All posts tagged Patrick Lencioni

Willow Creek Global Leadership Summit :: Patrick Lencioni

by Tim Schraeder on 08/12/2011 in Global Leadership Summit 2011 with 3 Comments
  • People need to be reminded more than they need to be instructed.
  • One of the ways we manifest humility is by being vulnerable.
  • Vulnerability requires transparency, openness, sacrifice and selflessness.
  • Vulnerability is powerful and rare.
  • Being yourself is liberating.
  • When he started his firm he said, “let’s be naked with our clients.”
  • Let’s be totally honest.
  • The trust, loyalty and commitment from their clients was undeniable because being naked is so rare.
  • There are limitless rewards for being vulnerable but they are not guaranteed.
  • Pain, suffering, discomfort and sacrifice are counter-cultural.
  • Following Christ is counter-cultural.

3 Fears of Being Vulnerable

1 – Fear of Losing the Business

  • The fear of being rejected.
  • Christ was rejected.
  • We have to exercise our willingness to be rejected.
  • That is how we will draw people to us.
  • Enter the danger.
  • The best improv comes into walking into the middle of a moment.
  • As leaders and service providers, we have to enter into the danger.
  • Churches have terminal niceness… we are afraid to tell the truth.
  • We sometimes have to be rejected.
  • The activist doesn’t tell the kind truth, neither does the brown-noser.
  • Clients, leaders, and people in our churches are desperate for people to tell them the kind truth.
  • We have to speak the kind truth.
  • Kindness comes through empathy.
  • Many leaders don’t like to tell the kind truth.
  • Wusses don’t tell people the kind truth.
  • It takes courage to enter into the danger with people and tell them the kind truth.
  • Paul told the Galatians… I’m a God-pleaser, not a people-pleaser, I have to tell you the truth.

2 – The Fear of Being Embarrassed

  • When we are serving others we have to do things that embarrass us.
  • We have to ask the hard questions that no one else is asking.
  • Our job isn’t to look smart it’s to help other people do their work better.
  • When you edit yourself to protect your image people don’t let you in.
  • Ask dumb questions.
  • Celebrate your mistakes.
  • We all mess up.
  • The best leaders admit their mistakes
  • When we acknowledge our humanity, people will listen to what we have to say.

3 – The Fear of Feeling Inferior

  • We don’t want to put ourselves in a lower position and have people look down on us.
  • Do the dirty work.
  • Put yourself in a lower position.
  • Show people you are willing to do whatever you are asking them to do.
  • That’s what Jesus did.
  • People won’t always reward you for doing the dirty work.
  • Honor your client’s work.
  • Be more interested in them than they are interested in you.

Why Do We Do It?

  • Being vulnerable is not easy.
  • It involves suffering and pain.
  • We are called to do it because we serve the most humble and vulnerable leader.
  • We have to answer that call.

Lead Where You Are

by Tim Schraeder on 08/08/2009 in Leadership Summit 2009, Notes with 3 Comments

I’ve been to the mountain… well, The Summit.

This year’s Leadership Summit was fantastic. Thanks to all of you (well over 3,000!) who found your way to my blog. I guess I take good notes? [By the way, I'm still taking 'Notes for a Cause' donations to go to Kiva.org!]

So I was at The Modern Wing at The Art Institute of Chicago today with a friend and overhead someone saying near the end of their trek through the galleries, “wow, I’m saturated…”

I think that sums up how I feel right now. Absolutely saturated.

There was so much information, inspiration and ideas that leapt out at me over the past couple of days and I’m still processing everything… but while it’s fresh, I thought I’d share a key thought or take-away I had from each session.

  • Bill Hybels’ first session, Leading in a New Reality, reminded me that I need to slow down and gently listen to God, even in the midst of the chaos of the world around me.
  • The panel discussion on Hiring, Firing, and Board Meltdowns challenged me to think of the kind of work culture we are creating at Park and how I, as a part of the team, am contributing.
  • Gary Hamel blew me away. There was so much he said, I don’t think I caught it all. But the one thing he did say that’s going to stick with me is that the Church is God’s plan for humanity and He has no “plan B.”
  • Tim Keller’s session, Leading People to the Prodigal God, was a sobering reminder to remember the true heart of the Gospel.
  • Jessica Jackley’s insight on the whole idea of co-creation totally excited me when thinking about new ideas and possibilities that are out there. It just starts be taking one, small step.
  • Harvey Carey didn’t have to do much to convince me that I just need to do something!
  • I could have listened to Dave Gibbons a lot longer, but I did get a copy of his book. I’m stoked to read more about his thoughts and insights on creating a Third Culture, a culture of adaptation.
  • Andrew Rugsira really challenged me to think differently about the continent of Africa and to not just look through the lens of compassion, but to also see the opportunity that is in the people there.
  • Wess Stafford… wow. What an amazing story. And how humbling to think that nothing is wasted, everything is redeemable.
  • David Gergen had tons of great insights but the one that stuck with me was the idea that who we are says a lot more about us than what we actually say.
  • The Heath Brothers were stellar, as usual. I’m going to really cherish their statement that “failure is oftentimes an early warning sign of success.”
  • Bono was great, too. I think the biggest challenge from him this year wasn’t so much about the HIV/AIDS as it was what he said about the Church. He said some things I think we really need to take to heart.
  • Tony Blair’s interview was way too short, but I think more than anything his reminder of what a privilege it is to be in leadership was something I needed to hear.
  • And although not a formal session, Bill Hybels’ closing remarks were a great way to end, reminding us that the little things are often the most important.

