35 quotes from Day 1 of the 2017 Global Leadership Summit

Here are a few quotes from Day 1 of the 2017 Global Leadership Summit. 

Bill Hybels
Communicator, author, and pastor 
Sr. Pastor of Willow Creek,
Convener of The Global Leadership Summit

  • With enough humility you can learn from anyone. 
  • Who called you out as a leader early on? Identify them. Then write them a note thanking them for seeing your leadership potential.  
  • We must plant leadership seeds. 


  • “No one ever expressed belief in my young life” *Young woman who was encouraged by Hybels noticing and confirming her gift of serving others. Take time to have 2-minute conversations throughout your week. Get to get to know and encourage those around you. 
  • People of faith: We do not get to choose who we respect. 
  • When was the last time you searched the Scriptures or your soul? 
  • What new story does God want to write for you? 

Sheryl Sandberg
Chief Operating Officer at Facebook 
  • No one does anything alone. 
  • “She isn’t bossy, she has leadership skills.”
  • Beating yourself up over and over does not help on the road to recovery. 
  • Overreacting does not help. 
  • Show up and do something! 
  • Write down moments of joy each day. Three is a good number to start.  
  • Make it easy for people to give you feedback. 

Marcus Lemonis
CEO of Camping World & Good Sam
Star of The Profit

  • Tell me something about yourself … before we do business. 
  • Help people with your hands, not just your words and money. 
  • You are blessed to mold people. … It’s your duty to help them. 

Bryan Stevenson
Equal Justice Initiative 

  • Story of his grandmother giving him strong hugs, she would say later, “Do you still feel me hugging you?” 
  • Get closer to those you are serving. 
  • In proximity I learned things. 
  • We have to get closer to them (those you are serving) to understand them. 
  • We have to be willing to do uncomfortable things. 
  • Why do we want to kill all the broken people? 
  • I do what I do because I’m broken too. 

Andy Stanley
Communicator, author, and pastor
Senior Pastor of North Point Community Church

  • If we had it to do all over again, what would we do all over again? 
  • Somebody somewhere is messing with the rules of the prevailing model. 
  • Do this: (1) Be a student, not a critic. (2) Keep your eyes and mind wide open. (3) Replace How? with WOW! (4) Ask the uniquely better questions. 
  • We naturally resist things that we don’t understand or can’t control. 
  • “The next generation product or idea almost always comes from the previous generation.” -Al Reis, Focus
  • That won’t work because … *You are making assumptions. 
  • Closed-minded leaders close minds. 
  • “We must pay attention to the frontiers of our ignorance.” -Sam Harris
  • Wow ideas to life, don’t How them to death. 
  • Your greatest contribution in life might not be something that you do, but who you raise. 
  • Four questions to ask: (1) Is this unique? (2) What would make this unique? (3) Is it better? (4) Is it better … really?