLS 2018 Faculty Spotlight

Posted on June 14, 2018 by Craig Hobson - News & Updates, North America, The Global Leadership Summit

John C. Maxwell has been identified as one of the world’s most influential leaders. He is passionate to equip everyone to live a life that really matters. We are honored to welcome John back to The Global Leadership Summit.

A business executive. A softball coach. A classroom teacher. A volunteer coordinator. A parent… Whether you’re one of these things or all of these things, one thing remains true: You are a leader.

But where are you on your leadership journey, and where do you go from here? Over my years of teaching about leadership, that question exists at the heart of so many leaders. Everyone wants to know where they stand and how to get to the next level. And you are probably no different!

That’s why I developed the 5 Levels of Leadership paradigm in my book, Developing the Leader Within You, and then expanded it in my book, The 5 Levels of Leadership. I wanted to help leaders understand and increase their effectiveness. While there is more to this teaching than space in this blog, today I want to offer a general overview of the 5 Levels as a reminder that you are still on your way as a leader—and so am I! So, feel free to bookmark this page or print it out as a quick guide for your journey as a leader.

The 5 Levels of Leadership

Level 1—Position

The lowest level of leadership—the entry level, if you will—is position. It’s the only level that requires no ability or effort to achieve. After all, anyone can be appointed to a position! While nothing is wrong with having a leadership position; everything is wrong with relying only on that position to get people to follow. That’s because it only works if you have leverage (such as job security or a paycheck) over your followers. At Level 1, people only follow if they believe that they have to.

People who remain on the position level may find it difficult to work with volunteers. Why? Because position does not automatically result in influence, and volunteers are aware that they don’t have to follow anyone. They truly only follow if they want to.

But the news is not all bad about this level. It is a prime place for you to begin investing in your growth and potential as a leader. Use your time at this level learning to lead yourself—through priorities and self-discipline—and you’ll be ready to move to the next level.

Level 2—Permission

Level 2 is based on relationship. At this level, people choose to follow because they want to. In other words, they give the leader permission to lead them. To grow at this level, leaders work on getting to know their people and connecting with them. You can’t lead without people, which means you need to learn to like people if you want to lead well!

When you like people and treat them as individuals who have value, you begin to develop positive influence with them. Trust grows, which usually leads to respect. And the environment becomes much more positive—whether at home, on the job, at play or while volunteering. Level 2 is where solid, lasting relationships are built that create the foundation for the next level.

Level 3—Production

The best leaders know how to motivate their people to GTD–get things done! And getting things done is what Level 3 is all about. On this level, leaders who produce results build their influence and credibility. People still follow because they want to, but they do it because of more than the relationship. People follow Level 3 leaders because of their track record.

The production level is where leaders can become change agents. Work gets done, morale improves, profits go up, turnover goes down and goals are achieved. The more you produce, the more you’re able to tackle tough problems and face thorny issues. Leading and influencing others becomes fun, because when everyone is moving forward together, the team rises to another level of effectiveness.

It’s important to note here that the goal with the 5 Levels is not to move away from one level to grow at a new level. Instead, these 5 levels of leadership build upon each other. In other words, Level 3 leaders still need to do the things that make Level 2 happen. They just add Level 3 strategies to the mix. And as they become effective at Level 3, they are ready to layer on the goals of the next levels.

Level 4—People Development

Level 4 can be summed up in one word: reproduction. Your goal at this level is to identify and develop as many leaders as you can, by investing in them and helping them grow.

The reason is simple: When there are more leaders, more of the organization’s mission can be accomplished. The people you choose to develop may show great potential for leadership or they may be diamonds in the rough, but the main idea is the same: When you invest in them, you can reproduce yourself.

The more you raise up new leaders, the more you will change the lives of all members of the team. As a result, people will follow you because of what you’ve done for them personally. As an added bonus, some of those mentoring relationships are likely to last a lifetime.

So, to grow at the people development level, you need to make investing in leaders a priority, and take intentional steps every day to help them grow. Do that consistently, for long enough, and you may begin to reap the rewards of the next level.

