Leadership Summit Calm

I had a great time leading the production team to pull off the Willow Creek Leadership Summit. It is amazing to see what a group of very different people can do when we all put our talents and gifts together. It is very humbling to see how amazing the Summit was and that I was able to be a part of it.

Besides being the production manager for the event, I also was the floor manager during the sessions. My job was to coach the speakers on where the cameras were, how each transition was going to happen and to walk them into place. One of my biggest pet peeves is when I see people, especially leaders freaking out when things are not going according to plan. I am a pretty calm person and am always roughly the same no matter what is going on. Remaining calm had a huge effect on every one around me. When things were not going so well, staying calm was just what everyone else needed for them to stay calm.

One time, I was visiting a church that met in a high school and the TD in charge spent the whole time running from task to task. Not just jogging or even fast walking. This was full on, out of breath running. Everyone in the room felt a fairly high level of stress, all based off the intensity of this one person. Everyone seemed rushed. Everyone seemed paniced. Everyone was freaked out.

The result was people feeling like the set up and rehearsal were a disaster and that the service was going to bomb. Everyone was on edge, waiting for the next disaster to run to.

Walking people into position and telling people when to talk at the Summit this year reminded me of the importance of a calm spirit. People are always watching and wondering how to follow their leader. A stressed out leader makes for stressed out followers. A tranquil leader makes for tranquil followers. Which kind are you?