Bill Hybels – The High Drama of Decision Making
This is part of what leaders do: they make very tough calls
Do you have a process for how you arrive at a decision?
Traditionally, Christian leaders ask these four questions:
1. What does the Bible say about this?
2. What would smart advisors say I should do?
3. P/G/E. What have I learned from the pain of past decisions, the gains and the experiences?
4. What is the Spirit prompting? (there will be peace at your core even on big decisions)
Make a trial decision. Imagine life with the decision made. Is there life and peace or worry and anxiety? You still have time to change the decision.
Journaling helps to chronicle your past decision processes.
If it’s a good decision, thank God/advisors/everyone. If it’s a bad decision, don’t blame anyone. Take the hit. Bear the consequences.
Staying clear about your own responsibility for the poor decisions you make is what keeps the learning intensity so high in your life.
Colin Powell: Promote a clash of ideas. Reward your performers. Get rid of non-performers.
How much energy do you waste trying to take care of non-performers?
Vision leaks. People are like a bucket that has holes in the bottom. It slowly leaks. A leader has to keep pouring vision into people.
Get the right people around the decision-making table, bolt the doors and God WILL speak.
As the senior leader, do you REALLY believe these problems are solvable?
If you have committed Christians, you’ll change the world. You can’t change your block with status quo people who still want God to bless what they want to do.
When something feels funky, engage. When a problem in the church is brewing, don’t believe the lie that problems go away if unattended. Unattended problems grow fangs & claws.
Gary Haugen – Leadership that Actually Matters
Gary is a lawyer who was in charge of the UN’s investigation in the Rwanda genocide. He has established the International Justice Mission.
Just because I’m leading and people are following doesn’t mean I’m leading them in things that matter to God.
Are Jesus and I interested in the same things?
What is God truly passionate about? The world & justice.
The most difficult thing for people to believe about faith is the idea that God is good, because they’re in so much pain.
What is God’s plan for making it believable that God is good? The Bible says we’re the plan. God doesn’t have another plan.
How are people in Dayton supposed to believe God is good?
Did you know there are 2 million children held in forced prostitution right now?
Leading in the struggle against brutal & massive injusice feels intimidating. Sometimes most of us would rather lead people in things that are cheerful, safe and happy. That is not when leadership matters. People will take care of themselves in easy & happy things. Leadership matters precisely when they calling seems hard and tough.
How do we lead when the calling of God feels hopeless?
– recenter your focus on hope
– if God is passionate about getting it done, God is also responsible for getting it done
– Jesus didn’t ask for what was needed, just asked for what disciples had. Give it to him so he can do the miracle.
– Sometimes God is calling you to lead in a work that seems hopeless
How do we lead when the task seems scary?
– Jesus did not come to make us safe, he came to make us brave
– If my life feels safe, I should check to make sure I’m actually following Jesus
– Leaders can liberate people from living a life of making safe bets
– The saddest thing is going on the trip but missing the adventure
– Jesus says: “Follow me beyond your strength, competency, the crowd and you will experience GOD, wisdom, love, power…
How do we lead when it’s hard?
1. Choose not to be safe
– Do we have a life’s work that we can’t imagine doing for 30 minutes without prayer – if not, maybe we need a new life’s work.
2. Choose to seek deep spiritual health
– I won’t survive this if I don’t know what God knows about pain & suffering
– I KNOW I don’t have wisdom & clarity on my own
– If you want to ignite passion & purpose in people’s devotional life, then lead them on a more demanding climb where its unsafe to go without God
3. Choose to seek excellence
– We spiritualize mediocrity
– Reset the bar of excellence
– Flourish under transparency and accountability
4. Choose to seize joy
– The first thing to disappear when spiritual joy departs is laughter
– It should make us laugh every day to see God employ goofy people like us
– God is making his appeal to the world through us. That should strike us as funny.
– Lead others in celebration, feasting, good cheer, playing, recreation, hilarious generosity
– The JOY of the Lord is our strength
Wendy Kopp – Teach for America
Big dog leaders have huge visions and stick with them for a long time
We are so consumed with building churches, fighting AIDS that we look right over the injustice of the education system right here in the US
Great leaders have something that burns inside of them. It’s easy to be a leader if you’re pursuing something you deeply care about.
Our biggest asset can be inexperience. We have no idea it’s a crazy idea.
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