Leaders Lead Simply, The Boldly Lead Way with Paul Simkins, The Values Coach

On May 10, I helped sponsor (as a vendor) and attended Chik-fil-A Leadercast this year. Leadercast is an annual event where top leaders in business, education, politics, sports, and other areas speak on ways to strengthen your leadership. It is held live in Atlanta and simulcast to locations around the world. I was at Wycliffe Bible Translators in the Lake Nona area of Orlando.

Now, imagine being able to glean wisdom from the likes of John Maxwell, Andy Stanley, Coach K, Jack Welch, David Allen, Condolezza Rice, and others all in one day for one small investment! It was a tremendous experience and I highly recommend you plan to attend it next year.

Here is some of my takeaways from the speakers this year:

Overall Theme: Simply Lead

Andy Stanley (Author, Pastor, Founder of Northpoint Ministries)

Be okay with not being the best person in the room. Just lead.
Growth and complexity are intertwined. Leaders provide clarity in growth to offset it.
To find clarity, ask yourself “what am I doing? Why? Where do I fit into the big picture with my clients?”

David Allen (Author of Getting Things Done)

Find your serenity in a crisis in simplicity
Give yourself freedom to make a mess
Pay attention to what has your attention
Get things off your mind and on paper
Define it, refine it, date it, map it
Make your mind like water, flowing into and filling the gaps and adapting to your container

Sanya Richards Ross (Olympic Champion)

Focus on who and what you are
Henry Cloud (Author of Boundaries and Necessary Endings)
Don’t be afraid to get outside help to do what you must when you ain’t
Leaders bring necessary endings in situations both good and bad
Prune away what isn’t core to your purpose and vision
Who’s your monkey? Monkeys cling to and support one another when things are not well. Who is your monkey you can depend on

John C. Maxwell (Leadership Guru and Author of over 70 books)

As communicators we try to complicate things, but need to keep it simple
Move people from simplistic to complex to simple
Do your math:
- add value to someone everyday
- subtract your leadership landmines
- multiply your strengths by developing them
- divide your weaknesses by delegating them

Mike Krzyzewski (Coach of Duke Men’s Basketball Team and Team USA)

Leaders bring out the best in the team

Condolezza Rice (former Secretary of State, College Professor)

The key in complexity is to see simplicity
Beware enabling condition
Lead where you are

Jack Welch (former CEO of GE, author)

Go after your passion with everything you got
You have no right to be called a manager if your employees don’t know where they stand
Develop the generosity gene
Move with self-confidence, simplicity, and speed
Fear but go for it
No amount of productivity overcomes the wrong attitude, so prune away those whose attitudes are not consistent with company culture and values
Over-deliver always