Leadership Learning

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly..." — Theodore Roosevelt

The Global Leadership Summit, offered by the Willow Creek Association, was this week. On Thursday and Friday, for eight hours each day, we as participants got to hear from 14 different speakers on leadership. And that doesn't even cover the extras at the conference. It was a lot to take in and a lot to consider, and I don't think I've spent even enough time processing.

But here are three things that stuck out to me.

1. Leaders aren't afraid to take risks and, at times, fail. I love that quote from Theodore Roosevelt, which was referenced by one of the speakers. It reminds me of a quote I always loved from "The West Wing," which is that decisions are made by those that "show up." Being a leader means being unafraid to take risks, unafraid to fail, and unafraid to come right back and try again.

2. It's always good to sleep on big decisions. Colin Powell, one of the speakers, said things always look better in the morning. One of the things I always try to remember is not to react rashly. Of course, some decisions have to be made quickly. But for most things, the wise course is to take some time and allow yourself to settle. Don't let emotion govern your decisions.

3. We need to invest in young leaders. This was one of the big thoughts conveyed through the conference. That and the idea we need to empower our leaders and our teams. That's something I try to do, but something I can always do better.