John Dickson

Humility is the noble choice to forgo your status and use your influence for the good of others before yourself.

Humility will not automatically make you great. And being great will not make you humble. Humility makes the great greater.

Here are five characteristics of humility:

1. Humility is common sense. None of us is an expert in everything, so we understand our limits and thus need humility. Within the Church, because the Bible trumps all other knowledge, Christian leaders sometimes think they know about topics and fields way outside their area. Actually, what we don’t know and can’t do far exceeds what we do know and can do.

2. Humility is beautiful. We are more attracted to the great and humble than to the great who know they’re great and want us to know it, too. It’s not always been so. Our research found that a humility revolution took place in the first century, stemming from Nazareth. We found it was Jesus’ crucifixion that changed how ancient people thought about humility.

Crucifixion was the lowest possible ending to life. “So did Jesus’ death mean he wasn’t as great as we thought he was?” No, they decided, and they redefined greatness, through humility. Western culture has been profoundly shaped by the cross of Christ. Our culture is profoundly cruciform. Philippians 2:38 has had a profound effect.

3. Humility is generative. It leads to new ideas. Humility has been formative for scientific investigation and for business theory and practice. The humbling place is where flourishing happens.

4. Humility is persuasive. That’s because the most persuasive person is the one who you know has your best interest at heart. If someone serves you tea, you may be more easily convinced by them later because of their demonstration humility through their service.

5. Humility is inspiring. If someone is aloof, you don’t feel like you can really follow in their footsteps, as you’re too different. We just admire them. But if someone is humble and open, we feel we can be like them. They are human enough. Some of the most inspiring leaders in history had no structural authority. Jesus comes to mind.

You don’t need armies to change empires or individuals.

What ideas do you have for putting Dickson’s message on humility into practice?

By: Adam Jeske (@AdamJeske)
Read more of Adam’s thoughts from the Summit at ExecutingIdeas.com

Talking about vulnerability. Good follow-up to a talk on humility.

How he came to this view on the importance of vulnerability: His faith, the example of his dad growing up, experience as a consultant right out of college — they were told “always look smarter than your clients, etc.” Wasn’t real.

The desire to avoid vulnerability in our society stems from our over valuing of avoiding suffering and difficulty. People say “no, always be on, always make yourself strong.” But there is something attractive about people that are humble and vulnerable.

The three fears that keep us from being vulnerable.

1. Fear of losing the business

Another way to say it: Fear of being rejected.

Rejection is something we are called to — Christ was rejected. We have to be willing to be rejected. “Enter the danger.”

We have to speak the kind truth. Can’t have “terminal niceness” in our churches. We fall into it because we don’t want to be rejected.

People are hungry for those who will tell them the kind truth.

Don’t be afraid of being rejected. 8 out of 10 times you won’t be. But sometimes you will — and you have to accept that.

[My observation: Just make sure you really are accurate about the truth and what needs to be done and how you are assessing the situation. If you tell the kind truth, but are actually wrong, that's not helpful!]

2. The fear of being embarrassed

When we’re serving others, we have to do things that could embarrass us. We need to be willing to say “I don’t understand that.”

Your job is not to look smart, but to help them do better. If you are editing yourself to manage your own image, people will not trust you and you will not inspire them.

Be willing to ask dumb questions!

Celebrate your mistakes.

3. The fear of feeling inferior

Be willing to put yourself in a lower position. This is what Jesus did: washed the disciples feet.

Sometimes people aren’t going to reward you for doing the dirty work. But you should do it anyway.

This is about honoring your client’s work: being so interested in them that you care more about their success than your own.

There’s a standing ovation for Lencioni.

(Note: Lencioni just found out he was speaking this week, as he took Howard Schultz’s slot after he withdrew.)

Which of the three fears of vulnerability do you struggle with the most?

