Month: April 2019

How to Discover Your Personal Vision

Posted on April 8, 2019 by - Articles, Calling, Leading Yourself

Businesswoman holding her hand bag standing still on a busy street with people walking past her using mobile phones. (Woman standing amidst a busy office going crowd hooked

The best leaders are not born with superior leadership skills.

What sets them apart is a highly-developed personal vision, that compels them to maximize their leadership abilities in order to see that vision fulfilled.

If you want to jump-start your personal leadership, clarify your personal vision.

A personal vision is that innate, unshakable understanding of the role you have been uniquely designed to fulfill. It’s not a job description, it’s not a personality type, and it’s not a fleeting emotional response to particular needs you happen to notice.

A personal vision runs much deeper than that. It’s a profound definition of “who you are” and of “what makes you tick,” that ultimately prompts you to want to lead at the highest level possible.

A personal vision runs much deeper than that. It’s a profound definition of “who you are” and of “what makes you tick,” that ultimately prompts you to want to lead at the highest level possible.

One of the clearest examples of this is found in the life of Moses; a leader whose story is found in the first five books of the Bible.

From his earliest days, Moses’ life was defined by his hatred of oppression in any form. Whenever Moses witnessed oppression, something deep within him was stirred and he felt compelled to act.

In one such instance, Moses witnessed an Egyptian task-master abusing a Hebrew slave. Moses couldn’t stand it. At the sight of this oppression, something inside Moses snapped, and he ended up killing the Egyptian (Exodus 2:11-12).

Later, Moses witnessed a group of shepherds harassing seven sisters who were attempting to draw water from a well. Once again, Moses’ deeply-held desire to free the oppressed boiled over, and he came to the rescue of the women. (Exodus 2:15-17)

Most of us know the story of Moses as the great leader who led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. But the key leadership question to be asked is, “What made Moses such an ideal candidate to lead this mission?”

The answer is clear: Moses led out of a personal vision to free the oppressed. And it was that clarity of vision that compelled him to become the leader he would need to be to accomplish the task. Moses’ personal vision to free the oppressed uniquely qualified him to lead the Israelites to freedom.

Each of us as leaders must similarly bring clarity to our own personal vision. Like Moses, we need to be able to know exactly what it is that drives us forward; we must be able to articulate that deep inner purpose that fuels our leadership.

Because the clearer your personal vision, the more compelling your personal leadership will be.

How can you discover your personal vision? Start the journey by asking yourself these five questions:

1. What seems to be the “common denominator” in the causes to which you’re drawn?

2. When you look at great leaders whom you most admire, what are the common qualities you see?

3. In what arenas has your leadership tended to be the most effective?

4. How would others describe your areas of passion?

5. When you one day look back on your life, where would you like to have made the greatest impact?

To be clear, discovering your personal vision will not make you a great leader. But it will start you on a journey towards greater leadership effectiveness.

Because the clearer your personal vision, the more compelling your personal leadership will be.

Why I Didn’t Give Up Working in the Church

Posted on April 8, 2019 by - Because of the GLS, Church, Church & Faith-Based, Leading Yourself, North America, Stories, The Global Leadership Summit, Wellness

Hands in together

My battle with depression and anxiety.

Growing up in the church, I spent almost my entire life in ministry—first as a volunteer and then on staff.

Blake Sabiston Family photoOn the outside I was an ambitious, trustworthy, servant-hearted, excited, kingdom-minded man. I have an incredible, beautiful wife and we have fun-loving, studly sons. My social media showed a lot of wins and successes. As a student pastor, I was in my sweet spot. I was close to a dream job, and at the time, I couldn’t ever imagine doing anything else.

On the inside, however, I was anxious and depressed. When I drove into work, I would sweat just thinking about the immense tasks at hand. In meetings, I was scared that when it was my turn to speak up, I wouldn’t be able to. I feared my peers would view me as incompetent to lead. This overload of stress and anxiety drained me during the week, and when weekends came around, all I could do was sleep.

In large groups, I was almost paralyzed. I scouted out my nearest and best exit, in case I needed to get sick. I hated “lying” when people asked how I was doing. On the outside everything was great, but on the inside, I was anxious for what felt like 99 percent of my days. I was having panic attacks 2-3 times a day, 5-6 days a week.

There were the days when I felt incapable of doing anything.

