Hybels, up willow creek with a paddle May 16, 2013
Posted by thehutch in ponderings, notes.Tags: leadership, team, teamwork, thoughts, Htb, leadership conference, 2013, bill hybels
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One of the sessions at the conference was led by Bill Hybels. He shared some good stuff that was good to hear again and refreshing in its clarity and directness.
Part of his talk was dealing with the need to attract, develop and retain a good team and he used his “5Cs” to good effect. They are:
1) Character
2) Competence
3) Chemistry
4) Culture
5) Calling
He suggested that, if even one of these is compromised there will be issues on your team and that it is imperative that the leader takes time to ensure these 5 things align.
Some of the sound bytes are below:
“It is not illegal to like the people on your team”
“A high capacity person under challenged will leave”
“The best thing you bring is a Holy Spirit filled you”
‘A contrarian point of view is ok, a contrarian spirit is not’ (paraphrase)
Teamwork Sucks? May 15, 2013
Posted by thehutch in church, ponderings.Tags: leadership, team, teamwork, conference, Htb, Lencioni, presenter, 5 dysfunctions of a team
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One of the reasons that encouraged me to attend the HTB Leadership Conference was the attendance of Patrick Lencioni. I enjoy his writings and appreciate his communication style. In truth, I received far more all round than anticipated, the Conference was superb.
Lencioni did not let me down. On the 2nd day he spoke about team and used material from his book, the The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable (J-B Lencioni Series)
If you have read the book, you may well know his headings and the leaders role;
1) Absence of Trust – the leader needs to be vulnerable to the team
2) Fear of conflict – the leader needs to embrace difference of opinion
3) Lack of commitment – the leader needs to bring clarity and decision
4) Avoidance of accountability – peer accountability to be encouraged and difficulties confronted
5) Inattention to results – focus on what you are trying to achieve
His talk was excellent, inspiring and full of content. There were plenty of nuggets to steal away and if you missed it, buy the book, you will not regret it.
Free gifts for anyone May 14, 2013
Posted by thehutch in thoughts.Tags: conference, free, freedom, giving, grace, Htb, leadership
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The HTB leadership conference (2013) has been a good one. At some point, I may get around to writing some notes but there was one thing that has struck me. The willingness to give things away.
The event is staged well, the standards are high, yet the willingness to ‘give it up’ and ‘hand it out’ has been wonderful. Live stream, free to any who have Internet connection, use of buildings…even when they could be closed to prepare the next event, the helpfulness of the stewards, the time given (even in tiredness) of team members.
These folk know how to give ‘free gifts’ and they are for anyone…a lesson for us all.
Assumption Destroys Team May 13, 2013
Posted by thehutch in ponderings.Tags: Assumption, leadership, team
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Many years ago, I remember laughing at the phrase;
“If you assume, it will make an ass of u and me”.
For a few days, assumptions ceased and communications increased but this did not last long. At a conference (on the subject of leadership) and chatting to a few folk have made me realise that one of the biggest trouble spots for leaders is the assumptions they make regarding their teams, team members and the people with whom they interact.
‘We thought you would be too busy‘, ‘we believed that you would not be interested‘ and the list goes on. These kind of assumptions can sometimes be right but there is also a danger that regular assumption can lead to fractures of trust and thereafter a breakdown of the team.
Assumptions can be dangerous, it is always more wise to know the facts and the best way to know the facts may be by asking people directly. That wise saying that once made me laugh has more truth in it than many of us wish to believe.
People are your best asset!….Really? (1 of 2) April 18, 2013
Posted by thehutch in personal, ponderings.Tags: asset, community, faith, leadership, love, neighbour, people
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Craftsman at Work
The phrase “People are your best asset” is one that I have both used and heard relayed to me on numerous occasions over the years and one that raises different responses, usually dependant on the context, from me personally. As a result, I have decided to do a couple of posts to try and sharpen my own thinking.
More often than not, the phrase/expression is used to show value and is used in a context to demonstrate that people are important, people are valuable and that we must not forget the importance of people. However, I struggle with calling people an ‘asset’. Why?
