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Talking Technology By Steve Burns, Capital News contributor A couple of columns ago, I reiterated my passion for the subject of leadership. If we were all honest with ourselves we would readily confess that we all have room to improve our leadership skills. So I was thrilled to spend three days last week at one of the best leadership conferences on the planet. Best of all, it was held in Kelowna! This leadership conference was very different than anything else that I have ever attended. It was hosted by the Willow Creek Association out of Chicago in conjunction with the Leadership Centre of Willow Creek Canada, which is located in Kelowna (www. growingleadership.com). The Willow Creek Canada Leadership Centre is a relatively unknown organization but it has been responsible for many leadership initiatives in Christian churches around the planet. This was an amazing event to pull off with a high technology twist. The Leadership Summit was broadcast live via satellite from the Willow Creek campus near Chicago and involved more than 40,000 men and women gathering in eight cities. This organization is definitely leveraging their leadership capabilities in the technology field. I very much enjoyed the mix of contemporary worship and leadership speakers all in the same conference. I also enjoyed the different perspectives that each speaker had on the subject of leadership. While the primary focus of the conference was on those in church leadership, the Kelowna conference at Willow Park Church was attended by 450 people, a good number of whom were business owners and employees. The line-up of speakers included: 1.Bill Hybels Willow Creek is a Christian organization led by Bill Hybels, senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Ill. Hybels founded Willow 28 years ago and today has between 17,000 and 18,000 people attend one of Willow's five weekend services. He is the author of several books on leadership including, Courageous Leadership. 2. Pat Summitt Summitt has maintained a championship basketball program at the University of Tennessee for almost three decades, coaching the Lady Volunteers, one of the most successful basketball teams in history. In 2000, she was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., becoming just the fourth women's basketball coach to earn that honor. The author of two inspirational books, Reach for the Summit and Raise the Roof, Pat is a master motivator who shared her insights on developing winning teams. 3.T.D. Jakes Jakes is a pastor, community advocate, humanitarian, author, playwright, conference speaker, and broadcaster. He founded and leads The Potter's House, a multiracial, nondenominational church in Dallas, Tex. Starting with just 10 members, it is now one of the fastest-growing churches in America, with 48 active outreach ministries and 28,000 members. A powerful communicator who in 2001 was named America's Best Preacher by Time Magazine, T.D. presented a dynamic challenge to exceptional leadership. 4. Steven Sample Sample is president of the University of Southern California and author of the best-selling book, The Contrarian's Guide to Leadership. Under his guidance, USC has become one of the most respected and highly rated universities in the country, selected as College of the Year in 2000 by both Time and The Princeton Review. It has also received national recognition for its innovative community partnerships. Sample explored a set of key counterintuitive truths that can help leaders in making decisions that impact an organization. 5.Tim Sanders Sanders is the leadership coach for the Internet services company Yahoo! He previously served as chief solutions officer, charged with delivering next-generation marketing programs to world-class brands. He is the author of the New York Times best-selling book Love is the Killer App, a dynamic speaker, and advisor to industry leaders and visionaries alike. He addressed the Summit on the importance of compassionate leadership to inspire those within your team and to meet the needs of those you serve. 6. Marcus Buckingham Buckingham is an expert on outstanding leadership and management practices. For 17 years he served The Gallup Organization, leading their research into the world's best managers, leaders and workplaces. A graduate of Cambridge University, he is the author of two best-selling books: First, Break All the Rules and Now, Discover Your Strengths. A resource for both human resource and management issues, he drew on examples from a variety of organizations to help each person discover and maximize their leadership strengths. 7. A.R. Bernard, Sr. Bernard is the founder and pastor of Christian Cultural Center, a church and not-for-profit organization of 17,000 members in Brooklyn, New York. What began in 1979 as a small storefront church has emerged as a thriving ministry that includes a school, bookstore, food pantry, prison ministry, literacy ministry and more. He is known for his practical application of Christian teaching in areas like leadership, family, integrity, and spiritual and personal growth. He covered the issue of becoming a leader who perseveres. I have yet to meet a business owner, entrepreneur, president or CEO that had concluded that they had no more to learn on the subject of leadership. I found many lasting leadership truths throughout this conference that will be beneficial to all of us. Over the next month, we will take a closer look at the issue of leadership from the perspective of each of the Leadership Summit speakers. I think that you will find yourself challenged and inspired to not only improve your leadership skills but to potentially redefine your view of what makes an excellent leader. From how to lead a winning team to how to lead your business through a crisis, I found this conference to be just the injection of leadership passion and vision that I needed. I look forward to sharing with you what I gleaned from the outstanding conference hosted by the “leaders of leaders”. Steve Burns, CA, CMC, CFP, is the president and CEO of Burns Innovation Group Inc. (www.burnsinnovation.com) and Steve Burns Inc. Chartered Accountant (www.steveburns.ca), which provide consulting and accounting services to entrepreneurs. You can reach Steve at 763-4716 or via e-mail at: |
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