Month: December 2020

Today is Your Last Chance to Give to the GLN in 2020

Posted on December 31, 2020 by - Because of the GLS, News & Updates

a clock counting down

If you want your gift to count in 2020, donate by midnight tonight! Donate Now >> 

 

There are three important things that happen when you help share The Global Leadership Summit (GLS) to encourage and equip 1 million people.
  
The Summit reminds us we are leaders 

The GLS puts people in front of us to remind us of who we are. It reminds us that our leadership matters, wherever we are—what we do and who we are really matters.     

The Summit calls us up 

What is shared at the GLS reminds us that not only does our leadership matter, but we’re also called up. It reminds us of the things we need to work on. It reminds us our leadership matters AND stretches us to be better. 

The Summit sends us out 

The GLS says, go out and be great. In a world full of darkness, we need leadership like never before. We also need to think about the kind of leadership we need. We need to make courageous decisions so that a generation will talk about the sacrifices we made. We need generation-impacting leadership.  

 

We need to think bigger, act more courageously and lead like never before.   

Donate Before Midnight >>  

Your gift of any size makes all the difference. Every penny matters. 

 

*If you’ve already given toward the year-end campaign, thank you! Your support is so critical.  

One Day Left to Donate to the GLN in 2020

Posted on December 30, 2020 by - Because of the GLS, News & Updates

Two women facing a field and sunshine
Your donation today is about helping others use their voice to lead a movement.  

 

Rebecca Bender“I used to think God could never use me—that I’d never find my place, my calling, be mentored or have a tribe. But today, because of Him and because of generous communities like the men and women who are a part of the Global Leadership Network, I learned that Jesus loves girls like me.  

I get to write books and speak, see women get their first job and find their lane. Now I serve on the National Advisory Council to Congress, the Department of Justice and many other boards as an advisor to the nation’s leading non-profits. I get to help people see that it’s not just about being a voice for the voiceless, it’s about helping others use their voice to lead a movement.” 

 – Rebecca Bender, Founder & CEO, Elevate Academy 

 

You have an opportunity today to be a part of more stories like Rebecca’s.  

There is still time to send your tax-deductible donation and have it count in 2020! 

Donate Today >> 

Your gift of any size makes all the difference. Every penny matters. 

If you’ve already given toward the year-end campaign, thank you! Your support is so critical.  

There’s Still Time to Give to the GLN in 2020

Posted on December 28, 2020 by - Because of the GLS, News & Updates

GLS19 Volunteers in Zimbabwe

If you were at The Global Leadership Summit in 2020, do you remember what encouraged, equipped or challenged you during your experience? If that experience had an impact on you or someone in your sphere of influence…take a moment right now to dream big. 

What if you could encourage 1 million people to use their influence for good and then in turn transform the lives of 100 million more?  
  • What if there were GLS events everywhere — from churches, businesses and community centers, to schools, prisons and homeless shelters—in every city, in every country?  
  • What if there were hundreds of thousands more people —including youth — engaging with the Summit whenever, however and wherever it makes the most sense for them?  
  • What if we reached people in every language here in the U.S. and around the world so that folks can experience these powerful leadership insights in their own language?  

“I believe we are not called to change the whole world. We’re simply called to change that part of the world that our influence touches. And that’s what I believe the GLN is doing and I’m so honored to be a part.” Nona Jones, GLS20 Faculty & Head of Global Faith-Based Partnerships at Facebook 

You have an opportunity today to go on a journey to encourage 1 million people with the world-class leadership development tools and inspiration you have also benefited from. 

Donate in 2020 >> 

Your gift of any size makes all the difference. Every penny matters. 

3 Important Things Happen When You Donate to the GLN

Posted on December 21, 2020 by - Africa, Because of the GLS, Influence, Leadership Development, News & Updates, North America, Stories

Attendee at GLS19

The Global Leadership Summit in August 2020 was the hardest speaking engagement I’ve ever done in my life.

The auditorium was an empty, dark valley of a space. I knew hundreds of thousands of people were going to be watching on the other side of the camera, but right in front of me were just ten people all working and filming.

Albert Tate at GLS20

Albert Tate speaking at GLS20

I was thinking through my opening line, “It’s a tale of authenticity…”

They started counting down… 5, 4, 3 2, 1… “Albert, you’re live!”

