At their core, an influencer creates an empowering human connection.
QI201710882
Month: November 2018
QI201710881
Great leaders make the world bigger and themselves smaller.
The Difference You Make When You Give the Gift of Leadership
We love this season as we rest in the shared hope we have in Jesus. He is the reason for everything we do, and the reason so many of you have joined in the efforts to equip leaders for their Grander Vision and spread hope across the globe.
This Thanksgiving, we want to express how grateful we are for your financial support and prayer to make The Global Leadership Summit possible.
Because of your support, there are more than 800 events happening in more than 135 countries this season. Thank you for making this possible!
Your generosity goes a long way. When you equip, empower and encourage someone through the GLS, you expand their impact in their community and change lives around the world!
Because of your support, there are more than 800 events happening in more than 135 countries this season. Thank you for making this possible! Your partnership, prayer and faithful support are some of the biggest reasons why we are able to celebrate the impact. We have so much to be thankful for.
Be encouraged and inspired by our friends who express their thanks for the impact you have already had on their lives and in their countries, and please continue to pray for the outcome.
Thank you from Swaziland
Because of the Summit, I have become a better father and a better husband. God has really challenged me to become a better leader and influencer in that capacity. It also instilled a passion within me to make a difference in people’s lives, and for God to use me to be an influence one life at a time. Thank you very much for the opportunity to learn and grow and be a part of an amazing movement where God is using us in such a supernatural way. We cannot even begin to measure what He is doing. Just to be a catalyst for change has really stirred up a passion within me to keep striving forward.
On behalf of myself and Swaziland, I want to say thank you very much for the contribution you have made to bring the GLS to our country. Without you, I do not think we would have experienced the impact we have. Thank you for your generosity and for all the love and compassion you have shown. May the Lord kindly repay you for the way you have shown kindness to us.
Thank you from Riverbend Correctional Facility in Georgia
The Leadership Summit has inspired and empowered me to embrace the leadership he has placed deep down in my soul. Thank you for your commitment, love and compassion and for not forgetting those of us who are in prison. We have influence here, with our families and in the world when we join it again.
Thank you from Lebanon
I want to thank all the supporters, donors and believers in the GLS. I know if it wasn’t for your support, your giving, your prayers and for all the work you have been doing these years, GLS wouldn’t be where it is today.
I also want to ask and encourage you to keep on praying for GLS in all these countries around the world that are hosting the event. I know this wouldn’t have been done without your support and your faith. So from my heart, I want to thank every one of you who are supporting the Summit. Keep on supporting it financially, through your prayers, through your work and time. More leaders are coming and growing. Countries are being changed. Churches are being changed. Society is being changed.
If we don’t raise leaders today, and if we don’t work on developing leaders today, the world will be in a much worse place tomorrow. This is a great commission you are doing and we are doing with you in raising and equipping leaders every year. Thank you from my heart.
Thank you from Cambodia
On behalf of me and our team in Cambodia, I want to thank those of you who put your effort, your prayer, your work, your volunteering and your finances toward The Global Leadership Summit. You will change the world. The world is not going to be the same. Your donations, effort and prayers have blessed the world. Thank you so much.
Thank you from Nicaragua
I don’t think I would have come this far or achieved so many results if it were not for The Global Leadership Summit. Thank you for calling me and equipping me year after year. It is shaping me to be a great father, husband, friend, boss and leader for my staff and other pastors.
All of this is possible because of donors. We prefer to call them investors and the ROI we are shooting for is taking kids out of poverty and bringing them to Jesus. And it is happening! Praise God!
So thank you so much for your investment; for all the resources that you are giving. We are committed and will continue to work really hard to make sure the return on your investment is happening by developing leaders and transforming communities. At the end of the day, we’re helping these people transform their community by breaking cycles of poverty, and reaching people for Jesus. All of this is possible because of you!
Thank you from Zanzibar and Tanzania
Your financial support has been so much help, especially in Tanzania, Zanzibar and other parts of the world. You have taken the GLS to where it has never been before. Thank you very much!
