Month: November 2016

Woman Risks Leaving Fortune 100 Job for Greater Profit

Posted on November 9, 2016 by - Business, Diversity, North America, Stories, Strategy

 “Your leadership needs to be permanently hinged on the door of risk.” – Jossy Chacko

When Michelle Grunberg was invited to the Global Leadership Summit for the first time by one of her clients, she responded with an immediate, make-the-client-happy response and said she was interested, even though she had no idea what it was.

“The Global Leadership Summit was NOT important to me…until I experienced it,” said Michelle.

“It has become one of the blessings God has bestowed upon me to be used as fuel for my fire and light in the darkness,” she said. “I have also found resources I can trust when my clients are ready to give, and a level of camaraderie I cannot find in most of the world. I trust that the leaders you bring to GLS are good trustworthy people I can ‘hook my wagon’ to and catapult my vision to change the world one business at a time.”

At the Summit, Michelle felt reaffirmed in her leadership and was challenged with a grander vision.

She had a 30-year background in sales in the corporate world where she served Fortune 100 firms. While there, she discovered her hard work was going toward the wrong purpose. Even though she was helping distressed organizations build profit and increase excellence, her work lacked the purpose God was calling her to. “I had no other purpose than to fill the pockets of corporate leaders who loved me at the end of the month for my great accomplishments, but then treated me like a dog on the first day of the next month.”

She regretted the example she was to her daughter. Her stress, frustration, long work hours and poor health were a great example of how NOT to lead.

God began to stir and plant a vision on her heart.

Perhaps there was a better way to allow businesses with excess to channel their profit towards a greater good.

Michelle left her corporate career and founded a company called, Iconnectu which focuses on building better businesses for the greater good in three major ways:

  1. ICUGrow — “The WAY to grow your business by leveraging your existing relationships.”
  2. ICUCare —  “The TRUTH your clients see giving you clear vision.”
  3. ICUGive —  “The LIFE support the community seeks aligned with your unique mission.”

Iconnectu is the bridge between better business and better giving. The workforce will help businesses grow, keep their clients and give back to worthy causes that are healing our world.

Attending the Summit has strengthened Michelle and her organization and prepared them to accomplish this mission. She continues to use the GLS resources to empower her team and take them to the next level of service.

Ultimately, the Summit catapulted Michelle’s leadership and affirmed her grander vision. “I attended in order to be close to my top client,” Michelle shares. “I will keep attending to be closer to those who inspire me to live out my God-given vision. I now know I have resources and a community of like-minded leaders whom I can share my fears with and turn them into loving action.”

Michelle leaves us with a challenge—one that she felt on her own heart when she took a risk, answered God’s call, and started a business. “Whatever God has placed on your heart to make a difference, He did so for a reason,” she shares. “If your mission, vision and values are aligned with your day-to-day accomplishments, you will cross the finish line a success.”

 

 What risk will you take today to build a better world?

 

Letting Go of a Broken Past to Embrace a New Future in Burundi

Posted on November 7, 2016 by - Africa, Stories

Burundi GLS

Reports are in from our GLS site in Burundi, Africa, where more than 1,800 leaders in this war-torn region arrived hungry to learn from the faculty at the GLS.

Painito Ambuka, regional leader in Burundi, shares with us what happened.

“We are deeply thankful to God and for your prayers for the GLS in Burundi in September. Thank you for this opportunity to develop the leaders of our country.

Political challenges and security issues did not stop the event from taking place, but did cause delays. And for security, the event was moved to a remote area in the Ngozi province. Through patience, endurance, many prayers and surrender to God’s will, the event took place, and more leaders were able to attend than we planned for.”

The Summit resonates with leaders in Burundi

Many people wonder whether or not a GLS session broadcast in the US will resonate with leaders in a different context, in a remote region of Africa. But time and time again, we discover leaders are not only relating to the content, but grasping it and applying it to their lives.

