Last week my daughter and I attended two significant events. She went to a Taylor Swift concert, and I attended the Global Leadership Summit.
No, I don’t spoil my kids with extravagant gifts. I gave my daughter the concert tickets as a combination birthday/Christmas/2014 graduation/future wedding gift. Fortunately, Ms. Swift provided a great shared memory for my daughter and a best friend that could last a lifetime; the two agreed that there will never, ever, ever be a better concert. According to several texts, Tweets, and Instagrams, they deeply appreciated the experience. I printed a few to tuck in her next birthday card as a reminder of what happened, lest memories fail. Yes, this was the gift that will keep on giving—thank you, Taylor.
Two days earlier, a few teammates and I spent Thursday and Friday at a local church that served as a satellite broadcast location for the GLS, an annual event from the Willow Creek Association. While reports from the Taylor Swift concert say that everyone sang all the words to every one of her songs, the Summit featured leadership takeaways that quieted the crowd and commanded introspection.
My memory is sketchy at times—selective, according to my wife—but I am a firm believer that writing thoughts makes them easier to retain, so I took many notes and later printed quotes captured by a few bloggers who covered the event. I’ll share four (of many) ideas from the Summit that struck powerful chords with me as a leader and continue to ring in my ears.
1. Leadership requires courage in large amounts. And because Bill Hybels devoted his entire opening talk on this topic, it must be an issue for many other leaders and not just me. Whew, what a relief! Too often, leadership talks leave me feeling wildly inadequate to continue under the weight of an organization rather than motivated to make a difference. Speakers certainly don’t set out with that goal, but many messages share the ideal rather than what’s real. They can come just short of saying, “C’mon, it’s just that easy,” while leaving out the barriers and challenges.
Leadership is many things, but easy is not one.
The very welcome turn down reality road came immediately after Hybels said, “God didn’t make you a leader so that you could merely reside in a position—God made you a leader to move people from ‘here’ to ‘there.'”
He continued, “It looks so easy when I just draw this on a chart. But it is a battle. It requires courage.”
“Finally,” I whispered to myself, “someone admits it’s not so simple. I’m gonna make it.”
Hybels’ continued use of Joshua 1:9, God’s words to a new leader, etched that verse into my active memory: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Special emphasis belongs on the words “be strong and courageous.”
2. Leaders get hurt. A lot. Hybels shared more reality: Leaders stand as lightning rods for criticism intended for their organization, them personally, or any other axe that needs grinding. Maybe that’s why God included the words “do not be discouraged” in his encouragement to Joshua, along with the source of strength to combat the negative: “for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
The only wise choice: Forgive and move on. Enough said.
3. “You can choose courage, or you can choose comfort, but you can’t have both. They are mutually exclusive. So when you sign up to be brave you are signing up to get your butt kicked.” Dr. BrenÉ Brown shared this truth, which complements point 1 above.
It feels good to hear people talk about leadership in such honest tones. It makes me feel like I’m not crazy when I’m sore from the kicks. And when interviewing people for leadership positions, her point makes a great item to discuss. “So you realize that in this role you’ll get your butt kicked?”
Or maybe not.
4. “If you are not in the arena, also getting your butt kicked on a regular basis, I’m not interested or open to your feedback.” This encore thought from Dr. Brown will help preserve the sanity of many leaders, me included. Admit it, you said a quiet “amen” to that statement.
Before writing this column, I ordered her book Dare Greatly. Based on her talk and “let’s be real” approach, she earns a pre-I-read-it recommendation.
Full disclosure: five years ago I left a ten-year season of serving on the Willow Creek Community Church and Willow Creek Association staff teams. Setting aside any biases, the Summit deftly challenges leaders to give their best. I have no connection, though, to Taylor Swift other than familiarity with every song she’s recorded and living in the same home with one of her most passionate fans. Okay, I like a few of her songs, too. Go ahead and judge me—but first see my fourth point.
David Staal, senior editor for Building Church Leaders and a mentor to a Kindergarten boy, serves as the president of Kids Hope USA, a national non-profit organization that partners local churches with elementary schools to provide mentors for at-risk students. David is the author of Lessons Kids Need to Learn (Zondervan, 2012) and Words Kids Need to Hear (Zondervan, 2008). He lives in Grand Haven, MI, with his wife Becky, son Scott, and daughter Erin.