There were the days when I felt incapable of doing anything. I literally could not function. I didn’t want to talk to anyone—not my wife, best friends or my family. Not even God. I didn’t want anyone to know what was really going on. I didn’t think anyone would understand. I wasn’t telling my wife everything I was experiencing. I didn’t even fully comprehend how far this had gone, and how deep-seated it had become.

Satan loves it when we feel alone. I believe he loves it when we isolate ourselves from others and suppress vulnerability and transparency with thoughts like: It’s all in your head; It’s not that bad; No one else understands; If I tell anyone else they will think I am weak or it will sound stupid. My worst internal thought is: You’ve got this. All of these thoughts are fodder for Satan because they lead us away from the community God has built for us to thrive so we don’t live alone in fear.

I decided it was time to fight.

I had a near death experience. I was having a lot of wild symptoms and was on the verge of severe serotonin syndrome. My doctor caught it before I was hospitalized with what could have had dangerous implications. Living life with anxiety and depression is a day-by-day, hour-by-hour and minute-by-minute fight. Now, after living with it for over 25 years, I understand that I am not alone. Too many people still believe Satan’s lie that they are alone and, “They’ve got this.”

Without the Summit, I would have given up.

Blake Sabiston's teamI would have given up on working in the church a few years ago if it had it not been for the continual reminder from the Summit that the local Church is the hope of the world.

Before then, I felt alone. But I realized I cannot fight alone—people lose the battle if they are not in a community.

God has shown me the need people have for true community. A community that really cares! Once I began opening up about my depression, anxiety and panic attacks, I began receiving texts, messages on social media and even occasions when co-workers came to my office to sit on my couch and tell me they struggle with the same thing, yet had never told anyone.

With inspiration from the Summit, I developed a vision of a community where people feel noticed, known, valued and loved. I took on the initiative to recruit 72 section leaders at my church in a two-year period. My hope was to create an environment where people didn’t feel alone like I had.

Need for connection and authentic care

Blake Sabiston in communityIn a world where almost everything is automated, I want so much for people to personalize their interactions. A return to handwritten notes and meaningful texts. A return to face-to-face conversations. Our culture seems to value speed and efficiency, but I want to slow down and be present with people. I also want to see our faith community to do the same thing. I want the church to be a true community and not a gathering where people feel alone.

At the 2018 Summit, Craig Groeschel reminded me that I have to “Have a heart to care. You will never be a leader others want to follow unless you care and they know you care.” Slowing down, being authentic and listening really makes an impact on people because they aren’t used to it. I was also reminded that, as hard as it is, exposing my weaknesses and vulnerabilities has brought me a long way on a personal level, and also with my team!

Why you should attend the Summit

Out of all the years I have spent with the Summit family, staff and faculty, there is not one minute that I regret or see as time wasted!

“I am created to be dangerously unique”

Each year, I am come away rejuvenated. My eyes are opened to a rich diversity of leadership styles and approaches. Not only that, but I am inspired by the stories of God moving all around the world and reminded that He is moving in me and through me in the same way. I keep my Summit notes close to me all year and refer to them often.

Erwin McManus statement, “I am created to be dangerously unique” is hanging in my bathroom, is written on a whiteboard at work and I will probably have it printed to remind me of that truth. God did not create me as a cookie-cutter human being. He created me to love passionately, serve generously and emulate Christ for all I meet!

How to Create a Culture of Full Engagement

Posted on April 4, 2019 by - Articles, Culture, Leading Organizations, Servant Leadership, Supervising People

Cropped shot of a group of business colleagues meeting in the boardroom

Win the Heart: How to Create a Culture of Full Engagement is the latest in Mark Miller’s book series outlining key practices for High-Performance Organizations. In this new book, Miller digs deep into the topic of employee engagement and describes how leaders, not employees, are responsible for building a highly-motivated workforce.

Global Leadership Network (GLN): This is the fourth book in your book series on high-performance organizations. Tell us about the series and where this book fits into your overall vision for organizational leadership?

Mark Miller: Several years ago, we were trying to help leaders build their capacity at Chick-fil-A, and at that time, we were focused on building great leadership teams. This was a huge step forward. But the truth is, a leadership team harnesses the passion, talent, energy and creativity of 5 or 6 people. So, the big question is, what do you do with the 90-95% people who don’t sit around the leadership table?

It became clear that the next step was to create a High-Performance Organization (HPO). So, I assembled a team of really smart people and we worked for several years learning about building HPOs. And that became the first book in the series, Chess Not Checkers. Each subsequent book in the series has focused on one of the key elements of HPOs. This fourth book is about engagement.