Leaders of Burundi were deeply impacted by the session “The 5 Intangibles of Leadership. “Leaders here realize they’ve developed grit because of the many difficulties they have gone through,” Painito explains. “The challenges they face, like genocide, poverty, famine and many other problems they encounter on a daily basis help them to embrace grit, which is necessary in leadership.”

The second intangible of leadership is self-awareness. “Many of them confessed that several issues they have gone through affect them unconsciously, and have caused them to have low self-esteem,” Painito says. “Some have spent most of their lives in refugee camps in foreign nations. Others testify how they led badly by venting out frustrations they obtained during their childhood. They agreed that they all had blind spots – something they never noticed before. This was a great eye-opener.

They realized their past is messing with their current decision making ability.”

Sam Adeyemi challenges leaders to consider others over themselves

“When Sam talked about crushing the power chasm, leaders realized they tend to focus more on themselves rather than helping others succeed,” Painito explains. “We have a culture where being a leader usually means the leader is superior.”

But the GLS is a paradigm shift. “The culture that has been passed down to them is oppressive, and unlike Jesus’ teaching,” Painito says. “We should focus on the success of our people. The power chasm in Burundi hinders empowerment. And when the leaders who attended realized this, they regretted, repented and promised to change their ways to close the power chasm.

A new day for leaders in Burundi

The leaders in attendance agreed to grow into great leaders, and not settle for where they are. “They committed themselves to using their past failures as an opportunity for growth instead of a source of complaining,” Painito shares.

The impact is inspiring. And it’s not just about the teaching they received. The audience at the GLS is like none other Burundi has ever seen. The audience included bishops, pastors, business leaders, government leaders, military leaders, teachers and students. The humility of everyone coming to learn together instills hope for the future of the country.

Thank you for praying for and supporting leaders in remote areas of Africa

The political crisis is creating economic hardship for many of the people in Burundi. But with your help, the local committee was able to offer the GLS to leaders for a low registration cost of $1 – $7, depending on what they were able to pay, and offered scholarships to those who were unable to pay anything.

The total cost to put on this event was $26,158, but the experience for these leaders is priceless.

Your generosity creates a ripple effect of change in the communities where leadership training is almost non-existent outside of the GLS.

To give support and encourage leaders in areas of the world like Burundi,
consider a gift to the Willow Creek Association
at give.willowcreek.com

Four Workouts to Grow Your Risk Muscle

Posted on November 7, 2016 by - Articles, Confidence, Leading Yourself, Strategy, Vision

In a society and culture where safety and security are important, the word risk has little favor. Many clever marketing campaigns have been designed to generate fear or concern, creating a natural urge in us to stay away from risk. Just think of all the insurance products we have! The idea of risk has been unnecessarily packed with many negative implications.

Yet a leader needs to see risk as a friend to embrace not an enemy to fear. Think about the bold leaders you admire. Every one of them took on the risks required to innovate and lead. While a present perspective may see safety and security as good, I believe history will measure your leadership based on your willingness and capacity to embrace risk.

A leader’s willingness to embrace risk should always be weighed against the worthiness of the mission.

A few years ago, after addressing a group of new Empart graduates, I spent time with one of them who was determined to work in his own village from where he had been forcibly expelled a year before. John (not his real name) was willingly going into a hostile situation where he could face massive persecution and perhaps even a violent death. Knowing his situation, and out of deep concern for him and his family, I cajoled him to “find a safer place to go to share the gospel.

His response challenged me to the core.

“Pastor Jossy, did Jesus know what was going to happen to Him before He came from heaven to earth?”

“Of course He did.”

“But that didn’t stop Him from coming, did it? So then, what should stop me from going?”

To this day, John still willingly embraces the risk because he understands the worthiness of the Cause.

Can we as leaders develop our capacity to embrace risk? Absolutely, YES!

Embracing risk is like flexing a muscle. A single, short session of flexing achieves very little. But sustained, intentional workouts of taking risks produces great results.