- People are not commodities to be used but individuals or communities that should be valued
- It implies ownership of people and this has dreadful connotations
- It is about the best for ‘me’….whereas, it should be about us
These three things alone convince me that it is a phrase that may not be the most suitable to use. Is there a better way to express the same thing? I think that there is and that it is one known to us all, particularly in a Christian context. What about, “love your neighbour as you love yourself“? I think this has a much better feel to it, what do you think?
Part 2/2 comes tomorrow
Apology or not? February 1, 2013
Posted by thehutch in personal.Tags: Apology, leadership, responsibility
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What constitutes an apology? There are times when you hear someone say ‘sorry’ but the recipient finds the words unacceptable.
It is easy for some people to share an apology but, in truth, what are they apologising for? Lets look at a couple of examples;
1) “I am sorry that you feel upset!”
2) “I apologise for the way I acted and am sorry that I upset you?
Both the above are apologies, only one carries weight. The first apology is an empathetic one and corrects no wrong, the second accepts poor behaviour and the consequences that resulted from it. Therefore, the second carries weight and gives a greater opportunity for a positive on-going relationship.
We all make mistakes. We all have times when we must apologise.
For you, what constitutes an apology?
Thinking strategically is not enough! January 25, 2013
Posted by thehutch in ponderings.Tags: action, change, leadership, sacrifice, strategy, thinking
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In leadership circles, it is regular to hear people talk about ‘thinking strategically’ but thinking strategically is not enough, you need to act strategically too! You can have the greatest ideas, the best plans and vision oozing out of every pore in your body but unless it leads to action, it will be as meaningless as a chocolate fire guard. When there is a good marriage between the thinking and the acting there is another significant action that is required, sacrifice. There are very few, if any, leaders that have achieved anything without sacrifice. When the three things come together, you have a very powerful foundation to bring productive change and, as we know, change is always with us and needs to be managed effectively, after all, thats why we need leaders!
: “going nowhere jobs”….excuse me? Poor communication. December 10, 2012
Posted by thehutch in church, thoughts.Tags: church, disappointment, jobs, leadership, people, politics, sermon, speech
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The way we communicate and the things that we say are so important. It can be a little harder for those in church contexts because levels of expectation can be different.
This weekend, one church service, that I attended, had an opening to a sermon that got things completely wrong. The person speaking/preaching used an illustration that gave all the wrong messages. The introduction to the sermon spoke of a less glamorous job and described it as “going nowhere” and worthless. It was poor and I was really surprised and am left disappointed in the illustration, the message conveyed and the environment in which it was said.
How do we respond to this? How do we reflect on poor communication?
Firstly, we need to understand that the speaker (in the cold light of day) would not agree with the sentiments they expressed. They were trying to open up a long sermon with an illustration that captured people’s attention – it certainly captured attention, but for all the wrong reasons, it was poor communication and demonstrated a lack of thought. When speaking publicly we need to think through all our illustrations before we use them, you can’t be too careful.
Secondly, we need to weigh carefully the things we hear, understanding the speaker, the context and acknowledging that not all those that speak in a public context are experienced. Mistakes can happen!
Having a job is a blessing in current economic times, we cannot afford to dismiss those in less sought after positions, we should stand with them to encourage and support them. In truth we need to be more careful in our illustrations, in how we communicate and how we share any message.
: Lazy in Debate December 6, 2012
Posted by thehutch in church, personal, thoughts.Tags: church, Debate, discussion, email, Facebook, lazy, leadership, twitter
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I am intrigued at the moment in watching, observing and engaging in different discussions/arguments/debates. There are plenty in the blog world, on social network sites, in church and pretty much everywhere – all of them have one thing in common. People have become lazy in listening to the arguments being presented. This laziness may be due to online social networks where ‘sound bytes’ are king but I think it goes deeper, it may be because relationships are not deep enough.
People gravitate to a ‘party line’ and then rekindle the well trodden arguments that everyone knows thereby keeping them in a place where they are safe, comfortable and can appear strong. In doing so, they miss important points being made and can miss opportunities for growth. It is a real shame.
Let’s commit to listening to one another a little more and stop being lazy.