GLN: So, let’s talk about employee engagement. Why do you see engagement as critical?

Miller: As I read the leadership press, I believe interest in engagement is waning—which is a tragedy because it has not been solved. I believe most leaders have put engagement into the “too hard” category. According to Gallup, only 33% of people rate themselves as “engaged at work.” We’ve worked on this for 15 years and have only gotten to 33%. That’s hard.

I see engagement as the last hurdle. You can have great vision, people, process, systems—all these important elements—but if the people don’t care, you can’t execute at a world-class level. At the end of the day, greatness hinges on execution.

GLN: How can leaders diagnose an engagement problem?

Miller: I actually think the majority of leaders have allowed themselves to be deceived. They think their team members are engaged, but the data tells a different story. Here’s what disengagement looks like: half-hearted effort, lack of initiative, lack of contribution, people not showing up, people not staying late, etc. It has to get really dire for most leaders to recognize it.

So, my suggestion for every leader on the planet is—you need to measure engagement. There are countless tools, assessments and surveys. Pick one you like.

GLN: In the book, you say, “Engaging others is at the core of a leader’s responsibilities.” That seems counter-intuitive. Most leaders believe that motivation (or lack of motivation) is a sign of team member commitment and, therefore, their own responsibility. How have we been looking at this wrong?

Miller: I think engagement is 100% the leader’s responsibility. The leader has selected that person and creates the context in which the person operates. Either you have the wrong person, or you have the wrong culture, and you’ve been unwilling to deal with the consequences.

Engagement is 100% the leader’s responsibility.

Leaders are the architects of an organization’s culture. Is it a culture that’s life-giving? Do people thrive? Is it a culture where people can bring their full and best selves to work? Is it a culture where people feel valued and want to contribute? Where they’re empowered and encouraged? Make your list—leaders control all of that.

If you are seeing a lack of engagement, the first, second and third person you should look to is the leadership. The behaviors in your organization are a direct reflection of the leadership.

GLN: Tell us why you chose the words “win the heart” and why heart-commitment is essential to creating a culture of high engagement?

Miller: There is a lot of confusion around the word engagement. “Win the Heart” is more approachable language. Once we, as leaders understand that engagement is about winning the heart, we can we can devise strategies and tools to help them. Engagement is a condition of the heart and reflects how much someone cares about their work, their co-workers and the organization.

GLN: What do you see as the biggest barriers leaders face to “winning the hearts” of those on their teams?

Miller: The biggest barrier leader’s face is that they don’t see employee engagement as an area where they should focus or give priority. It goes back to the first deception. They think their people are fully engaged so they are working on other things. But if we want other people to help us accomplish our goals and execute our strategies, we actually need them to care. We need them to be engaged. Engagement is the energy for all that needs to be done.

But if we want other people to help us accomplish our goals and execute our strategies, we actually need them to care.

GLN: Can you leave us with one or two practices that, based on your experience, will really move the needle to “win the hearts” of employees?

Miller: Here are two practices that we have seen actually move the needle to win people’s heart and increase engagement.

1) Give your team members genuine, heartfelt and authentic affirmation. When is the last time that your employees have heard you say Thank You? We need to thank people regularly for their work, contribution and ideas. People have a deep need for genuine, authentic affirmation. Find something you can affirm in your team members and affirm them.

2) Give your team members real responsibility. Think about how you feel when a leader gives you real responsibility. You care more, right? Give employees real responsibility, not just tasks, but real responsibility for decisions or outcomes. Most leaders will be shocked by how much more employees will care if they are given real responsibility.

GLN: Thanks, Mark. We loved the book and really appreciate your insights.

To learn more about Mark Miller’s model for improving employee engagement, check out his excellent book, Win the Heart.

Climb Every Mountain (Or Just the One Right in Front of You)

Posted on April 3, 2019 by - Because of the GLS, Business, Decision-Making, Leading Organizations, North America, Stories, The Global Leadership Summit, Vision

Mountain climbing

Lessons learned from a front row seat at The Global Leadership Summit

Todd Elliott at the Summit

For years I had a front row seat at The Global Leadership Summit. Literally. The front row. I served as Technical Arts Director at Willow Creek Community Church, and part of my job was to work with the Global Leadership Network and each Summit speaker to help make them comfortable with being in front of 100,000+ leaders.

