Books on Leadership
Spiritual Leadership: Moving People on to God’s Agenda (revised and expanded)
Nashville: B and H Publishing, 2011.
This book is the summation of all that I have read on leadership. It is filled with quotes and illustrations from the leadership books as well as biographies of leaders I have read throughout my adult life. Chapter four, which discussions “The leader’s vision” may be the most important contribution of the book. Also, the definition of spiritual leadership continues to stand the test of time: “Moving people on to God’s agenda.”
Vertical Church: What Every Heart Longs for. What Every Church Can Be
Colorado:David C. Cook, 2011
James MacDonald, pastor or Harvest Bible Chapel in Chicago, writes this compelling book. Going against the popular trends of “connecting” with people, he emphasizes conducting church so people truly connect with God. He pushes on a number of popular approaches and makes you think. What I like most is that he strives to take a “God-focused” approach to church which, though you would assume would be common, it is not.
Bossidy, Larry and Charan, Ram.
Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
New York: Crown Business, 2002.
This is an excellent book. It zeroes in on results. There are certainly numerous issues related to leadership, but at the end of the day, they argue it is about getting the desired results. Certainly a must read for leaders.
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap . . . and Others Don’t.
New York: Harper Business, 2001.
This is one of the most popular books on leadership in the last decade or so. I recommend it with some reservations. I don’t like his approach to saying that leaders get the “right people on the bus” when it is applied to the church. Also, the flywheel analogy has been criticized. Further, you need to read this book along with The Halo Effect by Phil Rosenzweig to think through the fundamental approach to Collins. Collins follows a common approach of looking at companies that “appear” to be successful and then concluding that other companies should do the same thing they are doing. Of course, church leaders often follow this same practice. It is good to follow this book up with Collins’ subsequent work, Why the Mighty Fall.
DePree, Max. I always enjoy reading DePree’s books. He has three helpful ones:
Leadership Jazz, Leading Without Power, Leadership Is an Art
His writing is not formal or comprehensive. He has been a successful businessman who, as a Christian, sought to do business in a Christian manner. He offers some gems of insight that are worth the read.
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