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ReLaunch: How to Stage an Organizational Comeback by Mark Rutland
A church in deep debt with attendance down by the thousands. A college that had lapsed into a coma, its buildings in shambles, its faculty demoralized, its enrollment at rock bottom. A university facing lawsuits, scandal, and near-bankruptcy. Each situation involved different financial needs, different lost dreams, different personal wounds. But they each had one thing in each needed a leader who could restore hope, vision, and viability. Dr. Mark Rutland has led three institutional turnarounds over the past twenty-five years. He has seen organizations that were dying come to new life. And he knows the steps you need to take right now. How do you know what to do to help your church or organization make it, even when circumstances and personnel challenges seem too much to handle? Here are the answers. As Dr. Rutland writes, the true leader can say, “This book is for the rugged visionaries who see in the wreckage a hope for the future and are willing to pay the price for a relaunch.”
Hardcover
First published February 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
June 11, 2015
This is a book that the NSA board is reading together. One of the best leadership books I have ever read.
October 17, 2016
Our church staff is reading this book together, and I found it chock full of practical and helpful ideas. I remember listening to Dr. Rutland on the radio years ago, here in Atlanta, and always loved his ability to speak and communicate - I mean, not many folks can clearly and convincingly describe the importance of staffing an organization with "Finders, Binders, Minders and Grinders", the way Rutland so memorably does.
What I didn't know about was his significant experience in helping turnaround and rejuvenate struggling churches and ministries. From that background, including stints at Calvary Church, Southeastern Univesity, and Oral Roberts University, he shares a wealth of ideas and tips which will help any organization in need of regaining ground or rebuilding momentum. His ideas on facing Institutional Reality, Shifting Culture, Creating Strategy and Communicating Vision were rock solid, and there is much more great advice in this relatively short and easy read. Highly recommended!
What I didn't know about was his significant experience in helping turnaround and rejuvenate struggling churches and ministries. From that background, including stints at Calvary Church, Southeastern Univesity, and Oral Roberts University, he shares a wealth of ideas and tips which will help any organization in need of regaining ground or rebuilding momentum. His ideas on facing Institutional Reality, Shifting Culture, Creating Strategy and Communicating Vision were rock solid, and there is much more great advice in this relatively short and easy read. Highly recommended!
August 22, 2017
An excellent book on turnaround leadership. I should reread this in two years.
October 23, 2013
This is an excellent look at how the primary leader can take an organization that is need of dramatic change and execute that change in the most efficient and most intentional of ways. The book is incredibly well laid out and covers a lot of bases despite being only 200 pages long. In fact, this is a rare find in a book these days where I wish he would have said more, expounded some thoughts a bit more, and further developed some of them as well.
His candor and demeanor are very evident through reading this book. I found myself laughing out loud at some of the stories he'd tell and the bluntness with which he would communicate. On those lines I will say that I expect some will find him to be a bit too self-assured and hard-nosed at times in the way he handles things. However, I do believe that he really does want what's best for people and for the organizations at stake.
This book simply IS the handbook for anyone looking to do a turnaround in their organization. Furthermore, it has some great gold to be mined out for the leader who is simply looking to take his organization to new levels of excellence. Dr. Rutland knows what he's talking about and that's evident through this book as well as his track record of turnaround leadership.
His candor and demeanor are very evident through reading this book. I found myself laughing out loud at some of the stories he'd tell and the bluntness with which he would communicate. On those lines I will say that I expect some will find him to be a bit too self-assured and hard-nosed at times in the way he handles things. However, I do believe that he really does want what's best for people and for the organizations at stake.
This book simply IS the handbook for anyone looking to do a turnaround in their organization. Furthermore, it has some great gold to be mined out for the leader who is simply looking to take his organization to new levels of excellence. Dr. Rutland knows what he's talking about and that's evident through this book as well as his track record of turnaround leadership.
August 7, 2018
I was going to give this 4 stars due to some minor quibbles with the way it was written and some of the finer details.
But then I read the epilogue which has an entirely different tone to the rest of the book and comes across very powerfully.