If you’ve attended the GLS at the South Barrington Campus over the years, you’ve probably seen me running all over the place. On stage. Off Stage. Trying to stay calm while making sure it all happened.

During my time at Willow Creek, I had the privilege of working with some pretty amazing leaders. Nothing brought me closer to the speakers than telling them that the eyes of 100,000+ people were on them and reminding them to make eye contact through the lens of the cameras.

Typically, I met with each speaker on stage before their session to walk through some of the details about what they could expect, and if they were ever wondering what was happening next, to look for me. I knew what was ahead and they could trust me to get them there.

On deck and ready

Part of my role included getting speakers “on-deck,” (in the wings), ready to deliver their message. In 2008, one of those presenters was Chuck Colson. While he was being introduced, he leaned over and asked me to repeat what was being said on stage. It can be difficult to hear. Nothing earth shattering. Momma Maggie asked me to hold her hand. Patrick Lencioni asked if I would pray for him. I was just doing my job.

…past experience had taught me God could be trusted

For me, the GLS was a series of encounters like this one. Very rarely did I get to sit still long enough to listen to the actual talks. My goal was to make each presenter as comfortable as possible when speaking to such a massive group, and make sure the production aspects of the event were as transparent as possible so all attendees could be exposed to great leadership teaching without distractions.

Everything changed in 2014

Fast forward to the year 2014. The GLS faculty included Tyler Perry, actor and filmmaker; Carly Fiorina, former CEO of Hewlett Packard and presidential candidate; and Jeffrey Immelt, former CEO of GE. It was pretty much business as usual, but for me, there was a big difference. This was going to be my last GLS in the role I had been playing for nearly 7 years…

A few months earlier, I had sensed that God was asking me to let go of my role at Willow Creek and move into something else. What the something else was, I had no idea. But past experience had taught me God could be trusted, so the fact that I didn’t know what to do next didn’t bother me.

Yet.

With the unknown looming, I tried to soak up every moment of the event–with the speakers, with my team. All of it.

Climbing the Matterhorn

Louie Giglio at GLS 2014

The final speaker at the 2014 GLS was Louie Giglio, lead pastor of Passion City Church and leader of the Passion Movement. I went through my normal speaker routine with him before his session, and once Louie was in place, I gave him a countdown to the end of a video and then he started.

I sat in the front row. Right in front of him. And I listened. His may have been the first GLS message I listened to in real time. Ever.

Like any good tech person, once the message started, my mind began to wander. With this year’s GLS coming to a close, I found myself wondering what I was going to do with my life after this!. Yikes!

One thing kept coming to the surface. In my years of leading teams of technical artists in the local church, I was always on the lookout for a community of people that understood the challenges I was facing. Back in my earlier days, that meant looking churches up in the Yellow Pages! This eventually led to organizing gatherings bringing together this particular tribe. Starting in 2002, The Tech Forum, then the Willow Creek Arts Conference, then Gurus of Tech.

I figured stepping away from my role at Willow Creek meant being a part of these gatherings was also coming to an end. I still had a passion for it, but I didn’t know how to get it done in my new reality.

I may not know how to get to the top of the mountain, but there are steps right in front of me that I could take.

Back to the GLS session I was sitting in, I eventually started to engage with what Louie was saying. He told his story of climbing the Matterhorn, one of the tallest mountains in the Alps. He had never done any mountain climbing before and so the idea of reaching the top of one of the most difficult peaks seemed like an impossibility. However, he had someone with him who knew the way up, and Louie took each step as it presented itself.

Take the small steps

His analogy of climbing a mountain changed my perspective. “I may not know how to get to the top of the mountain, but there are steps right in front of me that I could take. God knows the way to top, and I needed to trust him by taking the steps I know how to take.”

Sitting on the front row of that Summit, I thought about the steps I knew I could take toward starting a new event for technical artists in the local church. I had no idea where the finish line was, how it would be funded, or even what the event would be called, but I knew that I had to move in the direction of the steps I did know how to take.

Five years later

Todd Elliott with Tech crew

From that moment, I began moving toward what is now the FILO Conference (First In Last Out), a gathering of technical artists in the local church. Five years later, the FILO Conference brings together close to 1500 technical artists–worshipping together, learning together and building community. As they get better and stronger and more inspired in their roles, their church becomes better at sharing the message of Christ.

In 2014, I could not have imagined how I would get here. Taking small steps toward the calling that God put on my life has led to this spot. If I had not been obedient to taking all those small steps along the way, I would have missed out on what God had in mind, not just for me, but for the thousands of technical artists who have with God in a new way at FILO.