By: Matt Perman (@MattPerman)
Read more from Matt at WhatsBestNext.com

Leaders know that change isn’t easy—and it doesn’t come overnight. That’s why, for the past 18 years, Michelle Rhee has stayed the course with a single objective: to give children the needed skills to compete in a changing world. Rhee, who served with Teach for America, founded The New Teacher Project, equipping school districts to transform how they recruit and train qualified teachers. During her three years as Chancellor of the Washington, D.C. Public Schools, students’ scores and graduation rates rose dramatically. Today, Rhee is CEO of StudentsFirst, a movement to transform public education. She holds firm to her conviction that teachers are the most powerful driving force behind student achievement.

Session Notes

I loved my job in D.C. every day.
The children of my district were being done such a disservice. It was the worst school district in the entire country.
People were avoiding making decisions because they didn’t want to face the turmoil
Not on my watch.
How did you go from Ivy League college to “that?”
We grew up with a mindset of what you can do for others.
Joined Teach for America. Assigned to inner city Baltimore.
Wendy Copp suggested she try to figure out how to get more qualified people to choose to teach in inner city and rural school districts.
Biggest myth: there aren’t enough people who want to teach in those schools.
She found it wasn’t true at all.
The real problem wasn’t in people’s interest, but rather the bureaucracy of the school districts.
Suburban schools don’t have the same challenges because they dont’ have the same turmoil.
Washington DC city counsel disbanded the school board, gave the mayor direct authority over schools. Mayor called her. She said no several times.
Being an urban school superintendent was the last thing I wanted to do. I had never run a school much less a school district.
Ultimately I took the job because… in a heart-to-heart I told the mayor you don’t want me… I will cause you nothing but headaches. Mayor said it wouldn’t be a problem. As a result thought it was an opportunity I couldn’t turn from.
Almost everything was broken… 8% of 8th graders on grade level in math.
Kindergarteners were on par with kindergarteners in other places, but the longer they were in the system, the further beyond they got. Teachers weren’t being paid on time. Books were stuck in warehouses.
Thought about maslovs heirarchy of needs. Make sure people are getting paid, etc.
Focus on human capital. Really believed that the way we could have the most impact was to make sure there was an excellent teacher in every classroom and an excellent principal in every school.
Decided to close 23 schools (15%). Cut central office admin in half. Started with 1,000 people, finished with less than 500. Removed 23rds of principles & 1,000 teachers.
Try to create a different culture, a culture where we thought about every single child and every single family in the same way we think about our own.
Sent her own kids to DC public schools.
Example: What do we do if a teacher is measured as ineffective? Some people suggested giving them 2 years. That would mean my child might get them. There’s no way I would allow that to happen.
Brought in a lot of new people. Looked for people with “snap” – the person who can walk into a classroom & knows exactly what’s going on, understands how each child learns. When you see it, it’s like magic.
Also looked for teachers who have “value added.” We want to evaluate our teachers based on how much our students are learning.
Measure the kids at the beginning of year & end of year for each teacher and want to see progress. (Great idea!)
How did you handle the weight of all the criticism (and picketing)?
her mom: “I thought when you were young that you were going to grow up to be anti-social, but I see now this trait has served you well.”
I would much rather deal with anger than apathy.
I’m not much of an incremental girl.
The people who thought I was moving to slow weren’t the people with kids in the system.
Ultimately, the future of the school district is up to the new mayor and city council.
I do this work because I’m motivated by it every day.
Education has been largely driven by special interests – textbook manufacturers, teachers unions.
There is no national organization that is lobbying for the children.
Students First – a movement, knows our ed system is not what it should be, putting pressure for better education.
As an elected official, your job
If you turn your head to the people who are yelling the loudest, you’ll be turning your back to the children, because they don’t vote.
Speak up for those who cannot speak up for themselves.
Engaged to the mayor of Sacramento.
The concept of “Let go and let God” is really hard for me. I’m kind of a control freak.
Going through the Experiencing God workbook. (<== Great stuff!)

By: Paul Steinbrueck (@PaulSteinbrueck)
Paul has been blogging throughout the Summit, read more at LiveIntenionally.org!