Day 2 of Willow Creek’s Global Leadership Summit did not disappoint!  The speaker line-up was fantastic and their messages gave me much to think about in the days and weeks ahead.

If you weren’t able to attend, you can read some of the things that stood out to me from today’s speakers (I will share my personal takeaways and action steps in the coming weeks):

Session Five (Part 1):  Joseph Grenny (@josephgrenny) “Mastering the Art of Crucial Conversations”

Anytime you find yourself stuck, stop and ask: “What crucial conversation are we not holding or not holding well?”

**2 options for handling crucial conversations:

1. You can TALK it out.
2. You can ACT it out.

• You can measure the health of a team, relationship, etc. by the number of crucial conversations.
• Crucial conversations are either a pit or a path.
• Crucial conversations are the core of a healthy team.  Improvement in this area will dramatically improve the health of the team.

**The Three Crucial Moments in Churches:

1. Performance problems with volunteers or staff.
2. Members who are struggling in sin or disconnecting from the church.
3. Concerns with pastors.

**The Principle of Crucial Conversations: The vital behavior that enables most any positive organizational outcome is CANDOR at moments of acute emotional and political risk.

**Areas that affect crucial conversations:

• Individual influence
• Teamwork
• Productivity
• Marriage Success
• Diversity
• Quality
• Safety

**Seven Crucial Skills in having Crucial Conversations:

1. Start with heart
2. Learn to look
3. Make it safe (See below)
4. Master my stories
5. State my path
6. Explore others’ path
7. Move to action

**Ingredients of Safety

1. Mutual purpose – this says, “You know that I care about your goals.”
2. Mutual respect – this says, “You know that I care about you.”

**A few thoughts about CANDOR:  Candor is never the problem.  People NEVER become defensive about what you’re saying.  People become defensive because of WHY they think you’re saying it.

Session Five (Part 2):  Erica Ariel Fox (@ericaarielfox) “Winning from Within (How to Lead Ourselves)”

Performance gap is defined as “what you could do at your best vs. what you do in the moment.”

• Think of yourself in a new way.  Think, “I am plural.  I am not singular.”

The Big 4 Innovators

1. The Dreamer (Your Inner CEO) – Creates possibilities

• Sets strategic vision
• Senses a path forward
• Gives direction

Question:  Is there a dream in me I have left behind?

2. The Thinker (Your Inner CFO) – Clarifies Perspectives

• Analyzes data
• Manages risk
• Considers consequences

Question:  Can you articulate a case for the moral outcome you desire to see?

3.  The Lover (Your Inner VP of HR) – Cares about People

• Feels emotions
• Manages relationships
• Collaborates with others

Tip:  Have a practice before you go into a big meeting; call the name and face of someone you love in your heart.

4,  The Warrior (Your Inner COO) – Catalyzes Performance

• Takes action
• Reaches goals
• Speaks hard truth

Tip:  Find places in your life where you’re saying “yes” today and say, “No, but thanks.”

Session Six (Part 1):  Don Flow 

• We are called to love people, not just exercise authority over them.

**Leaders S.E.R.V.E.

Show respect

Earn trust

Reach for perfection – don’t be satisfied with the way things are

Value input

Energize others

• Leadership flows out of who we are, not just what we do.
• Clarity of purpose gives someone something to believe in.

“Courage is an inner resolution to go forward despite obstacles; cowardice is submissive surrender to circumstances.  Courage breeds creativity; cowardice represses fear and is mastered by it. Cowardice asks the question, ‘Is it safe?’  Expediency asks the question, ‘Is it political?’  Vanity asks the question, ‘Is it popular?’ but conscience asks the question ‘Is it right?’ There comes a time when we must take a position that’s neither safe, nor political, nor popular, but one must take it because it’s right.”

–Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Session Six (Part 2):  Allen Catherine Kagina (@CG_URA) 

• If we are willing to invite the kingdom of God in, God will take over and we’ll see better societies.

Session Six (Part 3):  Wilfredo De Jesus (@PastorChoco) 

• We cannot allow prayer to become a crutch and cause us not to do anything.
• You cannot let your budget dictate your faith.
• God is looking for someone to stand in the gap.  However, the moment you decide to stand in the gap, you will face opposition.
• We must not be afraid to take our faith into the community.
• With revelation comes responsibility.

**Leadership lessons from Nehemiah:

• He prayed.
• He planned.
• He proceeded.
• He persuaded.

Session Seven:  Ivan Satyavrata (@AGCKolkata) “The Power Paradox”

• There is no such thing as leadership without power.

The paradox: a leader must be able to wield power, real power, in order to lead effectively.  She must, however, at the same time be genuinely vulnerable, subservient & seemingly powerless.

**3 Types of Power

1. Knowledge Power

• Knowledge is power.
• How am I stewarding my knowledge as a leader?
• Leaders hold the scepter of power in one hand and a towel and basin in the other.  Which one are you gripping tighter?

2. People Power

• Leaders have the power to influence people.

3. Kingdom Power

• God’s Kingdom people regularly pray, “Thy Kingdom come.”

Question:  Is the world a better place because of your power?

Continue the conversation about the Summit on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram using the official Summit hashtag #GLS14.

If you attended the Summit, what were your key takeaways?  Share them below!