Month: December 2015

Faces of the Global Leadership Summit – Swaziland

“My name is Thobile Mnisi, and I’m the Center Manager for Challenge Ministries. It’s a rehabilitation program that takes ladies from the age of 14 and up who are battling with life controlling habits, as well as ladies who have been physically and sexually abused. I’m a leader there, and this Leadership Summit has helped me look at my own leadership skills. I’ve learned to allow God to lead what I’m doing. Sometimes we’ve made mistakes because we’ve done things based on what I thought was best, but I’ve learned that I need to bring it to God.

Albert Tate talked about a boy who had five loaves and two fish and he gave them to Jesus. One thing he said stood out to me, “This boy gave Jesus his lunch, and then he moved out of the way.” He didn’t direct Jesus and say, could it be distributed this or that way? He let Jesus be the leader and do what he wanted to do. I want to give Jesus what I have. I do believe that God has given me the leadership skills, but now I have to let him be the one to tell me how to drive the boat that he has placed in my hands. I also learned that I need to embrace the love of God as a father to me. He must be the father figure that I never had. For me, I saw God as someone who was up there, who couldn’t get to me, but today I learned that as a leader I need to be vulnerable, tell him my fears, and allow him to be my father and lead me in this journey. I’m so grateful for all the teaching. I know it was not a mistake for me to attend. It was God’s plan me. I’m going to go back and be the leader that God wants me to be.”

– Thobile Mnisi, GLS attendee, Swaziland


 

“My name is Rogeros Mamba, and I’m working with the Luke Commission as the Director of Community Organizations, and I’m also a senior advisor. I’m so glad to work with the Luke Commission because I was awarded a chance to attend the Leadership Summit. I discovered my blind spot as a leader. I learned that as a leader I musn’t take challenges as something that will make me fail. Instead, I want to take challenges as a stepping stone to grow forward as a leader. I learned that a good leader is someone who always humbles himself and opens up his ears to hear from the people he’s leading.”

– Rogeros Mamba, GLS attendee, Swaziland

 

 

 


 

 

“My name is Wayne Levendale, and I’m the CEO of Premio Swazi. We run the biggest flour mill and bakery in the country and deliver throughout the whole kingdom. The Summit helped me learn and realize the basics that we take so much for granted.  A lot of people in Swaziland live in a small community, and we like to keep things to ourselves when they go wrong. But the truth is we have to take it up and deal with it. I think a lot of leaders, especially in Swaziland, and I start with myself, when we’ve talked about the ‘why’ it is a lot of “me, me, me”, but listening to those messages help us widen our ‘why’. It helps us play a part in doing God’s work, adds to the Kingdom, making it a part of our entire life. We can grow as a nation much better than we currently are. I’m grateful for the Global Leadership Summit for considering Swaziland. We are such a small country. We can easily be forgotten. Thank you!”

– Wayne Levendale, GLS attendee, Swaziland

 

 

My Grander Vision for Finland | Churches Influencing & Impacting Society

Markus Ostesrlund 2Finland is a small country of about 5.4 million people with two official religions: the Lutheran Church, and the Orthodox Church. Markus Osterland, a member of the GLS steering committee in Finland since 2006 said the influence of the church in society has been at times stronger and other times weaker. “In the era we’re living right now, there are quite a few challenges to be a leader in a church in Finland since the world is changing.”

“We have many issues dealing with secularization and other Nordic countries are also quite secular,” said Markus. “Many people think that it’s okay to believe in something, but that your beliefs should have no effect on the society. According to the Bible, and Jesus’ teachings, beliefs have a great ramification for what’s going on around you. It’s something that is tricky for churches. We wonder if we should stay in our own bubble, or try to influence society.”

Markus says the Summit has been excellent and very good for leaders in Finland, both pastors and lay leaders from the business world, as it gives them the tools they need to actually explain how the beliefs that we have can play out in society. That is a big strength. “The good thing about having the GLS in Finland is that it has been uniting churches,” says Markus. “We have people coming from all denominations, and that’s a great thing. It creates a leadership movement within the churches in Finland. On the other side of it, the GLS is also including people from the marketplace, politics, and media. We have one site, where we had about 35-40% of the attendees from the business world, and not just church leaders. The GLS is a great way to impact and influence society.”