Thank you from Uruguay
Thank you for your heart to give. Thank you for thinking about countries far away from where you are. You can’t imagine the difference you’re making in so many countries. This is a global movement, and thanks to you, many people are able to sit and listen to this incredible content. So once again, thank you for reaching out to underdeveloped countries like Uruguay.
Thank you from Serbia
We as Christians are a minority in our country, and there are a lot of spiritual attacks. Sometimes in this work God entrusted me to do, I get a lot of discouragement. But that is part of following Jesus, and I’m very happy that God has been using me. It’s a great opportunity to partner with God.
When you are working and pouring yourself into people, you don’t always see the final product. But what is motivating me is when I see the lives of young people who are changed because God used me somehow. When I see someone has given their life to Jesus, or got baptized, or changed their perspective about how they’re doing their job, or developing other people, that is encouraging. It is fuel for me to never give up. Thank you for making the GLS possible in Serbia, and allowing more leaders to be encouraged.
Thank you from Bahrain
The Global Leadership Summit is a great opportunity for people all around the world to come together to understand what our differences are. It brings us together through our differences. It is the single best opportunity we have to help us share, give and learn together. It allows people from all over the world to host GLS. In the Middle East, this is a huge opportunity. Sometimes there is a shortage of funds and hence I would urge people who can to donate generously to make this even happen in parts of the world where GLS would otherwise never reach. Personally, I have benefited a lot from attending and using the resources of GLS in my sphere of influence. And it is my dream to make this available to more people, not just in Bahrain, but to the whole region of the Middle East. Thank you for helping to make this possible.
Thank you from Greece
I believe the GLS is something that can change someone dramatically. When we understand God’s power within us, we can do what we dream.
In Greece it is not easy to find people who will to continue to support the GLS financially so it can reach more people. I want to give thanks to you, because with your financial help, the GLS has happened in Greece. Thank you for your offerings and for your gracious hearts.
We live in hard times in Greece, and it is not easy to cover expenses. If you continue to help us, we believe we will see changes to many other places in Greece. We need you. Your money is not going to waste; it is going to God’s glory and God’s kingdom. Thank you.
7 Things We’re Thankful for in 2018
Happy Thanksgiving!
We have so much to be thankful for.
We love this season as we rest in the shared hope we have in Jesus. He is the reason for everything we do, and the reason so many of you have joined in the efforts to equip leaders for their Grander Vision, and spread hope across the globe.
Your partnership, prayer and faithful support are some of the biggest reasons why we are able to celebrate.
It’s humbling to see how God speaks through this event. We’ve heard so many stories about how churches are being revitalized, people are growing closer to God, leaders are being encouraged and empowered, the poor are being cared for, relationships are being healed, businesses are giving back and communities are being transformed.
Your partnership, prayer and faithful support are some of the biggest reasons why we are able to celebrate. We have so much to be thankful for.
1. Thank you to the 2018 Summit Faculty
Thank you for your teaching, encouragement, challenge and inspiration. Thank you for the impact you’ve had on more than 400,000 leaders all around the world. You may never know how much you have blessed a leader, or even an entire country. Thank you!
2. Thank you to our Summit Host Sites in the U.S., and across the globe
Do you know more than 1,400 cities around the world host the Summit? This is no small feat. Without the pastors, church staff, event managers, promotional strategists, marketing managers, producers, technical directors and so many others (most of them volunteers!), the Summit would not have been delivered to encourage and inspire hundreds of thousands of leaders this year. It is a great honor to partner with these leaders and change agents as they seek to transform their cities and their countries. Thank you!
3. Thank you to our Volunteers
Thousands of volunteers in the U.S. and around the world make the Summit possible. In addition to their regular jobs, many of them sacrifice their time and dedicate it to serving leaders at the Summit by directing traffic, providing resources, serving food, opening doors or even executing the entire event for their city. You may never know the lives you’ve touched by putting a servant’s towel over your arm. What an honor to serve with you. Thank you!
4. Thank you to our Attendees, the transformation agents
In 2018, more than 400,000 leaders will have attended the Summit—each one of them representing a life of beautiful influence. Your life and leadership are so valuable. We are so thankful to leaders like you who want to better themselves to better our world. Thank you for embracing your leadership calling!
