Beyond You Leaders

How many talks have you heard that have stuck with you for years? forever?

Today I am sharing my notes on a talk that I first heard at a  Leadercast event in 2014!

Andy Stanley – Pastor of  North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, Georgia was the first speaker and what he shared that day was worth the price of admission!

I was challenged by Andy’s Questions!    Here are my notes from his presentation:

“Beyond You Leaders”

Beyond You Leaders are Leaders who fearlessly and selflessly empower leaders around them, as well as those coming along behind them.

Beyond You leaders ask:

“How can I leverage my power for the sake of the other people in the room?”

I want to give you a really big idea – which is the context for the entire day – Here is what Beyond You Leaders know intuitively:

The value of a life is always measured by how much of it was given away.

We don’t celebrate accumulation at a funeral

We celebrate generosity and selflessness!

The value of your leadership will be measured by how much of it was given away.  If you don’t measure it this way – you will get to the end of your life and wish you could go back and spend more time leveraging your power and influence to help other people.  You will wish you could give up some of what you accumulated in order to have influenced more.

Live today for the sake of people around you.  It has to be beyond you and not just about you.

We celebrate generosity – We envy accumulation

If you are not careful it will be all about you and not about what you could do for other people….like the people you work with.

3 specific things you can do to become a Beyond You Leader:

Step 1 – Make as few decisions as possible

Get in the habit of making as few decisions as possible.  One of the most empowering things you can do for people is to refuse to make decisions that others can make. Refuse to decide and encourage them to decide!

“You Decide!”

As your organizational authority increases, your  organizational IQ decreases!  Because you know less and less because you are responsible for more and more.  Just because you have the power does not mean you need to make all the decisions.

Step 2 – Work for your Team

Get in the habit of working for your team.

“What can I do to help?”

Imagine your boss asking you that!  What if the person with the power asked you how they could help you.

I ask my direct reports – “What can I do to help?” and I  ask them to email me 2 to 3 things I can do to help.  How can I leverage my talent, my influence to help you? I want to loan you my power and influence!  What are the 2-3 things I can do for a day or two to help you?”

You don’t ask it because you are afraid they may have an answer.

Step 3 –  Empty Your Cup

Find ways to pour in what you know – not all that they need to know but what you know.  Look for opportunities to empty your cup. You are smarter than you think. simple as sending an article. Every once in a while, I will pick some some of my staff to spend a few weeks together and go through a book together. I will buy breakfast. I am looking for a way to empty my cup.

Charley Renfroe did this for me.  For years Charley took me to breakfast every other week.  He always asked:  “What you working on Big?”  At the time getting  40 H.S. kids to Six Flags and  then getting them home safely was Big!”

But as Charley kept asking, I began to think, “Charley thinks I can work on Big Stuff!”    Now as we reach new Milestones  I get texts from Charley:  “Now That is BIG!”

Charley would ask me about the “500 lb Gorilla”  When I wanted to avoid conflict with someone or on some issue Charley would tell me:  “You go down and open that cage and invite that 500 lb Gorilla  into the room!”

Today I ask myself, “What would Charley do?”

What Charley did for me – You can do for somebody!  Don’t wait until you are the boss!   If you don’t do it now – You won’t start doing it then.  Who is coming along behind you – that you can help now?

Andy closed with this:

If your leadership is not all about you – it will live beyond you!

If it is all about you – it won’t live beyond you.

Thank you Andy Stanley!  

So what you your take away from what Andy shared?   What will implementing it in your life look like?

Pictured below are the great leaders I was privileged to attend Leadercast 2014 with here in Plano, Texas: