Known worldwide for his work equipping and training Christian leaders, Bill Hybels is the visionary behind The Leadership Summit. He is passionate about empowering leaders to transform communities through the local church.
Bill Hybels is the senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, and chairman of the board for the Willow Creek Association. He convened The Leadership Summit in 1995 following a God-given prompting to help develop the spiritual gift of leadership in the local church. A highly sought-after conference speaker on issues related to Christian leadership, Hybels is the best-selling author of more than 20 books including Courageous Leadership, The Volunteer Revolution, and the summer 2007 release, Holy Discontent.
Notes from Bill Hybels talk follow below.
Four questions about inspiration
1) How much does it matter that a person is motivated?
- Some studies show a 40% performance differential between motivated and unmotivated
- Motivated employees are 87% less likely to leave
- Motivation matters a lot
2) Who’s job is it to keep me as a senior leader motivated?
- Used to think it was someone else’s job to motivate him and blamed others when not motivated
- Example of David: 1 Samuel 30:6 Went off and encouraged himself in God.
- Never again blame someone else for my sagging spirits
- I’m going to do whatever self-leadership is necessary to lead in an inspired state
- Who wants to follow a leader who’s moping around
- What I need to do to stay in an inspired state:
- Stay clear about my mission from God. Moving dirt piles from one place to another is mental torture. When you’re not clear about why you’re doing something it feels like moving dirt piles. You have to pay the price of getting quiet with God to get clarity from God. Not for a day or two but until you get a clear vision from God. God is not playing hide and seek with you. If you pursue Him he will give you clear vision
- Leveraging my spiritual gifts. Pay attention to strengths and spiritual gifts.
- Make sure players on my teams are inspiriting people. Build your team with inspiring people and not de-motivators.
- Books. Read inspiring books of people overcoming challenging obstacles.
- Rub shoulders with exceptionally inspiring people. Take the initiative.
- Take part in exceptionally inspiring events.
- Paying attention to physical disciplines – diet, exercise. 20% energy gain by paying attention to physical disciplines. That 20% can make all the difference.
- Pay attention to your work environment. A decorating scheme that’s uplifting, pictures, plaques, banners.
- Having an inspiring recreation outside of work. What is it outside of work that creates energy in me?
- Daily spiritual disciplines that keep my faith fresh. Read scripture, pray, “saturation reflection” – reflected on Romans 12 for an entire year. This year Romans 8.
3) What’s the best way to inspire the people around me?
- ***The single most powerful way to motivate the people around you is to live a motivated life in front of them***
- Inspiration is contagious
- Your motivation level is a “force motivator” (Colin Powell)
- The greatest gift you
- Other ways to inspire others:
- Connect everyone you lead to a compelling cause. “Ministers of First Impressions”
- Learn the inspiration language of everyone on your team. People all want to be inspired in different ways. You have to get to know your team so well to know what inspires them.
- Identify and reduce every de-motivating dynamic we possibly can. Fredrick Hersberg published a study that found even highly motivated employees will leave an organization if the de-motivating factors are not addressed. Some common de-motivators: unclear job description, lack of benefits, underfunded ministries, meager salaries, lack of learning opportunities
- Celebrate every sign of progress towards your shared goals. Don’t just celebrate the main, long-term goal but celebrate milestones.
4) What would a church look like if every person in it was inspired?
- Acts 2
Easter service – doors of identity, radical love, redemption…
Bill Hybels always brings it. The session was powerful, challenging,and inspiring. He must have an amazing team of people looking for inspirational stories to move the leaders at the summit!
Patrick Sr. and Patrick Jr. are both inspiring people. I want to be that kind of parent to my 4 children. Whatever it takes. Whatever the cost. Not as a martyr, but as a loving, supportive parent.
I was inspired in the first 5 minutes. The rest of the session was the cement used to adhere the lesson to my heart and soul.
The challenge is to inspire those we lead every day! Let’s do it!!
This was an outstanding talk.
A great personal exercise would be to go through Hybel’s list of “10 Things That Keep Me in an Inspired State” and see how many of them you’re doing. Then consider implementing the ones you’re not doing.
A great leadership exercise would be to ask everyone on your team two questions:
1) What inspires you?
2) What are the biggest de-motivating factors you experience as a part of our team? (Two words of caution. First, be prepared to accept responsibility for criticism and not to blame others or become defensive. Second, tell people up front that if one of their de-motivators has to do with the behavior of another team member, that should not be sprung on the person in this conversation but to talk to either you or that individual privately.)
On a side note, I’d be willing to bet this will be the subject of Hybel’s next book.
Shalom from Malaysia… thanks for having this up on your blog. I know that it’s been 2 years since the Leadership Summit in 07 but yeah I just got to know about this after the screening of the vid in my church last Sunday.
Great that I can get the 4 main questions that Hybel discussed here. I didn’t get one of those points.. Thanks a bunch.
God bless you and your family. Your ministry too! Thanks for serving the Lord.