5. Thank you to our Prayer Warriors
Thousands of prayer warriors around the world have lifted this year up in prayer—from the uphill battles to the triumphant celebrations. Thank you for your dedication to surrounding Willow Creek Association and The Global Leadership Summit in prayer. It is so important that we continue to come back to God for our strength, encouragement and wisdom. God has done miracles through us and in spite of us. Thank you!
6. Thank you to our Donors and Partners
As the Summit has grown internationally, so has the need for funding to give leaders in under-resourced regions access to world-class leadership tools. More than 50 percent of the countries we’re in require additional support – many of them often facing difficult circumstances of poverty, persecution or corruption.
Thank you to our donors who have given gifts both large and small, sacrificing their own resources to empower and encourage leaders around the world. You may never know the depth of your impact. Thank you!
7. And last but certainly not least, we are thankful to God
For giving us the incredible opportunity to join Him in this ministry of serving leaders around the world. His love and goodness is the reason we do what we do.
Thank you! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families!
Brené Brown on Joy and Gratitude
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IjSHUc7TXM?rel=0
The relationship between joy and gratitude was one of the important things I found in my research. I wasn’t expecting it. In my 12 years of research on 11,000 pieces of data, I did not interview one person who had described themselves as joyful, who also did not actively practice gratitude.
For me it was very counterintuitive because I went into the research thinking that the relationship between joy and gratitude was: if you are joyful, you should be grateful. But it wasn’t that way at all.
Instead, practicing gratitude invites joy into our lives.
Practice is the part that really changed my life, that really changed my family and the way we live every day. When I say practice gratitude, don’t mean “the-attitude-of-gratitude” or feeling grateful, I mean practicing gratitude.
These folks shared in common a tangible gratitude practice. Some of them kept gratitude journals. Some of them did interesting things like at 1,2,3,4 or 12:34 every day they said something out loud that they were grateful for in their lives.
One of things we do as a family is say grace at dinner. And so now, after learning about practicing gratitude, after grace we go around and everyone says something that they are all thankful for.
What’s interesting is, when we first started, I thought my children were going to say, “Oh, mom, are you experimenting on us?” There was a little bit of that. But after we had done this for a couple weeks, even on those crazy, busy nights, when we were trying to get to soccer, piano and homework, if Steve and I said a quick prayer and start eating, my kids were like, “Woah…what are you grateful for?”
It’s not joy that makes us grateful, it’s gratitude that makes us joyful.
It’s been extraordinary because not only does it invite more joy into our house, it also is such a soulful window into what is going on in my kids’ lives. There are some days when my eighth-grader will say, “I’m joyful that there is a huge thick wall between my room and my brother’s room.” She’ll say something very honest. But recently she had a friend whose mother died. For a month she would say, “I’m just so grateful you all are healthy right now.”
Not only did it make us all more aware of what we had and more willing to slow down and really be thankful for the joyful moments we had, but it also let me know where she was emotionally in her life.
My son often says, “I’m grateful for bugs.” “I’m grateful for frogs.” But sometimes he’ll say, “I’m grateful that you picked me up early.” Or “I’m grateful that I finally understand adjectives.”
There is a great quote by a Jesuit priest that says, “It’s not joy that makes us grateful, it’s gratitude that makes us joyful.” I guess I was just amazed to see that bubble up in my research so quickly. It’s life changing.
Qualities in a Great Hire
Heidi Brandow shares what she looks for in a great hire.
This Week’s GLS Events & Prayer Requests
Every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 8:30 am CST, our staff gathers together to pray for our partners across the globe.
Please join us in prayer as we lift up the international Summit events happening this weekend. Pray for God’s anointing on every detail and that those who attend would leave feeling equipped, inspired and encouraged to lead the change they long for in their communities.
And if you have a prayer request, please share it with us. We would be honored to pray with you!
November 21
Brasalia, Brazil
Campinas, Brazil
Piracicaba, Brazil
NayPyidaw, Myanmar
Pastors have come to realize the importance of leadership in the church. It’s not just that we have the ability to preach or teach, it’s gone beyond that. We need leadership in the church not only to lead the church, but to grow our organizations. We can start a movement! I see churches starting to do that as they come together. We are witnessing people beginning to understand and see God’s grander vision in their lives.
