Life Cycle of Leadership

I'm so thankful for what Willow Creek Leadership Summit has meant to my life.  These have been some of the most life changing moments for me ( I've not been able to attend for 3 years now and I really miss the re-charge that I used to get about early August to be ready for the next season of ministry)

While digging through some papers the other day I found my manual from 2006 and the first session was on THE LIFE CYCLE OF LEADERSHIP.(see Tony Morgan's notes from this session)  I must have taken pretty good notes because I could immediately recall the teaching from that session and I guess it must have stuck because in my post yesterday I mentioned the life cycle of an organization and it was directly drawn from this talk where Bill talked about the life cycle of a product.

Bill used the analogy of music products --from LP's to 8 tracks to Cassette to CD to IPOD and how over time the method and delivery of the product changed and evolved.  He theorized that leadership changes over time as leaders are exposed to experience and more information.

Here are some gems from that talk that I think are important:

1). Leader should start leading at the earliest age possible.  I believe this. I'm constantly watching for younger leaders and trying to encourage them.  Hybels says that the more experience you have at leading the more seasoned you are.

2). Followers can only take so much height and heat---meaning that a seasoned leader will know when to press and pull back on the organization.  There are optimal times of leadership and a season leader will read those seasons well.

Hybels suggested these things for leaders to do to perpetuate the Life Cycle of Leadership:
1)  Read everything you can---boy do I try to do that.  I have a stack of about 6-8 books beside my bed that I'm working on, have finished or want to start.  I've found that using AMAZON'S Wish list and Shelfari have helped me keep track of the books that I want and am reading.  I try to read broadly to gain as much from as many voices and experiences as I can (Business, Spiritual, Recreation, Travel, Education, Technology, etc)

2)Go where leadership is taught.  This is why I went to Leadership Summit.  It was the best soaking experience of leadership in 2-3 days.

3) Get around other leaders who are better than you--ask questions. That's the reason I love now to go to RECREATE Conference where there are so many more leaders who are doing things that I would love to do or love to know how to do.  This energizes me.

4) Keep leading something--if not you'll lose your edge.  Every leader needs to be utilized and there are organizations that are constantly in need of leadership.  If you can't do it one place there are going to be instances that will need leadership and leaders just naturally lead.

5) Leaders develop other leaders---it's a natural cycle.  For me its not only a necessity but a passion to see other leaders rise up and take their place.  It didn't start with me and it won't end with me (Leadership) but I must do my part to raise up the next generation of leaders.  If not, then I fail in this respect of leadership.

6) Leaders develop a constellation of colleagues (this is huge!)  Leadership is shared power.  Power in leadership is derived from the permission granted the leader by the followers.  As such, when the leader leads he develops those around him that are colleagues with whom he can share the power.  Ultimately these are the ones that the leader must be unafraid to share and even empower to lead beyond and to the next level.

The life cycle of leadership is important to keep a leader fresh, alive and productive in the organization.

Leadership Heroes: Pat Lencioni

One of the things that I want to focus more on in 2010 is Leadership. There was a period of time where I soaked up every bit of leadership information, training, books, videos etc that I could get my hands on. I let that slip for a time because I doubted my leadership ability and skills.

I'm revisiting some of the resources for Leadership that I've collected and I've come across the talks from Pat Lencioni at the Willow Creek Leadership Summit from 2003 and 2006. Both of these were a pivotal moments in my leadership journey.

He is the author of 5 Dysfunctions of a Team and also Silos, Politics and Turf Wars. I'm going to be sharing on Staff retreat this weekend about the latter book and setting a Thematic Goal (short term) for us. I think we need that. I need that--something to shoot for in this interim period.

Enjoy the video. It's only a slice of his talks. I'd be willing to let you look at them (but you'd better give them back!)

Something Old Something New

Time for Monday's feature--Something Old, Something New again. Boy, these Mondays just roll around faster and faster each week.  Most of the new ones this week were the result of the LEADERSHIP SUMMIT and my connection with several of them through Twitter.

