The Summit, Day 1

Well, day 1 was pretty much what I expected. A couple good sessions and one that was a sleeper. (Who decides to put the boring one after lunch?) Anyway… here are my notes. These are super raw and will provide perhaps far too much insight to how my brain works.

Session 1
Bill Hybels: John 10 casting vision.

The most compelling vision is worthless without corporate ownership. Are people willing to
die for the vision of the church? Its all about process.

Mt Sinai vision casting vs. Team vision casting. Lead by the question
of where do you see our organization in the next 5 years?

Subsequent vision process: ask people what they think of your first
vision draft. What excites you? What scares you? What are your secret
concerns? Then adjust!
Vision declaration: people have lives… You need to remind them of
the vision consistently and often because they forget the vision.
Would you be willing to die for your own vision? Are you an owner or
an employee? Acts 21 Paul was willing to be bound and killed for God’s
vision for Jerusalem… Are you willing to pay the price? It is the
difference between your people following the vision and not.
Bill closes with an example of how he sacrificed for the WCA vision.
You have to own the vision… Be an owner and not a hireling.

I thought Hybels did a fine job. He set the pace for the rest of the sessions to come. Jason said when he was done, "OK, I heard what I needed to hear." That’s worth the price of admission right there.

Session 2:
Carly Fiorina

• Learning from various disciplines prepared her for leadership.
• She quit law school because she didn’t love it. This was hard because she had to disappoint her parents.
• Teamwork makes things fun. Its more fun to win together.
• Since she was an anxious child, fear was a big part of her life. As a result she has learned to detect fear as well how to overcome it as a manager.
• The complexity of being a female leader in a male world. She told a story about a meeting and confronting someone who wanted to close a deal at a strip club.
• Her strategy for being a female in a male world. Any type of prejudice comes from fear. Next, it isn’t your problem… Instead find common ground and focus on your goal.
• Motivation is the measurement of a leader. Leading is about new directions.
• Give people a compelling reason to  believe that the vision is worth the pain.
• Deal with the realities of the process.
• Unlocking potential in people is a massived motivator… Take a chance on others.
• Leadership development never ends… There is something to learn from everyone… Even bad experiences.
• Put people outside their comfort zone to develop.
• Dispassion is an important factor of a leader… Objectivity helps you see what needs to be done. It helps you make the right choice.
• She talks about getting labeled the most powerful woman in business. She calls it a joke… But was flattered as well. She felt like that fame made her lonely. It killed her authenticity…
• They started seeing a label instead.
• The phrase the HP WAY became a hinderance instead of a motivator. It became an excuse to stop innovation.
• Risk taking is part of the dna of an innovator.
• When the end came… Chicago 2005.
• Some internal business got leaked to the WSJ and that caused a major issue. When she confronted the parties… She was fired.
• It was done in a back room meeting way.
• She was asked to resign in a way similar to the ministry way… But she chose to not sell out and told the truth to the media. She said she wouldn’t sell out her character. At the end of the day integrity is more important than keeping her job. The truth was more important than saving face to the media.
• "there is a gift in everything."
• She is now experiencing freedom… Which she relishes.
• Currently she is looking to find what’s next for her full time. In that sense she is waiting.
• Bill closes by praying for Carly.

I thought the interview was solid but I wondered if I had just read her book if I would have gotten more out of it.

Session 3 was with Floyd Flake. I am sure he is a remarkable man. But he didn’t say anything I thought was remarkably applicable to my ministry or leadership development. I love the concept of community development and hope to one day unleash that concept in our town… because we desperately need it.