Level 5—Pinnacle

The highest level of leadership is also the most challenging to attain; it requires longevity as well as intentionality. You simply can’t reach Level 5 unless you are willing to invest your life into the lives of others for the long haul. But if you stick with it, if you continually focus on both growing yourself at every level, and developing leaders who are willing and able to develop other leaders, you may find yourself at the Pinnacle.

The commitment to becoming a pinnacle leader is sizable, but so are the payoffs. Level 5 leaders develop Level 5 organizations—they create opportunities other leaders don’t. Pinnacle leaders create a legacy in what they do. People follow them because of who they are and what they represent. In other words, their leadership gains a positive reputation. As a result, Level 5 leaders often transcend their position, their organization and sometimes their industry.

There’s so much more I’d love to tell you, but let me leave you with this: Leadership is about growth—for yourself, your relationships, your productivity and your people. To lead well, you must embrace your need for continual improvement, and the 5 Levels provide a leadership GPS to help you with your journey. You must know where you are, to know where you’re going.

Otherwise, as the Cheshire Cat told Alice, “When you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.”

This article originally appeared on johnmaxwell.com.

Local Summit Volunteers Serve Church Shelter to Provide for People Devastated by Volcano in Guatemala

Posted on June 13, 2018 by Craig Hobson - Because of the GLS, Central America, Latin America, Stories

Early on June 3, 2018, the Volcan de Fuego, one of Central America’s most active volcanoes, erupted in Escuintla, about 27 miles from Guatemala City. The eruption has devastated the area, leaving thousands homeless, displaced or losing relatives who have been buried under the lava.

A team of volunteers from The Global Leadership Summit in Guatemala traveled to the affected area to investigate the best way to provide support from a donation made available by Willow Creek Association donors to serve those in need in the area. “Our purpose was to listen to God while we were there,” says Luis Pinto, GLS field leader for Central America and the Caribbean. “We prayed for wisdom and discernment and for God to lead our journey.

“When you see the devastation, it is hard to breathe hope or joy,” says Luis. “There is only sadness and despair.”

While the team was there, they visited one of the largest donation collection centers, which is run by the government. “The center contains mountains of clothes and food, but we also knew about the corruption there,” says Luis. “We visited two other shelters, one of which was also handled by the government, taking care of 1,000 people who had been affected.”

Scene outside the church

The last location they visited was a church shelter, serving 120 people who had been affected. “When we arrived at this church, I noticed there were a lot of trucks with food outside, a lot people, and of course, the press,” says Luis. “They were trying to enter the church, but the pastor, Rolando Diaz, did not give permission to anyone to enter other than the families, because the whole situation had been politicized.

“But when Rolando found out that local pastor and GLS committee member, Marlon Tzorin, was there with us, he let us enter. Rolando said, I know who you are from the Summit. I was happy when I found out he had attended the GLS in Guatemala! Then he said, Do you want to see what’s going on inside? So we accepted and he let us in.

“We talked with people, shared with them and saw the deep, real needs,” says Luis. “If you watched the news, you may remember a man who lost his six kids in the lava of the volcano, and is still looking for his missing wife. I met him in this church shelter; his gaze was lost and hopeless.

“Thanks to God, the church has a lot of food and clean drinking water to provide to people, but we realized they don’t have a good place to cook or shelves to organize clothes, medicine, food and supplies. In that moment, we felt the Holy Spirit tell us this was the place we were looking for, and to give them a hand and provide the resources we received from Willow Creek Association donors. So we moved forward.

Together with people from Buckner International, Vida Real Church in Escuintla, Pastor Marlon Tzorin and Willow Creek Association, we’re providing the funds and volunteers to start a project to build a kitchen and shelves, and provide medicine and personal hygiene products. The whole project will take two to three weeks, and will start at the end of June 2018. This place will become their home for at least six more months.

“We have a great satisfaction in saying that we are living out the vision and mission of Willow Creek Association,” says Luis. “The slogan we always say, lead where you are, is more than words for us now. Please continue praying for these families and our nation!”

Thank you for supporting leaders in Guatemala!

