I love the month of August! My kids go to school, the weather is great, and it’s time for me to reset everything.
In some ways, September is more like a new year than January. One of the things that has helped me the most in “resetting” and charging up my leadership and vision batteries has been Willow Creek’s par excellence Global Leadership Summit.
We’ve hosted it in Lafayette, Indiana at First Assembly Community Ministries now for three years and have seen the number of people registering grow each year. Great for anyone at any level of influence, from mothers of preschoolers to CEO’s, we’ve seen all kinds of people walk away feeling like they’ve grown.
By taking this Thursday and Friday in August, I find the following four things are reasons why I keep coming back.
- World-class presentations from experts and leaders of all kinds. Politicians, professors, pastors, humanitarians, CEO’s, etc. These are kinds of leaders that speak at the Summit. By hearing their perspectives and excellent presentations, I end up learning a great deal during these two value-packed days.
- Recharge and reset. By having these two days at the Summit, I feel like I get distance and perspective and can think through the real life situations I’m involved in–everything from projects I need to start to tough conversations I need to have. Because of this refreshment, I find the Summit comes at the right time for me to rearrange my calendar, plan on things for the upcoming season in my work, and bring renewed vision to the church I lead. The same is true for most of the people I know who attend this event yearly.
- Building my network. Yeah, this is a great opportunity to get to know other leaders from throughout my community. I meet people from education, research, law, banking, small business leaders and those who work in large corporations. This year, we’re looking for ways to generate more synergy from the relationships that are born at the Summit!
- Unifying my team. Because most of the staff I work with and most of the leaders at the church I lead are at the Summit, I find it’s a great way to find common ground, talk about leadership opportunities and challenges, and gather around vision about how we’re going to take it to next level. Also, the more intentional we become at talking through the content that is presented at the GLS each year, the more dynamic an event it is each year!
- Spiritual boost. The GLS is not a series of church meetings, but the spiritual lift that comes from it each year is powerful! Don’t miss this opportunity in August 2014 to grow, be inspired and become better at stewarding the influence in your life!