Quote & Unquote
“Let me warn you right up front—my goal is to change the way you think about leadership. I do not aim merely to add one more voice to the conversation; I want to fundamentally change the way leadership is understood and practiced.” p.15
“Congregations and Christian institutions need elective leaders who are authentically Christian — whose leadership flows out of their Christian commitment. Wherever Christian leaders serve, in the church or in the secular world, their leadership should be driven by distinctively Christian conviction.” p.18-19
“Like me, you want to grow as a leader in order to be ready for all the leadership opportunities you may be called to accept. So what is the problem? It is not a lack of interest, a shortage of books and seminars, or a dearth of leadership development programs. Nor is the problem a lack of attention to what leaders do and how they do it. The problem is a lack of attention to what leaders believe and why this is central.” p.19
“I want to see a generation arise that is simultaneously leading with conviction and driven by the conviction to lead. The generation that accomplishes this will set the world on fire.” p. 20
“I believe that leadership is all about putting the right beliefs into action, and knowing, on the basis of convictions, what those right beliefs and actions are. This book is written with the concern that far too much of what passes for leadership today is mere management. Without convictions you might be able to manage, but you cannot really lead.” p.26
“At the same time, many Christians feel called to lead and are passionately committed to all the right truths, but they are simply not sure where to go from here. In the following chapters we will deal with the practical elements and skills of leadership, which are important issues in their own right. But the starting point for Christian leadership is not the leader but the eternal truths that God has revealed to us — the truths that allow the world to make sense, frame our understandings, and propel us to action.” p.27
“The passionate leader emphasizes morality and purpose.” p.55
“The Christian leader knows that a day of judgment is coming, when every minute of our lives will be exposed to God’s righteous judgment. That is a sobering thought, but it underlines the importance of our faithfulness in the stewardship of the time we are given.” p.186
“As a general rule, clichés are to be avoided. The statement that leaders are readers is an exception to that rule. When you find a leader, you have found a reader. The reason is simple – there is no substitute for effective reading when it comes to developing and maintaining the intelligence necessary to lead.” p.199
“The knowledge of our own mortality would be devastating if all we knew was that we will lead for a season and then die. But turn this knowledge around, and it serves as the great incentive to aim for a legacy – the continuation of our influence and leadership after we are gone.” p.201
Table of Contents
1. The Conviction to Lead
True Leadership Starts With a Purpose, Not a Plan
2. Leading Is Believing
The Leader Is Driven by Beliefs That Lead to Action
3. Convictional Intelligence
The Leader Develops the Capacity to Think in Convictional Terms
and Leads Followers to Do the Same
4. Leadership Is Narrative
The Leader Draws Followers Into a Story That Frames All of Life
5. Leaders Understand Worldviews
The Leader Shapes the Worldview of Followers
6. The Passion to Lead
Passionate Leaders Driven by Passionate Beliefs Draw Passionate Followers
7. Leaders Are Thinkers
Leadership Begins When You Learn to Think Like a Leader,
and Leadership Is Not Achieved Until Followers Learn to Think as Well
8. Leaders Are Teachers
The Elective Leader Is the Master Teacher Within a Learning Organization
9. Leadership Is All About Character
Leaders Are Trusted When Their Lives Are in Alignment With Their Convictions
10. Leadership and Credibility
Leadership Happens When Character and Competence Are Combined
11. Leaders Are Communicators
The Leader’s Most Essential Skill Is the Ability to Communicate . . . Over and Over Again
12. Leaders Are Readers
When You Find a Leader, You Find a Reader, and for Good Reason
13. The Leader and Power
The Faithful Leader Knows That Power Is Never an End in Itself
14. Leaders Are Managers
Not All Managers Are Leaders, but All Leaders Are Managers
15. Leaders Are Speakers
Leaders Give Voice to Conviction and Mobilize Hearts and MindsWith a Message
16. Leadership as Stewardship
Leaders Never Lead for Themselves; They Are Stewards in Service of Another
17. The Leader as Decision Maker
Organizations Expect Many Things From Leaders, Most of All the Trusted Ability to Decide
18. The Moral Virtues of Leadership
Leadership and Morality Are Inseparable
19. The Leader and the Media
The Medium Is Not the Message, You Are—and the Leader Must Know
How to Deliver That Message
20. The Leader as Writer
The Written Word Remains One of the Most Powerful Ways to Lead,
so Leaders Write
21. The Digital Leader
Leaders Understand That the Digital World Is a Real World –
a World in Which They Are Called to Lead
22. The Leader and Time
Leaders Know That Time Is the Great Equalizer of Humanity
23. Leadership That Endures
The Leader’s Goal Is Not Only to Last but to Endure
24. The Leader and Death
Mortality Frames the Horizon of Leadership
25. The Leader’s Legacy
In the End, the Leader’s Goal Is to Leave a Lasting Imprint