Axiom: Powerful Leadership Proverbs

225 Pages·2008·10.22 MB·English

by  Bill Hybels

Bill Hybels is one of the most dynamic Christian leaders of our time
and packs tremendous leadership wisdom into these energizing, easy-
to-read essays. Don’t miss them!
— Ken Blanchard, coauthor of
The One-Minute EntrepreneurTM and Lead Like Jesus
Axiom is a wonderful collection of insight and wisdom coming from a
man who has “been there and done that.” Keep it handy, read a little
every day. And then read it again!
— Patrick Lencioni, president, The Table Group,
and author of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
Axiom is vintage Hybels. Profound. Practical. Portable. You and your
entire team are going to love this book!
— Andy Stanley, senior pastor, North Point Community Church
If credibility comes from integrity matched by production over time,
then no one is more credible than Bill Hybels. In this wisdom-rich
book, he offers us not his technology, which arrives and flees as the
trends go, but his cardiology — the heart of the matter that rests far
beneath the surface. Regardless who you are, regardless where you
lead, you’ll find this work profound.
— Bob Roberts, author of Transformation, Glocalization,
and The Multiplying Church
Bill Hybels’s Axiom has it all for the leader: time-tested wisdom, a-ha
moments, and serious encouragement to persevere in the race.
— Dr. John Townsend, coauthor of Boundaries
Bill Hybels is a powerful leader with a passionate vision for joining
God’s work. This book’s message for leaders who are courageous
enough to catch it is that success comes only by persistence and the
cultivation of strong partnerships. In his insightful book Axiom,
Hybels paints a much-needed picture of true success.
— Eleanor Josaitis, cofounder, Focus: HOPE
When it comes to leadership wisdom, Bill Hybels hits it out of the
park. I read Axiom in one sitting but will reflect on it for years.
— Larry Osborne, author and pastor, North Coast Church, Vista, Calif.
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Books by Bill Hybels
Holy Discontent
Just Walk Across the Room
The Volunteer Revolution
Courageous Leadership
Too Busy Not to Pray
Who You Are When No One’s Looking
Rediscovering Church
(with Lynne Hybels)
Honest to God?
Fit to Be Tied
(with Lynne Hybels)
Descending into Greatness
(with Rob Wilkins)
Becoming a Contagious Chris tian
(with Mark Mittelberg and Lee Strobel)
Th e New Community Series
(with Kevin and Sherry Harney)
Colossians
James
1 Peter
Philippians
Romans
The Sermon on the Mount 1
The Sermon on the Mount 2
Th e InterActions Small Group Series
(with Kevin and Sherry Harney)
Authenticity Love in Action
Character Marriage
Commitment Meeting God
Community New Identity
Essential Chris tian ity Parenting
Fruit of the Spirit Prayer
Getting a Grip Reaching Out
Jesus The Real Deal
Lessons on Love Significance
Living in God’s Power Transformation
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Axiom
Adobe® Acrobat® eBook Reader® format
Copyright © 2008 by Bill Hybels
This title is also available as a Zondervan ebook.
Visit www.zondervan.com/ebooks.
This title is also available in a Zondervan audio edition.
Visit www.zondervan.fm.
Requests for information should be addressed to:
Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530
ISBN:0-310-28536-4
Unless otherwise noted in the endnotes, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy
Bible, Today’s New International Version™. TNIV®. Copyright © 2001, 2005 by Interna-
tional Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers printed in this book
are offered as a resource to you. These are not intended in any way to be or imply an
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and numbers for the life of this book.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means — electronic, mechanical, photocopy,
recording, or any other — except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior
permission of the publisher.
The names of some of the p eople mentioned in this book have been changed to protect
their identities.
Interior design by Rob Monacelli and Ben Fetterley
FOR THE LAST TWENTY YEARS,
I have had the extraordinary privilege to work
alongside two of the most capable leaders in
the kingdom: one, a Stanford grad from Texas
who wears boots to operas, prepares gourmet
meals, and demonstrates to his sons how to
sack opposing quarterbacks in the park district
football league. The other, a Harvard grad who
coaches a girls’ pole-vaulting team on the side
and can still high jump his own height at forty-
five years of age.
Greg Hawkins and Jim Mellado make coming
to work every day pure delight for me. Godly,
smart, humble, team-oriented — the list could
go on. Colaboring with them has been a gift
beyond what they ever could understand.
This one’s for you, guys!
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Contents
Foreword by Henry Cloud, PhD 9
Introduction 11
Category : Vision and Strategy
1. Language Matters ________________________________17
2. Make the Big Ask ________________________________21
3. You’re Always in a Season __________________________24
4. Explosive Growth Equals Dramatic Meltdowns _________27
5. Vision: Paint the Picture Passionately _________________29
6. Bold Move ______________________________________32
7. An Owner or a Hireling ___________________________34
8. Hire Tens _______________________________________38
9. The Fair Exchange Value ___________________________40
10. The Value of a Good Idea __________________________42
11. Build a Boiler Fund _______________________________46
12. Take a Flyer _____________________________________49
13. Vision Leaks ____________________________________52
14. Values Need Heat ________________________________54
15. The Dangers of Incrementalism _____________________56
16. Six-by-Six Execution ______________________________58
17. Only God ______________________________________61
