“Always be leading something” -Bill Hybels
Another takeaway from the Summit was: I need my leadership bell rung often! This takeaway came from Bill Hybel’s first session. He asked the question: “Have you had your leadership bell rung lately? Has there been any book, talk, experience, challenge that has rocked your world lately? What I know is that leaders rarely learn anything new without having their world rocked!”
I started thinking about whether or not my leadership bell has been rung recently. It definitely has. Helping plant a church, building and leading a youth ministry from scratch, and starting a new position at a non-profit managing hundreds of volunteers has my bell ringing loud and clear.
While I may be getting my bell rung lately, for a while, I was stagnant. I really wasn’t leading anything. I was stuck. I was frustrated. I wasn’t growing.
I needed to have my leadership bell rung. In his talk, Bill Hybels said, “When you are sick of staying stuck, you’ll do whatever it takes to go to another level!”
For me, it was taking on new leadership roles along with reading leadership books that were different from the ones that I was used to reading. I pursued opportunities that would allow me to lead. I started reading people’s biographies and autobiographies in order to hear their stories. I wanted to see how they became leaders as well as how they grew as leaders. Through the new books and my new experiences, my leadership bell started ringing. I started getting inspired, challenged, and encouraged!
In his book, Axiom, Bill Hybels writes, “I’m often asked how, in addition to reading, how to get better as a leader. And if I’m in a playful mood, I’ll sometimes say with a smile, “Just lead something! The more varied the environments in which you exercise your leadership gift, the stronger that gift will become. Lead something beside your main thing. You will become a far more effective leader.”
So the questions I’ve asked myself and that I will ask you are:
- When is the last time you’ve had your leadership bell rung?
- What have you done to ring your leadership bell lately?
- Are you growing where you’re currently leading?
- Do you need your leadership bell rung?
- What new leadership experiences have you sought out whether at work or in another organization?
- What new books are you reading that are challenging and inspiring you?
Don’t let your life be average! Lead something! Make it awesome!
