By: Bob Strohm
bstrohm@wbcowqel.com
Business and community leaders of the present and future came together at the Bucyrus Nazarene Church Friday to participate in the annual Leadercast event.
In its sixth year, the 2014 Leadercast was broadcast to 750 different sites in 35 countries around the world including a live events broadcast from Atlanta, Georgia and Hillsong Capetown, South Africa.
The event ran from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. was hosted by Tripp Crosby, and Giuliana Rancic and was themed “Leading Beyond You.” Handling hosting duties at the Bucyrus Leadercast event were Kriste Slagle, and Dave Williamson.
While the annual Leadercast event is six years old Crawford County has participated in it since 2011. Dave Williamson explained how the county got involved saying, “The leadercast idea originally came from Pat Hord and Rich Herb who were founding members of the Leadership Development team, and Pat said there is this event going on, but I am unsure if we can get enough energy to make it happen. It fit in so well with what Crawford 20/20 Vision is about.”
Slagle explained how she became involved with the Leadercast event saying, “I was part of the first cohort of CULead, and was an attendee in 2011.”
“I think the value of Leadercast is it connects all the great things happening in the community, and it is a tool us for use as a way to communicate. To say there are great things happening.” Slagle continued.
Featured speakers for the event were Andy Stanley, Dr. Henry Cloud, former First Lady Laura Bush, Laura Shroff, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu amongst others.
Andy Stanley spoke first at the event giving those in attendance three tools to become a “Beyond You” Leader. The first tool was “Get in the habit into making as few decisions as possible.” During this point Stanley had the audience repeat the phrase “you decide.”
Stanley’s second tool to become a Beyond Leader was “Work for your team.” at this point Stanley had the crowd repeat the phrase “What can I do to help.”
The final tool that Stanley shared was “Empty your cup.” Stanley explained this rule by telling the audience that “if you commit now you are going to accumulate success.”
Stanley closed saying, “if your leadership isn’t all about you it will live beyond you.”
Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s speech was broadcast from the Capetown, South Africa Location. In between moments of laughter Tutu’s message to those watching was that “how you treat others measures your being, It is not the work you have done, but who you have influenced in life, people need to encourage others wherever they are found, and to lead through serving.”
Archbishop Tutu spoke of late South African leader Nelson Mandela saying, “Nelson Mandela who emerged from prison was accommodating, but when he went to jail he was young and angry, and believed in violence.”
“Those 27 years were quite crucial to a man, when he was released Mandela displayed no spite or bearing of ill will. He championed compassion and reconciliation,” Archbishop Tutu continued.
First Lady Laura Bush spoke after lunch intermission. During her speech Bush spoke of wanting to be a teacher though it wasn’t what she expected. “When I got there I wasn’t prepared. Every year I learned as my students learned.”
Bush shifted from her teaching days to the White House saying, “It is important for a leader to laugh and have a sense of humor. In the White House it was very helpful to have had a staff that enjoyed laughing.”
Bush also explained, “Things will happen that you don’t expect, but it is important to use those things that you didn’t want or expect into ways that are constructive.”
Tad Fannin, who attended the event representing Action Carpet Care as well as Gardens Reaching Others Worldwide, explained what he took away from the event saying, “It has been great some really awesome speakers in their fields, and really seeing people from the community who are interested also in learning more about leadership and becoming better leaders is encouraging.”
Attending after invite from family friend Kriste Slagle, Sara Gebhardt explained what she gathered from the event saying, “Leaders are those who put others before them was one of the things I pulled out from today.”
“There was just so much to take in from today there was a lot of really good information,” Gebhardt continued.
During the conclusion of the Leadercast event Crosby announced that starting in 2015 the Leadercast annual event will begin to focus on 7 core behaviors of leadership with the theme for next year’s event being “Bravery.” The 2015 global Leadercast broadcast will be emanating from the Middle East with guest speakers Manal-al Sharif and Malala Yousafzai.