So, after all that… what’s my final thought?

I think the theme of this year’s conference says it all: lead where you are. No matter who you are, where you are, what you do, what you have or what you don’t have, God is calling you to do something. To lead where you are.

In thinking through each of this year’s speakers, they were all the first to admit their flaws and shortcomings but also the first to admit that in order to make a difference, you have to be willing to take a risk and do something. Even in the midst of your own failures or at the risk of failure.

I cannot think of a more exciting time and opportunity to be a part of the Church and to be a part of what God is doing in our generation. I’m so thankful for the experience of the Leadership Summit to remind me of the importance of the call to leadership, but more importantly, to remember first and foremost, before I do anything, I’m called to be a child of God.

So how about you?

What’s are your take-away’s from the Leadership Summit? What challenge are you going to face? Or what simple thing are you going to do differently? Would love to hear!

Hiring, Firing, and Board Meltdowns

by Tim Schraeder on 08/06/2009 in Leadership Summit 2009, Notes with 1 Comment

Dr. Henry Cloud is a clinical psychologist, best-selling author, and business consultant with unique insights on relational dynamics in organizations. He is the co-founder and co-director of Cloud-Townsend, Inc.

Carly Fiorina is the former Chairman and CEO of Hewlett-Packard. She was the first woman to head a Dow 30 company and was named “The Most Powerful Woman in Business” by Fortune for six years in a row.

Dr. David Ireland is senior pastor of Christ Church in Montclair, NJ, a 6000 member multi-ethnic congregation which he founded in 1986. The author of several books, he holds a PhD in Organizational Leadership.

Patrick Lencioni is founder and president of The Table Group, Inc., a specialized management-consulting firm focused on organizational health. He is the author of six best-selling books, including Death by Meeting.

On Hiring…

  • You’ve got to connect people to the culture of your church/organization.
  • Cultural fit is so critical in any organization.
  • Churches think it’s enough that people love Jesus, which is critical, but it doesn’t mean they will fit the culture of the church.
  • A lot of decisions about hiring, especially in a great state of need, leads to the idealization that people are exactly what we need, when in actuality they aren’t.
  • First impressions are frequently wrong.
  • What are the 1 or 2 behavioral things that you want people to exemplify?
  • Competency is one thing you have to be absolutely clear about.
  • People can practice for an interview; but observe and see what they are like in real-life interactions.
  • Ask them what people would say about them.
  • Ask the same question three times. (a la “Law & Order)
  • Ask conversational and probing questions, not “yes” and “no” questions.
  • Ask how their weaknesses would impact your organization.
  • Talk less and let them talk more about their answers.
  • Have a clear, strong culture that the people who would fit there would be drawn to it… they will self-select in.
  • Don’t list skills on a job description… but competencies required for it.
  • Take the time to have a substantive conversation about why you’re hiring, what you’re expecting etc… and find out a lot about the person.
  • Get a process that works for you.
  • Don’t hire out of need… endure the pain of not having someone in a position than having the wrong person in the position.

On Boards…

  • For boards to work well, they need their own values and covenant agreement about how they will function.
  • Problem with boards is that they don’t see each other often, so it takes time to build trust.
  • You need a retreat. You have to get clear on the values and behaviors, and build trust.
  • You cannot build a team or a board without vulnerability.
  • Take 10 minutes at the end of every meeting and sit back and say, “How did we do?”
  • Boards are a team of people who meet together to make decisions.
  • It takes work for the team to understand how it works together.
  • If the board isn’t functional, the organization isn’t functional.
  • People should be on boards for three reasons: 1) influence, 2) affluence, 3) unique skill set that works to meet the needs of the organization.
  • You need to have all the ingredients around the table to make what you’re trying to make happen, happen.
  • Boards need to have an immune effect… a team that works to meet the needs as a team.
  • The New Testament teaches that a plurality of godly people will lead an organization well instead of one single person.

On firing…

  • Leaders have to make tough decisions in tough times, including firing.
  • There’s a time and season for everything…
  • “How” do you terminate in a dignified way?
  • People consider it compassion to not be honest with people, but that’s not being compassionate, it’s disrespectful.
  • Be candid. What’s working? What’s not working?
  • Give people a chance to work on what’s not working.
  • A firing should never come as a surprise.
  • If you give them a chance, they’ll either get better or decide it’s not right for them.
  • Do you give enough REGULAR feedback for them to make the right choices?
  • 3 Step Process: 1) Retrain them… 2) Reposition them… 3) Retire them.
  • There should be a sequence of communication.
  • Bill invoked a grading system at Willow… giving people an A, B or C.
  • If you give them a B, be clear how they can become an A.
  • Have a well developed system.
  • The system will not substitute for the conversation.
  • The kindest from of management is the truth. – Jack Welch
  • It helps people to tell them the process up front.
  • Uncertainty is horrifying for people, especially about their jobs.
  • Give more certainty.