In over a hundred countries around the world, The Global Leadership Summit #GLS15 is vital to the strength and vitality of leaders from all walks of life. It is no exception for us who serve in the far northern corners of the 60/70 Window. While not all of our team can view the event, our leadership can benefit from the host site in Anchorage, Alaska. I would like to share a couple of my personal reflections on last week's opening session with an eye to the unique challenges of serving in Northern Canada and Alaska.
It honestly excites me each time I learn of a church that is effectively leading interracial congregations. We know how challenging that can be as we try to reach across the cultural divide to Native American and First Nation peoples. Albert Tate brought powerful teaching from God's word and encouragement to my heart… "Jesus does miracles using what we bring!"
Dr. Brene Brown never ceases to challenge my thinking. Her research into shame rings so true in the Far North. We do serve in very hard places and what a valuable reminder that courage and leadership are born when we are in the "middle space" of uncertainty. "We can't have both courage and comfort."
That truth segues nicely to the power-packed opening by Bill Hybels. Bill Hybels highlighted The Intangibles of Leadership from the book by Richard A. Davis, Ph.D. Each of these hit home to the ministry God has put before us to accomplish. Here are the five intangibles with a brief 60/70 Window reflection. Overall, I think God has blessed us with a team of people who possess many of these qualities. (But we are not perfect…let's be clear about that J)
1-Grit: This is passion and perseverance over the long haul. These leaders know that the work is hard, but believe they can overcome every obstacle. This grit is developed in adversity. I can't say I have a whole lot of grit myself, but I have great admiration for my teammates who labor in small remote villages. The deep call of God upon their lives empowers them to stick to it in some very challenging locations. We also can see this in the Native American/First Nations people. Despite past hurts, present struggles, and isolation these people keep going, albeit imperfectly.
3-Resourcefulness: When hitting an insurmountable challenge, these leaders stay at it until they figure it out. Resourcefulness is a good adjective for everyone who lives in a remote location in the Far North. One has to have this trait to survive up here!
4-Self Sacrificial Love: Gallop polls demonstrate that companies are much more likely to excel when their employees feel that their leaders have a genuine care for them. Here again we see the truth of God's word clearly displayed in how we are wired as human beings. This is the most exciting thing to me. This is the gospel. They shall know Jesus sent us as we love as God loves. This is our Kingdom mission and the gates of hell will not prevail against it!
5-Create a sense of meaning in each of their workers: People need a "white hot why" to give their all to their work. We are bringing the life-transforming good news to people who desperately need it! This is the biggest "why" I can imagine! This is also Bill Hybel's motivation … we are in good company.
Finally, number 2-Self Awareness: You thought I skipped that one didn't you? I saved it for the end because it is the hardest one. This is being aware of the past hurt that may be driving your decisions. It is the finding and removing of our blind spots. Hey, we all have them … even Christians in ministry. This is also hard because this land we live in draws rough and independent individuals. This kind of reflection can be extra hard work. Thankfully we have a great God who is not through with any of us yet. Please pray that God will move mightily in the lives of leaders all over the globe.
If you would like to see a little more about us, check out this video and download our free report, God's Extreme Love… http://ow.ly/Jylvg God bless, Daryl Carlson Communication Specialist for SEND North. Follow SEND North on social media: Facebook Twitter Google+ LinkedIn Pinterest Instagram