Disabled US Air Force Veteran Finds Courage at the Summit to Pursue Her Dream

Posted on June 13, 2018 by Rosey LaVine - Because of the GLS, Calling, Confidence, Military, News & Updates, Nonprofit, North America, Replenishment

Before attending The Global Leadership Summit in 2017 for the first time, Joanie Dickson, disabled US Air Force veteran, was deeply discouraged. Her PTSD has often attacked her confidence and paralyzed her journey in pursuit of her dreams, even to the point of attempted suicide.

But attending the Summit changed her life.

“The Summit helped guide me back on a path toward my dream to be a motivational speaker, and help others who’ve also experienced the horrors of abuse and hardship in their past,” says Joanie. “The Summit reignited my pursuit of seminary training, which I had put aside. Thanks to the Summit, I recently finished my Master’s in Divinity, have begun laying out a book about redemption, and also got back into mission ministry.

“Though I sometimes still feel insecure and unqualified about my abilities, I want to put forth my message for others – It’s not about me, but a message of hope. The Summit gave me courage to press on, even in the midst of fear. I’m pursuing my dream in strides now because of the Summit.”

If Joanie had not attended the Summit and pursued her dream, abuse survivors and others struggling with PTSD would be missing her message of hope!

“God let me live when he didn’t have to, even after all my attempts to end my life,” says Joanie. “God had a plan for me. If I hadn’t been to the Summit, I wouldn’t have been reignited to organize a fundraiser for Heroes to Heroes, which has led to being asked to get involved with a homeless shelter for female veterans. I’m also considering joining a local police department’s chaplain’s group. I’m praying my PTSD can handle this.”

Joanie has a message to those who may be on the fence about attending the Summit this year. “Trust the positive nudges within, and push away the negative ones,” says Joanie. “I promise that once the Summit is over, your energy and motivation will be ramped up!”

Checking vs. Processing

Posted on June 13, 2018 by Craig Hobson - Articles, Leading Yourself, Productivity, Uncategorized

A basic tenet within the world of WhiteSpace is to only check one’s email at prescribed intervals. Technology is not making this discipline any easier. The old “Get Mail” feature has been replaced by the automatic, uncontrollable push of email on every device. Want to wait to see your new emails? You can’t anymore.

But there are ways to build this discipline… and we must. Without boundaries, email easily becomes a constant distraction, taking us away from deeper, more thoughtful work. When using email, we switch windows an average of 37 times per hour. When separated from email, we flip back-and-forth only 18 times in an hour.

In addition to improving concentration, scheduling checks at intervals also trains others not to expect a knee-jerk reply to every email, blissfully slowing down the email cadence all around you.

One Critical Omission

After years of telling folks only to check email at certain times, it became clear that many were missing a key definition upholding the entire practice. They did not understand the critical difference between checking and processing.

So let’s make that clear right now: Checking is when you walk out to your mailbox, collect the mail and rip it all open; processing is when you pour a cup of tea, grab your checkbook and work through the stack of mail before you.

Here are more literal definitions:

Checking Email: The action of collecting and opening new emails

Processing Email: Acting on and eliminating pre-existing email in your inbox

What you will quickly and sadly realize is that the processing part of the equation is the ugly stepsister at this ball.

Checking is a thrill, filled with possibility and that good old dopamine rush.

Processing is hard, tedious work, less exciting in every way than its sexy counterpart. There is a reason we tend to procrastinate with it. Dopamine, that happy chemical triggered when you complete a task, is sparked by the unpredictability and novelty of checking, not the humdrum cadence of processing.

A Counterintuitive Tip

So how can we check email only at certain times but still spend time in our inbox for processing? Like everything in the world of WhiteSpace, the perfect customized solution will be best designed by you—choosing from techniques that have been proven to help others.

The most core technique and the most counterintuitive, is to learn to pay less attention to bold emails at certain times. I know it seems crazy—almost impossible—but learning to control where we allow our attention to be directed can be a helpful technique.

Since we can’t eliminate push email, we must train ourselves to process through un-bold emails without getting pulled back into what’s new. It’s hard, but just play along with me.

Between times when you feel it would be strategic to check your emails, try to avert your eyes from new bold content. Scroll down to just below the line of the new bold emails and process away, clicking one by one through the un-bolded, older mail.

