Bill Hybels: The High Drama of Decision Making

Session One: The High Drama of Decision Making

Summit Promise: Leadership taught from a Christian perspective- we're not trying to force is on anyone, but for you to consider.

Best Use of Leadership Practices: To advance the message of Christ and His purposes.

• Am I involved in life and death decision making- impact leadership? Am I challenging the people I lead to engage in a life-changing challenge?
• Leaders make the tough calls- not just offer opinions
• What process do I/we have for making key decisions?
• Traditionally, Christian leaders ask four questions when making decisions- Does the Bible say anything about this? What would smart advisors advise me to do? P/G/E What have I learned about the pain, gain, and experiences of past decisions? Am I being prompted by the Holy Spirit- something I need to pay attention to?
• Have a network of smart advisors for key decisions to weigh-in-
• Journal my leadership track, decisions
• "The pain and scars I brought to our organization from bad decisions I made in the past give me pause for future decisions..."- BH
• Leaders take responsibility for bad decisions, pass credit to others for good decisions.
• Create/document bite-size nuggets/axioms to test in my culture, when it's effective, roll-it out as part of the "mantra" in the organization- Example: "Are we smoking what we're selling?" Abe Lincoln: "The best way to deal with someone who has wronged me is to turn them into a friend", Colin Powell "Create a clash of ideas and you'll make better informed decisions" Hybels: "Vision Leaks"
• Get the right leaders around the table when critical decisions need to be made- Be prayerful.
• Get the facts in making decisions. Facts are your friends.
• When something feels "funky", engage- unattended problems may be there...
• Leaders need to call "fouls" in a meeting or on themselves when things are not communicated properly or respectfully. Acknowledge mistakes, give people the opportunity to rephrase their question or point.
• I Timothy 6... Life that is truly life... purpose, significance, a full-tank... Won't be true until I'm fully engaged in God's work and purpose in my life-

Mistakes I see in decisions made in my life or around me:

• Making hasty decisions- Some people mistake leadership as being willing to make a quick call, they feel strong and decisive- They don't take a reasonable amount of time to get the "rest of the information".
• Delegating decisions to the wrong people- It's a fine line to allow someone to fail vs. simply handing off a decision that should have been made by me- We should not be surprised when the results of these decisions are a train-wreck.
• Decisions made in silos- Key decisions are made without any means to communicate it to the rest of the organization, or without "buy-in" to the core team... Key decisions should include a process to roll-out to the core team and the entire organization as needed.