I’m pretty sure we aren’t yet at the top of the mountain, but I do know FILO was my Matterhorn–the mountain that I didn’t know how to climb when I started out.

 

Watch Louie’s talk from the 2014 GLS called “Take the Step.”

Straight into Compton

Posted on April 2, 2019 by - Articles, Change Management, Conflict Management, Leading Organizations

is a 2019 Global Leadership Summit Speaker.

This article is a part of the GLS19 Faculty Spotlight series where we feature fresh, actionable and inspiring leadership content from this year’s Summit speakers.

 

In 2013, Mayor Aja Brown stepped up to the leadership challenge in Compton, California—one of the most economically depressed and gang-infested cities in the U.S. Her initiatives have resulted in significant change and a turnaround in that community. We are thrilled to welcome Mayor Brown to the 2019 GLS faculty to share her learnings around leading change.

Watch the video below for a sneak peek into the remarkable story of how this visionary mayor is truly transforming lives.

 

Click this button and register for the summit today!

 

 

Join 405,000+ of your peers for two days of fresh, actionable and inspiring leadership training from a world-class faculty at a location near you.

Upcoming GLS Events & Prayer Requests

Posted on April 2, 2019 by - Africa, Asia, Central America, Europe, Latin America, News & Updates, The Global Leadership Summit, Western Europe

Attendee in Suriname

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 in the comments. We would be honored to pray with you!

April 4

Campinas, Brazil

April 5

Uppsala, Sweden

April 15

Paramaribo, Suriname

April 16

Gaborone, Botswana

April 19

Timisoura, Romania

April 25

Bangui, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Ep 044: Danielle Strickland with Jeff Lockyer

Posted on April 1, 2019 by - Change Management, Leading Organizations, Podcasts

The Global Leadership Summit Podcast

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:

Download Show Notes (PDF)

Download Audio (MP3)

 

SUMMARY:

We live in times of unprecedented change. As leaders, we often feel the tension of chaos and confusion. In this episode, pastor, author and justice advocate, Danielle Strickland, suggests that leaders need to change the way we look at chaos. She sits down with Jeff Lockyer to discuss a new way for leaders to view chaos—through the unlikely lens of the biblical account of Creation. Instead of seeing chaos as a threat, chaos can actually become opportunity for creativity, revelation and new growth.

 

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

  • We are living in a time of massive shift.
  • Times of change and chaos actually create an opening for incredible advances.
  • When I was growing up, I had this idea that order was king, and chaos was the enemy. However, I have learned that by leaning into chaos, beautiful things can happen.
  • In the Beginning: Chaos
    • Creative leaders change the framework and look at chaos as an opportunity, rather than a threat.
  • Day 1: Light
    • Creative leaders lean into chaos resulting in the ability to see new possibilities.
  • Day 2 Expanse
    • Creative leaders see their contribution to the world as part of a bigger conversation in culture.
  • Day 3: Foundation
    • Creative leaders’ lives are built on a growing internal foundation.
  • Day 4: Seasons
    • Creative leaders think about life as seasonal and look for the lessons in each season.
  • Day 5: Animals: Fish and Birds
    • Creative leaders recognize that simplicity and complexity exist at the same time.
  • Day 6: Humanity
    • Creative leaders value human dignity and equality, and reject hierarchy.
  • Day 7: Rest
    • Creative leaders make time for rest in defiance of slavery.

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

1. Danielle Strickland grew up with the idea that chaos order was king and chaos was the enemy. Do you relate to this sentiment? What is your typical reaction to chaos in your life and leadership?

2. Think about a situation in your life or leadership that is chaotic right now. In what ways could your chaos be an opportunity for a new possibility?

3. Looking at Danielle’s insights from the Creation narrative, what is one thing you could do in the next week to move forward in your chaotic situation?

 

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Hebrew Creation Narrative (Genesis 1:1 – 2:2)

Refugee Crisis

Downtown Eastside of Vancouver

Salvation Army: Anti-Trafficking and Modern Slavery

Foster Care System

Orange Curriculum: It’s Just a Phase

Danielle Strickland’s GLS18 talk, Better Together

Exodus 20:8-11

A Beautiful Mess by Danielle Strickland

 

RELATED LINKS:

Danielle Strickland

Danielle Strickland Website

Jeff Lockyer

The Global Leadership Summit