SOMETHING OLD:  Spence Smith

Spence is a fellow CREATOR--he attended the Recreate Conference in Franklin in February.  He works for Compassion International-setting up trips for bloggers and artist to go and experience the impact the Compassion is making.  He was also a member of BIG TENT REVIVAL ( I remember them from my Youth Minister days in the mid 90's) and an avid Tri-Athlete.  Stop by and tell Spence hello!

SOMETHING NEW-LEADERSHIP SUMMIT Blogs:

Clayton Bell- Clayton took notes for all of us who couldn't attend and kept us updated through Twitter.  Thanks Clayton!

Ryan Day- Ryan is site pastor for a new church plant in Ohio.  His comments were picked up by Willow Creek on their Leadership Summit Summary Blog.

Willowcreek Leadership Summit Blog

Leadership Summit-Greatest Moments #4

Tim Sanders (The Lovecat Way)- Leadership Summit 2004



This was my first introduction to Tim Sanders. I found him so very interesting--except that he paces back and forth a great deal--but the information that he gives is incredibly useful. The talk on The Lovecat Way spurred in me a reading frenzie like I've never had since, and just re-reading his principles of the Lovecat Way has reawakened in me the need to listen to this talk again. In particular, his points about Scarcity and Abundance rang true in our church in 2004. We fell in the trap of Scarcity and it led to the some terrible times in the church.

The points of the talk were:

KNOWLEDGE ~ we should all be sharing our knowledge with one another without regard to our personal gain. We give to give. Simple as that.

NETWORK, Network, Network! ~ Connect others to your Rolodex. Share your valuable connections freely and widen your circles of influence exponentially.

COMPASSION ~ Be the best human being you can be. Be kind. Be caring. Be compassionate. Do good deeds! We are all in this together and our relationships with one another are the key. It truly is who we know and who knows us. Our willingness to authentically connect with others and help them achieve their goals can impact all aspects of our lives, our businesses and yes, even our love life!

HT: Copy Paste Articles

Leadership Summit-Greatest Moments #3

Pat Lencioni has to be one of the funniest speakers that I've ever heard. He's engaging, witty and intelligent. His talks are deep and meaningful. This talk (2003) on The Five Dysfunctions of A Team certainly guided me through those dark days of leadership. In particular his first point about TRUST is so true. An organization is only as deep as it's leader is authentic and genuine with their soul.



His follow up talk in 2006 on Polictics and Silos was also one of my favorites.

First Dysfunction - Absence of the trust. Mr. Lencioni hits a home run with me on this point. He was not talking about "predictive trust" where you have known someone long enough that you can predict what they are going to say, how they will react to a certain situation, what buttons you can press to get a reaction. ( Sounds like an old married couple). No, he was referring to vulnerability trust or the ability to show a weakness without losing something -- esteem, pride, or strength. This includes the leader. Can the team leader demonstrate a vulnerability without the rest of the team serving him or her up for lunch? Simply put, how comfortable are you in saying to your team, "I don't know"?

Second Dysfunction - Fear of Conflict. He believes that productive, ideologic conflict is good. Dialogue in which no one is holding back for fear of reprisal, criticism, or dismissal is healthy for any team. Unaired conflicts have a nasty habit of reappearing again and again -- usually in another form like personal attacks which are just deadly. A "non-confrontational" person is a bomb waiting to go off. The worst situation you can have is a yes man team. The leader of a team must demand debate, welcome it, support it, but also know when to put it to bed. That brings us to the next dysfunction.

Third Dysfunction - Lack of Commitment. He strongly believes that there can be no commitment without debate. How can you actively buy into something when you were not allowed to state your opinions and discuss your thoughts about it? Mr. Lencioni was adamant that there is no such thing as complete consensus... Really a change from the 90's view of garnering 100% consensus before something is accepted. He states that by allowing everyone to voice their opinions, discussing those differing ideas, and finally forcing clarity, you as a leader will get closure on the topic and full commitment. Everyone needs to get to the point where they can say, "I may not agree with your ideas but I understand them and can support them."

