Today and tomorrow, I am soaking (drowning?) in the wisdom of leaders from the church, academia, and business world.
I’ll post my notes and reflections as the sessions go. This might not be related to hearing echoes of the gospel in daily life, but I hope it will make you a better leader who creates your own echoes!
Session 1 – Bill Hybels
The idea of self-leadership: you are the most difficult person you will ever lead.
Work habits of a leader. The leader’s most valuable asset is not time, but energy, and the ability to energize people around him. *Ministry planning: what is the most important contribution you can make to the church in the next chunk of time? Look at a few projects/goals and put energy towards it in bursts.
“God didn’t make you a leader just to respond to things, but to move stuff ahead for the kingdom!”
Thoughts about Succession.
Planning phase: every important issue needs to be addressed. Who will choose? What is the timeframe? How will the retiring pastor be honored? What role will he take? Etc. Need to take your time.
- Search phase: priority given to an external candidate
- Transition phase: identify successor with increasing responsibilities and decreasing responsibilities. ~18 months.
- These must be delicate conversations – it will be hard for senior leaders to think about transition.
Continuing thoughts about moving ppl from here to there.
Leaders take ppl from an unacceptable reality to a preferred future.
When is the vision most vulnerable? Beginning? Middle? Just before the End? –> vision seems most vulnerable in the middle when you’re in the middle of the tunnel, when you can’t see the starting point or the finish line.
When is a leader most vulnerable? In the middle of the run…mistakes catch up with you, change comes, can’t see the finish line. Must be very careful and pay attention during this middle phase!
When was the last time you thanked God for the privilege of leading his church?!