good to great the essence of by jim collins. testing the assumptions

Good to Great

The Essence of

By Jim Collins

Testing the Assumptions

Assumptions That you have been praying regularly for

this retreat time and all of its participants.

That you have come prepared with an alert mind, and an open heart.

That you have read carefully all of the chapters of Good To Great by Jim Collins.

Assumptions

That you understand that I have chosen this book because of its timeless, universal principles that can be applied to any organization.

That we are more than an organization, we are the Body of Christ empowered by the Holy Spirit.

That our product is Christian disciples.

Assumptions

That you want our Conference to be the best conference it can possibly be.

That good is the enemy of great.

That you want to be the best leader you can possibly be.

That you are resolved to do whatever it takes to help God make this a Christ-like world, no matter how big or how hard the tasks.

Assumptions That you want to contribute to producing visible,

tangible results.

That all of us will be polite but openly honest about our genuine feelings and thoughts.

That the ‘Common Table’ is better than separate groups working independently of one another as it relates to our work and ministry in advancing the cause of Christ.

Assumptions

That we understand this retreat will not get us to the finish line, but can definitely start (or accelerate) the Fly Wheel turning.

LEVEL 5 LEADERSHIP:

Our Biblical calling is Level 5 leadership … John 20:21 – Matthew 20:26 & 28 – Hebrews 12:1-2 – I Corinthians 9:24

Level 5 Leaders

LEVEL 5 LEADERSHIP “Greatness is not a function of

circumstance. Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice.” p. 11

In your heart of hearts, are you satisfied with good – or for the sake of Christ and His Church, are you determined to become a Level 5 leader?

LEVEL 5 LEADERSHIP Abraham Lincoln as an example – p.22 Speaking of Coleman Mockler – “His placid

persona hid an inner intensity, a dedication to making anything he touched the best it could possibly be – not just because of what he would get, but because he simply could not imagine doing it any other way.” p.25

LEVEL 5 LEADERSHIP They never aspired to be put on a pedestal

or become unreachable icons. They were seemingly ordinary people quietly producing extra-ordinary results. p. 28

It is equally about ferocious resolve – infected with an incurable need to produce results. Humble and fearless…were incredibly ambitious. P.30

LEVEL 5 LEADERSHIP

Can you evolve, or continue to evolve, into a Level 5 leader? Under the right circumstances – self-reflection, conscious personal development, a mentor, a great teacher, a significant life experience, a Level 5 boss … p.37

What else would you add? What specifically needs to be on your list?

The 2 Sides of Level 5 LeadershipProfessional Will

Creates superb results, a clear catalyst in the transition from good to great.

Demonstrates an unwavering resolve to do whatever must be done to produce the best long-term results, no matter how difficult.

Sets the standard of building an enduring great company; will settle for nothing less.

Looks in the mirror, not out the window, to apportion responsibility for poor results, never blaming other people, external factors, or bad luck.

Personal Humility

Demonstrates a compelling modesty, shunning public adulation; never boastful.

Acts with quiet, calm determination; relies principally on inspired standards, not inspiring charisma, to motivate.

Channels ambition into the company, not the self; sets up successors for even greater success in the next generation.

Looks out the window, not in the mirror, to apportion credit for the success of the company—to other people, external factors, and good luck.

First Who, Then What Biblical truth: Matt.

7: 15 – 21 – Rev. 3: 15–16 – Luke 9: 57-62

If we get the right people on the bus, the right people in the right seats and the wrong people off the bus, … p.41

First Who, Then What “…if you have the

wrong people, it doesn’t matter whether you discover the right direction; you still won’t have a great company. Great vision without great people is irrelevant.” P. 42

First Who, Then What The right people don’t

need to be tightly managed or fired up. P.42

First Who, Then What “…the ‘who’

questions come before the ‘what’ questions – before vision, before strategy, before tactics, before organizational structure, before technology.” P. 45

First Who, Then What In a good to great

transformation, people are not your most important asset. The right people are. P.51

First Who, Then What

“To be rigorous means consistently applying exacting standards at all times and at all levels, especially upper management. “ P.52

First Who, Then What The only way to

deliver to the people who are achieving is to not burden them with the people who are not achieving. P.53

First Who, Then What Alan Wurtzel of Circuit

City in reply to the question, “At what point do I compromise?” Without hesitation said, “You don’t compromise. We find another way to get through until we find the right person.” P. 55

First Who, Then What Practical principles: 1. When in doubt don’t

hire, keep looking. 2. When you know you

need to make a people change, act.

3. Put your best people on your biggest opportunities, not on your biggest problems.

First Who, Then What What does this

principle say to us?

How does this principle inform your work with certain ministries?

First Who, Then What How do these

statements inform the work of the BOM, the Cabinet, New Church Development, Treasurer, DCM, etc.?

How does this principle inform nominations in the future?

How might you tell if someone is the right person on the bus?