But when they said, “Go!” I said, “It’s tale of…”

And I couldn’t remember the word “authenticity”!

I couldn’t find the word! It slowly started walking back to me one letter at a time and jumped into my head just in time.

Sometimes I feel like in my leadership that happens to me… I get called back to authenticity—I get called back to be who God called and created ME to be.

This is why The Global Leadership Summit is so important, especially as we strive to bring these critical reminders, insights and encouragement to leaders around the world.

There are three things The Global Leadership Summit does…
1. The Summit reminds us we are leaders

It reminds me I’m born to be here. I’m a leader and I have influence. The GLS has the audacity to say, I don’t care what you’ve been told before, but you’re a leader and you have influence. Everyday people can be great leaders. The GLS puts people in front of us to remind us of who we are. It reminds us that our leadership matters, wherever we are—what we do and who we are really matters.

2. The Summit calls us up

Even as I was trying to work on what I was going to contribute at the Summit, I got called up and punched in the gut with fresh motivation and insight… I was reminded that not only am I a leader, but I’m also being called up. I was reminded of the things I need to work on, the things I need to do better. The GLS reminds us so well that our leadership matters and stretches us to be better.

3. The Summit sends us out

The GLS says, go out and be great. I had the privilege of closing the Summit this year. As I think about the closing session, I look out at our world, and it looks so dark. I’m reminded that we need leadership like never before. We also need to think about the kind of leadership we need. We have poor examples of leadership out there right now. Lately, the Lord has been saying this to me—we need to make courageous decisions so that a generation will talk about the sacrifices we made. We need generation-impacting leadership. We need to think bigger, act more courageously and lead like never before.

Are you ready to join us on the journey forward? 

When you choose to give to the Global Leadership Network this year, you will echo what strong, courageous, excellent leadership can look like in the world. You can begin to change the narrative and impact a generation toward positive transformation.

One of my favorite things about the Summit are the stories from regular people, like you and me, who’ve done extraordinary things wherever they have influence. One of those leaders is a woman named Dr. Katurah York Cooper.

Dr. Katurah York Cooper speaking at the GLS in Liberia

Dr. Katurah York Cooper speaking at the GLS in Liberia

 

Katurah, a mother and educator, who fled a civil war in her home country of Liberia, felt called to go back in the middle of war to start a church. Now since attending the Summit and sharing it with her country, she’s started a ripple effect of reconciliation and healing across the nation. See her story as it was told at GLS20 >>

The Global Leadership Summit is a Game-Changer

What has become evident through stories like Katurah’s is that the GLS is a game-changer in people’s lives—tapping into their potential, inspiring their vision and expanding their leadership so that they can become a catalyst for change.

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Will you join me on a journey to become part of the unfolding story to reach a million people with world-class leadership development tools and encouragement? Your gift of any size makes all the difference. Every penny matters.  Donate today >>

Thank you for prayerfully considering your gift to the Global Leadership Network before the end of the year!

The Case for Finishing Well

Posted on December 16, 2020 by - Articles, Change Management, Leading Organizations, Women Leaders, Women Leaders - Leading Others

Self-portrait above high angle view of nice stylish cheerful glad positive director company staff showing thumbsup yes goal achievement recommend modern industrial loft interior work place open space

Every single day you take one step closer to finishing your current job.

It happened yesterday. It will happen tomorrow.

You’re getting closer to packing up the office, saying goodbye, changing your email address and starting over.

If that sounds a bit depressing, it shouldn’t be.

In fact, the most important task you have as a leader is finishing well.

If that sounds like I’m overstating it a bit, consider what happens when a leader finishes well:

  • The team is positioned well for life without you.
  • The organization is built around a mission not a person.
  • The mission isn’t distracted by controversy.
  • The systems you’ve built carry on without you.
  • Momentum is sustained.

Knowing this, it’s ironic that the task of finishing well isn’t talked about enough in leadership circles. Perhaps it’s because we think of the finish line as something deep in the future. We can think about that when the time comes, right?

We honor the organization and the people we’ve served by finishing strong.

But the truth is leaving well is something that takes time. It doesn’t start when you put in your two-week notice.

