Month: October 2019

How the GLS in India Has Grown From One Site to 90+ Sites Reaching 28,000

Posted on October 30, 2019 by - Asia, Because of the GLS, Stories

GLS India

The first Global Leadership Summit event in India took place in 2007 with one event. As of 2019, the local team in India has been able to expand the event to 90+ sites in seven languages reaching 28,000 people. But they know this is just scratching the surface of opportunity in a country of one billion people—they are driven by a goal to expand into 300 sites in 20 languages by 2022. An incredible feat.

“Though our team is few in number, God has enough people already in place today to use this force going forward,” says Raju Alberts, GLS marketing director in India. “God is using it.”

Christians are hearing for the first time—your influence matters.

Woman praying at GLS in IndiaWhile the Christian population is low in percentage, there are many Christians (and non-Christians) in India hungry for leadership development tools in their own language. Access to an event like the GLS is a game-changer. The impact is not only helping leaders expand their influence in a positive way across various sectors of society, including government, business, education and the Church, but people are being inspired to take up initiatives to address the needs of their communities, and make an incredible difference for God’s Kingdom on earth.

Binu Varghese, GLS team leader in India, shares more about this opportunity. “The GLS has given a platform and opportunity for Christians to learn biblical leadership from a completely different perspective—a global perspective. We can have a larger role in nation building, having influence in the marketplace, making an impact with our life and faith across all sectors, whatever place of opportunity. A lot of times, Christians don’t see that as an opportunity. So, one of the things that the GLS is doing is inspiring people to make a difference wherever they are—to let them know they have influence, and their influence matters—they can be agents of change. For many, this is the first time they hear something like this.”

Translating the GLS into more languages is key.

Worship in IndiaIn order to reach 300 sites by 2022, expanding languages is key, but also one of the greatest expenses. With 21 official languages in India, there is great opportunity to reach many diverse groups across the country. “India is like a country with many countries,” Binu explains. “When you move from one state to another, it’s like moving from one country to another country because the language is different, the culture is different, and even the clothing and cuisine habits are different. That’s why English alone cannot serve India—in major cities, yes, we can reach people, but if you really want to reach India, it has to be through all these languages.”

“Before the GLS came to India, leadership content available in our languages was so little,” Raju explains. “But now with the GLS, we are bringing world-class leadership training to Christians in their own language, and it’s phenomenal.

The GLS brings inspiration to me personally, and now I’m able to take it to the people who are waiting to hear it in India. And there are so many stories across India—what one session can do for somebody to take their dream forward changes lives.

“For me personally, the first time I experienced the GLS in my language, Kannada, I felt like all the sessions were personally speaking to me at a time when I really needed inspiration. I felt like I was losing at life. But Albert Tate inspired me. He said, you give what you have to God, and let Him write the history. That was amazing. We may have little left, but when we bring it to God, He multiplies it for others.

“The whole thing excites me. The GLS brings inspiration to me personally, and now I’m able to take it to the people who are waiting to hear it in India. And there are so many stories across India—what one session can do for somebody to take their dream forward changes lives.”

“We want Christians to bring values of integrity, honesty, transparency and accountability to their workplaces,” says Binu. “Ultimately, they can be the agents of change.”

GLS attendees rise up to address issues of corruption and poverty.

The stories the team has heard from attendees in India include people rising up to take on causes that serve those in greatest need, addressing corruption and poverty, two of India’s biggest issues today.

Here are just two of those stories:

Sheryl buys a hospital to serve the wounded in the streets.

Sheryl was invited to attend the GLS for the first time in November 2018, where God spoke to her: You need to go and heal the wounded. At the time, she was doing it little by little, but this call was affirming for her to dream bigger. And after she heard Gary Haugen say, you need to get rid of fear, because fear is the silent destroyer of dreams, she decided to go big and take her dream to the streets. She started getting all the wounded people off the street, especially those suffering from diabetes who have wounds with legs that need to be amputated. She started looking for a way to grow her service and saw an ad that a hospital was available for sale. So, she put her money in, and bought the 60-bed hospital, which she now runs from early morning through midnight, loving them with the love of Jesus overflowing through her ministry.

Lawyer becomes the Bryan Stevenson of Mumbai.

A lawyer who attended the Summit in 2018 told the team that until coming to the Summit, he saw practicing law as a way of gaining daily bread for his family. But after listening to Bryan Stevenson, he now feels like he has a greater purpose, and said, I’m going to get to know my clients beyond the case they are bringing to me. I want to know more about them. I want to know what more I can do for them. I have found my purpose. He went from being a lawyer working in the court to becoming a manager with a team of lawyers fighting for people who don’t have anybody to fight for them. He said the GLS has completely changed him. In fact, some have called him the Bryan Stevenson of Mumbai.

