Strong leaders give their employees respect and trust, provide them with ample rest time and give them heavy autonomy, according to renowned experts who spoke recently at the Global Leadership Summit held at Willow Creek Community Church and transmitted into churches and organizations worldwide including Church of the Incarnation in Dallas.

Incarnation offered the summit broadcast the last two years because effective leadership is part of the church’s core values. “At Incarnation, we are committed to raising up Christian leaders for the renewal of the Church – nationally and internationally,” said Bishop Anthony Burton, Rector of Church of the Incarnation. “Hosting the Global Leadership Summit offers an excellent opportunity for the members of the surrounding community to be inspired and equipped to transform their businesses, churches, and families.” 

The summit brought together top performing leaders to share their wisdom on how to lead others to reach their full potential.  Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg was interviewed by Willow Creek founder Bill Hybels. Sandberg talked about the importance of having more women in leadership and the need to cultivate this interest early in life. She also talked about the "Lean In" book and movement, saying there were numerous benefits to having more women in leadership both in business and politics. 

Sandberg also noted that leaders who continually get better do so because they get honest feedback from those they are leading. She asks her employees at Facebook during meetings to give her real feedback. “It’s hard,” she said. “If they don’t give me real feedback, I will tell them that they can think about it for a week, but next week I will expect real feedback so I can lead better.”

Hybels address focused more on kindness in the workplace, particularly in a world that struggles with increasing disrespect. He cited statistics of allowing disrespect in organizations noting that performance of the person being disrespected goes down 50 percent until the issue gets resolved.

He offered the following ten rules of respect:

• Leaders must set the example on how to differ with others without demonizing them
• Leaders must set the example of how to have spirited conversations without drawing blood
• Leaders must not interrupt others who are talking and must not dominate the conversation
• Leaders must set the example of limiting their volume levels and refusing to use incendiary or belittling words that guarantee to derail discussion
• Leaders must set the example of being courteous in word and deed to everyone at every level
• Leaders must never stereotype
• Leaders must apologize immediately when they are wrong, instead of denying or doubling down
• Leaders must form opinions carefully and stay open minded if better information comes along
• Leaders must set the example of showing up when they are say they are going to show up and doing what they say they are going to do
• Leaders must set “Rules of Respect” for everyone in the organization and enforce them relentlessly

“Your culture will only be as healthy as the top leader wants it to be,” he said. “… figure out how to make happen a civil, kind culture. It comes down to what you want for your people.”

Businessman Marcus Lemonis of the CNBC reality television show “The Profit” spoke about leaders being vulnerable because those kinds of revelations break down barriers and build trust. “Business is about vulnerability, about creating a connection,” he said. “I believe my success and your success is based on your ability to be vulnerable. The most important thing in life is being vulnerable and transparent. When you can unlock someone’s heart and earn their trust you can navigate anything with them. If you can’t do that, I don’t think you can do business with them.”

Laszlo Bock a senior advisor at Google, and author of “Work Rules” talked about how leaders can make their organization a top performer by giving meaning to the work of their employees. Google has been recognized more than 150 times as an exceptional employer, including the #1 “Best Company to Work for in the U.S.” every year since 2012. 

It’s important that employees know what the organization’s goals are and that they are reminded of it frequently, Bock said.  It’s equally important that the organization is transparent with information. “Give people more information and more freedom at work. Give them more autonomy. Invite them to meetings. If you are a leader give them more freedom that you are comfortable doing. If you are comfortable then you are doing it wrong,” Bock said. “They will repay you by being more creative, more open and will bring more value to your company.” 

And performance reviews of employees are an archaic and ineffective, said Marcus Buckingham who researches and writes about high performance. Studies have proven that performance reviews are 61 percent inaccurate and reflect the rater not the person being rated. “Human beings are not objective, they are unconsciously biased. They are measuring the opposite of what they say they are measuring,” he said. The feedback from performance reviews is a grenade thrown over a fence. “Superior managers provide constructive coaching on a weekly basis and ask the question, ‘what are your priorities this week and how can I help?’ It should be weekly. If you do it monthly you have the whole company looking backwards." 

Buckingham said the following eight questions predict performance:

• I am really enthusiastic about the mission of my company
• At work, I clearly understand what is expected of me
• In my team, I am surrounded by people who share my values
• I have a chance to use my strengths every day at work
• My teammates have my back
• I know I will be recognized for excellence at work
• I have great confidence in my company’s future
• In my work, I am always challenged to grow

Sam Adeyemi, senior pastor of Daystar Christian Centre in Nigeria, offered similar advice saying that leaders should model the transformation they want to see in their employees. “In leadership, you don’t attract who you want, you attract who you are. The leader is the prototype of the ideal member of the group.”

Immaculee Ilibagiza, an author and advocate for peace and forgiveness spoke about her experience hiding in the bathroom of a Presbyterian minister’s small bathroom with several others for 91 days during the Rwanda genocide. While in the bathroom, she looked through the window and saw men coming to search the house. They were in the attic with flashlights, they opened suitcases and searched all four bedrooms. When they stopped in front of the bathroom door, she prayed to God for help. The men did not open the door and left. Afterwards, Ilibagiza asked for a Bible to read to try to understand God. When she read “pray for your enemies” she thought, ‘no not my enemies, they are truly terrible.’ While reciting the Lord’s Prayer 200 times daily, she skipped “forgiving those who trespass against us,” because she didn’t want to lie to God. But eventually, after meditating about Jesus dying on the cross, she was able to finally forgive. “It was a huge lift off of my shoulders,” she said. “I didn’t have to compete with evil. I felt so much peace. The night we came out, everyone I had left behind had died; parents, two brothers, grandparents - a million people killed in three months. I felt like God was telling me, ‘the journey of your loved ones is now in heaven, but yours is still here.’”

She said her message to everyone is that there is always hope and to hold on to God because he’s almighty. Choose to uplift and do good for others. “Go out and do something God would be proud of,” she said.

Angela Duckworth is a professor of psychology and studies high performers and how they get that way. World class high performers, whether it’s athletes, business leaders, entertainers or another category, have grit. “Grit is sustained passion and perseverance for especially long-term goals,” she said.

She noted that those who out-perform most others are the once who have deliberate-practice. They come to work every day knowing exactly what they are working on and what they would like to do better than the day before. They do it with a mentor or coach to get feedback so they can reflect and refine. Then they go at it again. They repeat the process over and over again. This is what sets experts apart from everyone else,” Duckworth said. “Grit is the hallmark of high achievers. Skill counts, but effort counts twice.”

Click here for a list of books written by the presenters at the conference.