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Summary Notes from Axiom: Powerful Leadership Proverbs by Bill Hybels from my prolific friend John Cox.

Category 1: Vision and Strategy
1. Language  Matters
- The very best leaders wrestle with words until they are able to communicate their big ideas in a way that captures the imagination, catalyzes action, and lifts spirits. They coin creeds and fashion slogans and create rallying cries, all because they understand that language matters
- Axioms are like speaking in shorthand—“insider” language that deepens community and creates clarity and a special sort of solidarity
2. Make the Big Ask
- When handled properly, people are actually quite flattered to be asked to do significant things for God
- First, it’s important to set the context (challenge you with something today, we’re OK whether you accept or not)
- Second, when you make the ask, do it as clearly and succinctly as possible
- Third, after making the ask, suggest that the other person take it before God and then get back to you in an agreed-upon amount of time
- As humans, we tend not to drift into better behaviors. We usually have to be asked by someone to consider taking it up a level.
- Ask people to step up and do something great for God [Read the rest of this entry...]

It is working with ridiculously gifted and funny people like this that makes this place such a blast to work at. Last weekend at the Launch Retreat the young adults had a “Small town Saturday night” party. JP, Brandon, and Steve piled in a Suburban and came up with this promo - my favorite is the last 10 seconds.

Launch Retreat Party Warm up from Steve V on Vimeo.
Here are a series of video promo’s for recent events from the student ministry guys. Watch out for cramps.

Pine Cove 2008 Invite from Watermark Student Ministries on Vimeo.

Hideaway 2008 Invite from Watermark Student Ministries on Vimeo.

The Draw 2008 Invite from Watermark Student Ministries on Vimeo.

Scott Miller our IT director and I were having a conversation yesterday about how in the world people do their jobs, love their families, walk with Jesus, and yet still have time to post on their blogs, twitter, and manager their facebook acounts.  Since I can’t keep up some of my hightlights this last 30 days:

• Spent a couple of days in Chicago with the Willow Staff debriefing the Leadership Summit. I was really encouraged by the way they received and solicited feedback. It was cool to see the “Give me the last 2%” mantra in action.
• Spent a day with my friends Eric Garcia from AMFM and Tim Propadic from Christ Fellowship. We talked about a plan to help every church in America have a marriage ministry that is making a difference. It could all amount to nothing or be the kind of thing that you have to pinch yourself in disbelief because you were at the table 20 years ago.
• Watermark launched our Sunday night service.
• Read lots of good blog posts that made me think like this one from Matt Chandler and this one from Tozer.
• Went to Echo and got to meet Tim Stevens - really bright and humble guy.
• Sold a bunch of stuff on Ebay and went to Great Wolf Lodge with the Family.
• Twittered so that Scott Miller would get off my case.
• Added Joy Kupp to our Team. She will Direct Re-Engage with Chip Dickens.
• Scott Kedersha went around the room this Tuesday at our all staff meeting and rattled off everyone’s first and last name. The guys that work the hardest make it look easy.
• Been thinking and having conversations about how Watermark could serve other churches. Got any ideas?
• Had a watermelon spitting contest with my kids last night.

4 qualities of churches or organizations that have IT

Laser focus:
Jim Collins “What can you be the best at?”
In order to reach those that no one are reaching you have to do what no one else is doing. Life Church’s 5 focuses are weekend worship, small groups, kids ministry, student ministry, and missions. They don’t do many of the things others do so that they can do things no one else is doing like 2nd life campus, u-version.
What are you doing that need to stop doing?

See opportunities where others see obstacles:
You have everything you need to do everything God wants you to do.
He often guides by what he doesn’t provide.

Willing to fail:
Failure is a necessity.
The failure of opening 2 campuses at the same time in Phoenix gave them learnings and opportunities that they wouldn’t have otherwise.
“Shake if off and step up.”
What is God calling you to do that you are afraid to attempt? When are you going to do it?

Organizations who have IT are led by people who have IT:
God showed me I had become a full time pastor and part time follower of Christ. “I lost it.”
If you don’t have it what are you going to do to get it?
Closed with a Franciscan blessing “May God bless you with discomfort…”

Drucker “Leadership is responsibility not money, fame, and power.”

Leaders of the 21st century you will be able to…
Align. Around people around mission and values.
Empower. Unleash their power.
Serve. Leaders are there to serve not be served.
Collaboration. The world’s problems are too big to be solved by ourselves.

6 Steps to becoming an empowering leader
Understand purpose of your leadership.
Gain self awareness. Get out and do it, get feedback, go through period self reflection.
Find your values.
Follow your motivations and capabilities.
Build support team around you.
Live an integrated life. Be the same person in all environments.

Follow your heart not your clock.
At the end of the your life what will you tell your grandkids what when they aske “What did you do to make a difference?”

I appreciate the way George acknowledges the fact that there are many different personality types that become great leaders. It really is refreshing to me as I have been exposed to for example much of Jack Welch’s books which seem to portray a very narrow profile of the kind of personality mix that is takes to be a leader.

Here are a few of my take aways for this session.