If something catches your eye and you feel like you must open it, go ahead. This is a very gentle practice, but over time you will see that by training your eyes away from the bolded section of your inbox, you reclaim quite a bit of control.

Remember that soon enough it will be check time, and then you can scratch that itch.

Between checks, it’s important to remove any unwanted pop-ups or notifications that will pull you back into new emails, moving toward zero notifications when possible.

Many times we are forced or purposefully choose to access new email between checks. Maybe you are interacting with your boss via email in a rhythm that can’t pause, or you are waiting for a conference.

At these times, simply open and use the search window of your email program. This way you can selectively access new emails for individual parties, while not getting pulled back into the entire barrage awaiting you. Some folks like to check for the names of their supervisors once per hour, just to relieve some concern, while staying away from the bulk of the new mail.

Processing email doesn’t have to feel like you’re pushing a boulder uphill, but it takes time and discipline to develop and maintain those healthy, productive habits.

It may sound impossible, but I promise it’s doable, and it’s certainly worth trying. You’ll be amazed by how much hidden productivity you’ll find.

This article was originally posted on Juliet Funt’s LinkedIn Influencer Page.

Developing an Inner Theme

Posted on June 13, 2018 by Craig Hobson - Calling, Leading Yourself, Videos

Fredrik Härén challenges leaders to identify a personal vision, or ‘inner theme,’ for their lives.

QA POST ONLY – XLCORP – DO NOT PUSH LIVE WITH SITE

Posted on June 12, 2018 by Craig Hobson - Uncategorized

QA Instructions
—————
These links need to be QA’d in 2 different ways

Old nav – Copy Paste each link below. Expected behavior – All pages should have old navs. This will simulate people NOT coming from our site.
- Advocate – If you click the advocate main CTA the advocate form page will show up and have the oldnav.
- Host Summit – If you fill out the host summit form, the thank you page should have the old nav.
New nav – Click each link below. Expected behavior – All pages should have updated navs. This will simulate people coming from our site.
- Advocate – If you click the advocate main CTA the advocate form page will show up and have the new nav. The thank you page of the advocate form will NOT have the new nav per Rebecca.
- Membership – All pages under /member should show the new nav once you’ve clicked on the membership link. Please check multiple pages.
- Host Summit – If you fill out the host summit form, the thank you page should have the new nav.
- NOTE: If you click a link you get cookied, if you try to hit the page directly to simulate users not coming from our site you will need to clear cookies.
- NOTE: There is no current way to accurately QA the donate page due to the way we’re doing the donate iframe on staging.
  - For a technical QA – In the console create a cookie called isFromNewSite and set it’s value to true. Refresh the page to see reskin. Clear cookies to see old nav.

The 3 Numbers Every Business Owner MUST Know

Posted on June 12, 2018 by Craig Hobson - Articles, Execution, Leading Organizations, Resource Allocation

It doesn’t take long to feel thoroughly inspired when listening to Marcus Lemonis, star of CNBC’s The Profit, talk about business. He is a wealth of information and has a proven track record of success to back up every piece of advice he offers. It seems that this entrepreneur could whip a dying business into shape, even in his sleep.

If you have watched his show, you most likely have heard Lemonis stress the importance of knowing the numbers of your business.

According to him, failing to know your numbers inside and out is one of the biggest mistakes a business owner can make. As a matter of fact, when it seems clear that a business is even a little unfamiliar with its numbers, Lemonis promptly tells them to figure them out, get those numbers clearly defined, and then come back to discuss business.

Lemonis firmly believes that the most overlooked skill of owning a business is basic accounting. If you are a business owner, and you’re thinking to yourself, “Oh, I have a CFO and a full financial department to handle those matters,” then Lemonis would candidly say in return, “Nope, that doesn’t cut it.”

He preaches that business owners must know exactly how much they are earning, and if they don’t, then they simply don’t know their business at all.

What are these all-important numbers? And can you currently spit them out on command?

According to Marcus Lemonis, the following three numbers should be imprinted onto every business owner’s brain:

1) Annual Sales Revenue

Lemonis believes that if you are unsure of the exact number that your business is making right now, then you simply do not understand your business well enough. Business owners must base this number on a trailing 12 months and not the calendar.

