Leadership Unscripted

This is a "brown bag" style open-forum lunch with Bill Hybels and Gary Haugen. They've been asking us to text message in our questions all morning.

Question for Bill Hybels: Is there a danger of over-using axioms, or forming axioms that are not true?

Answer: Absolutely. Form an idea in your mind, apply it to several dozen situations, and don't put an axiom on the same level as a biblical imperative. This is a principle that enables you to make decisions rapidly and effectively.

Question for both: Within the church ministry staff and non-profits, how do you release a part of the family

Answer:
(Gary) There's not a distinction between what's good for the mission and what's good for God's people. It's not loving for a person who isn't performing well to be stuck in a job they're not doing well. It takes knowing a person and giving them every possible opportunity to perform. You have to show enough respect to your colleagues to be directly honest with them.

(Bill) We use an actual "A" "B" "C" grading schedule for people every year because everyone wants to know how they're doing. People enjoy the clarity. If you get two C's in a row, you will not stay in the role. B level work meets expectation and is the backbone. A level players take you to higher levels. Always err on the side of clarity.

Question: What are practical ways to help leaders continue to communicate the vision you're trying to communicate?

(Bill) Lots of times we senior pastors think the only vehicle for vision is a pulpit declaration every 6 months. That's wholly inadequate for the people who are living in real life. If you're at the point where if you say it one more time you're going to puke, you're probably just about right. If you ever underestimate the power of word choice you do so to your detriment and the detriment of the ministry.

Question: How do you reward performers in a culture of excellence without promoting a culture of people who do for the sake of doing?

(Gary) Few people come to a mission-driven organization to do for the sake of doing. There can be a sense in which people are not mission-driven, but appearance-driven. You tie excellence to the mission. Then there's never a problem with seeking as much excellence as the mission will allow you to do.

(Bill) There's a difference between striving for excellence and striving for perfection. Striving for perfection is crazy-making.

Question: Gary. Where do you take the pain of not rescuing them all?

(Gary) We don't always suceed. There's no way you're going to love truly deeply without the risk of being hurt. Truly celebrate the stories of the ones God does rescue.

(Bill) I feel this with the work of evangelism. I have given myself for 35 years to so many people around this community and have not made even a dent in their eagerness. You get beaten down. Why not just pastor the already convinced? Because that's not where life is. Life is the steeper climb. You can't quit. The day you do, something inside you starts to die. I'm thankful for what Gary said during his session emphasizing the goodness of God. That is so core to my theology. God is absolutely for us.