It’s been a few days since the Willow Creek Association Leadership Summit and I’ve had some time to look over my Summit notes, reflect, and pray. Here are some of my reflections on the Summit and what I plan to do as a result of my Summit experience.
For what it’s worth, after the first day of the Summit, it seemed like some of the worship, drama, and arts had been cut out in an effort to squeeze two and a half days of speakers into two. I felt like the Summit was more informational than inspirational. In the second day, there was more worship and artistic expression towards the end of the day, but it still seemed like less than usual. However, I left the Summit feeling like the speakers themselves were much more inspirational than informational.
In past years, I came out of the summit with lots of action steps because many of the speakers spoke strategically about how to lead better. Not all of the sessions were that way, but I’d say perhaps 2/3. This time I’d say 7 of the 11 sessions were primarily inspirational. And of the 4 primarily informational sessions, 2 were not focused on leadership issues, and the other 2 were not revolutionary for me.
But what’s cool is that as much as I love to learn, and love to learn specifically about leadership strategy, inspiration is probably what I needed most…
For the first time I can remember, I went into the Leadership Summit already feeling like I already knew what God was calling me to do. I’ve been feeling nudged over the last couple of months to make some changes, but not quite sure how. While on vacation the week before and had time to rest, read, and pray, and I gained some clarity on some things and felt like God was speaking rather clearly. So, at the Summit with all these inspirational sessions filled with callings to “Get out of your comfort zone,” “Pray, ‘bring it on, God,’” and “Do His bidding without delay,” I felt like God was shouting at me.
I didn’t need any further instructions. I needed encouragement… and perhaps a good kick in the pants as a reminder to not allow this moment to pass.
So, the action steps I believe God is calling me to take now are:
1) Simplify. My life is too busy - much of it with things that are fun, interesting, and not particularly bad but have little lasting value. I need to clear out some things, simplify, and make more room for #2…
2) Engage people. There are specific people around me who I’ve not fully engaged. I’ve kept the relationship superficial because I haven’t had the time and energy to go deeper. I want to change that. I also want to make more room for the unexpected opportunities God provides in each day.
3) Start a small group. Being a part of a close-knit group of people who learn, pray, encourage, and do life together has been one of the most fulfilling parts of my life. I haven’t been a part of a small group since the end of last year, and I’ve been seeking God’s guidance for some time now as to what kind of small group to start, and I think I’ve got an answer now.
Those are my personal/spiritual Summit action steps. (There are some other steps I contemplating for work.) If you participated in the Summit…
- What action are you going to take as a result?
- Who have you asked to help hold you accountable to take that action?
August 14th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
The Summitt was very good for me this year. The theme of justice and taking action was strong for me.
Bill George spoke about the 4 characteristics of a 21st century leader: Align, Empower, Serve and Collaborate. Then when Wendy Kopp and Katherine Rohr and the Best Buy Guy were interviewed they all seemed to employ those 4 characteristics in their leadership style.
My action steps:
#1 Kids Connection: work to further align the talents and passions of our volunteers; empower those volunteers to step up andbe part of the process to make our ministry one of excellence; Serve those volunteers to enable them to be their best and finally collaborate with them to take action and see God’s Kingdom advanced.
#2 Use that same strategy for my students in my classroom.