1. The Essence of
Good to Great
By Jim Collins

2. Testing the Assumptions

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

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

8. 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

9. Level 5 Leaders

10. 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?

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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?

14. The 2 Sides of Level 5 Leadership
Professional 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.

15. 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

16. 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

17. First Who, Then What
The right people don’t need to be tightly managed or fired up. P.42

18. 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

19. First Who, Then What
In a good to great transformation, people are not your most important asset. The right people are. P.51

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

21. 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

22. 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

23. 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.

24. First Who, Then What What does this principle say to us?
How does this principle inform your work with certain ministries?

25. 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?

26. Confront the Brutal Facts (Yet never lose faith)
The Biblical Record: Matt. 23:1-7, – Parable of the Sheep and Goats, Matt.25 or Parable of the Good Samaritan, Luke 10 – John 4: (Woman at the well) – Matt. 18: 8-9 (Hand and eye offend you) – Matt. 21: – I John 1: 6-10

27. Confront the Brutal Facts (Yet never lose faith)
“You absolutely cannot make a series of good decisions without first confronting the brutal facts.” P. 70

28. Confront the Brutal Facts (Yet never lose faith)
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

29. Confront the Brutal Facts (Yet never lose faith)
“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

30. Confront the Brutal Facts (Yet never lose faith)
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.

31. Remember The Stockdale Paradox
Retain faith that you will prevail in the end, regardless of the difficulties.
AND at the same time confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.

32. Confront the Brutal Facts (Yet never lose faith)
“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

33. Confront the Brutal Facts (Yet never lose faith)
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?

34. The Hedgehog Concept
The Biblical foundation: Matt. 28:19-20, Matt. 22: – The Great Commission and The Great Commandment.

35. 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

36. 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?

37. 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

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

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

40. The Hedgehog Concept
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

41. “Know ‘one big thing’ and stick to it.” P. 119
The Hedgehog Concept
“Know ‘one big thing’ and stick to it.” P. 119

42. The Hedgehog Concept
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?

43. Can each sub-unit and each person have a hedgehog concept?
The Hedgehog Concept
Can each sub-unit and each person have a hedgehog concept?

44. How is the Hedgehog Concept different for a church?

45. 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!

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

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

48. 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

49. A Culture of Discipline
“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

50. A Culture of Discipline
“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

51. A Culture of Discipline
“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

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

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

54. A Culture of Discipline
Should we have a “stop” doing list?
What should be on the list?

55. A Culture of Discipline
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?

56. 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.

57. THE FLYWHEEL AND THE DOOM LOOP
“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

58. THE FLYWHEEL AND THE DOOM LOOP
“There will be build up and break through.” P.165

59. THE FLYWHEEL AND THE DOOM LOOP
“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

60. The Doom Loop

61. The Flywheel Effect

62. 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?