GLS continues to pull in amazing speakers to inspire leaders across the world. Every year their light seems to spread further and to many hard-to-reach places like 74 different correctional facilities, underground churches in undisclosed countries, and remote villages (60 different translations). Each year those numbers grow.

Something I found very impactful this year was the time GLS set aside for reflection. Host, Paula Faris, led moments of quiet meditation between some of the sessions. She prompted us to reflect on the speakers’ content and consider how we might be able to apply their principles to our lives and leadership moving forward.

There were also fantastic musical performances between sessions which served as yet another mental break to help us reset before the next speaker. For example, they had the amazing artist, Kevin Olusola, celloboxing. If you’re new to celloboxing, check this out.

As far as speakers go, some of the points Todd Henry brought up from his book, Herding Tigers, Be the Leader that Creative People Need, resonated deeply with me.

Henry discussed the importance of finding the right balance of inspiration, productivity and health for ourselves, as well as for those we lead. When any one of those elements is lacking, we can quickly lose clarity, direction and trust from our team.

This begins with focusing on ourselves. Although that might sound contradictory to a leader, Henry said, “If you are not inspired, then you cannot inspire.”

We must first focus on the balance within ourselves before we can speak courage and trust into those we lead. This is an ongoing process of self-awareness and intentionality, and it helps us unleash our team to achieve better work. This builds trust and transitions us from leading by control to a healthier creative process. 

Since hearing Henry speak at GLS, I started listening to his Herding Tigers podcast which has even more nuggets of wisdom for leading creative teams. I’m excited to dig into this more and spend time reflecting on how I can enhance my own leadership approach.  

Additionally, Jia Jang told us about his 100 day mission to find rejection. He purposefully went out every day asking impossible things from strangers, just to hear them say ‘no’ and get used to the feeling of rejection. It ended up surprising him when many people said ‘yes!’, creating several amazing experiences. 

Jang spoke about triumphing over our fears and using rejection as an insightful tool for growth. This was a powerful eye-opener for a gal who often seeks approval. 

I’m excited to spend more time reflecting on my creative life balance and how I can help unleash other creatives to do their best work. My time at GLS encouraged me to find a healthy flow of feeding my own inspiration and creative passion while encouraging others to do the same.