summit thoughts

             End of day one at the Leadership Summit here at Willow Creek and lots to think about. 7000 leaders here filling the vast auditorium from so many nations, including quite a few from the UK.

       

   As with all things Willow, the value of excellence prevails, from the very first song of the morning “Revolution” by John Lennon, “ we all want to change the world” go the words, to the African childrens choir in the afternoon with their exuberant dancing and lively singing. The outstanding band for the day kept up a fairly rocky type rhythm with high energy praise, though, at Bill Hybels request turned their expertise to country and to blues without any trouble at all.

 

     The four sessions today each brought their challenges. Bill Hybels began by talking about vision to die for.  He stressed the importance of everyone owning a vision. The days of the unilateral dispensing of a vision by just one leader are long gone, what Hybels called the Sinai method. For a vision to stick and be achievable it needs to be bought into by everyone in the church and building ownership takes time. Time to consult, time to listen, time to refine. Willows just recently adopted 2010 vision took eighteen months to hammer out with many conversations and meetings over many months. I found it very reassuring that vision building is a long and at times challenging process.

 

        The challenge of the afternoon came from Marcus Buckingham, Cambridge educated consultant who worked with Gallup and now lives and works with organizations here in the US. Great communicator and really knows his stuff. His latest book is Go play to your strengths and the premise at one level is very obvious; we live in a world where we are inclined to play to and work on our weaknesses and not our strengths. He advocated getting to know your strengths and working through your week playing to them. What is it that, within your role, you love doing and what is it that you loathe doing? Keep a check through the course of a typical week to discover your strengths and play to them. Lots to think about.

 

    Moe to come over the next couple of days.

 

Gordon  McDade