What will it take to reach more people?

Discussion at the GLS in India“What if more people could have access to this content in their own language?” Raju asks. “Watching people react to the content in their own language, you can see that God speaking to them personally. The GLS is becoming a platform to inspire people so they become channel of blessing and transformation.”

Translating the GLS into more languages is one of the biggest obstacles to expansion. “After attending the Hindi Summit, one of the key Marathi leaders asked me, why are you depriving my Marathi people?” Binu shared. “You have language dubbing in so many languages, and Marathi is one of the largest populations in India, but you’re not doing it. In fact, we had some other languages lined up for dubbing and translation, but we gave priority to Marathi, and this year we will have six Marathi Summits happening. They are so excited. They are expecting 600 people. It is a powerful tool for the local language because there are not enough books or resources in these languages. So, they really see it as a great opportunity and potential for their leaders and congregations.”

To reach 300 sites, the Indian team recognizes that they need to build infrastructure and have also decided to connect and partner with other organizations. “What if we partner with them to use their influence and infrastructure?” asked Raju. “The second strategy we have is to build a self-sustainable model as well. It’s not going to be easy, but we are trying to create that kind of infrastructure so that all our sites are able to take care of their own needs.”

Thanks to our donors for bringing the GLS to India.

Worship at the GLS in IndiaThe GLS would not be possible in India today without the support of donors who’ve been so generous with their resources. “I want to thank the donors from the bottom of our heart,” says Raju. “The very contribution they make towards India is helping Christians expand their influence in their communities. Because of their contribution, there is a change. There’s community transformation happening, and the Kingdom is growing. God has not stopped. He is still bringing it forward.

“I’m also grateful for the steering committees in every single city. They are standing with us. They are saying, we want this, and they are owning the vision, and taking it forward. Thanks to GLN, the international team, the India team and the donors who support the GLS.”

People Often Miss This Key Component for Authenticity

Posted on October 29, 2019 by - Articles, Calling, Emotional Intelligence, Leading Yourself

Rather, let assessments serve your vision as you seek more efficient and creative ways to accomplish whatever it is you’re committed to.

Our culture today gives a lot of worthy attention to the ideas of being yourself and being authentic.

Most people define “authentic” as “how they feel” or “what feels most natural” or “what makes them most comfortable.”

For the last 50 years, one of the primary ways people have been encouraged to identify what’s authentic for them has been to use Personality Assessment tools. We use these assessments to help people identify their most authentic selves.

Here are a few assessments/tools people use to define what’s authentic to them:

  • StrengthsFinder
  • MBTI
  • Birkman
  • Enneagram
  • What Disney Princess Are You?

None of these things are inherently bad (although some are worse than others) and some can truly be helpful on a team. But there’s a danger in using an assessment to define who you are and thereby define what’s authentic to you.

To illustrate:

You’ve seen something like this on the internet:

Inspirational Quote about Being Yourself

If you look closely, this meme contradicts itself. Do you see it?

This meme tells you to “Be Yourself.” But then it also tells you to do and not do other things.

Like the instruction to work hard. But what if you’re more into play—and working hard isn’t authentic to you?

Or the instruction not to chase people. But what if you’re a winsome person—and when you’re most yourself, you chase people?

You see, once you tell someone to be themselves, then you can’t tell them not to chase people, unless not chasing people is being themselves. Which may or may not be. What if they’re a 3w2 on the Enneagram or have Woo with the StrengthsFinder or if their Disney Princess is Alice in Wonderland who chases the white rabbit?

Then their assessment and/or their feelings might tell them to chase someone as a way of being authentic.

Of course, this is relatively harmless (and silly).

But not all examples are.

What if “being yourself” is to hurt someone?

We don’t want sociopaths to be themselves. We don’t want serial killers to simply be authentic. If you were about to be attacked by someone, you wouldn’t say to them, “Just be yourself! Follow your bliss!” You’d probably say something like this, “DON’T ATTACK ME!” In that moment you don’t care if they’re themselves or not. You don’t want them to be authentic to their murderous desires. You want them to be inauthentic. To NOT be themselves.

So, if you can’t use emotions or habits or personalities to be the sole defining metric for authenticity—then what can you use?

True Authenticity Requires Self-Awareness PLUS ___________.

Think about a single mom with a 4-year-old daughter. It’s 5:00 a.m. The mom wakes up to the quiet opening of her door and she hears the pitter pat of little feet and clumsy grabbing of the blankets as the daughter climbs into her bed. The daughter wants her mom to get up so they can play in her bedroom. Now, often what’s authentic in that moment is for the mom to ignore the daughter, or maybe get a little irritated at the daughter, or maybe get up, plop her daughter back in her room and run back to bed. (I’ve talked with many moms and they’ve confirmed this).