2) Gross Profit Margins

Understanding this number is crucial because it represents the money left over from revenues after accounting for the cost of goods sold.

3) Expenses as a Percentage of Your Gross Profit

It is crucial for business owners to know where their spent dollars are going and to acknowledge whether or not these dollars are generating a profit. Your business expenses must be determined as a percentage of your gross profit, not simply as a percentage of your sales. Why? Because you pay your bills with gross profit, not with revenue.

These three numbers provide the foundation upon which every business decision must be based.

Can you immediately provide an accurate answer for these numbers?

If not, Lemonis would strongly advise you go back to the drawing board, clearly define these numbers, then proceed to talk business matters, both internally and externally.

Quoting Marcus Lemonis, “To not have a solid understanding of how much you make and how much you sell is a crime. To not understand how to make decisions based on numbers is a mistake. Too many people make their decisions based on their gut, but your financial statement is your road map to success.”

This article originally appeared on the Zimmer Radio & Marketing Group website.

Leader Overcomes Fear to Address Injustice of the Elderly in Barbados

Posted on June 11, 2018 by Craig Hobson - Caribbean, Confidence, Diversity, Latin America, Nonprofit, Stories

For a long time, I was paralyzed with fear.

The magnitude of the problem of abuse of the elderly was huge in comparison to how small I felt in solving it.

My grandmother, Mildred Goodridge, affectionately known as Millie Lily, suffered a broken shoulder in 2015 at an elderly day care facility, and the staff was unable to provide any rational explanation as to how it happened. I became even more convinced something had to be done to fix the problem.

I gave up my full-time career in corporate brand marketing so that I could fast track a law degree and champion the cause of the elderly.

The Summit showed me I didn’t have to wait to pursue my dream.

Attending the Summit showed me I didn’t have to wait until I had a certificate before pursuing my dream. I was directly confronted with the stark reality that my fear of not being ready, and possibly never feeling fully ready, could actually frustrate and kill my dream.

The Summit’s message of courage inspired me to address my fears so my dream could win.

I remember crying because I knew for so long that was what I needed do. I realized that because I had let fear win, some of the elderly people I had met had died before I could help them.

Inspired to take action, I launched the Millie Lily Movement, which offers a free report writing service for people with elderly loved ones suspected of being abused in care facilities. My desire is to be a voice for the vulnerable and to ensure elderly rights are promoted, protected and fulfilled.

My Summit experience forced me to realize injustice must move me beyond emotion to action… NOW!

Kimberley Benjamin is the founder of the Millie Lily Movement, which offers a free report writing service for people with elderly loved ones suspected of being abused in care facilities. Her aim is to be a voice for the vulnerable and to ensure that elderly rights are promoted and protected. She also volunteers with the Barbados Alzheimer’s Association, the United Nations Development Programme as well as The Global Leadership Summit in Barbados. Kimberley spends her downtime reading and doing online courses, especially those related to health, law or the elderly.

The Danger of Allocating Resources for “Just One Person”

Posted on June 11, 2018 by Craig Hobson - Articles, Decision-Making, Leading Organizations, Resource Allocation

There is a growing trend in organizations to apply a false formula when it comes to how they approach resource allocation. I call it the “just one person” logic, which implies that even if one person is helped through an initiative, it will have been worth it.

If you’ve found yourself falling into this trend, you need to:

Be aware of the trend
Recognize why the logic is faulty
Know how to respond

1) Be aware of the trend

The trend typically unfolds in this manner: During the budgeting process, someone will notice an unusually large dollar figure attached to a new or unproven initiative.

Churches will go so far as to say, “If only one person makes a decision for Christ, then every penny will have been worth it!”

The same reasoning pops up in other resource discussions too, such as:

If just one person hears about our company because of this marketing campaign…
If just one person agrees to start supporting our cause…
If just one person signs up for this program…

You get the idea. Put your radar on “full alert” when you start to hear “if just one person” language in your organization.