It’s far deeper and more challenging than that.

Finishing well requires planning.

Finishing well requires vision.

Finishing well requires humility.

Finishing well requires character.

And it’s why, finishing well starts today.

Recently, I finished a 17-year chapter in my career at North Point Ministries where I served as lead pastor of three churches over that time. Earlier this summer, I announced I was stepping down to start my own company. Over the course of the next six weeks, I wanted to make sure I did everything I could to finish well by setting up Gwinnett Church, where I currently served, for their next chapter.

There were four strategies that really helped me in this season. I think they can help you as well.

1. The better you finish your current season, the better you begin your next season.

While it may be tempting to coast and go play golf every day after you announce your departure, I think that is a bad strategy. (Nothing against golf!) We honor the organization and the people we’ve served by finishing strong.

Additionally, I think it says something about our character and our emotional health if we choose not to finish strong. Both will follow us, good or bad, into our next season.

An emotionally healthy person is self-aware, honors others and completes the work assigned to them.

It’s why I gathered our Gwinnett Church leadership team a few days after I made my announcement and walked them through the work projects for my final six weeks. Here’s the list:

  • Preach a three-part, vision-casting series called The Road Ahead.
  • Lead three staff meetings.
  • Host Sunday morning online gatherings.
  • Meet individually with each of our 55 staff members thanking them for their contribution and asking if I could be of help to them in the future.
  • Write birthday cards to our Guest Services volunteers.

I wanted the team to know I was going to honor them and the mission by finishing well. I asked them if there was anything they wanted to add to the list. And I made them this pledge, which I read out loud at that meeting:

“My pledge to you is to finish strong by completing the tasks assigned to me to the best of my ability, expressing gratitude to as many people as I can while leaving as quietly as possible.”

2. Finishing well requires a game plan for emotional health.

Emotions can run very high during a season of transition. It’s why you must start now to prepare yourself to be as emotionally healthy as possible when this season inevitably arrives.

We don’t drift toward emotional health. We must fight for it.

This is one of the reasons I hired a transition coach to help me not only prepare for the new venture I’m launching but to help me process the emotions I would feel along the way.

In many ways, my departure from Gwinnett Church was doubly hard because I love the people, the team and the mission. Even though my wife Wendy and I feel certain this decision is the right one, we will still miss the community we helped start there. Through this mixture of emotions, I asked my transition coach if this was unusual.

“An emotionally healthy person can hold joy and sorrow at the same time,” he said.

Joy and sorrow are great descriptions of this season of change for me. It’s why, with emotions running so deep during a transition, there must be a game plan now for when this season arrives for you.

It’s why it’s helpful to process questions like these:

  • How are you fighting for your emotional health?
  • Who really knows what’s going on inside of you?
  • If you were to leave your current role within the next three months, how well do you think you would finish?

 

3. Don’t burn bridges.

Sure, it’s easy to think, “I’ll never work with these people ever again.” And, depending on the situation, it feels good to burn bridges. But don’t forget, when you burn a bridge the person who is most often burned is you.

But don’t forget, when you burn a bridge the person who is most often burned is you.

Take the high road even when others don’t take it with you.

 

4. Express gratitude.

Over the course of my last six weeks at Gwinnett Church, I wrote over 120 thank you notes to staff members there, and at North Point Ministries. I mailed them my last day. It was just a small way of saying thank you one final time, and one additional way to honor them individually.

One of the best gratitude principles I’ve ever heard is from Andy Stanley: “Unexpressed gratitude communicates ingratitude.”

Finishing well requires expressing gratitude.

Now, I know for many of you, this doesn’t seem like an urgent matter. I get it. But don’t forget. Finishing well is your most important task because the true test of your leadership is what happens when you’re no longer there.

And guess what? You’re closer to your final day now than when you started reading this.

It’s why finishing well starts today.

Just Announced: Three GLS21 Faculty Sure to Equip, Encourage and Inspire You

Posted on December 15, 2020 by - Leading Yourself, News & Updates, The Global Leadership Summit

Now Revealing Three GLS21 Faculty Sure to Equip, Encourage and Inspire You

In 2021, we know you want to thrive in life and work. This requires you to strengthen your leadership skills and get a good dose of inspiration.