Here are four workouts that will grow your risk muscle:

  1. Continually move out of your comfort zone, even in small things. You cannot learn to take risks (or steps of faith) inside your comfort zone. Break out! Comfort zones do not equate to success.
  1. Don’t make excuses. It is not lack of money or time or personnel that are stopping you – it is your lack of courage to take the risk that is stopping you. So listen to yourself and every time you are about to make an excuse – stop it!
  1. Start something before you understand everything about it. Sometimes it’s better not to insist on having all the facts. If you know too much, you may not take the risk it requires! And remember that no matter how much planning is done, when you take the risk and venture into the unknown there will always be glitches and problems. Accept this as a fact. So…
  1. Develop a capacity for pain. I can promise you that embracing risk will cause pain. But learning to manage the pain is worth it when you consider that your leadership capacity (and the fulfilment of your vision) is in direct proportion to your pain threshold.

Just being a leader with a vision is not enough. When the spirit of risk-taking is removed from a leader, you make the leader ineffective and very quickly move from pioneering to maintaining.

If you’re feeling stalled, stuck in maintenance mode, consider your good friend, risk. Maybe you need to get re-acquainted?

An “Only God” Moment Brings a Prisoner to the GLS in Brazil

Posted on November 4, 2016 by - Government, Latin America, Prison, South America, Stories

In a growing number of locations, the Global Leadership Summit is being taken to prisons where it is impacting the lives of thousands of inmates.

But on at least one occasion when the GLS could not go to the prisoners, a prisoner was able to come to the Summit.

And it was all because of an “only God” moment.

This prisoner is serving a 45-year sentence for several crimes including attempted murder. But from his prison, near Salvador, Brazil, God has been able to impact his life in a profound way.

Early on in his incarceration, he became a follower of Jesus Christ. And from that moment, everything changed.

“The change in him was incredible,” recalled Jesse Jane, a missionary to the prison. “He began to study his Bible and was able to start studying theology. He has been having a very positive impact on the culture inside the prison.”

But it was a particular moment earlier this year that God began to orchestrate something that only God could accomplish.

“I was visiting him one day, and I happened to mention that I was on the team helping with the Summit in Salvador,” said Gelson Oliveira, a lawyer who happened to be from the Summit host church nearby. “He was so interested in what I was saying. He kept saying, ‘Oh, I wish I could be there. I wish I could be there.”

The reason for the interest from this prisoner was because of how God was using him in the prison.

“As he has grown in his faith, he has been growing in his leadership as well,” Gelson continued. “He is considered to be one of the spiritual leaders in the prison. He now leads a small church with more than 20 other prisoners in his congregation. I told him I would make an inquiry on his behalf to see if he could attend the Summit, but I didn’t think there was much hope.”

Only six years into a 45-year prison sentence made it unlikely he would be allowed to leave the prison for two days to attend a Christian leadership conference.

Gleson Oliveira made an official application through the courts to have day parole granted. As part of the application, a letter was written by the pastor of the Summit host church, welcoming him to attend the Summit at their location.

“When I presented the application it became apparent that God was already involved,” continued the lawyer. “The judge interrupted me as I spoke and she said, ‘I know the church where the Summit is being held. They make a positive contribution to the people of Salvador. And I have heard of the impact of this prisoner in the penitentiary. Why wouldn’t I want him to experience this event? Day parole is granted.”

And so, for the first time in six years of incarceration, on Thursday, October 28, 2016, this prisoner emerged from the walls of his prison and attended the Summit in Salvador, Brazil. Sitting in the back row of the church, with heavily armed guards sitting on either side of him, he joined in worship with tremendous enthusiasm. As the sessions got underway, he studiously took notes filled his heart and mind with leadership insights.

“This Summit experience will have a profound impact on his leadership, and it will make a difference to the church he leads in the prison,” continued Jesse Jane. “I am not sure I had the faith to believe this could happen. But it did.”

Only God.

Scott+Cochrane+CUScott Cochrane serves as the vice president of International at Willow Creek Association. An insightful and genuine leader, he travels the globe mentoring international teams. Prior to joining WCA, he was the executive pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Kelowna, British Columbia and provided leadership to the WCA Canada.