Bill Hybels - The High Drama of Decision Making

In the last couple years I have had the privilege of being in a small group that meets every couple months that includes significant leaders from across Chicago including Bill Hybels.  I have for a long time been someone who admires Bill and learned many leadership lessons from him.  What has been fascinating and encouraging to me since getting to know Bill is that he is the same person in private as he is in person.  He thinks about leadership.  He talks about leadership. He is a leader.  And he passionately loves leading a church and movement of churches.  As I heard him talk in this first session about decision-making and axioms, this is not just content for a talk at the Summit, this is stuff he says and thinks about in private.  Here are some of my take-aways from Bill's session on decision-making:

The biggest part of leadership is making decisions.  Many of us get to participate in life-saving decisions on a regular basis.  How a leader makes decisions is critical.  There is a clear path for making decisions by asking these questions:

• QUESTION #1: "What does the Bible say about this decision?" The authority of God's word has the first say about any decision we make big or small.
• QUESTION #2: "What would smart advisers tell me about this decision?"  There are people that God has intentionally put around you to help you make critical decisions.  There are things they know that you do not know...rely on them!
• QUESTION #3: "What have you learned from the pain of past decisions?"  Leaders should be adding to their learnings year after year.  Journaling is a discipline that allows you to chronicle the positive and painful decisions of the past and empowers you to repeat them or not repeat them.
• QUESTION #4:  "Is the Spirit of God prompting me?" Romans 8:6 says, "The mind of sinful man^'s death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace."  When you are in step with the Spirit it will bring life and peace.

Successful leaders will take theses decisions and condense them and into axioms that they repeat and live by...

• Axiom from Abraham Lincoln:  "The best way to deal with someone who has wronged me is to turn them into a friend."
• Axiom  from Bob Galvin: "Create motion for motion sake."
• Axiom from Coin Powell:  "Check your ego at the door" or "Promote a clash of ideas" (Colin Powell has 12 of these principles)

Axioms from Bill Hybels: 

• "vision leaks"
• "get the right people around the table and we will be fine."
• "facts are your friends"
• "when something feels funky - engage!"
• "take a flier"
• "this is church"

What are your own leadership axioms?  I'd love to hear them.  Leave a comment.

Comments

[Rich Birch]

"there's no bad information - just information we don't like"

[Matt Larson]

Can it be done?

[Eric Bramlett]

"Always Leave Them Wanting More." - my axiom, or... the first rule of Burlesque... or both...

[Doug Rutter]

I thought Bill's session was so refreshing in his transperancy and authenticity. I got teary during the "this is church" section. My axioms...

Prayer is our most effective program
Committment is essential to community.
Ministry is the call on every christian.
Content is core. Context is critical. Relevance flows from the combination of both.

[Carter M]

Yeah this was a great talk, though it was hard not to feel like it was also a commercial for the new book.
Anyway, i like the axiom concept. Here are a few that come to my mind:
"Speed of the leader, speed of the team!" (Dave Ferguson)
"Leave on a high note" (Seinfeld)
"If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right." (My dad)
"Finish strong" (me, somehow became an all-staff joke)

[Shelley]

Be an intentional catalyst for a movement of reproducing....

stolen from CCC buzz words, can be taken either way, much like Bramlett's axiom

[Mark]

I have two off the top of my head

"Define the high five" - When the vision is cast, take the time to paint a tangible picture of what success looks like; the reason you would high five each other in the hallway knowing you have achieved the vision God gave you to achieve.

"Celebrate Success" - Take the time to celebrate success; thanking God and everyone who helped make the vision a reality.

[Dale Schaeffer]

Focus on people, not property

[Brian Zehr]

When in doubt... initiate
and
Make an impact - build a relationship

[paul]

In reference to our non-negotiables - "This is the hill we die on."

This last year spent preparing to launch Walls Down church has forced me to do many things I do not enjoy (e.g. being my own personal assistant, raising our own salary, working in the details as we are documenting our processes, etc.) the phrase that has been on my lips often has been, "It doesn't matter. I just have to do it."

And one more... "It's the Stockdale paradox." Those of you who have read "Good to Great" will recall that great nugget!

[Rob]

Here are some of the things I find myself saying over and over.

"Great people beat great programming ever time."

"The right people in the right place for the right reason."

"Great Commandment heart fueled by a Great Commission focus."

[Lorri]

...Let Go and Let God., Live in the Now...(land on today, you can fly away tomorrow)
...To God be the Glory., When life give you lemons'...add sugar. (good title for a book? lol}