mentored by Bill Hybels for 76 days!

Earlier this week I wrote about being "mentored" by Andy Stanley HERE. But I was also mentored by Bill Hybels for 76 days! That's not too bad either! People would pay big $ to spend time each day being mentored by one of the greatest leaders in the church of our generation - Bill Hybels, the visionary behind Willow Creek and the spark for much of the local church revolution we continue to enjoy.

It only cost me $14.99 and I talked about the book back when I bought it HERE. The book is called Axiom & you can buy it (for even cheaper) HERE.
It is basically a book of all Hybels' leadership advice/wisdom for the past 30+ years! That's pure GOLD my friends! PURE GOLD. So, I snagged it.

The thing I liked best about this book is that it is simply 76 "axioms" straight from Bill. Each one is only 2-3 pages. For me it's the perfect "pot book." I literally spent 5 minutes per day soaking in Bill Hybels' leadership coaching and in 76 days I had finished the entire book. I had accumulated all this advice he has been learning and compiling for decades.
*talk about "redeeming the time!" I was able to be mentored by one of the greatest leaders of this generation EVERY SINGLE DAY for over 2 months while... sitting on the pot! I think that is AWESOME use of my time!
**And really it took NO extra time out of my day... I would have been sitting there anyway, I just picked up the book while sitting there. Such an awesome use of time/way to "multitask!"

I'm sill stoked about having had Bill Hybels as a mentor for 76 days! wow! thanks Bill for writing this and giving me the ability to take advantage of it...

In the next post (on this topic) I'll pick out my favorite of the 76 axioms and break them down, but today here are some of my fav quotes from the book. [my added thoughts are simply in brackets.] Enjoy...


“Leaders must never expect from others anything more than they’re willing to deliver themselves.”
“The most important part of every meeting is your greeting and goodbye.” [This was a whole chapter & a lot of great wisdom about meetings! great stuff!]
“People who work in Christian settings often feel obligated to present opinions with a level of politeness that can often dilute the point they are making to where it is barely recognizable. The other people in the room respond with blank stares, wondering what in the world this person has just said.” [haha - this makes me laugh because it's so true! I think the mission is worth being a little more direct!]
“When high-capacity people work in close proximity to each other, there will be friction.” [that's a great thing to remember. We may not be able to avoid it, just manage it!]
***“The healthiest organizations I see are not conflict-free. They are just ridiculously committed to keeping short accounts.” [That quote & the axiom chapter that went with it is worth the price of the book! imho]
[Since God gives peeps the ability to think creatively… therefore when things are stale at a church] “it’s a fair bet to say that God is not to blame… it’s that church leaders don’t carve out the time to establish the right environment, and rally the requisite energy to think new thoughts.” [ooooh... you know he's right... but it hurts a little, doesn't it?]
“What would we do to advance the kingdom of God if there was nothing to stop us from doing it?” [just ask yourself that Q & run with it!]
“any group that is conducting any sort of ongoing activity runs the risk of operating from a rut over time.”
“I’d rather rein in a hyperactivist once in a while than have to wake him up from a long afternoon nap.”
“I believe God is looking to pour out his favor on those who are hopping out of bed each morning ready to further the cause for his glory.”
“The way I am doing the work of God is destroying God’s work in me.” [said about his unsustainable pace in ministry at one point.]
“far too many leaders in high positions of responsibility neglect their need to read.” [haha - I threw that one in because I feel like that's at least 1 I'm "safe" on... haha, just 75 others to work on.]
“Leaders have a responsibility before God to constantly get better, and one of the most reliable ways to do so is to read. Great leaders read frequently. They read voraciously.” [That's so encouraging for me to hear. Thanks Bill.]
“If you don’t get that [family leadership] right, then you probably won’t get your responsibilities in leadership right either.” [us ministry leaders GOTTA remember that.]
***“Show me a leader who can cast a white-hot vision and who builds great teams and who does great things for God but who has a bitter spouse and disillusioned, cynical children, and I’ll show you trouble waiting to happen.”
“I very slowly woke up to the fact that nobody in my organization was going to fight for my family but me.”


What thoughts did these quotes produce in you?
Who is "mentoring" YOU right now?