- Leaders have to make tough decisions
- decide whether to feed 10,000 orphans in Zimbabwe (life or death decision)
- in .com bust, had to lay off 30 staff. Agonizing: some were sole wage earners; some he had baptized
- Book recommendation: Judgement by Tishe and Dennis
- Traditionally Christian leaders ask four questions
- Does the Bible say anything about this?
- If yes, you can get a lot of wisdom. “I love this book. I love the clarity it gives me.”
- What would wise advisors tell me to do?
- “In the presence of many counsellors there is wisdom” (Prov 14?) But you don’t necessarily have to take their advice—it’s your decision to make; example of Reheboam. (Parenthetically, I find that counsellors tell you opposite things)
- P/G/E: What have you learned from the Pain of decisions, Gains of past decisions, and Experience
- Conteplate the pain of poor decisions he has made, so when feeling bold, tends to think about poor previous decisions and waits. Also remembers bold decisions that really catapaulted the church
- Journal: learn from the past
- What is the Holy Spirit prompting me to do?
- The Holy Spirit will whisper inaudably
- Relies on these promptings
- When you are following God, it leads to life and peace. Bill makes a trial decision before the time and tests to see if it leads to life and peace.
- When the decision works well, thank everyone: God, advisors, experience, etc. When it ws the wrong decision, blame nobody; take responsibility.
- If we are fuzzy on who is to blame, people will be fuzzy on what the lesson to be learned is.
- All this was intro, background
- Good leaders condense the four steps into proverbs that convey a principle.
- Ex: Lincoln, when people wanted to destroy the vanquished South, said “the best way to defeat an enemy is to make him my friend.”
- Ex: “Create action”: energy in an organization tends to dissipate.
- Powell Principles (Colin Powell)
- Check you ego at the door
- Promote a clash of ideas
- Reward your best performers, get rid of non-performers.
- Coin axioms. Use them. They will be more effective
- Subordinates would get all fired up about a vision, then three months later forget it. So thought about why, realized that their lives tended to overwhelm (over time) the vision. Coined a phrase: “Vision leaks.” This has saved countless hours of relearning the same thing.
- “Get the right people around the table”: God passionately wants the Church to succeed. The leaders’ job is to get the right people who want to love and serve God.
- Senior leaders: do you really believe that God wants His church to prevail, and that He will lead you and the right people to victory?
- “Facts are your friends:" Reveal study. The facts are helping Willow Creek move people from exploring Christ to Christ-centered.
- “When something feels funky, engage:" Do not believe that problems go away. They don’t.
- “Leaders call fouls:" Leaders stop a meeting if someone crossed a line. Sometimes, have to call a foul on yourself.
- Ex: during a townhal meeting, a man asked a question in a way that was hurtful/resentful
Q: [Hurtful question]
Bill: Do you play golf?
Q: ?
Bill: If you take a really bad shot, people will give you a mulligan. I’d like to give you a mulligan.
Q: [well asked question]
[people clap] - “Take a flyer [calculated risk]”
- Ate a subsistence diet (rice, beans, water) for 5 days. Limited consumption and gave the money to the church, which distributed it to the poor. Hybels thought the idea wouldn’t fly, but his team thought the church would rise to the challenge. They did.
- "This is church:"
- Ex. Was busy with church meetings and had a call from a dad whose son was in trouble. Hastily met up with him, as he was talking with him, dad to dad, realized “this is church” (i.e. not the meetings)
- Celebrating an 18-year old girl whose life was being well-lived
- Crying at a funeral for a godly young 19-year old woman.
- You will never experience the fullness of life until you are uncompromisingly committed Christ.