At the Global Leadership Network we believe your leadership matters because you and everyone in your sphere of influence is impacted—When you get better, everyone around you wins too! This is why our team is so eager to share the premier leadership event of 2021—The Global Leadership Summit, taking place on Thursday-Friday, August 5-6, 2021. Mark your calendars!

Because we’re so excited, we want to share an early Christmas present with you and reveal just a few of the faculty who will be joining us next year. Drum roll please!

 

Learn more about the faculty >>

 

We can’t wait to share the rest of the faculty line-up with you in just a couple months! These incredible world-class faculty will share their distinct expertise, practical perspective, inspiring vision and amazing talent. They are eager support you in your leadership growth as you make a positive difference within your sphere of influence.

This Christmas invest in your leadership to ignite the positive change you want to see! Get Tickets for GLS21 Today >>

 

 

Ep 083: Leading Through the Dip, Craig Groeschel & Danielle Strickland

Posted on December 15, 2020 by - Leading Others, Podcasts, Women Leaders, Women Leaders - Leading Others

The Global Leadership Summit Podcast

SUMMARY:

All organizations and systems go through inevitable cycles of birth, growth and maturity, decline and even death. We all enjoy leading when things are going “up and to the right,” but how do you lead through a season of decline, or “the dip”? In this important conversation with Danielle Strickland, long-term leader Craig Groeschel dives into what it takes to lead effectively through the dip. When leaders are willing to pivot and think about change in more helpful ways, the dip can actually springboard your organization to new levels of success and engagement.

 

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

  • Whatever you’re leading, it’s not always going to be “up and to the right.”
  • Whether you intentionally step into a dip or the dip happens to you, what are the key elements you can pick up as a leader to lead through it and come out on the other side of it?
  • There are five cycles of life for organizations and systems: (1) birth, (2) growth, (3) maturity, (4) decline and (5) death.
  • In the initial “decline” stage, there is an opportunity for reinvention, if a leader is innovative and courageous enough to try.
  • Reinvention may not be possible for all organizations.
  • If you wait until you are already in the decline phase, that may be a little too late.
  • It can be good leadership to often shut something down and re-prioritize.
  • What separates leaders in crisis is the ability to pivot.
  • One of the most impactful things that Life.Church was allowed to do as an organization came out of killing something else that did not work.
  • Lead with a sense of “healthy skepticism”: be optimistic that we can do more of whatever we care about but at the same time be a little bit skeptical.
  • As a leader, people will tend to tell you what you want to hear, and leaders are tempted to hear what they want to hear.
  • As a leader, you want to see problems early, and solve them quickly.
  • It’s not that people dislike change; they do not like how we are trying to change them. Shift your mindset to one that says people do like change, we just need to lead them to change in a way that matters.
  • If I am leading someone that will not change, the first thing I must do as a leader is ask myself, “Have I been clear and compelling in creating the why and the what that needs to happen?” Have I been clear and specific?
  • If you have team members that are toxic and are not willing to grow, eventually they are no longer the problem, you (the leader) are the problem.
  • When you have to confront, start by saying what’s NOT happening: “You are not losing your job. You are because we care about you, but something’s not going well in your role.”
  • If you go more than a day without telling people, “thank you for what you do,” you’re probably not having a good leadership day.
  • In any kind of dip we have to know, “We are in a dip; things are tough; here’s what we have to do. We have real data. We can change; we like change.” We’re going to tell people why, the why is going to empower the advocates, it’s going to disarm the critics, and it may engage the bystanders, and then we lead.
  • At the end of the day, ask yourself, “How many life-giving conversations did I have today?”
  • Culture makes leading through the dip easier.
  • As a leader, you just don’t know what will you’ll know 5 or 10 years from now. Don’t bind yourself to promises that can’t change with your strategy. Have the courage to unmake promises.
  • Over a five to seven year period, if you’re not changing strategy or redirecting something you thought you’d always do or never do, you’re probably going to let that limit your potential.