Haugen

• How do you reward best performers and get rid of those who aren’t? There is no distinction between what is not good for the mission and what is not good for the person.
• Where do you take the pain of not being able to rescue them all? There is a harsh reality of helping people. You have to celebrate the victories.
• He told a great story about returning home because he wife really needed him when he was supposed to defend someone in Burundi who was set to be executed. He later found out the man was freed and felt like it taught him that God was inviting him to partner but doesn’t need him and he won’t have to trash his family to partner with God in justice.
• In choosing what you should do. Is there a need? Is someone else not doing it? Can add value? Everything else is just becomes perseverance over hardships.
• I love how he answered the question about “What do you say to the church that is not involved with social justice?” He could have slammed everyone in the audience but simply said that it makes him sad because they are missing out just as they are if there is no evangelism, etc. Haugen is genius.
• The irony is that Haugen probably used more axioms that Hybels and answered most of the questions in a very profound and succinct way.

Hybels

• Natural progression of a church is a start with evangelism and discipleship and then adding a work of compassion which then leads to a work of social justice.
• I close my messages with “Don’t stand in long lines to ask me what you should do with this message.”

• “At an early age I saw leadership that mattered.” Referring to the work of leaders in South Africa in 1985. We all want our leadership to matter.
• “Just because I am leading and people are following doesn’t mean that I am leading in the things that matter to God.”
• Are Jesus and I really interested in the same things?
• God loves the world and has a passion for Justice. Justice in the Bible is the abuse of power (Not the guy in front of you in the express line with 13 items instead of 10)
• How are people in slavery, in prison and not convicted, in forced prostitution, etc. supposed to believe that God it good?
• The question everyone is asking is if God loves people and is so passionate about justice why isn’t he doing something about it?
• We are the plan and he doesn’t have another. Mica 6:8, Isaiah 1:17

If you want your leadership to matter lead in the things that matter to God.
How do we lead when the task seems hopeless? We lead by re-centering the basis of our hope. Disciples offered all they had and God did the work. If God is passionate about getting it done he is responsible for getting it done.

How do we lead when the task seems scary? We lead by reminding people that Jesus did not come to make us safe but brave. We can go on the journey with Jesus but miss the adventure.

How do we lead when the task is hard?
1.    Choosing not to be safe. A place where we need God. Do we need prayer every 30 minutes in what we are doing?
2.    Choosing deep spiritual health. On the more demanding climb your devotional life has a desperate purpose to it. Is your
3.    Choosing to pursue excellence. In other eras communities turned to Christians to fix problems and be inspired. We have lost rigor of thought and the discipline of execution. “We have spiritualized mediocrity.” There is a link between love and execution. “At IJM execution it is a matter of life and death.”
4.    Choosing Joy.

I am wondering what is my part in fighting injustice in the world?

Over time a leaders can master the art of decision making.
Best book on decision book he has read Judgment by Tichy and Bennnis.
Do you have a framework to make decisions?
Traditionally Christian leaders ask:
1.    Does the Bible say anything about this?
2.    What do my leaders or advisors say?
3.    Pain, Gain, and Experience. Chronicle your decision making process so you can come back and learn from it.
4.    Is the Spirit prompting me?

Sometimes you should make a trial decision and then walk around with it and see if brings life and peace.
Leaders can’t be decision adverse. They also have to be able to take responsibility for it.
If a decision turns out well thank God. If it doesn’t don’t blame others, take responsibility.

Leaders can distill and test their learning’s into short mantras or axioms that can be easily distilled throughout the organization.
Abraham Lincolns “The best way to deal with those who have harmed me it to turn them into my friend.” “Create motion for motions sake.”
Colin Powel Principals “Check your ego at the door.” “Promote a clash of ideas.” “Reward your best performers, get rid of non-performers.”
Do you reflect often enough that you are operating out of the leadership axioms you have created from your learning?

Hybels Axioms.
Vision leaks
Get the right people around the table
Facts are your friend – Reveal study
When something feels funky – engage. Story of small groups meetings.
Leaders call fouls (on others or ourselves).
Take a flyer. Global poverty awareness plan.
This is church. Not meetings and strategy planning sessions but community,  funerals, ministry to special needs kids.

Man I love to hear his guy talk about his passion for the local church.

What a great weekend at Watermark. Kyle Thompson pegged everyone between the eyes in our North Dallas audience as he talked about, amoung other things, how joy doesn’t come from financial security or a ruthless self discipline which helps you achieve your goals. He shared a great story about hearing a sermon in Goma, Congo where the pastor spoke on materialism from 2 Corinthians 8 and took his people to task because some in the congregation were so materialistic they had 2 pairs of sandals! Kyle didn’t have to belabor the point because everyone listening was painfully convicted by the depths of their own materialism.

There was another great moment at raise the mark that night when a family shared about how their son was going to be recieving a kidney this week that they had been praying for. While they shared Todd brought up Angela who has lost her eyesight because of kidney failure. Angela looked to the family and reminded them (and all of us) that God is good, not because he is coming through with this kidney, but because he is God. There was a moment of powerful silence after that sentence. There was a funny moment as Todd asked what other organs Angela was still waiting on. When she shared that she still needed a pancreas Todd said “Well we will just have to get you a pancreas.” As if to say we could swing into Target and pick one out that would be just her size and color.

Todd closed the time by giving our people some good theology about prayer. Why does he answers some and not others and how faith is not some mystical force that obligates God to do our bidding. I thought having everyone up there at the same time in an unscripted way was a really bold move by Todd. It ended up being a really profound moment for the life of our body. It was a great day.

How do you continually remind your congregation that that they need to create seats during the full service at 11:00? Steve Vanderheide sent a quick email last week asking for volunteers for a shoot and this is what we showed on Sunday. I thought is was a really creative was to keep this in front of our people.

5:30 Service from Steve V on Vimeo.