GLOBAL LEADERSHIP SUMMIT | SOUTHRIDGE STORIES

We are excited to be hosting the Global Leadership Summit again this year (August 9-10). Every year we see this event make a lasting impact on leaders in our community. We are thrilled to share a few of those stories of impact below. 

Sue

“I have always believed we are all called to be leaders. Attending the Summit for the past 5 years has been a great way to infuse creativity, energy, and inspiration into what it means to be an effective leader, which can then enable everyone around you to be better.

I was invited to attend the Summit by a friend who leads with humility in an impactful way. I sensed this was a great investment of time to understand better what it means to be an influencer and lead well in the context of truth and integrity. I love to receive new ideas in building cultures of kindness and positive creative energy that will move new efficiencies forward.

I recall attending a workshop by Joseph Grenny, entitled Crucial Conversations. What I learned from this session elevated my ability to enter into tough conversations when the stakes were high. I would highly recommend reading this book that offers a 7-point strategy for achieving goals in those emotionally charged situations.

The Summit is like a shot of energy to be brave and think outside of the box, to creatively solve problems in all areas of life.

It is a highlight for me, meeting new folks in our community who all simply want to become better people, and who are open to sharing and exchanging ideas.”

Tim

“Prior to ever attending the Summit, I was a shy leader, lacking in confidence. That said, I felt convicted to develop in my leadership style and in the interest of achieving the vision of Radiant Care, I had the desire to invest in the leadership development of our front-line supervisors.

My leadership style is participatory and collaborative. One person cannot accomplish much by themselves; they need the support of others around them. In order for me to fulfil the mandates laid out by my Board of Directors, I need the help of many other people. It made perfect sense to me to invest in the leadership development of my team.

Every year we struggle (in a good way) with the amount of wisdom we receive from the Summit and are challenged with what key elements we should implement.

We have recently implemented Patrick Lencioni’s principles of The Ideal Team Player, and their applications to relational customer service. We have incorporated Lencioni’s evaluation tools into our interview process as we attempt to hire more of these ideal team players.

This has been our second year of implementing the Four Disciplines of Execution (McCheasney/Covey). It has been instrumental in not overwhelm our staff by imposing too many ideas. Learning from this session has helped us to focus our work and effectively communicating to over 350 employees what is most important to the organization.

Through my Summit experiences, I have personally learned to be more confident in having crucial conversations, in coaching others to excel, and in understanding better behaviours created by our systems.

The things I have learned has helped me to develop our own Radiant Care Principled Leadership Program: a 7-10 month in-house leadership initiative that is based heavily in Franklin Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Building and implementing this program is setting us apart within the senior services and long-term care sector in Niagara and in Ontario.

For the past 8-9 years we have been sending between 15 and 20 of our front-line leaders to the Summit. We continue to be blessed by our transformative experiences and I would encourage those who have not been involved to get on board quickly. As a leader, you are missing out on an opportunity of a lifetime to shape, influence and raise the bar of leadership in your organization.”

Nicole

“Before my first Summit experience, I rarely thought about being a leader or how to increase my leadership skills. The roles I found myself in at the time, in terms of career, etc, did not feel like ‘leadership roles’ to me.

The first time I attended the Summit was at the encouragement of my husband, as he saw the leadership potential in me. At the time, we were juggling the crazy schedules of shift work, while raising two young children; at my job of providing care to kids in a group home, I was finding myself in increasingly stressful situations that required me to be a leader.

That year the Summit featured a session about simplifying your life, which really impacted me, and sticks with me to this day. I learned to lead myself well, and live in a way that focuses my time and energy on the most important things in my life.

Last year I resonated with Angela Duckworth’s session about grit and resilience. Over the past year, in my leadership role at Rose City Kids there have been times where I needed to remind myself that difficult situations don’t always need to be negative. When things are challenging, I can take that opportunity to grow and lean into Jesus to continue forming my character.

Also making a big impact in my life and my interactions with others, was Sheryl Sandburg’s session last year. She spoke about grief and the way that we can most effectively support others in their times of loss. Now, instead of just passively asking someone what I can do to help while they are suffering, I am prompted to act and do something encouraging for them.

For me, the Summit is so important and I believe we can always learn and grow as leaders, no matter what season of life we are in. I believe that the ceiling of productivity or outcomes of a program, organization, or home, are set by where the leaders are at. I would say to anyone who wants to learn more and grow their organization, relationships, or their family, that the GLS would be a great encouragement and a wonderful tool to be utilized.”

This year’s Global Leadership Summit is taking place on August 9-10, 2018. For more information, or to register, visit southridgechurch.ca/summit