I just spent an amazing day (1 of 2) at Community Christian Church, with my coworkers, attending a satellite session of Willow Creek’s Leadership Summit 2008.
To say my brain is full would be a huge understatement. Pastor Dave posted a summary of the speakers today on his blog, >>Velocity.
What does it mean to be a leader? I told a friend (and coworker) today that I didn’t really WANT to be a leader. I must have surprised her, based on the look on her face, and the “Why not?” I got in response. I answered that I didn’t really want the responsibility that comes with being a leader. I think that’s partly true. It can be a burdensome thing.
However, I am still faced with the fact that quite a few people in my life have told me that I am either meant to be a leader, or already am one. So, what is that supposed to mean? Is it good to be a leader? What if you don’t want to be? Is it a calling? Is it something you can say “no” to? Thinking through Bible stories, I can recall more than one person that God called that initially said “No thanks!”, but ended up being drafted by God anyway… So, if that’s the case, do I have a choice?
And #2 – leader of what? A rebellion? An alliance? (Too much Star Wars in my brain?) What if you don’t feel that you have anything/anyone to lead?
The most common characteristic that I saw today, overwhelmingly, was passion. Each speaker that we heard seemed to have a real passion for something – some mission, some injustice that needed to be righted, some thing that brought fire, and even tears, to their eyes. I think, in order to be a real, true, genuinely successful leader, you have to have that something. Or that some One.
To be continued…
Sadly, I was unaware that it had not yet hit stores, so I just figured I’d pick one up from Amazon. It will not be shipped until October 1.