I really enjoyed Day 1 of the Leadership Summit at Willow Creek Community Church. Here are some of my key takeaways:

Session 1 – Bill Hybels – The High Drama of Decision Making

– Turn enemies into friends

– Vision leaks. You need to keep visioncasting

– Facts are your friends

– When something feels “funky”, engage in it. Don’t avoid it.

– Leaders call “foul” when necessary

– Take a calculated risk

– “This is church” Don’t get caught up in the small stuff and forget about the big picture.

Session 2 – Gary Haugen – Just Courage: Charging the Darkness

– Lead things that are important to God.

– How to lead when it seems hopeless? Refocus on where we center our hope (God). If God is passionate about it, He will solve the problem.

– How do we lead when it is scary? Jesus came to, not make us safe, but to make us brave. Don’t go on a trip but miss the adventure.

– How do we lead others on the more demanding climbs? Choose not to be safe. Choose deep spiritual health. Choose to pursue excellence. Choose to seize the joy.

Session 3 – Bill George – Finding Your True North

The job of the leader is to:

– Align the people around a mission and values

– Empower the people

– Serve

– Collaborate

As a leader, you need to understand the purpose of your leadership. You need to know where you’re supposed to be. You need to gain self awareness. You need to use your strengths. You need to build a support team around you.

Interview with Wendy Kopp

I really enjoyed this interview format. I was very impressed with Wendy Kopp’s leadership style. Some key takeaways for me were to be relentless in my leadership and have a sense of urgency.

Session 4 – John Burke – Leading in New Cultural Realities

Our job is not to fix people, but to just cultivate the soil.

Efrem Smith

This pastor had a lot of great points. Some of the key ones for me were:

We want our church to be a sneak preview of heaven.

God wants to love the world through us.

Efrem Smith also spoke about our identity in Christ. Our identity is not based on our color, ethnicity, or any other external factor. We are all children of God.

It was a great day today. I look forward to Day 2 in just a few hours.