325 gain knowledge during Leadercast

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

More than 325 people attended this year’s Leadercast leadership teleconference session at LifeHouse Church in Van Wert to hear popular motivational speakers provide leadership advice centered on the theme, “Powered by Purpose”.

Leadercast, held live in Atlanta, Georgia, is simulcast to locations all over the world, including the Van Wert session, which was sponsored by the Van Wert Area Chamber of Commerce, in cooperation with the Delphos, Ottawa, Paulding, Southwestern Auglaize County, and St. Marys Chambers.

Speakers this year included leadership author and communicator Andy Stanley; former sports agent and author Molly Fletcher, Jim McKelvey, co-founder of Square and founder of LaunchCode business software companies; Donald Miller, StoryBrand CEO; Jess Ekstrom, CEO of Headbands of Hope; behavioral science expert Daniel Pink; Suzy Welch, author, TV commentator, and co-founder of the Jack Welch Management Institute; leadership expert, clinical psychologist, and author Henry Cloud; and actor-producer-director-playwright-screenwriter Tyler Perry.

Van Wert Chamber President/CEO Susan Munroe said early feedback during the event was excellent, with each participant getting something different from the event.

“As you’re walking out with anybody, you’ll hear: ‘he was my favorite or she was my favorite’,” Munroe said. “They (the speakers) each speak to us differently.”

Munroe was also complimentary of LifeHouse Pastor Matt Braun and his staff, as well as LifeHouse’s state-of-the-art facility.
“It’s great,” Munroe said of LifeHouse’s facility, with its excellent video and sound equipment. “I was telling Lead Pastor Matt Braun that he may have thought he was building a church, but he actually built a corporate event center.”

She said she also enjoyed Braun and his LifeHouse band’s lead-off to the event.

“It’s not often you begin a corporate leadership event with Ozzy Osbourne’s ‘Crazy Train,’” the Chamber president/CEO said. “It’s good, they had some fun.”

Munroe said Donald Miller was her favorite speaker during Friday’s Leadercast, noting that Miller drilled the audience on telling their story.

“Don’t be the hero, be the guide that supports the hero,” she said was Miller’s advice, adding that the speaker also told businesses to ask for what they want, not beat around the bush.

“He gave an example: If you have a website, and I have to think about my own website, in that right-hand corner do you have ‘learn more’, ‘get started’, or ‘buy now’? You want to have ‘buy now’,” she said.

Munroe said Miller also explained that the story a business needs to tell is not its own individual story, but one that tells clients how the business can help them.

In addition to the speakers, local Leadercast participants were treated to free chair massages from Van Wert Massotherapy and chair yoga sessions from Van Wert County Hospital, as well as professional photos from Eberle Photography, and an inflatable obstacle course provided by UltraSound Special Events.

Business sponsors of Friday’s event included Apex Clean Energy, Central Insurance Companies, Federal-Mogul Corporation, Home Health Care Solutions, Van Wert County Hospital, Alexander & Bebout Inc., K&L Ready Mix, Purmort Brothers Insurance, Quick Lane Tire and Auto Center, StateWide Ford Lincoln, Vantage Career Center, and Van Wert Manor.