FORT HUACHCUA, Ariz. - When an audience gathered at Fort Huachuca's Main Post Chapel on Aug. 9 and 10, they temporarily became a small part of a large collective, sharing a common goal. Each person was there to hone leadership skills to become a more responsible guide or mentor in their religious or secular organization. Attendees here were joined by more than 65,000 leaders from more than 6,000 churches and organizations from across the United States and the world that came together for a two-day experience of inspiration, community and world-class skill development. They did this through a simulcast broadcast to more than 500 locations nationwide.
Over a five-month period, the Global Leadership Summit hosted by the Willow Creek Association will air live in 90 countries and in 42 languages. It aired in the United States on Aug. 9 and 10 with an audience consisting of members of the Fort Huachuca Main Post Chapel.
"Everyone wins when a leader gets better," said keynote speaker Bill Hybels, the founder and senior pastor of the Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Ill during the GLS's opening session. "Humble yourself and learn from anyone you can. It's all about the learning. … Leaders stay curious, they stay courageous. … They always stay experimental."
Willow Creek is one of the largest churches in North America, with an average attendance of more than 24,000. The Willow Creek Association was founded in 1992 with 250 initial members on the belief that the local church is the hope of the world, according to "The Global Leadership Summit Notebook," presented to the audience during the 2012 event. WCA launched The Leadership Summit in 1995 with 2,200 leaders present, began satellite operations in 1998 which continued to expand and began global outreach in 2005.
Hybels stated what he felt was a leader's most valuable tool.
"Many leaders mistakenly think time is their most valuable asset," said Hybels. That's because so many want so much of it, he explained. Instead, he said "energy" is a leader's most valuable tool. "It's [a leader's] energy and the ability to energize other people," he added.
While the GLS is primarily Christian-based, keynote speakers share leadership ideas and concepts applicable to the secular world. These concepts are presented by individuals who are considered to be among the best leaders of the business, academic and government worlds.
"The fundamental purpose of GLS is to help leaders get better at whatever they lead," said Chaplain (Col.) Ken Revell, Fort Huachuca installation chaplain who coordinated the installation's participation this year and during 2011.
"The presenters are pragmatic realistic leaders leading in the real world. Leaders like Condoleezza Rice, Jim Collins, Geoffrey Canada, Pranitha Timothy, Patrick Lenioni, William Ury, just to name a few. They come from all walks of life. Many of them are engaged in tackling some of the toughest challenges that confront humanity on all fronts," Revell added.
The chaplain went on to describe the assortment of issues the presenters regularly face. These include: organizational health and leadership; education challenges and reform; resolving conflict within organizations; human trafficking; and issues of justice, trust, fair play, civility and trust within the work environment. "These are not isolated or unique challenges. They are fundamental challenges faced by all human being regardless of culture, ethnicity, creed or gender," he said.
During their presentations, the speakers described how leaders faced and coped with various issues within the areas they influenced. They explained what worked -- and what failed. Based on written comments from Fort Huachuca's GLS attendees, it appeared each participant took away skills they can apply to future leadership roles.
"I have been asking my chaplaincy for years to bring in experts to expand and refine our foundational concepts and principals. … This clearly is some of the best and [most] informative training I've had in my 25 years in the Army," wrote Chaplain (Maj.) Brian Reck, 2-13th Aviation Regiment chaplain.
"I look forward to presenting and sharing the knowledge gained from this year's Global Leadership Summit within my organization as well as making a positive impact with those I work with in the community," said Maj. Ray Belcher, Joint Interoperability Test Command. "I would like to encourage leaders at all levels to attend the next [GLS] to enhance their leadership abilities in their respective units and organizations."
'"Micro-savings,' 'Level-5 Leaders,' '6 X 6' are just a few terms I took away from this experience," said Elizabeth Picedo-Moore, military spouse. "[These are] just terms to many people, but to GLS attendees, these terms, put into action, can transform lives, organizations and communities."
Picedo-Moore took away inspirational ideas from two GLS speakers.
"Delegating tasks creates followers. Delegating authority creates leaders," said Craig Groeschel, founder and senior pastor, LifeChurch.tv, Edmond, Okla.
"Be the change you want to see in the world," stated Marc Kielburger, co-founder, Free the Children, Toronto, Ontario.
As within any organization, leaders drive the military. In the Army, leadership is key to making the Nation's oldest military force "Army Strong."
When asked why he brought the training to Fort Huachuca and how it benefitted the military, Revell explained.
"GLS's faith-based, value-centered approach provides moral gravity and credibility to lead from the front. All have skin in the fight. My prayer is that more installations will investigate and explore the venue of the Global Leadership Summit as a training tool to refine leadership skills at their installations."
More information about the GLS is available at the Willow Creek website, http://willowcreek.com/summit.
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