But there’s a danger in using an assessment to define who you are and thereby define what’s authentic to you.

But every now and then, the mom fights those authentic instincts. Maybe she gets up, wipes the sleep from her eyes, and accepts her daughter’s invitation. Maybe she spends a few minutes watching her daughter play in her lap, listening to that adorable breathing noise that small children make.

In that moment the mother didn’t do what felt authentic. She did what she was committed to.

At Novus Global, we teach that commitment is the primary (and most often forgotten) attribute of authenticity.

In other words, to understand what is authentic to you, ask: what are you committed to?

The mom who gets up is—in that moment—committed to loving her daughter no matter how mom feels. It doesn’t matter what her Enneagram is. It doesn’t matter what her MBTI or Disney Princess is. In that moment, she transcends assessments to become what she’s committed to: her definition of a good mother.

You see, self-awareness programs often start with asking the question, “Who am I, really?” and then you design your life around that.

In our coaching practice, we invite clients to reverse that question and ask, “What am I committed to, really?” And the next step is to become whomever it is you need to become to accomplish whatever it is you’re committed to.

Too many people are merely committed to what feels good in the moment or what’s most natural with their habits. Too many people are more committed to their MBTI or Enneagram or Top 5 strengths in StrengthsFinder than their vision for their lives or teams or organizations. This shapes their world view and limits how they perceive themselves and the options available to them to a number or star or 5 words or 4 letters. We too easily forget that tools are a means to an end, not an end in and of themselves.

Let assessments serve your vision as you seek more efficient and creative ways to accomplish whatever it is you’re committed to.

You are not your personality assessment. You are more than that.

To live an authentic life has less to do with an assessment or how you dress or what you say in a meeting or your gender or ethnicity or socio-economic class, and more to do with becoming whomever you need to become in order to accomplish whatever vision for your life you’re committed to.

Let me ask you:

  1. What vision are you committed to?
  2. How must you grow and change in order to make that vision a reality?

Be authentic to that.

And of course, along the way, find natural ways of becoming whatever that is. Use all the assessments your heart desires. Embrace your inner Disney Princess. But never let an assessment replace a vision.

Rather, let assessments serve your vision as you seek more efficient and creative ways to accomplish whatever it is you’re committed to.

Raising My Voice So That No Woman Feels Alone

Posted on October 28, 2019 by - Because of the GLS, Calling, Confidence, Stories, Western Europe

Women talking

GLS Portugal teamThe Global Leadership Summit is a training like no other. It is a training of excellence and quality. And with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Summit awakens hidden dreams. It helps shy people like me raise their voice and overcome their fears. It encourages people to grow for the blessing of many and not only for ourselves.

Over the last 12 years I heard people like T.D. Jakes, Christine Caine, Blake Mycoskie, Danielle Strickland, and Gary Haugen. As a result of the Summit, I have seen so many ministries grow. I have seen God use people who began with simple ideas, but with the power of God, have blessed many.

I’ve learned that no matter your work or position, you have influence and you can lead. This means you can improve, motivate others, change the atmosphere around you, develop your creativity and always be an inspiration to others. Through the Summit, I’ve discovered my difference and how my difference adds value to people, my organization, my church, my city and my country. And I don’t have to wait for other’s resources or encouragement. I don’t even have to have the best contacts, I just have to pray and start because is the Holy Spirit is the one at work.

For me personally, the Summit was crucial to feed my determination and focus not to give up.

For me personally, the Summit was crucial to feed my determination and focus not to give up, as I felt challenged to write a devotional. In this devotional I share 40 meditations including biblical verses, challenges to pray and declare God’s promises and faithfulness. My book is an invitation to intimacy with the Creator. It is a way for me to use my voice so that no woman feels alone, trapped or afraid to raise her own voice.

The title Diary of a Happy Woman does not mean that I have everything I want or that everything goes well for me—it means that happiness begins in the daily time I have with my Creator and heavenly Father. He, who knows what completes me, fills and encourages me and wants to share with me every moment of my day, through His Holy Spirit. He also wants to be part of yours.

My dream is to be an ambassador of the Kingdom of God, and my vision is to take the Kingdom outside the doors of the Church, and Summit is a tool to help me do just that.

Today, my book is being sold at one of the biggest bookstores in Portugal, which is a dream come true, because it is not common for Christian books to be sold in secular stores in Portugal.

Elsa Pereira Book Cover

The Summit is a place for learning that I’m so grateful for. It has impacted my life deeply. Do not leave an opportunity to learn more and grow in your leadership potential.