Beyond You

Once a year I take a vacation day from work, spend a couple hundred dollars and trek across Atlanta in the early morning traffic for two hours.  It is so that I can attend Leadercast, a motivational event that focuses on leaders worth following.  We all need that.  The world needs it.  And I like seeing all of the good that can come from our human potential – the creative, the imaginative, the kind, the funny, the brave.  It’s worth a day of my time and a couple hundred bucks.  If you get a chance to attend the yearly event live or at one of the 800 simulcasts that are broadcast over 25 countries, I highly recommend it.  Take a day – fill your cup!

Every one of us are leaders.  It is not a position reserved for the rich and powerful.  The individual leader in each of us is a far more powerful influence on this planet.  We are parents, friends, mentors, teachers, students, givers, and encouragers.  And at the core, it is not about the leader, but about those we are leading.

Here are some of the highlights from this year’s theme Beyond You.  Do something that will last beyond yourself!

Andy Stanley, Communicator:
A good leader empowers those around them as well as those coming along behind.

Regardless of who gets the credit, we should leave the next generation stronger and more focused as a result of our leadership.

 The value of a life is always measured by how much was given away.  Funerals don’t celebrate accumulation.  They celebrate generosity and selflessness.

 If your leadership is not all about you, then it will live beyond you.

Dr. Henry Cloud, Psychologist:
The brain is always determining if someone is for or against them.  Trust comes when people feel you are connected to them and you understand them.  Influence is a result of that trust.

 Create spaces for people’s lives – birthday parties, time together, celebrations.  Don’t be too busy.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Laureate & Human Rights Activist:
You are you because of others.  We are made for each other and for human connectedness.  We are dependent on others.

 If we have loved well while we were alive, our love will go on for generations.

 Good leaders are servants.  They are not caught up in the trappings of power. 

Simon Sinek, Author:
The one characteristic needed to lead is courage. 

Leadership is a responsibility not a rank.  Take responsibility for your actions at the time you do them, not when you get caught.

You can also read some of my highlights from last year’s conference at Simply Do.

Be beyond you.  Be a leader worth following!