Bill Hybels, founding and senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church, says that nearly every major decision he has made along his thirty-three-year leadership tenure can be traced back to one or more “axioms”—portable leadership proverbs that inform next steps by condensing time-tested insights into quick and accessible sound bites. Axioms can be borrowed from other solid leaders or crafted by leaders themselves; regardless how they emerge, though, Hybels believes those who lead by axiom are the most effective leaders of all.

Have you ever considered why you lead like you lead? Have you ever thought about the “leadership proverbs” that inform your next steps—why you make the decisions you make; why you communicate using the words that you speak; why you treat followers the way that you treat them; why you prioritize tasks using the system that you do?

Author Bill Hybels asserts that the best leaders he knows not only lead well; they also reflect on their leadership long enough and thoughtfully enough to arrive at the rationale for why they lead like they lead. Throughout the past year, Hybels took his own advice and put pen to paper to come up with the axioms that have dictated his leadership strategy from the start. The end result? Seventy-six time-tested proverbs that will encourage and embolden you for more effective leadership to come.