Skip to main content

You have influence. Your small daily decisions add up. They leave a trail for your family, friends, and others to follow.

Leadership is influence. Use it wisely.

Bill Hybels, Marcus Buckingham, Sam Adeyemi, Juliet Funt and Bryan Stevenson challenged leaders on using their influence at The Global Leadership Summit 2017 at Willow Creek, IL.

28 Of Their Best Quotes

Marcus Buckingham (started the “Strengths Revolution” /Author)

1. “When you take bad and invert it, you just get ‘not bad.’ Good is something so much better.”

2. “Excellence has its own pattern. You learn nothing about excellence by studying your failures.”

3. “People say they want feedback, but they don’t. They want attention.”

4. “A year is 52 little sprints.”

5. “Leading is taking someone’s unique gifts and helping them contribute to the world.”

6. “I believe God blessed us with unique gifts and work is a space to discover those unique gifts and spread them to the world.” 

Bill Hybels (Founding Pastor of Willow Creek Community Church / Global Leadership Summit)

7. “We all owe huge debts to those who planted leadership seeds in us.”

8. “How do we lead in an era of runaway divisiveness and disrespect? The solution has to begin with me.”

9. “We of faith do not get to choose who we respect.”

10. “Maybe it’s time we all step up and say we will set the standard for inclusivity and have zero tolerance for disrespect while we are at the helm.”

11. “God is an equal-opportunity story writer.”

12. “We leaders love to be challenged. We thrive on challenges. It’s how God made us.”

13. “My biggest concern about leaders is their lack of reflection time. We stop asking who we are doing this work for, what kind of person we are becoming, and whether what we’re doing is working.”

14. “Your culture will only ever be as healthy as your top leader wants it to be.”

15. “Do you have a personal betterment plan for your leadership in the following year?”

Sam Adeyemi (founding pastor of Daystar Christian Centre, Nigeria)

16. “In leadership you don’t attract who you want, you attract who you are.”

17. “Real and sustainable change in someone’s life begins with a change in their sense of identity.”

18. “Whatever people see and hear consistently in their lives will shape the direction of their hearts.”

19. “Vision is the ability to see people, places, and things not just the way they are, but the way they could be.”

Juliet Funt (CEO Whitespace at Work)

20. “In our days all of us are getting less and less comfortable with ‘the pause.’ This comes with a very high cost to our lives, our minds, and our organizations.”

21. “What are the costs of worshiping the god of busy-ness?”

22. “White space is a strategic pause taken between activities. These become the oxygen that allows our ideas to catch fire.”

23. “You must de-crappify your workflow.”

Bryan Stevenson (Professor of Clinical Law at New York State University)

24. “Hopelessness is the enemy of social justice. It is the enemy of effective leadership.”

25. “Effective leadership only happens when great leaders are willing to do uncomfortable things.”

26. “It’s the broken that understand the power of mercy. It’s the broken that understand the power of redemption.”

27. “True leadership is measured by how you treat the poor and neglected.”

28. “The opposite of poverty is justice.” 

APPLICATION: Which quote speaks to you the most? My favorites are #4 & #23. Please leave a comment below. Thank you.


I write to inspire people to be real, grow an authentic faith in Jesus, enjoy healthy relationships and discover their life purpose. If this material is helpful to you, please follow me.

  • Subscribe. I’ll put helpful content into your email box on Mondays and Thursdays, as well as upcoming events at North Pointe Community Church, Edmonton, Alberta.
  • Follow on Twitter. I daily tweet info I think you’ll be interested in.
  • Friend on Facebook. If you “like” my page, let me know you found me here.
  • Connect on Linkedin. I like this because it reminds me what people think I’m good at.
Bob Jones

Happily married to Jocelyn for 45 years. We have two adult sons, Cory and his wife Lynsey and their son Vincent and daughter Jayda; Jean Marc and his wife Angie and their three daughters, Quinn, Lena and Annora. I love inspiring people through communicating, blogging, and coaching. I enjoy writing, running, and reading. I'm a fan of the Double E, Bruins, Celtics, Red Sox and Pats. Follow me on Twitter @bobjones49ers

2 Comments

  • Charmaine says:

    I’m reflecting on #13. It is easy to get caught up in the what… do we really remember the why?

  • Adena says:

    #16 through #19 are terrific statements. When put all together, it’s such a powerful way to influence others; specifically teens.

Leave a Reply