18. Plus-Side/Minus-Side _____________________________63
19. Institutionalize Key Values _________________________67
20. This Is Church___________________________________68
Category : Teamwork and Communication
21. The Three Cs____________________________________75
22. Never Say Someone’s No for Them ___________________78
23. First Tested _____________________________________80
24. DNA Carriers ___________________________________83
25. No Eleventh-Hour Surprises, Please __________________86
26. How Are You Doing . . . Really? ______________________88
27. Get the Right People around the Table ________________91
28. Know Who’s Driving ______________________________93
29. Speed of the Leader, Speed of the Team _______________94
30. Pay Attention to Greetings and Goodbyes ______________96
31. Deliver the Bad News First _________________________99
32. The Tunnel of Chaos _____________________________101
33. Just Say It! _____________________________________104
34. Disagree without Drawing Blood ___________________106
35. Umbrella of Mercy _______________________________108
36. Help Me Understand _____________________________110
37. Leaders Call Fouls _______________________________112
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38. Real-Time Coaching _____________________________115
39. Just to Be Clear _________________________________117
40. Give Me an A, B, or C ____________________________120
41. Keep Short Accounts _____________________________123
42. We Got to Do This Together! ______________________126
Category : Activity and Assessment
43. A Blue-Sky Day _________________________________131
44. The Bias toward Action ___________________________134
45. Performance Buys Freedom ________________________137
46. Sweat the Small Stuff _____________________________139
47. Doable Hard versus Destructive Hard ________________142
48. Develop a Mole System ___________________________145
49. Is It Sustainable? ________________________________147
50. Don’t Screw Up _________________________________150
51. SOSs _________________________________________152
52. Facts Are Your Friends ____________________________155
53. Find the Critic’s Kernel of Truth ____________________159
54. Every Soldier Deserves Competent Command _________161
55. Brain Breaks ___________________________________164
56. Speed versus Soul ________________________________166
57. Did We Do Any Learning? ________________________168
58. Create Your Own Finish Lines _____________________169
59. Let’s Debrief ___________________________________172
60. Pay Now, Play Later ______________________________174
61. Are We Still Having Fun? _________________________175
62. Never Beat the Sheep _____________________________177
Category : Personal Integrity
63. Obi-Wan Kenobi Isn’t for Hire _____________________183
64. What Life Are You Waiting For? ____________________187
65. Lead with All Diligence ___________________________190
66. To the Core of My Being __________________________192
67. Always Take the High Road _______________________194
68. Read All You Can _______________________________196
69. Lead Something _________________________________198
70. Arrive Early or Not at All _________________________200
71. I’d Never Do This for Money ______________________201
72. We Need Us All _________________________________203
73. Excellence Honors God and Inspires People ___________206
74. Admit Mistakes, and Your Stock Goes Up ____________209
75. Fight for Your Family ____________________________212
76. Finish Well ____________________________________214
Acknowledgments 217
Notes 218
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Foreword by
Henry Cloud, PhD
We’ve all had the experience of going to the doctor and being told to
take a pill for what ails us. It seems too small, too simple to be effec-
tive, but amazingly, once we toss back a dose or two, the pain is relieved,
the infection is fought, and full-capacity functioning resurfaces once more.
Behind that pill is years of research, lots of biochemical brainwork done by
guys so nerdy they’re denied interaction with normal people, extensive clini-
cal trials, failures and redesigns, hundreds of millions of dollars, and proven
success. In short, concealed in that innocent-looking solution is the power
to change everything.
It’s a fitting analogy because in this collection of “leadership proverbs,”
as Bill has termed them, you’re offered a handful of powerful little pills that
can either turn a sick leadership situation around or boost its immune system
so that it never has to fall ill. The principles of Axiom are that simple and
yet that profound. And like all worthwhile medicines, they are supported by
years of research, rigorous trials, colossal failures and subsequent redesigns,
millions of dollars, and buckets of blood, sweat, and tears. They work. And
as a leadership consultant and coach to small organizations and Fortune 500
companies alike, I have witnessed firsthand what happens to a leader’s three
primary leadership responsibilities when principles like these are utilized . . .
and when they are not.
A leader’s responsibility, first and foremost, is to cause a vision and mis-
sion to have tangible results in the real world. Without a real difference made
in real p eople’s lives, a vision is relegated to a pipe dream, a mission to a series
of wishes posted on the wall. Great leaders — whether they labor in the mar-
ketplace or in a ministry setting — demand the achievement of results that
the people being served can actually count, measure, and feel. This book will
show you how to do just that.
A leader is also responsible for the experience of his or her followers. If
foreword
your leadership is sound, not only are you hitting the numbers, but you are
also lifting the people to experience more health, more growth, more success,
foreword | 9
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