2) Recognize why the logic is faulty

In reality, there is a dangerous false economy at work with this reasoning. Suppose, for example, the line item is for $20,000, and it is being justified by the “if just one person” logic.

Could there be a more effective initiative that would use the same $20,000 but connect with 10 people? Or 20? Or 100?

3) Know how to respond

Those who toss the “if just one person” line into resource conversations often place a very high value on the importance of each individual who can be reached or impacted through the organization. That is a value worthy of respect.

The key is to respond with the equally important value of good stewardship. Have the courage to point out there is still a leadership responsibility at play that requires a maximum return on each dollar.

The stewardship value doesn’t negate the value of the individual; it simply places it into a proper context. Point out that the right to impact each individual is earned through the process of maximizing the return on each investment.

Maximizing resources is a vital leadership responsibility. Approach this role with wisdom, boldness and collaboration.

The Summit is a Gift of Disorientation

Posted on June 7, 2018 by Craig Hobson - Because of the GLS, Church, News & Updates, North America, The Global Leadership Summit

In 1992, I served on a small staff at First United Methodist Church in downtown Oklahoma City. Somehow, our pastor and leaders heard about a conference just outside of Chicago that would later become known as The Global Leadership Summit. Even though our financial budget was tight, my pastor decided it was a good investment for seven of us to make the trip to see what we could learn. We had no idea how deeply those two days would impact our lives and ministry.

As a young pastor, I honestly never saw the value of leadership in the church. We thought pastors were supposed to focus on spiritual things. Leadership sounded like a business term—certainly not something helpful to pastors. None of us understood that leading well is one of the most spiritual things we could learn to do.

When I first heard leadership taught at the Summit, it was as if something came alive in my spirit. The talk at that conference gave me permission to do more than pastor people, it gave me permission to lead them to Christ.

The talk at that conference gave me permission to do more than pastor people, it gave me permission to lead them to Christ.

After all, that’s what Jesus did. He selected people others overlooked. He trained them. He cast vision for why He came and what they would accomplish together. He delivered on his promise to give His life and rise again. Before going to heaven, He spoke to His small band of leaders and gave them their assignment—to go into the world and spread the Gospel. He gave them what they needed to get the job done, promising they’d always have the Holy Spirit. And He trusted them to get the job done.

Jesus was a leader. And He calls us to lead like Him.

That first leadership conference gave me what I now call “the gift of disorientation.”So often when we want to learn something, we look to leaders who are one or two steps ahead of where we are. The Global Leadership Summit exposed me to leaders who weren’t one or two steps ahead, but dozens or hundreds of steps beyond what I’d seen before. Instead of confirming my biases, they shattered all my preconceived ideas of what’s possible. They helped to disorient me—in a good way. I simply didn’t know what I didn’t know.

Year after year and Summit after Summit, I’ve absorbed new truths that have changed the way we lead our church.

Here are a few big, specific takeaways I remember:

After hearing Jim Collins talk about what great organizations do, and what good ones fail to do, we cut about half of our programming to focus on the things with the highest impact.
Following a challenge to “roll the dice” and take courageous risks, we had the courage to reorganize our entire leadership structure. This one change was a major catalyst in moving us forward.
After listening to Patrick Lencioni unpack organizational wisdom, we restructured our meeting and communication strategy, freeing us to grow and expand beyond what we’d planned.
Following an interview with Chip and Dan Heath on their book Made to Stick, we overhauled our core values and transformed them from lifeless statements on a wall to powerful truths written on the hearts of our team.
And at one Global Leadership Summit, my wife Amy was stirred by a talk that sparked her faith to launch Branch15 Ministry Homes. This thriving organization serves women who are transitioning from human trafficking, prison and other challenging situations to recovery and independent, sustainable living.

So much of what our church is doing today came from moments, talks and ideas absorbed through the years at The Global Leadership Summit.

At the Summit I heard, “You’re a leader. It’s your job to keep your passion hot. Do whatever you have to do. Read whatever you have to read. Go wherever you have to go to stay fired up.”

I can’t think of a better place to light your fire, sharpen your gifts, inspire your vision and empower you to lead than The Global Leadership Summit.

Introducing the BRAND NEW Global Leadership Network

Month: June 2018