 

 

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

  1. Organizations and systems have life cycles (birth, growth, maturity, decline and death). A critical skill is being able to spot decline (“The Dip”) early, and find opportunities to innovate and reinvigorate our organizations.
  2. Think about your ability to pivot in times of crisis. How well do you do at “seeing problems early” and solving them quickly?
  3. “It’s not that people don’t like change; it’s that they don’t like the way we try to change them.” How have you seen this play out in your organization? How could it have been different?
  4.  In this podcast, Craig suggested that a leader should ask himself at the end of the day, “How many life-giving conversations did I have today?” Think about your own leadership activities today: how did you do today? Are there any adjustments you need to make to your leadership conversations?
  5. Are there any leadership promises you need to unmake?

 

 

 

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Life.Church 

YouVersion Bible App 

Crucial Conversations 

RELATED LINKS:

Craig Groeschel 

Danielle Strickland 

2020 GLS Talk, Leading Through the Dip (Video) 

Paula Faris 

Journeys of Faith with Paula Faris 

The Global Leadership Summit

 

 

We’re Not Called to Change the Whole World

Posted on December 14, 2020 by - Because of the GLS, News & Updates

Globe

I am personally blessed by the ministry of the Global Leadership Network, and the reason I’m excited about it is because I believe we have a deficit of leadership in this world.  

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Yes, we have a lot of people occupying leadership roles, but we have a deficit of people leading which is why we continue to have the same problems and the same challenges over and over again—the can keeps getting kicked down the road.  

Equipping Leaders 

I believe what the Global Leadership Network is doing around the world is equipping leaders to be mobilized in order to begin addressing the challenges that for too long have been left unaddressed.  

An extension and an arm of the power of God 

I believe that this ministry is an extension and an arm of the power of God.  

Changing the world 

I believe we are not called to change the whole world—we’re simply called to change that part of the world that our influence touches, and that’s what I believe the GLN is doing and I’m so honored to be a part.  

There’s still time to make your gift count in 2020. To give to the Global Leadership Development Fund, go to GlobalLeadership.org/Give today. 

Zconomy: Welcome to the New Normal

Posted on December 8, 2020 by - Articles, Change Management, Diversity, Leading Others

Teenage boy lying on his bed while concentrating on homework for his exams.

The Future is in Gen Z’s Hand (or Digital Wallet).

Gen Z will influence the future of business in a massive way and eventually reshape business entirely. Anyone who studies trends, consumers and employees know that the youngest emerging adult generation is often the driver of the biggest change. In fact, we see that Gen Z is the generation that is driving trends from the youngest up to the oldest. Want to see what Baby Boomers will eventually do with technology? Watch what Gen Z is doing now.

One thing we are already seeing in our research: what worked to attract, keep, and motivate Millennials as employees and customers does not work as well—if at all—with Gen Z.

This could not happen at a more challenging time for many leaders. Why the urgency?

Because within two years Gen Z will be the fastest growing generation in the workforce. They’ll also become the most important generation of consumers and trendsetters. Their economic power and influence are only going to grow with each passing day.

Adding to the urgency: Baby Boomers are retiring and moving into a “less is more” mindset. These same Baby Boomers, Gen Z’s grandparents, were often viewed as reliable employees and customers, the backbone of many longstanding businesses. As these Baby Boomers transition into a new life stage there is only one group on the horizon to fill the gap as workers and consumers: Gen Z.

In fact, Gen Z is expected to be the beneficiary of a massive wealth transfer from older generations to the youngest, which could exceed twenty to thirty trillion dollars. How would a generational change of that magnitude affect your industry, businesses or community? Or even your own family?

Financial services firms, banks, robo-advisors and every other business that depended on retaining Baby Boomers and their assets are already scrambling to keep the money that they will be moving to other generations. That is only compounded with Gen Z likely not expecting to seek face-to-face conversations in order to save, manage and invest their money, because unlike even Millennials, Gen Z has never had to go to a physical bank branch to do their day-to-day banking.

Gen Z expects the future of finance to be mobile, intuitive, easy-to-use, and, most important, extremely personalized to them and their needs—the same thing they expect at work and throughout their life. How will this level of personalization expand to other areas outside of banking?

Already, brands are struggling with Gen Z. The urgency is only going to grow.