My Grander Vision for FinlandIMG_6197

Markus says his grander vision is that the small things happening in Finland would bloom in a way that the people inside churches could realize that there is no division between church and society. The biblical principles should be played out in business life, politics, and at universities. “I want to see a movement where church leaders wouldn’t be afraid, and would be influencing society,” he said. “We know that the church is the hope of the world. I really think that we need to have good leaders who will believe in themselves in a positive way in order to impact society.”

According to Markus, one of the best GLS sessions was presented by Craig Groeschel when he talked about “It.” Craig most Christian people today are living as if they were atheists, and do not believe in God. They go to church, are active in the choir, will listen to a sermon, but it will not play out in their life with their family and in their workplace. Basically, that is not what Jesus taught. “That was a very relevant message that impacted my personal life,” said Markus. “How do I live my life? Am I a submarine going to church and putting up my periscope, and then taking it down when I go out from Monday through Friday?” Craig Groeschel and “It” have been influential within the context of influencing Christian leaders in Finland.

Encouragement to leaders around the world

“I would encourage leaders not to stand alone,” said Markus. “That is something I’ve learned in my own life. Leaders are struggling, and if you struggle alone, and don’t share your life with people around you, it is much more difficult. In order for us to have an effect on society, we need to share our lives with other leaders. I would encourage leaders not to sit alone, but to reach out and build community.”

What is your grander vision? Share with us in the comments!

How To Handle Criticism

Tony Dungy (TGLS 2010) says that dealing with criticism can be one of the most difficult things we have to do, but it also can be one of the most instructive.

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Faith at Work | Shifting Focus on What God is Doing

“I try each day to live out my faith in the workplace,” says Terry, who works as an insurance agent seeking to live out his faith in a secular environment as an act of sharing the Gospel. “I am in sales and try to put the needs of the client before mine. The biggest challenge to this is to get myself out of the way and only focus on the need of the person in front of me,” he said. “My word of the year is SERVE. My vision is that the example I set daily will give hope to those who know and who do not know Christ, and that by example, they can see Christ through me.”

When Terry drifts from his vision, he finds his focus again at the Summit. “It reminds me that I need to go where God leads me to do His will. Life can be hard and difficult when I focus on the here and now. The Summit allows me to change my mindset to an eternal vision to handle the day to day.”

The Summit session that impacted Terry the most was when they talked about a challenge to have a life verse. After much prayer and thought, Terry chose Luke 9:23:

Then he said to them all: Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.

“Very easy to say, but very hard to do each day,” says Terry. “But it gives me the solid foundation to stand on. To know that it is not about me, but those I serve and come into contact with each day. It’s not a philosophy, but a way of life.

The Summit has helped me realize that I may face battles each day, but the war has already been won. It’s easy to get caught up in what I am doing, not what God is doing. It’s easy to lose leadership focus, but this verse serves as my compass and brings me back. The GLS also makes me realize I am not alone. We’re all facing our giants each day, but we are all part of a great story and we each have our part to do.”

Terry’s vision to live the Gospel goes further than his workplace; he’s also a servant in his community. He’s a volunteer making a difference in local schools, a mentor to students and is focused on serving his family as well. When it comes to serving the people God brings into his life, Terry and his wife are obedient to his call. “My wife and I are raising two children whose parents cannot care for them. They have been with us for almost three years,” he says. “I used to think I would follow my passion and God would always align my passions with what needed to be done. I now believe that it’s best just to say to God, ‘What do you have for me to do?’ And then do what He wants. Total Surrender.”

Terry, like many leaders, has had his leadership rocked by what God whispered to him at the Summit. Shifting his mindset toward servanthood with a single life verse has challenged and changed his life for the better. He and his wife desire to see the GLS spread around the world to challenge and inspire more leaders in their vision. “My wife and I support several charities and outstanding causes, but nothing in our opinion can impact the world more than a bunch of fired up leaders working throughout the world do God’s will. The WCA does that better than anyone and we are very happy to be a very, very small part of a very large story—His Story.”

