{"id":5013,"date":"2016-01-07T14:09:46","date_gmt":"2016-01-07T20:09:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.scottcochrane.com\/?p=5013"},"modified":"2016-01-07T14:09:46","modified_gmt":"2016-01-07T20:09:46","slug":"bill-hybels-on-how-bandwidth-can-expand-your-leadership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scottcochrane.com\/index.php\/2016\/01\/07\/bill-hybels-on-how-bandwidth-can-expand-your-leadership\/","title":{"rendered":"Bill Hybels, on How “Bandwidth” Can Expand Your Leadership"},"content":{"rendered":"

This week I’ve been working on 2016 plans with our Global Leadership Summit leadership team from Latin America. More than once a strategic question has been put on the table that has drawn us in to “either\/or” thinking.<\/span><\/h1>\n

For example, it was asked, “Should we focus on numeric growth this year, or on qualitative improvements?”<\/strong><\/p>\n

In response, I referred to a key leadership insight I had heard from Bill Hybels during a trip to Asia earlier in 2015. Bill’s take on a leader’s “bandwidth” was a game-changer for us. And perhaps it will be to you in your leadership.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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During a leadership coaching event in India a\u00a0leader had been attempting to nail Bill down on a \u201cthis or that\u201d kind of leadership question.<\/p>\n

\u201cShould I be a tough-minded leader or more of a relational leader?\u201d he had asked.<\/p>\n

Bill quickly responded with a much better leadership perspective.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat you should really be focusing on,\u201d Bill began, \u201cIs \u2018What is my elasticity as a leader?<\/p>\n

I\u2019m talking about your bandwidth as a leader. For every growing leader this is a huge concept to master.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Bill went on to explain, I was busily taking notes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bandwidths of leadership refers to the tension leaders must constantly monitor in various leadership situations.<\/p>\n

You need to know when to be passionate, and when to be dispassionate.<\/p>\n

When to be clear, and when to be ambiguous.<\/p>\n

When to launch, and when to delay. These are all questions of a leader\u2019s bandwidth.\u201d<\/p>\n

And that, I noted to myself, was a masterful leadership insight.<\/p>\n

All too often leaders try to let themselves off the leadership hook by reducing leadership to a set of formulas or simplistic extremes. \u201cLeaders must be tough\u201d, one leader will say. \u201cLeaders must be quick to act\u201d another will declare.<\/p>\n

But for growing, leaders, Bill reminded us, effectiveness lies in the nuances in between. They recognize that some situations, some seasons, and some people, require leadership that is quick to act, decisive and blindingly clear.<\/p>\n

At other times, in other seasons, and perhaps for other people, leadership requires patience, seasoning, even a bit of ambiguity.<\/p>\n

Here are the key points I scrawled on my notepaper that day.<\/p>\n