Fourth Dysfunction - Avoidance of Accountability. This continues the house that Jack built -- if you don't have debate, you won't get commitment. If you don't have commitment, you won't get people's buy-in and therefore, no accountability from the team members. Commitment leads to the sense of comradery needed in a team effort -- the thought of letting your colleague down is abhorrent to you. The leader must confront the difficult issues that lead to ultimate commitment from everyone and thus accountability.

Fifth Dysfunction - Inattention to Results. If team members are not accountable, then they will take care of only themselves rather than pull for the greater good of the team. The team goals get subverted to the individual's goals. Mr Lencioni ended his talk by asking the audience an interesting question which I will iterate here: What is Team Number 1 in your mind - the team you are on or the team you lead? Which one is most important to you?

HT: Claudia Imhoff

Watercooler Wednesday-Leadership Summit- Greatest Moments #2

I continue today with my reflections on past Leadership Summit talks that have impacted me.

Andy Stanley: Making Vision Stick (2003)

Andy is a gifted communicator and this talk was probably one of the very first talks that I had heard about vision.  Before this vision was such a unreachable term and so undefined in my life.  However, Andy made it clear with these points.

Making Vision Stick
"Vision does not stick without constant care and attention."
"It is up to each one of us to make sure there is alignment between the activity and the vision of our enterprise."
"If it's a mist in the pulpit, it's a fog in the pew." -Howard Hendricks
"If the vision is too complicated for people to embrace, nothing changes."
"Every vision is a solution to a problem." "What is the need or problem my vision addresses? and What will happen if those needs or problems continue to go unaddressed?"
"To make vision stick, a leader needs to pause long enough to celebrate the wins along the way."
"What's celebrated is repeated."
"Vision, not people's random ideas, should determine programming."
"What people complain about communicates their understanding of the vision."
"We pray for what we are most burdened for"

HT: Eric Thompson

This talk was so important to me.  Little was I to know that the coming months of 2003 and the rest of 2004 would be spent understanding the importance of the term Vision.  Our church was getting ready to enter an extreme period of transition without Sr. Leadership, without a clear and compelling vision and without a cadre of prepared leaders to shepherd the ship (me included).  This leadership summit talk was just the primer for me on the importance of vision in an organization.

This post is part of Watercooler Wednesday's over on Randy Elrod's blog, Ethos.

Leadership Summit--Greatest Moments #1

I'm missing the Leadership Summit this week.  For the first time in 5 years, I won't be glued to a large screen transmission coming from the home base of South Barrington, Illinois.  This year the schedule for the summit got sandwiched between a couple of church projects and a much needed family vacation.

So, I thought for the next few days I would reflect on the talks at Leadership Summit that have meant the most to me.

Here's what I'll be missing this week:

It will be hard to name them in order of importance in my life, but here are the ones I think stand out to me.

Leadership Summit 2007-Marcus Buckingham (Go Put Your Strengths To Work).  

This was the second time that I had heard Marcus Buckingham speak at Leadership Summit.  He is a fascinating speaker and I'd hear him again and again.  This talk was a follow up to his Strengths Finder talk in 2004 (?) and was based on his book of the same name.  This talk gave me some practical steps to follow in implementing the strategy to get to use more of my strengths in my job and in my other responsibilities.  I've never discovered another tool that so completely describes each individual that takes the test and then give such practical application to implement these findings. I have encouraged many in my life to take the test and then follow the plan to make these results real in your life.   Marcus could talk for 3 hours and still leave us wanting more and more from him.

Points of the talk:

Myth#1=As you grow, your personality changes and so does your strengths

Truth- As you grow, you become more and more of who you really are

Myth#2 You grow most in your areas of weakness

Truth- You grow most where you are already strong

Myth#3  A great team member puts his strength aside

Truth- Great team members volunteer their strength

I loved this line:  "Talk about your strengths without bragging and your weaknesses without whining"