Six Leadership Themes You Can Expect at the 2016 Summit

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

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

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

Our theme is leadership – plain and simple.

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

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

• Teamwork. Teams that work well together accomplish more and have a great time doing it. Patrick Lencioni will explore new insights into how we can identify the Ideal Team Player.  Erin Meyer will explain how understanding improves collaboration in multi-cultural teams. Dr. Travis Bradberry will help us understand the impact of emotional intelligence.

• Empowering Others. When leaders empower others, they maximize their ability to accomplish big goals. Jossy Chacko will share his process for raising-up and empowering thousands of church planters to reach remote people groups in Northern India. And, after decades of leadership, John Maxwell is more convinced than ever that empowering people is the key to success.

• Execution. Have you ever felt like the whirlwind of everyday priorities keeps you from moving forward on your most important priorities? Chris McChesney will share the proven process from his book, The Four Disciplines of Execution. Melinda Gates will describe how the world’s largest private foundation ensures progress on its critical development goals. And Horst Schulze will help us understand how to execute a strategy for increased operational efficiency.

• Turnaround. The turnaround at the Ford Motor Company has been one of the biggest U.S. business stories of the past decade. Alan Mulally will explain the keys that were essential to his success. And Danielle Strickland will examine the story of a biblical leader whose life was turned around when God interrupted his plans.

• Convictions. How do we stay grounded in our principles and relationships as our leadership footprint increases? Wilfredo de Jesús will encourage us to Stay the Course even in the face of opposition. And Bishop T.D. Jakes will reflect on his tenure in ministry and how he remains grounded even during seasons of explosive growth.

• Grander Vision. God made you a leader for a reason. How are you living out your faith in your sphere of influence? This year, we will feature four stories of people who are living the Grander Vision. You will be inspired by the stories of a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot, the owners of a unique home-building company, a college-aged leader whose heart broke for AIDs orphans, and an international business leader who is standing firm for biblical ethics in a challenging cultural context.

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

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