To send a gift to the Willow Creek Association,
go to give.willowcreek.com

My Grander Vision for Macedonia | Uniting the Body of Christ and Spreading the Gospel

Nikoal Galevski 2Macedonia, formerly part of Yugoslavia, has experienced war and a difficult economic situation in an environment where political instability is a constant reality. As a key transit point for refugees fleeing war, famine and persecution in Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, Macedonia continues to grapple with more than 1,000 refugees arriving on a daily basis. The GLS is being used to equip leaders leading during this critical time in the country.

Nikola Galevski, senior pastor of a church in Macedonia and national coordinator for the GLS, said the biggest leadership challenge in the country is raising the next generation of leaders. It takes intentionality when picking the right people. “Even at my age, it’s not too early to think about succession and those who are going to continue and carry the baton in the future.”

The GLS is a unique platform in Macedonia. “When I became a Christian in the early 90s, I had a feeling we were experiencing leadership input that was 10-30 years old,” says Nikola. “It’s like having a job that was good 20 years ago, and then you’re laughing afterwards. The GLS brings us to the forefront and the cutting edge of leadership practices in the church, and encourages us in a direction that we would like to see – which is to be more efficient, dedicated, better leaders of God in Macedonia.”

Nikola has a grander vision—to stay close to God and to love Him and his neighbors. He also wants to see the evangelical body in Macedonia united, and humbling themselves before God, and each other, and working together for the Gospel throughout Macedonia.

“One day, as our time on the earth closes,” says Nikola, “I want to look back and see Macedonia changed forever with the Gospel. That is what keeps me going.”

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That is the call he has received from God. It’s not just a call unique to him, but it is also the call shared by the leaders of Macedonia.

“On the behalf of all of us who are involved with the GLS in Macedonia,” said Nikola, “we’d like to thank all of you who have invested prayer, love and finances to make this Summit available throughout the world, and especially in this case, in Macedonia. Thank you for helping out, and may God bless your generosity. And for helping during this critical time in our country.”

Please continue to pray and support leaders like Nikola in Macedonia who seek to change lives, impact the Kingdom, and ultimately introduce people to Jesus. You make a difference for hundreds of thousands of leaders through your support and prayer.

 

To make a gift to the Willow Creek Association,
go online at www.willowcreek.com/give
or mail your gift to PO Box 3188 Barrington, IL 60011

Getting This Wrong Could Kill Your Career

If there’s one thing that’s in short supply in almost every organization, at every level, it’s straight talk – candor. It’s business’s biggest dirty little secret that in most companies, most people would rather hide or spin the truth than share it, making it hard for everyone to bring the reality of the situation to the surface and fixing it.

That’s human nature, of course. We all have an innate instinct that tells us from a young age to prevent awkwardness and avoid hurting feelings. Or maybe we’re afraid of the very real organizational consequences of being candid in a company culture that doesn’t welcome openness.

But, assuming your organization wants it, getting candor right – with your reports, your peers, and your boss – is a skill that can make or break your career. Here’s how to make it work with all three.

STRAIGHT TALK WITH YOUR TEAM

When it comes to candor with your direct reports, the best approach is to have quarterly reviews where you sit down and say, “Here’s what you’re doing well and here’s what you need to do better.” That way, there’s no BS around it.

The word “need” is very important because people tend to listen to what they’re good at and they might not hear the tougher message if you soften it too much. Now, this process doesn’t have to involve long HR forms and pages of documentation. It can be as simple as a handwritten note on a little card with the two columns above.

This kind of appraisal has to be done frequently—at least twice a year. At our management school, we do it quarterly. As a leader, the more you can give candid feedback, the more everybody wins. You win because you’re not harboring it and becoming passive aggressive. The other person also benefits because they get what they need to improve.

We know someone who started her own company and she recently told us how she hired a good friend of hers who is now really screwing up her business. When we asked, “Have you told him?” she said, “Oh, I know I should, but I haven’t done it yet. I’m worried about hurting his feelings… but I’m getting really passive-aggressive because I’m so mad about it.”

In this situation, everyone loses and the ending is never pretty.

THE PEER-TO-PEER MINEFIELD

Candor in peer-to-peer discussions is almost always difficult, but avoiding it is never helpful. Say you’re running Division X and the other guy running Division Y is mucking up your thing in X. But, you need Division Y’s political, technical or sales support for various reasons. How can you be candid and honest without sabotaging yourself?