****

At the Center Generational Kinetics, we are excited that Gen Z is now emerging and can be accurately studied across geographies around the world. To truly understand a generation requires both quality and original research as well as quantity of research. Gen Z research is still very limited because of their youth, but our quest to lead research into the generation every day is already unearthing a trove of insights and unexpected findings. These discoveries can inform and drive understanding, strategy and practical solutions to help leaders effectively connect with Gen Z at every point in the customer and employee life cycle.

The rise of Gen Z calls into question the future of work, life, consumerism and the planet. Some of the questions our research addresses include:

  • How will a generation that appears to have a more informed and conservative perspective of money think differently about saving, investing and spending? What will this mean to your business?
  • How will this generation navigate a world overflowing with endless information at their fingertips? Will they find a way to wield this to their advantage and drive gains important to them, or will it be overwhelming, taken for granted and underutilized?
  • How will a generation that is so immersed in a digital world adapt their social skills to enter the face-to-face workforce and society—or will they expect the world to adapt to them? How will this shape your hiring, management or sales process?
  • How will being raised by Generation X and older Millennials—not Baby Boomers—affect this generation’s values, priorities, voting, and what they bring into adulthood? Will they choose to take care of their parents or choose a different path?
  • How will COVID-19 and its aftermath affect the generation when it comes to work, money, education and their thinking about the future?

The more we study Gen Z, the more excited we are to uncover and tell the generation’s story, to bring them to life, not from the vantage point of a single or small sample group of Gen Z, but by looking at Gen Z across the United States and the world via data, stories, quotes, and frontline strategies we’ve uncovered that work for leaders.

Gen Z is heralding a “new normal” across industries and around the world.

Are you ready to make the most of it?

Excerpted from Zconomy: How Gen Z Will Change the Future of Business—And What to Do About It by Jason Dorsey with permission of Harper Business Publishing, Copyright © Jason Dorsey, 2020.

Thank You! Your #GivingTuesday Impact on the Incarcerated

Posted on December 8, 2020 by - Because of the GLS, Culture, News & Updates, Prison

Dale DeNeal Second Church Danville Prison Site

Your gifts given on #GivingTuesday help ignite transformation in the lives of the incarcerated, their families’ lives and their communities. Thank you for your support!

Here are just a few ways your gifts have made a difference!

…to read, study and discuss—the impact is spreading to others.

There is a multiplying impact to The Global Leadership Summit and the materials sent. For example, the Summit DVDs were used by me and a fellow teacher for a leadership course we taught on Saturdays open for everyone at the facility. It was amazing to see men willing to learn about being a leader. Men who have gone home write and tell us how they are applying what they learned in their lives. Praise God. Likewise, the books—to read, study and discuss—the impact is spreading to others. I even hear men sharing it with their family on telephone calls—like a mini devotional. It has grown from here to families at home! Thank you for impacting the lives of men and their families. God’s blessing on your ministry!

—Lane, GLS20 attendee and GLS materials gift recipient

GLS20 was amazing from start to finish. 15 years I’ve been incarcerated and I’ve never felt such joy, passion, inspiration, pain and motivation all at the same time. Thank you! I can’t wait for GLS21!

—Shawn, GLS20 attendee

…you show by your efforts in making the events available to us that you see us as Christ sees us—valuable.

One thing that has me in awe about The Global Leadership Summit is the outlook you carry—that including us prisoners in your mission is of great importance. Labeled as outcasts and menaces to society, you show by your efforts in making the events available to us that you see us as Christ sees us—valuable.

—Alejandro, GLS19 attendee at Heritage Trails Correctional Facility, U.S. 

 

Not only does the Summit provide important reminders about value and purpose, it also provides an opportunity for people to access, sometimes for the first time, a vision of themselves beyond their past mistakes while providing the leadership training and encouragement for a new path forward. In fact, 95% of incarcerated men and women are eventually released, so the Summit is an incredible opportunity for them to gain a new skill set for successful reentry.

Additionally, the Summit is proving to have an impact on prison culture.

Watch Dale DeNeal share what happened in his local prison when his church started hosting the GLS on location.

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Thank you for helping us expand the GLS into 100+ prisons in 2021!

To learn more about how to get involved in the GLS Prison Program, whether personally, or through your church or organization, go to GlobalLeadership.org/Prison.