Summit Reflections (Part 3)

Count your blessings...literally.

Jim Collins--author of one of the most celebrated leadership books ever (Good to Great) and one of my all-time favorites--talked about how great companies fall. One of primary causes is arrogance ("hubris born of success"). Collins loves data and he says the data from his team's research actually shows that the greatest leaders are humble. And he suggested that one way of developing humility is to count your blessing. He recommended using an Excel spreadsheet! Come up with at least one hundred.

How does this develop humility? You realize how much you have that you did not earn. (Sounds a lot like grace.) Just this morning I was listening to a show on MPR talking about Warren Buffet's challenge to the world's billionaires to join him in giving at least half of their wealth away. Buffet recognizes that if he had been born in a poor village in Peru, he would likely be a poor farmer and his talents would have gone unused.

Declaration: Actually, I've been doing this a lot lately. I've been listing, out loud and sometimes with Lois, what we have been blessed with as an antidote to some inexplicable blues I've been experiencing. One evening in particular, just before going to sleep, I was doing this, and it was as if a cloud lifted immediately (doesn't always happen that way). The next morning I was full of energy. I had been stuck on the message I'm preaching this weekend and the next morning I wrote it in about two hours right after I got up. (I love energy. Great for creativity.). Anyway, I declare that I will continue to count my blessing...literally.

Summit Reflections (Part 2)

You made us vomit.

In Hybels' opening session he talked about how important it is to have the right people working with you as you move people from here to there. You need a great team around you. So he asked us to imagine getting a text right now telling you that a staff member has resigned. He said you will probably have one of three reactions:

• Relief.
• Deep disappointment. You know this person is going to be really hard to replace.
• You will read it, reread it, run into the lobby, and vomit.

Hybels said he and his leadership team combed the names of their staff determining which ones are in the third category. Then they met with them and told them that they made them vomit. Of course, they explained what that means. They also said, "We're hoping you want to be here for a long time and we want to develop you to the fullest potential. Tell us what you need to succeed and what you think needs to be fixed so you can fix it."

Declaration: Make the Board and the congregation vomit. (Be that kind of pastor to our congregation.)

Declaration: Tell the high impact people around me (staff, volunteers and sacrificial givers) how much I appreciate them, how much they mean to me and how important their ideas and concerns are to me. Then listen!