The book for the most past is highly practical, easy to read and with lots of simple insight and good illustrations. The aforementioned epilogue, though, finally addresses the cost of leadership, burnout, friend and family relations and so on.
It's not a long book, so if you buy it, make sure you get to the end - it's well worth the investment of time for anyone in any kind of role in Christian leadership - or anyone aspiring to such a role. Which should be most Christians, if God has given you something to say or do.
But then I read the epilogue which has an entirely different tone to the rest of the book and comes across very powerfully.
The book for the most past is highly practical, easy to read and with lots of simple insight and good illustrations. The aforementioned epilogue, though, finally addresses the cost of leadership, burnout, friend and family relations and so on.
It's not a long book, so if you buy it, make sure you get to the end - it's well worth the investment of time for anyone in any kind of role in Christian leadership - or anyone aspiring to such a role. Which should be most Christians, if God has given you something to say or do.
September 4, 2019
There are great practical things that can be applied to any organization. There are other points that lean toward mercenary. Bottom line over people and the like. While I agree with most in principle, I struggle with its practice in a church context...but that could be my own pastoral journey. I've not had to raise a sinking ship, but build on the solid foundation of those before me.
September 27, 2018
Wonderful Read
One of my favorite books to date. While it focuses on the turnaround of 3 different not for profit organizations, the principles and approach Dr Rutland discusses throughout are applicable in almost any situation. A great read.
One of my favorite books to date. While it focuses on the turnaround of 3 different not for profit organizations, the principles and approach Dr Rutland discusses throughout are applicable in almost any situation. A great read.
January 4, 2021
What a great book
This is a timely book for me as I enter a new season of leading an organization in need of a turnaround. Would be getting some principles in this book and apply it
This is a timely book for me as I enter a new season of leading an organization in need of a turnaround. Would be getting some principles in this book and apply it
June 17, 2018
I think it's a great resource for any leader who is coming in as the new guy in an organization.
March 6, 2019
Amazing look at turnaround leadership. A must-read for those entering a new leadership assignment regardless of the situation.
July 10, 2023
Great resource on organizational comeback with a focus on culture. Used as a tool for my capstone paper.
August 13, 2021
Speaking from experience and knowledge, Rutland provides a tremendous service to leaders looking to breathe new life into dying organizations. While his experience is primarily in the religious world, I would easily recommend this book to secular leaders since the principles and tactics easily transcend any divide that may exist.
"ReLaunch: is the kind of book that will sting a little as you realize your own leadership shortcomings, but it also provides salve to help you bring healing to yourself and your team. Rutland is inspiring and refreshing honest. While fully recognizing that not everyone will fit the vision and mission of the organization, he suggests compassionate ways to shape the team into what the organization needs without undue, and costly, delays.
If your organization is struggling and you are ready to "ReLaunch", I know of no better resource to get you started.
"ReLaunch: is the kind of book that will sting a little as you realize your own leadership shortcomings, but it also provides salve to help you bring healing to yourself and your team. Rutland is inspiring and refreshing honest. While fully recognizing that not everyone will fit the vision and mission of the organization, he suggests compassionate ways to shape the team into what the organization needs without undue, and costly, delays.
If your organization is struggling and you are ready to "ReLaunch", I know of no better resource to get you started.
November 28, 2013
Rutland is President of Oral Roberts University. He has led the turnaround of a church and two universities (Southeastern Univ and ORU). While he deals specifically with leadership skills and actions needed in order to turn an organization around and make it "profitable" again, the principles apply more broadly to any leadership. I found Chapter 5 (Facing Institutional Reality) and Chapter 6 (Communicating a Vision) most helpful. Gave me some good ideas for leading Great Lakes SC and actually gave rise to developing a vision statement. Also, his emphasis on holding leadership loosely was good. He didn't use the term "stewardship", but that's the idea — it's not mine to keep indefinitely, but only as long as I'm leading effectively and as long as my leadership allows. I also found his example of focusing on the right things first helpful (also Chapter 6). He focused on infrastructure at Southeastern U before raising faculty salaries in order to attract enough students to create financial margin in order to pay faculty fair salaries — actually better than average.
