Authenticity and Integrity - Al Weiss

Our evening speaker was someone you may not have heard before in the church circle at least. It was Al Weiss, the president of worldwide operations for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. Now, some people may wonder what a secular leader has to say to a group of ministry leaders in the church. It turns out, a lot! And I am a firm believer that we as a church can learn a lot from the secular world and the business world (see the books Good to Great or Leadership on the Line). This talk focused more on leadership in general than young adult ministry and leadership but he made some important points that can be applied to ministry of all kinds.

Al talked a great deal about the importance of authenticity and integrity as a leader. The first point was don't pretend! In other words, be yourself! Don't attempt to play a part and try to be a cookie cutter leader. There is a great temptation out there to model our life after successful people but then we lose God's unique plan for our lives. Instead we just need to "be." Be the leader you were meant to be, not the leader that your friend and/or colleague was meant to be. And by being yourself, you are truly opening yourself up to lead with your strengths.

Another great piece of advice that I got from Al was to not change who you are because of the position you hold. Make sure you keep your priorities in tact whether you are entry level or president, associate pastor at a first call or senior pastor at your final call. I think it's easy to let success get to you head when you get promoted and you suddenly think that your career is more important than your family, friends, and health which just isn't the case. The great thing is Al has modeled this lifestyle in his rise to presidency in Disney. He's turned down promotions to remain close to his family, pushed back important meetings to be at his children's sporting events, etc. And yet he was still able to make it the top level while keeping his family, health, and integrity in tact. It's great having that example in front of you and it is something I know I will remember as the achiever in me attempts to advance to whatever it is that I'm called to down the line.

The final piece of advice I'll share from the talk is this: true success is measured at the end of your career, not at its peak. In other words, were you able to keep your integrity? I think this is something that leaders can easily struggle with. It's easy to get a big head after some success and start thinking you're invincible. But this isn't the case. Instead, we are called to see ourselves as God sees us. We are called to admit that we are sinners and saints. We are human and even as big and powerful leaders, we are still susceptible to sin, maybe even more so. Leadership can be dangerous and it is important to keep this in mind as we ourselves venture out there and take the risk. Perspective is key to help us maintain our integrity on the way. And God will always be there to remind us who we are, both sinners and saved nonetheless.