Axiom: Powerful Leadership Proverbs [Paperback]

Bill Hybels (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 4, 2011

The best leaders not only lead well but also reflect on their leadership long enough and thoughtfully enough to articulate the philosophies that cause them to do so. Whether serving in the marketplace or in ministry, as executives or rank-and-file employees, as salaried staff or volunteer servants, good leaders can pinpoint the rationale for their actions and decisions with the ease of reciting their home address. In Axiom, author Bill Hybels divulges the God-given convictions that have dictated his leadership strategy for more than three decades as senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church. Oriented toward four key leadership categories ... 1. Vision and strategy ('Promote Shameless Profitability,' 'Take a Flyer') 2. Teamwork and communication ('Obi-Wan Kenobi Isn't for Hire,' 'Disagree without Drawing Blood') 3. Activity and assessment ('Develop a Mole System,' 'Sweat the Small Stuff') 4. Personal integrity ('Admit Mistakes, and Your Stock Goes Up,' 'Fight for Your Family') ... Axiom brokers accessible wisdom from one leader's journey, as well as emboldens you to nail down the reasons why you lead like you lead.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Toss out all your texts on leadership by theorists and read this masterpiece again and again. Bill serves up solid content, not cliches; axioms, not merely anecdotes. I love this book! The distilled wisdom is pure gold---classic Hybels.' -- Rick Warren, Founding and senior pastor, Saddleback Church <br><br> --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

The best leaders not only lead well but also reflect on their leadership long enough and thoughtfully enough to articulate what philosophies cause them to do so. Whether serving in the marketplace or in ministry, as executives or rank-and-file employees, as salaried staff or volunteer servants, they can pinpoint the rationale for their actions and decisions with the ease of reciting their home address. In Axiom: The Language of Leadership, author Bill Hybels divulges the God-given convictions that have dictated his leadership strategy for more than three decades as Senior Pastor of Willow Creek Community Church. Oriented toward four key leadership categories—vision and strategy (“Promote Shameless Profitability,” “Take a Flyer”), teamwork and communication (“Obi-Wan Kenobi Isn’t for Hire,” “Disagree without Drawing Blood”), activity and assessment (“Develop a Mole System,” “Sweat the Small Stuff”), and personal integrity (“Admit Mistakes, and Your Stock Goes Up,” “Fight for Your Family”)—Axiom brokers accessible wisdom from one leader’s journey, as well as emboldens you to nail down the reasons why you lead like you lead. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan (March 4, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310493080
• ISBN-13: 978-0310493082
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.6 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #581,186 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bill Hybels is the founding and senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Ill., and chairman of the board for the Willow Creek Association. The bestselling author of more than twenty books, including Axiom, Holy Discontent, Just Walk Across the Room, The Volunteer Revolution, Courageous Leadership, and classics such as Too Busy Not to Pray and Becoming a Contagious Christian, Hybels is known worldwide as an expert in training Christian leaders to transform individuals and their communities through the local church. Hybels received a bachelor's degree in Biblical Studies and an honorary Doctorate of Divinity from Trinity College in Deerfield, Ill. He and his wife, Lynne, have two adult children and one grandson, Henry.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Nuggets of Leadership Wisdom September 6, 2008

By Hal Seed

Format:Hardcover

Bill's latest book is a kind of distillation of his learnings, values, and leadership principles from 30+ years at Willow. Written in 76 short, concise chapters, "Axiom" is both inspiring and instructive. Each chapter contains a principle, wrapped in a slogan (or "Axiom") that Bill has coined to summarize a specific facet of leadershipo. The chapters are self-contained, like Proverbs. You can read one, put the book down and go apply the principle. No chapter takes more than 10 minutes to read, but each will take months (if not years) to fully implement.

Axiom is one of the most practical books on church leadership in our day. I found myself putting most chapters into practice the same day I read them. Those familiar with WillowWorld will recognize many (if not all) the book's principles from previous Leadership Summits or Hybels' sermons. For me, the book was both a great review and a kick in the seat to go lead better, and lead better in specific ways.

Axiom reminded me once again of the importance of leading daily, improving myself and my church regularly, not settling for incremental growth, and the absolute necessity of church leaders fighting for the advancement of the kingdom. I recommend this book to all churchworld leaders.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Speed of the Leader, Speed of the Team August 19, 2008

By John W. Pearson VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Bill Hybels revs up in chapter one--and the good stuff is still kicking in chapter 68, "Read All You Can." He writes, "I have little patience with leaders who get themselves into leadership binds and then confess that they haven't read a leadership book in years. If you're a serious-minded leader, you will read." In the book's foreword, Henry Cloud writes, "Great leaders do their homework so that weariness and unsteadiness are kept at bay."

Amen to that vote for lifelong learning, also affirmed in the "Book Bucket" one of 20 buckets in my book, Mastering The Management Buckets: 20 Critical Competencies for Leading Your Business or Non-profit. Consequently, I was eager to read the latest book from Bill Hybels, one of the most gifted leaders I've ever met. Axiom, with 76 pithy leadership proverbs, doesn't disappoint.

"Speed of the leader, speed of the team," was and is one of Bill's oft-mentioned axioms. Few leaders make this pronouncement because the camera immediately focuses in on them. As the first president of Willow Creek Association, I watched Hybels up close and he always shared that core value confidently, yet humbly. His walk and his talk backed it up. He writes, "If you cannot say, `Follow me,' to your followers--and mean it--then you've got a problem, a big one."

He elaborates. "Follow my values. Follow my integrity. Follow my work ethic, my commitment, and my communication patterns. Fight as I fight. Focus as I focus. Sacrifice as I sacrifice. Love as I love. Repent as I repent. Admit wrong as I admit wrong. Endure hardship as I endure hardship." Then he concludes this one-page proverb with the whole point of it. "When requisite actions back them up, these are the words that set followers' hearts soaring."

Scan the 76 mini-chapter titles and you'll be pulled into the street-smart, God-smart wisdom. They include: Language Matters, Make the Big Ask, Hire Tens, The Dangers of Incrementalism, Never Say Someone's No for Them, The Tunnel of Chaos (a key idea in my Culture Bucket), Disagree Without Drawing Blood, Admit Mistakes and Your Stock Goes Up, and Arrive Early or Not at All.

Warning! Don't carelessly toss these axioms into your repertoire without understanding the biblical and leadership context. In my days at Willow, "Don't Screw Up" was a common benediction at meetings--but it created anxiety, not blessing. The leader knew how to communicate it, but the lieutenants didn't.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple yet Ingenious October 8, 2008

By Mark L. Mathia

Format:Hardcover

Contagious and very practical Bill Hybels book has earned a place next to such works as Good to Great. What I really enjoyed is the easy flow and depth of each axiom as Bill innocently takes us on a leadership journey. I say innocently because the core intent behind the book is simple yet ingenious. I buy what he is saying and now have an even deeper and more profound respect for Bill as a Leaders leader. Full of advice and practical leadership application I have found myself looking back over Bill's axiom's as I begin to take notice of the saying and traditions of my own leadership style.

In a nut shell this might be my favorite leadership book of all times because it touched equally on every aspect of my calling as a leader.

As a side note I was also able to attend Willow's Leadership Summit at a local simulcast. It was the best leadership experience of my life to date. Every minute spent with Bill Hybels in his books or at the Summit, is worth its weight in pure gold!