In this situation, friendship will carry you a long way. We have an edict – love everyone you work with. If you cross purposes with someone at work, you’ve got to remember that—“love everyone.” Keep it in a note in your drawer.  If you start to see “them” as the enemy and your teams get Balkanized, it’s really important to say to yourself, “This is what I really like about this person. I’m going to assume they have the best intentions. Let’s have that candid conversation, but not go in as enemies.”

Taking your colleagues out to lunch or going to dinner and really getting to know them is all the better. These days, you can type an email to somebody sitting in the next cubicle. But don’t let technology replace relationships.

One of our kids works in a company where all the employees in their group have lunch together every single day. It might seem old fashioned, but imagine how it helps the work. We are huge advocates of people being friends at work—it just changes everything.

SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER

We often hear in Q&A sessions, “I don’t know where I stand. My boss never wants to talk about my performance.” We always recommend never going to your boss with a confrontational stance. “I want this. I deserve that. This is where it should go.”

The winning play is to come in asking for help—asking for your boss’s thinking about your job relative to what his or her expectations are. Say something like, “Can we take a minute to talk about my career? I think I’m doing it alright, but I’d love to get your input as to how I might do better. Am I getting there? Is there more?”

Or, if you’re on different sides of an issue, you might go in saying, “Here’s where I think you are . . . Here’s where I come out on this . . . In the end it’s your call, and I’ll go either way. I just want you to have another option.” Now you’ve given your boss a way out without directly challenging his or her authority. Something like this is the best shot you have at winning a candid discussion upward.

Candor isn’t easy, but it shouldn’t be harsh or blatantly direct. Coming in the “side door” in the latter two relationships will always beat a head on confrontation. Getting that right can propel your career to new heights. Getting it wrong could kill it.

My Grander Vision for Vietnam | A Nation that Knows Christ

“To be a Christian leader in Vietnam is a tough thing,” said Mahn, who works for a Bible college in Vietnam and is also the assistant to the president of an evangelical church in Vietnam that oversees more than one thousand churches. “Vietnam is still a Communist country, which means Christianity is not an option for many people. But I see God at work in Vietnam. Many young people and educated people start searching for truth and start asking questions about who Jesus is, and come to believe in him. Many believe in a hidden way, but many of them certainly believe in Jesus.

“The Church is the Hope of the World”

15249604013_08e4db83b6_k“We need the Church. The church is the hope of the world. And we can take something from the church, and give it to the world. They can know Christ in a way that they’ve never experienced before. I was in seminary for five years in the Philippines, and I attended five different GLS events in Manila,” said Mahn. “While I was there, I yelled out and prayed, ‘Please, God. Give Vietnam the GLS!’ And here we have it.”

To be a Christian leader in Vietnam is tough. Vietnam is still a Communist country, and that means Christianity is not an option for many people. “I see God at work in Vietnam,” said Mahn. “Many young people and educated people start searching for truth and start asking questions about who Jesus is, and have come to believe in him. Many believe in a hidden way, but many of them certainly believe in Jesus.”

Mahn shares his grander vision to reach his nation. “We can take something from the church, and give it to the world,” said Mahn. “They can know Christ in a way that they’ve never experienced before. My grander vision is to see that Vietnam becomes a Christian nation. I believe a nation that knows Christ is a blessed nation. Jesus Christ can be the Lord of Vietnam. Vietnam will one day become a Christian nation. That is my dream. That is what we’re praying for.”

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Pray for Vietnam

“I believe to become a Christian in Vietnam is a blessing, but at the same time Christians have to face daily persecution and difficulty. Many other Christian leaders can benefit from the GLS like I have.” Please pray for the GLS in Vietnam. “Pray that we will learn from the GLS this year, and apply it to our country. Pray that we will be brave enough to bring the GLS to Vietnam, and multiply it across our country. I believe it can be a good tool to evangelize, and multiply leaders and to share Christ with other people in a different way than what we’ve been doing up till now,” said Mahn.

Leaders like Mahn in Vietnam  seek to change lives, impact the Kingdom, and ultimately introduce people to Jesus. You make a difference for hundreds of thousands of leaders through your support and prayer.

To make a gift to the Willow Creek Association,
go online at www.willowcreek.com/give
or send your gift to PO Box 3188 Barrington IL 60011

Giving Negative Feedback Across Cultures

Managers in different parts of the world are conditioned to give feedback in drastically different ways. Understanding why can help you critique more effectively.

In 1982, a British Airways plane flew through a cloud of volcanic ash over Indonesia and lost power to its engines. The British pilot, Eric Moody, calmly informed the passengers: “Good evening again, ladies and gentlemen. This is the captain here. We have a small problem in that all four engines have failed. We’re doing our utmost to get them going and I trust you’re not in too much distress and would the chief steward please come to the flight deck.”

Fortunately, the plane was able to glide far enough and make a safe landing at a nearby airport. Moody’s announcement has since been widely hailed as a classic example of British understatement and it demonstrates one of the ways the British commonly give negative feedback. More direct cultures use what linguists call “upgraders,” words preceding or following negative feedback that makes it feel stronger, such as “absolutely” or “totally”.

By contrast, more indirect cultures, such as the British, use more “downgraders,” words that soften the criticism, such as “kind of,” “sort of” and “a little bit.”

Read more at http://knowledge.insead.edu/blog/insead-blog/giving-negative-feedback-across-cultures-4259#K2KSfC4CCKjgIDRz.99

No laughing matter

But this can create confusion with people from other cultures. Marcus Klopfer, a German finance director, learned this the hard way. A soft-spoken manager in his forties, Klopfer described how his failure to decode a message from his British boss almost cost him his job.

“In Germany, we typically use strong words when giving negative feedback or criticising in order to make sure the message registers clearly. During a one-on-one, my British boss “suggested that I think about” doing something differently. So I took his suggestion. I thought about it and decided not to do it. Little did I know that his phrase was supposed to be interpreted as, “change your behaviour right away or else.” And I can tell you, I was pretty surprised when he called me into his office to chew me out for insubordination.”

Klopfer subsequently learned to analyse messages by ignoring the downgraders and focusing his attention on the raw message in the middle. He also considered how his British staff might interpret his messages, which he had been delivering without any softeners at all. Now Klopfer makes an effort to soften the message when giving negative feedback to British counterparts. “I try to start by sprinkling the ground with a few light positive comments and words of appreciation. Then I ease into the feedback with “a few small suggestions,” he said.

It’s possible to be too honest

Should Klopfer’s boss have adapted his style to be more direct in order to assure his German team member received the message clearly? There is one rule for working with cultures that are more direct than yours: don’t try to do it like them. Even in direct cultures, it is possible to be too direct and if you try to switch to their style, you risk making things worse.

Kwang Young-Su, a Korean manager who had been working in the Netherlands for six years, made this mistake. Young-Su explained; “The Dutch culture is very direct, and we Koreans do not like to give direct negative feedback. So when I first came to the Netherlands, I was shocked at how rude and arrogant the Dutch are with their criticism. When they don’t like something, they tell you bluntly to your face. I spoke to another Korean friend who has been in the Netherlands for a while, and he told me that the only way to handle this is to give it right back to them. Now I try to be just as blunt with them as they are with me.” Kwang’s Dutch colleagues later complained that they found him so aggressive and angry that they were practically unable to work with him.

Mixing the positive with the negative

When giving negative feedback, consider not only how many upgraders or downgraders you are using, but also whether to wrap positive feedback around negative feedback. Although Americans are stereotyped around the world for their directness, if you give negative feedback in the U.S. by launching into the criticism (as would be common in countries like Russia), you may find that your American counterpart is anything but receptive. You’ll have better luck if you explicitly state something that you appreciate about the person or the situation before moving onto what you’d like that person to do differently. In addition, try over time to be balanced in the amount of positive and negative feedback you give. If you notice something positive your colleague has done, say it there and then, with explicit appreciation. Then, if you need to criticise them later, your comments are more likely to be heard and considered rather than rejected out-of-hand.

Above all, think about the norms of the culture you are working with, and consider how that might impact the way your criticism is received. Reactions and preferred styles differ dramatically from one society to another. The Thai manager has been taught never to criticise a colleague openly or in front of others, while the Dutch manager has learned always to be honest and to give the message straight. Americans are trained to wrap positive messages around negative ones, while the French are used to criticizing passionately and providing positive feedback sparingly.