Chengannur, India
Belem, Brazil
November 22
Collaroy, Australia
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Goiania, Brazil
Ngozi, Burundi
We are deeply thankful to God and for your prayers for the GLS in Burundi in September. Thank you for this opportunity to develop the leaders of our country. Please pray for peace and resources.
Sertaozinho, Brazil
November 23
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
The success of my church is not in how great I am, but how great my flock is. I believe the GLS is truly a great blessing to transform me, my church and my nation of Vietnam. Pray for me. Pray for the churches in Vietnam.
Kosice, Slovakia
Guayaquil, Ecuador
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Douala, Cameroon
Lviv, Ukraine
The Summit taught us that leadership is about servanthood and giving back. Leaders have to give something. This is opposite to our thinking. But through GLS, we discovered that leadership is about what you give back. Pray that more leaders in Ukraine learn how to be servant leaders.
Sandakan, Malaysia
Helsinki, Finland
Bauchi, Nigeria
Lagos, Nigeria
Warszawa, Poland
Aalsmeerderbrug, Netherlands
Porto, Portugal
Ranchi, India
Pune, India
Lucknow, India
Jamshedpur, India
Tallinn, Estonia
Nakuru, Kenya
Thika, Kenya
Punto Fijo, Venezuela
Cabimas, Venezuela
Callao, Peru
Shanghai, China
Ostrava, Czech Republic
Tallinn, Estonia
Skopje, Macedonia
One day, as our time on the earth closes. I want to look back and see Macedonia changed forever with the Gospel. That is what keeps me going.
Balneairio Camburiu, Brazil
Novorossiysk, Russian Federation
Santiago, Dominican Republic
Flores Petan, Guatemala
Antigua, Guatemala
Petropavlovsk, Kazakhstan
Cuernavaca, Mexico
November 24
Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
Morogoro, Tanzania
Heverlee, Belgium
Abuja, Nigeria
Lagos, Nigeria
Whether you’re a small church or you’re a big church, as long as you put certain principles in place, you can make it work better. It doesn’t even have to do with financial resources, it’s just somebody making up their mind to say we can do it. I want to enter a church and ask, Oh! What God is this?
Hyderabad, India
Vizag City, India
Darhan, Mongolia
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
November 26
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
November 27
Kathmandu, Nepal
God has placed a desire in our hearts to reach out to the un-reached people, and to win the city. The local church is the hope of the world when it works right. That has really given me a boost to train leaders and bring them together and impart the vision to win the city. God is in control, and he will do it in his time.
Ep 037: Chip Heath with Craig Groeschel
Get free, instant access to GLS Podcast Episode Show Notes. Leverage episode summaries, key takeaways, reflection questions, resources mentioned, related links and applicable downloads, including Show Notes PDF and Episode Audio File (MP3).
DOWNLOADS:
SUMMARY:
Have you noticed that some experiences create more of an impact than others? In this episode, Chip Heath, Professor of Organizational Behavior at Stanford Graduate School for Business, sits down with Craig Groeschel to talk about why moments matter, what makes them memorable and how they can be enhanced to benefit your organization and your personal life. You will learn how your organization can leverage impactful moments to improve culture, delight customers and create a shared purpose among your staff.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Memorable moments stand out from everyday “sameness” and help people experience the world in a different way.
- Psychologists say that the human brain disproportionally retains experiences that are new and emotional.
- Opportunities to create memorable moments naturally occur during peaks, pits, beginnings, endings and transitions.
- The best organizations maximize peaks, manage transitions and minimize pits.
- Transitions (i.e. the first day of work or a service anniversary) are ideal times to create defining moments.
- Creating moments doesn’t take a lot of money. Instead, you will need to invest time and engagement.
- Research has identified four ways that moments become memorable.
- Moments of Elevation: A peak experience that can be enhanced with a heightened sensory experience.
Example: Part of the delight a customer experiences after purchasing an Apple product is the care they have taken to design their box. - Moments of Insight: An experience of being challenged, although often uncomfortable, is often memorable. The best stretch experiences are also combined with an assurance of achievement.
- Moments of Pride: A life experience of achievement that can be enhanced with public recognition.
