I’ve really been lazy on posting my notes from Catalyst. I know some are way ahead of me in getting theirs up, check it.

My memory on this one isn’t quite as sharp as Andy Stanley’s first session, so I hope this makes some sort of sense:

“Not all time in life is equal.” If only great companies are developed, we’ll simply be a prosperous nation, not a great nation. “Good is the enemy of the great.” What separates the good and the great? Greatness is not a function of circumstance, but of conscious choice. It’s the wrong direction for a church or non-profit to simply seek to become like a business in its efforts to become greater because most businesses are average. The real issue, of moving from a good organization to great one, concerns discipline. We should work to form a culture of discipline within our organization.

Flywheel: There are very few overnight success stories. Most start by pushing the flywheel which slowly gains momentum as it is continually pushed. It took Sam Walton 7 years to open his second store. “Beware of going too fast.” How does something great fall? The undisciplined pursuit of more is how the great fall, jumping from 100 to 10,000 turns on the flywheel is the fall, which is true hubris. So how does an organization determine if they are reaching too far?

1. The sign is when the organization is growing beyond its ability to fill its key positions with the right people. We should be concerned with Who and then What. The right “who” will bring about the right “what.” The ultimate preparation for what cannot be predicted? It is who one places himself with. In Collins’ research he found that there are several levels of leaders, 5 being the most effective. He found that the component shared by all level 5 leaders who led great companies was…Humility. It is seen in the passion for the well-being of the company (rather than themselves) combined with the will to do what it takes for the company to succeed.

2. The rest of my notes are kind of choppy, my apologies: We need a TO DO list but also a STOP DOING list. Sometimes the critical question to see an organization become great is what should we NOT do anymore?

Here was Jim’s TO DO list:

  • take diagnostic tool.
  • Determine how many key leadership “seats” do I have and how many filled with key people?
  • Get the right young people in my face (who will I allow to be my mentors?).
  • Build a council. Key leaders ask the right questions.
  • Build pockets of quiet. The best leaders always take time in quiet to think.
  • Commit myself to something I’m passionate about.
  • Develop unchanging core values but let practices change as necessary.