My Grander Vision for India | Caring for Orphans and Widows

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Pastor Simon 1Pastor Simon lost his father when he was three years old, and at the age of 26, his mother became a young widow. He did not come from a Christian background, and when his father died, they became poor and left to fend for themselves.

Then everything changed.

At a young age, little Simon was in a bad accident. Doctors wanted to amputate his leg. “I did not come from a Christian background,” he said. “We offered prayers, but nothing helped. Among our neighbors was a Christian family that offered a prayer to Jesus that he would do a miracle. After a couple of weeks, the physicians were ready to take me to the hospital for the amputation, but I had been healed. I was too small to remember all this, but my mom acknowledged that she wanted to offer me to this God who had healed me.” With that conviction, his mother dedicated him to the Lord, and as his family learned about the Jesus, they were all saved.

God provided and protected his family through the church. “If the church can raise and address the needs of widows, it could be one of the strongest evangelistic tools we have,” he said. “When you reach a widow, you reach her children. A religion that can take care of widows and offer a healthy outlook to women, the children observe that their mother is treated with dignity as the church takes care of her.” Because he came from this background, Pastor Simon can empathize with orphans and widows in distress. “I took a stand to address this need in the church,” he said.

Simon became the senior pastor of an Assembly of God church in India, working with youth and raising leaders to become witnesses to God in his country. He is especially passionate about reaching the lost, and caring for the orphans and widows.

“Poor is a general term, but regarding widows, the Bible is specific from the beginning to the end,” he said. “We are to care for them. It’s in Deuteronomy, Elijah, Ruth and again in the New Testament, James says there cannot be pure religion without taking care of widows and orphans. Whenever Jesus talks about the poor, he talks about the widows. Churches have not always addressed this need that is so vital and doctrinal. This is one thing that I have been attempting to address with society and in churches. Churches need to raise to the level where they have a strong systematic concern for this need.” But this ministry is very difficult,

Before attending the Summit for the first time, Pastor Simon was broken and discouraged…and ready to abort his ministry.

He found out about the Summit was when he was in Goa, India where a friend, who was hosting the GLS, invited him to drop in. When Pastor Simon said he would rather rest than attend a conference, his friend assured him the Summit was different and encouraged him to come. If he didn’t like it, he could leave. Reluctantly, he agreed and from the beginning, he felt like the Summit speakers were talking directly to him.

“I had been ready to quit my mission to widows, but through the GLS, the Lord put me on track to continue to pursue my vision. It was encouraging to hear that I have a purpose and that God fulfills His purpose in me.”

The message on Holy Discontent triggered Pastor Simon’s spirit and broke his heart. “I was having a hard time persuading my staff and my denomination about the vision I had,” he said. “I was challenged to see that I needed to embrace the vision God has implanted in me and understand that with my last breath, I need to advance the vision. My spirit was triggered. It was a memorable turning point of my life.”

He says, “I’m still here because of how the Lord rejuvenated my vision at the Summit—the one I was ready to abort.”

That’s the kind of impact he felt at the very first Summit he attended. Since then, he has had other opportunities to go to different Summits and they have re-energized him. “I am learning at the GLS what I didn’t learn in seminary,” he said. “I have taken on the challenge to direct all leaders who are broken and burned out in ministry to their closest Summit. “There is a leadership crisis in India. We need dynamic leaders who can lead people and leave a legacy so people can follow their footsteps,” said Pastor Simon. India needs leaders who will not abort their ministry.

Pastor Simon had the chance to host the Summit in his city last year, and this year experienced offshoots of the Summit, including an event for more than 1000 youth. “I live in an area where there are 75 colleges and three universities, so we are challenged to have a strategy to reach the coming generation,” he said. “We think it will grow more in the future so we can target a larger crowd of youngsters.”

Please continue to pray and support leaders like Pastor Simon in India who seek to change lives, impact the Kingdom, and ultimately introduce people to Jesus. You make a difference for hundreds of thousands of leaders through your support and prayer.

To make a gift to the Willow Creek Association,
go online at www.willowcreek.com/give
or mail your gift to PO Box 3188 Barrington IL 60011