- Moments of Connection: A shared sense of purpose among a diverse group of people.
- It is critical for leaders to connect their constituents with their organizational purpose.
- Research shows that purpose creates more engagement than passion.
- Exposing employees to real customers who benefit from your service creates a meaningful moment of connection.
- Moments of Elevation: A peak experience that can be enhanced with a heightened sensory experience.
- In order to create more meaningful moments, pause and take the time to be intentional.
- Most organizations spend 80% of their time solving problems and only 20% of their time creating peaks. However, research shows that customers value peak experiences more than they value problem-solving.
- Beware of the “soul-sucking” forces of reasonableness that resist creating moments.
- To leverage memorable moments successfully, you must break the script and be unpredictable.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
- Think about your organization: How do you currently create memorable moments of elevation, insight, pride or connection with employees and customers?
- After listening to this podcast, where do you see opportunities to create more moments?
- If your team were to focus on one moment to leverage in the next week, what would it be?
RESOURCES MENTIONED:
University of California, Berkley
RELATED LINKS:
What Does a Better World Look Like?
We are so grateful that you are a part of a community of leaders who seek to bring transformation to our world. You are the real heroes who give us reason to host The Global Leadership Summit each year. It would be an understatement to say that this has been a challenging year. And yet, the ministry continues to have an impact globally, witnessed in the outcome of what you and others do through your influence. God continues to pour out His favor. More than 120,000 people attended the Summit in the United States, and an additional 270,000+ attendees are expected in 135+ countries!
I’m continually reminded that God is using and will continue to use the Summit to bless leaders around the world.
I’m continually reminded that God is using and will continue to use the Summit to bless leaders around the world. One of my biggest reminders of this are the stories I hear about people like you whose lives have been changed as a result of God’s work through the Summit. My friend Betty Byanyima from Uganda shares just a taste of what’s been happening in her country:
We have a slogan here with the GLS: Creating the Uganda we want. We want to move from a heritage of war, corruption, bad stewardship, hopelessness and a bad economy to a country where we espouse five values: stewardship, work ethic, integrity, patriotism (just loving our country) and servant leadership.
Our big dream is for us to permeate all sectors of society and build a leadership legacy we will pass onto our children and our grandchildren of a country we are all proud of.
What does a better Uganda look like? Our big dream is for us to permeate all sectors of society and build a leadership legacy we will pass onto our children and our grandchildren of a country we are all proud of. And we are getting there one sector at a time. It’s not just the church, but we have also witnessed this change happen in government, and in the tourism industry, which is having an impact on our economy.
Stories like these would not be possible without your belief in what can happen when a leader is equipped and encouraged to influence positive change in their community.
Looking forward to the future of this ministry, we’re reminded that God is still in control. We know that as long as God continues to bless these efforts, the Summit will continue to bless lives across the globe. Our vision is still to one day reach more than 1,000,000 people. Only God!
Your support as we head into 2019 is especially critical.
In navigating the challenges this past year, the reality is, our economic situation was affected. The lives who are most affected are the leaders who are most desperate for the tools and the inspiration the Summit provides to them in their context.
Would you prayerfully consider your year-end donation to the Global Leadership Development Fund?
Your financial support this year-end fills this gap, and serves those who need it most as we continue to take the Summit around the world this fall and winter. Our goal continues to be catalyzing transformation, from individuals to communities, to churches and regions. Tens of thousands of our international attendees long for this high quality leadership training. The results are proven–Our Outcome Survey results have shown increased evangelism, community outreach, unity and care for the poor as a result. It is our mission to see that no leader is turned away because of financial constraint.
Would you prayerfully consider your year-end donation to the Global Leadership Development Fund? Your gift will be used to provide leaders in under-resourced regions access to the skills, inspiration and encouragement they hunger for to help them transform their churches, communities and cities.
It is our mission to see that no leader is turned away because of financial constraint.
When Christians lead well, we can be a formidable force for good and a beacon of light that moves searching hearts to find Christ.
Thank you for providing hope, and considering your partnership in this important work. Together, we are helping Christians grow their leadership to maximize Kingdom impact. Learn more at theglsn.org/give.