Confront the Brutal Facts (Yet never lose faith)

The Biblical Record: Matt. 23:1-7, 24-33 – Parable of the Sheep and Goats, Matt.25 or Parable of the Good Samaritan, Luke 10 – John 4: 15-16 (Woman at the well) – Matt. 18: 8-9 (Hand and eye offend you) – Matt. 21: 28-31 – I John 1: 6-10


“You absolutely cannot make a series of good decisions without first confronting the brutal facts.” P. 70


Fred Purdue of Pitney Bowes said, “When you turn over rocks and look at all the squiggly things underneath, you can either put the rock down, or you can say, ‘My job is to turn over rocks and look at the squiggly things,’ even if what you see can scare the (stuffens’) out of you.” P. 72


“Yes, leadership is about vision. But leadership is equally about creating a climate where the truth is heard and the brutal facts confronted. There’s a huge difference between the opportunity to ‘have your say’ and the opportunity to be heard.” P.74


Creating a climate where truth is heard: 1. Lead with

questions, not answers.

2. Engage in dialogue and debate, not coercion.

3. Conduct autopsies, without blame.

4. Build “red flag” mechanisms.

Remember The Stockdale Paradox

AND at the same time confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.

Retain faith that you will prevail in the end, regardless of the difficulties.


“There is a sense of exhilaration that comes in facing head-on the hard truths and saying, ‘We will never give up. We will never capitulate. It might take a long time, but we will find a way to prevail.’” P.81


What are some of the brutal facts that we must face?

Using The Stockdale Paradox phrase a statement about one of these brutal facts?

What mills might we need to sell? What restaurants might we need to close? What “corporate raiders” need to be fought

off?

The Hedgehog Concept The Biblical

foundation: Matt. 28:19-20, Matt. 22: 36-40 – The Great Commission and The Great Commandment.

The Hedgehog Concept “Precisely, the

Hedgehog concept is a simple, crystalline concept that flows from deep understanding about the intersection of the three circles.” P.95

What are your three circles? What are you the

best in the world at?

What drives your economic engine?

What are you deeply passionate about?

The Hedgehog Concept

A Hedge Hog concept is not a goal to be the best, a strategy to be the best, an intention to be the best, a plan to be the best. It is an understanding of what you can be the best at. P. 98


“The only way to remain great is to keep applying the fundamental principles that made you great.” P.108


“We should only do those things that we can get passionate about.” P.109


The essence of the process is to get the right people engaged in vigorous dialogue and debate, in fused with the brutal facts and guided by questions formed by the three circles. P.114


“Know ‘one big thing’ and stick to it.” P. 119


Which is more important: the goal to be the best at something, or realistic understanding of what you can (and cannot) be the best at?


Can each sub-unit and each person have a hedgehog concept?


How is the Hedgehog Concept different for a church?

The Hedgehog Concept What are we deeply passionate about?

(love to do) What can we become the best in the world

at? (genetic or God-given talent) What drives our economic engine?

How are we going to finance what we are going to do?

What is our single denominator? Cash flow per local church offerings. We create healthy churches, we create

healthy cash flow. People and money flow to VISION!

A Culture of Discipline

The Biblical Call: Matt. 7:13-14 – Heb. 12:1-2 – Phil. 3:13-16 – John 9:4


“The purpose of bureaucracy is to compensate for incompetence and lack of discipline.” P.121

A Culture of Discipline “Most companies build their bureaucratic

rules to manage the small percentage of wrong people on the bus, which in turn drives away the right people on the bus, which then increases the percentage of wrong people on the bus, which increases the need for more bureaucracy to compensate for incompetence and lack of discipline, which then further drives the right people away, and so forth.” P. 121

“Avoid bureaucracy and hierarchy and instead create a culture of discipline.” P. 121


“Set your objectives for the year, you record them in concrete. You can change your plans through the year, but you never change what you measure yourself against.” P.122


“You focus on what you’ve accomplished relative to exactly what you said you were going to accomplish – no matter how tough the measure.” P.122


“The point is to first get self-disciplined people who engage in very rigorous thinking, who then take disciplined action within the framework of a consistent system designed around the Hedgehog Concept.” P. 126


“They displayed a remarkable discipline to unplug all sorts of extraneous junk.” P.139


Should we have a “stop” doing list?

What should be on the list?


If class distinctions are deeply divisive, then why do organizations persist in creating an executive class that separates itself from those who do the real work? If you ran the whole show, what would you remove to reduce class distinctions?

THE FLYWHEEL AND THE DOOM LOOP

The Biblical Truth: Parable of the Mustard Seed (Matt. 13:31) Parable of the Leaven (Matt. 13:33) - Matt. 17:20 (faith as mustard seed) – Jesus beginning with the disciples.


“Step by step, action by action, decision by decision, turn by turn of the flywheel – that adds up to sustained and spectacular results.” p.165


“There will be build up and break through.” P.165


“Tremendous power exists in the fact of continued improvement and the delivery of results. Point to tangible accomplishments … people see and feel the buildup of momentum, they will line up with enthusiasm.” P.174

The Doom Loop

The Flywheel Effect

Building Vision Do we know what

is core and what is not?

What is our vision? Do we have a good

BHAG? What should be

some of our base camps?

good to great the essence of by jim collins. testing the assumptions

Documents

sides of level

best longterm results

poor results

tangible results

best leader

great teacher

extraordinary results

chapters of good