Hard-fought leadership lessons – Bill Hybels

2014-08-14 9:35 AM

“All leadership is intensely spiritual”

• leadership impacts the spirit of those around us
• leaderships are visionaries to see the future before others see it
• we paint pictures that show the future
• “leaders with the highest level of vision and passion often have the lowest awareness of the spirit of the team” - watch out for feeling that people on the team are expendable because they don’t care enough
• people on the team can sense when the leader doesn’t feel they care or that they are only appreciated for their work and not for who they are
• people are more important than the vision
• “Don’t make your people pay because you are so addicted to the vision”
• 5 Key Commitments from Willow to turn culture around
• use an outside objective firm (The Best Christian Workplace)
• for the leader and executive team to own the change - “your culture will only be as healthy as the senior leader wants it to be”
• get serious about training anyone who manages people - “People join organizations. People leave managers”
• raise the level of candor in the twice-a-year performance reviews - every worker wants feedback on how they are doing
• “The kindest form of managment is the truth.” Jack Welch
• 3 Words for performance review feedback: Start, Stop, Continue
• 3 M’s for Meetings: - Clarify what will Move ahead
• Modify the plan for what isn’t progressing
• Motivate people before the meeting ends (so they will levitate out of meeting)
• Ruthless commitment to resolve relational conflict - conflict is an opportunity to strengthen relationships
• deeper levels of trust when moving through the conflict
• Book “Reconcile”
• Only 54% of employees in Christian organizations are engaged in their work (30% in corporate world)

“Great leadership is by definition relentlessly developmental

• 5 ways to develop emerging leaders (Bob Eidinger) - put in high challenge roles
• short term task force - success or failure must be possible
• full charge
• variety of people
• real pressures and deadline
• be evaluated by senior leader (resourcefulness is the key)
• real time feedback
• coaching and mentoring
• classroom courses and seminars
• Give young leaders a chance to lead

“Finding and developing leaders with a legacy mindset”

• 2 types of workers - Hireling Type: only doing the work but doesn’t care about the organization – long-term - personal ambition
• personal advancement
• Great organizations can’t be built by staff who are hireling types
• Owner Types: actually care about the sheep - Legacy leaders will stay through tough times
• Legacy leaders work for the long vision
• We each only get one chance at this life (2 choices)
• live and lead small, safe, selfishly (easy to drift into this type of life)
• live into the grand vision God has created for us
• “Have you given any real thought to what your legacy will be or what you will leave behind that is beautiful?”

Legacy leaders must develop endurance strategies

• James 1:12
• “The grandeur the vision the greater the price tag”
• “It’s hard to hear God at mach 2”
• Solitude allows you to hear God
• Feel exhausted and discouraged? Humble yourself and call for help! God can make a way when there is no way. Ask Him. Psalm 34:18 “He rescues those who are crushed in spirit”

Categories: Leadership · Originally published on stephen.braunius.org