Hospitality Needs Functions and Feelings
Hospitality is about caring for the emotions of the guest just as much as it is about serving them, if not even more. That means knowing when it’s time to go above and beyond the call of duty or when it’s time to walk away. Hospitality is about merging the function—the tasks—and the feeling.
Every time a guest experiences us, we should honor them enough to deliver the same level of hospitality. But that same level of hospitality might mean responding differently each time, because the experience is about the guest. It’s not about making ourselves feel good about the service we provided. It’s making the guest feel good about the hospitality we showed.
Many organizations have been “doing” this serving thing for so long that all they worry about is “doing.” We need to reimagine what it means to be the guest and what it means to add feeling back into it. This means prioritizing the feelings of the guest over the tasks we perform for them.
It’s not about making ourselves feel good about the service we provided. It’s making the guest feel good about the hospitality we showed.
There’s a story in Luke 10:38-41 where Jesus visits the house of a woman named Martha. She invited Jesus into her home and, being the good hostess, was busy preparing a dinner in the kitchen. Meanwhile, her sister, Mary, was simply sitting with Jesus and conversing with him. Martha complained to Jesus about this. “Can you tell my lazy sister to help me prepare the meal instead of lounging out here with you?”
She expected Jesus to have her back and instruct Mary to help with the tasks. But he reminded Martha of the value of being with someone. Martha was so busy serving Jesus that she neglected to be with Jesus. How many of our team members are so busy serving our guests that they neglect to simply be with our guests? Imagine if Martha had spent more time with Jesus. Imagine if she had merged the function and the feeling of what she was doing. She might have brought the bowls and ingredients into the room where Jesus was sitting. She might have even explained what she was doing, bringing the relationship into the function.
How does this play out in our organizations?
Parking attendants can get so busy simply parking cars that they forget there’s a real person behind that driver’s-side window or a family experiencing their own stresses. When parking cars becomes a service, you might see the attendant talking to a friend while gesturing to the nearest open spot. Or the attendant might look a bit uncomfortable in the heat of the summer day. You can tell it’s more about the function than about hospitality for the parking lot attendant
Hospitality looks different. It acknowledges feelings. As a person looks for a parking spot, they are experiencing feelings. They might be feeling anxious, confused, or overwhelmed in this new place. A parking lot attendant who gets what the guest is feeling will make subtle changes to his approach. He’ll still park the cars, but he might make the following changes:
- His gestures will be slower
- He’ll be more patient when people don’t quickly make it to the spot he’s guiding them to
- He won’t be as sharp
- He’ll make eye contact with the driver
- He’ll notice the children in the back seat and wave at them with a smile
- His facial expressions will be gentle and warm
- He’ll notice the tire pressure is low and offer to fill the tire or change it for the guest during the service
He’ll realize that the feeling he can give the guest is even more important than the task he’s performing. He realizes that people respond to feeling and that feeling is memorable. His job is not to park cars; it’s to show hospitality to the guest through the act of parking cars. To be honest, the guest could probably find their own parking spot. But if the parking lot attendant is able to ease the stress the driver is feeling, then he performed a valuable function. He (or she) delivered hospitality.
The idea of merging function and feeling is about a perspective shift more than anything.
Think of a time you visited a new church or a business. You probably had an impression of the place, and you formed a decision to stay away from the place or visit again. There are times we can pinpoint why we like a church or a business. But there are other times we aren’t sure why we liked or disliked a place. It’s just something we felt.
There will be people who will return to your church or business and won’t know why. They simply felt good there. And there will be others who won’t be coming back. They can’t explain to someone who asks why they decided not to return; it was just a feeling. Feelings are important—often even more important than the function. That’s why we must merge the two.
The question to ask when faced with this information is obvious: Do we simply let the tasks go in exchange for the feeling? No. This idea of merging function and feeling is about a perspective shift more than anything. It’s not strictly a behavioral change, though this will affect your behavior. It’s about focusing on the feeling of the task—not simply the task itself.
To read more about Jason Young’s hospitality process, check out his book The Come-Back Effect.
Adapted from The Come-Back Effect by Jason Young. Copyright 2018. Used with permission from Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
Recent Comments