July 1, 2015
Fantastic reminders about the leadership costs required to figure out where a group needs to go, then to communicate that direction relentlessly and joyfully. His emphasis, though, is more for "the guy" at the top than for a group of men pursuing true plurality, like among an elder board. The business side also showed throughout, for example, when he specifically encouraged pastors to put wealthy men on the board of the church. That said, there were multiple helpful common grace principles and questions helping clarity.
August 29, 2013
Dr. Rutland is one of my favorite writers. His wisdom, wit, and authenticity comes off the page and sticks with the heart of the reader. This is one of my favorite books I have read this year. He talks business in such a way for the lay person to understand and succeed. It is filled with real life examples, stories of both success and failures that set a person up to succeed in leading any organization.
November 21, 2013
This book specifically addresses turning around an organization if it has crumbled or is about to fall off a cliff.
Notes:
1. The general leadership advice is excellent.
2. Even if someone is taking the helm of a healthy organization, the author offers great advice on handling the transition.
3. He defines quality as "meeting expectations." Quality is therefore subjective, not objective. This was one of the points that really stuck out to me.
Quick, interesting, and informative.
Notes:
1. The general leadership advice is excellent.
2. Even if someone is taking the helm of a healthy organization, the author offers great advice on handling the transition.
3. He defines quality as "meeting expectations." Quality is therefore subjective, not objective. This was one of the points that really stuck out to me.
Quick, interesting, and informative.
November 28, 2013
Most leadership books pretend to have all the answers boiled down to a science. There is actually a portion of this book that talks about the art of leadership!
You immediately gain respect for this man, who turned around three major corporations that were in crisis.
His writing is easy to understand and extremely practical. He makes you feel as if you, too, could be a turnaround leader!
If you want to read a book on leadership that just makes sense, give this one a shot!
You immediately gain respect for this man, who turned around three major corporations that were in crisis.
His writing is easy to understand and extremely practical. He makes you feel as if you, too, could be a turnaround leader!
If you want to read a book on leadership that just makes sense, give this one a shot!
July 1, 2015
Excellent. One of the most incisive books on leadership I have ever read.
Rutland has helped turn around three Christian institutions (one church, two universities), but this is not a theologically reflective book. It is about organizational leadership.
In terms of church leadership (my personal context) all the talk about dreams, vision, chaos vs. control, and organizational markets is great, but it has to be filtered through an existing ecclesiology and pastoral theology.
Rutland has helped turn around three Christian institutions (one church, two universities), but this is not a theologically reflective book. It is about organizational leadership.
In terms of church leadership (my personal context) all the talk about dreams, vision, chaos vs. control, and organizational markets is great, but it has to be filtered through an existing ecclesiology and pastoral theology.
February 19, 2013
Dr. Rutland has combined his colorful anecdotes from Calvary Assembly, Southeastern College and ORU with good business sense. His book will add and confirm to business leaders whether or not they truly understand how to take their business to the next level. Easy read. Well designed.
December 4, 2013
I found myself mesmerized by what the author wrote. A great read for all leaders that is practical and wise. Not that I have read a lot of books on leadership, but I sure am glad I read this one. I will most likely reread it several times. Highly recommended.
January 20, 2015
I recommend this book. Rutland speaks out of his personal experiences with turning around failing organizations. He gives very practical advice and his advice is in the context of story. The book more practical than academic. This book encouraged and even inspired me.
February 14, 2013
Truly a must read for any leader
June 3, 2014
There is a lot that resonated for me with Relaunch. It is an easy read but full of wisdom. Liked the section entitled Caring for Your Art.
June 15, 2015
Tons of excellent insights and applications. Really helpful.
July 4, 2015
Extremely insightful and practical for all areas of life; from one's personal life to family life to small business to major megacorporation.
April 27, 2017
This is a practical and very insightful book. I am pondering particularly the importance of the tension between chaos and control and the vital importance of each
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews