Month: October 2016

Thank You for the GLS in Kenya | You Are Uplifting Lives Out of Corruption (Part 1)

Posted on October 31, 2016 by - Africa, Because of the GLS, Change Management, Stories

int-1874Stephen Mairori, regional coordinator for the Global Leadership Summit in Kenya, has a dream and a prayer for the nation. “God put us in this region to uplift people’s lives,” Stephen shares. “We need leaders. Our passion is that through the GLS, God will help us create leaders who will uplift the people so that corruption will be dealt with.

“We’re praying for a movement of leaders who view people as men and women created by God. As leaders, we are here to serve so people can achieve their God-given calling.”

Through the GLS, Stephen and the team in Kenya are accomplishing this dream one leader at a time.

When they first began, the GLS went from one site in Nairobi, to 12 sites across the country in 2016. Thousands of Kenyan leaders have participated. It is growing every year as more and more leaders realize the value of leadership to utilize the country’s resources to uplift the nation, and not exploit or squander it.

Stephen recalls simple message, “Leadership matters” and “Everybody wins when leaders get better.” Stephen believes this with his whole being.

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“We are very grateful for the GLS,” Stephen says. “To all our donors we want to say thank you very much for investing in the GLS. Your investment is changing lives. Through your prayer and donations, God has taken it to another level. Many leaders have been transformed through the GLS. Thank you very much and many the Lord continue to bless you.”

Forget the Project: Why You Should Focus on Your Team and Not the Project

Posted on October 27, 2016 by - Articles, Culture, Leading Others, Team Building

As a manager of creative teams, my day constantly revolves around giving and receiving feedback. For many of those I lead, having to listen to feedback is their own personal nightmare. It is daunting to walk into meeting after meeting knowing that often the immediate ripple effect of my presence is dread or anxiety. Until I had an epiphany….

Earlier this year, a new thought came to me: “What if I stopped creative directing projects—and creative directed people instead?” For me, this meant I would shift my feedback and focus from the outcome of the creative work itself—to the development of the person creating the work.

In short, the most important thing I can create is: better Creatives.

If I did this correctly, my hope is that when I walk into a room, the conversation would stop being about a judgment on what needed to change or improve about the product an individual had made. Instead, my entire focus would be on helping individuals get better themselves. And if they got better, their work would be better as well.

Henry Cloud writes in The Power of the Other that we want our brains to be thinking “about how to get better, not how to avoid being rejected, feeling like a failure, or getting yelled at.”  Are you a leader who’s ripple effect triggers fears of getting yelled at in your employees, your co-workers, your spouse or your children? Or are you an inspiring force that leaves people no choice but to get better each and every time you are near?

Granted I haven’t perfectly executed this over the last six months, but in the moments when I have intentionally refocused my leadership from directing projects to directing people, it has completely changed the ripple effect of my leadership. The quality of my company’s work. And the culture of our office.

All because a leader (me) is getting better.

Because of the GLS in Kenya | Missionaries From the Inside Out

Posted on October 26, 2016 by - Africa, Stories

int-1891“The Global Leadership Summit is the greatest thing that happened to us in Kenya,” said Patrick Kuchio, event manager for the GLS, and head of missions at Jesus Ministries in Kenya.

“For me, the GLS has challenged me to build my leadership capacity.”

 

Empowering Kenyan missionaries

The GLS is helping Patrick, and many leaders like him, grasp their grander vision, and bring change to the country through the gospel. “My grander vision is to see a church in each of the 47 counties of Kenya and a missionary center in every country of the world by the year 2050,” said Patrick. “Kenya and Africa, were previously seen as a mission field. We were defined as a dark continent for different reasons, but mainly because we had not quite embraced the gospel message. The center of Christianity has since shifted. Africa is now becoming a mission force instead of a mission field.”

Missionaries are now coming out of Africa and going to other parts of the world to share the gospel.

 

The ripple effect of the GLS in spreading the gospel

It’s been especially inspiring to see the number of youth who have been impacted either directly or indirectly by the GLS. “Last year we had about 500 university students in attendance—fully paid for by people from the corporate world,” said Patrick. “This year we are targeting 1,000 university students and key leaders in the university with a prayer that they are impacted by great leadership principles and can go back into the world to make a difference.”

These young leaders are the future of the nation, and will ultimately carry on the grander vision to spread the gospel across the country.

 

Patrick told us a story of a leader who has been leveraging what he’s learned at the GLS to share the gospel with Muslim students and their families.

soccer-434343_960_720-1“I (Patrick) went into a predominately Muslim place in Kenya, which is somewhat feared because of terrorism. It’s a risky place to be. When I went into a Fellowship Center, a man called out to me, ‘Hey Pasi! (Pasi means pastor). I have been coming to the Global Leadership Summit for several years and I have an interesting story to tell you!’

This man has been mentoring young Muslim students, both male and female. He is a soccer coach and uses sports evangelism as a tool to disciple and sow God’s words into young Muslims. Some of them have made a commitment to Jesus! Now they are influencing their families, which is a very difficult thing to do.

Many people run away from Muslim evangelism. But here is a man who comes to the Global Leadership Summit and he is inspired. He says, ‘I think I am on the right track. I am doing what God called me to do. God has not called us to pontificate on our status quo or progress, but God has called us to move things from here to there. That is what I do — move people from here to there.”

This man uses principles he learned from the Global Leadership Summit with young Muslims who come to play sports. He disciples them and they go back and influence their families.

Stories like these are the reason Patrick continues to work with the GLS and bring it to leaders across Kenya.

The ripple effect of the GLS is helping people discover Jesus and transforming lives.

 

Patrick’s prayer

“My biggest prayer request is that I live up to my fullest leadership potential, and that I would influence everyone that I interact with,” said Patrick. “I pray I will be a trailblazer where ever God sends me, and I will also raise trailblazers, and pour out my heart to them at every opportunity.”

Thank you for inspiring and encouraging leaders like Patrick

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“I want to thank all of you who have participated in contributing to the success of the Global Leadership Summit that has been in Kenya for the last 10 years,” Patrick shares. “The investment you have made has not gone to waste. It will surely transform the future of our nation.”

 

To continue to support leaders like Patrick in Kenya who are spreading the gospel, consider a gift to the Willow Creek Association
at www.willowcreek.com/give.