I hate signs.  I know hate is a strong word, and I was told as a kid never to use it, but no other word describes how I feel about signs.  Now, let me be clear regarding what type of signs I hate.  I don’t mind stop signs, exit signs, signs that tell you how far until a certain city.  These signs are good because they are informational.  The signs I hate say things like…

• Because this place is a gift, please put things back where they belong.
• Please do not take pens out of this drawer.
• Respect the building; please do not sit against the wall.

These signs are directional and they do little good.  In fact they damage the relational culture of a community and pull people apart instead of bringing them closer together.

One of the things I appreciate about Andy Stanley and North Point Church is how they lead.  In his book, Deep and Wide, Andy talks about the relational culture they have established.  He said, “we don’t feel compelled to sort everything or everyone out ahead of time.  We are not going to spend countless hours creating policies for every eventuality.  Instead we’ve chosen to wade in hip-deep and sort things out one relationship, one conversation at a time” (p. 78).  Andy goes on to say, “we have virtually no policies and lots and lots of conversations” (p. 79).

I like that.  Instead of policies and signs they place a value on relationships and conversations.  This reminds me of a time when King David had to make a decision.  His decision was do we move the Ark or not.  Before he made a decision it says David “consulted with the commanders of thousands and hundreds, with every leader” (1 Chronicles 13:1).  He also asked the people to have conversations with God.  He said, “if it seems good to you and from the Lord our God” (13:2).  After having these conversations there was consensus.  All the people agreed.  But what led to the consensus?  Conversations!

Conversations are crucial to the health of any organization.  Conversations must be the catalyst that creates a culture of relationships, and it is through these relationships that church/organization is led.  So, tear down the signs and start having conversations.  When that happens, the climate of any culture will improve.

I am not a big guy.  I have never had huge muscles.  I was never the strongest kid in the class.  In high school I remember struggling, with all the strength I could muster, to do one pull-up.  I don’t think I ever accomplished that one pull up.  Oh well.  But even though I was one of the weaker guys, I never was afraid of getting beat up because from an early age I learned how important it was to surround myself with guys who were bigger than me.  If I couldn’t fight off people, I had friends who could.  If someone got in my face, I always had friends who were right next to me.  And so throughout my life I’ve always had friends who were a lot stronger than me.

I’m learning that who you surround yourself with matters.  In fact, the people you place around you is one of the most important decisions you can make.  Good leaders surround themselves with good people, people who are smarter, more creative, and more talented than they are.  And they are not intimidated or threatened by the talents of their friends.  Instead they are often inspired by them.

One leader who did this was David.  David was the second king of Israel, and despite a few failures he was a successful king.  David surrounded himself with some good people, people who had crazy skills, people with an impressive resume, people who got stuff done.  The people David surrounded himself with were…

• Skilled [1 Chronicles 12:2] – They could shoot with both their right and left hands.
• Experienced [1 Chronicles 12:8] – They were brave warriors, battle tested, and they had cool faces – faces like lions and were swift on the mountains.
• Trusted [1 Chronicles 12:17-18] – They pledged their lives to David when they said, “We are yours and we are with you.”
• Focused [1 Chronicles 12:33, 38] – They had one purpose… make David king, and that is what they and all of Israel worked towards.

Amazing things happen when you are surrounded with good people.  David was successful, but I think David’s success had something to do with the people he surrounded himself, which was one of David’s most defining leadership decisions.