What do you think?
Rate this book
Transforming Leadership: Jesus' Way of Creating Vision, Shaping Values Empowering Change
A book for leaders, by leaders, about the greatest leader of them all. In our rapidly changing and ever more complex world, we suffer a crisis of leadership. Leighton Ford sees the growing dearth of bold leaders--in the marketplace, religion and public life. In this powerful book, Ford calls Christians to be transformational leaders. Many leaders work within situations; transformational leaders change situations. Many leaders accept what can be talked about; transformational leaders change what can be talked about. Many leaders talk about payoffs; transformational leaders talk about goals. Many leaders bargain; transformational leaders appeal to a common vision. Ford realizes that desperately needed Christian and transformational leadership will not emerge until we have a model of the transforming leader. And what more powerful example of leadership could there be than Jesus? Insightfully examining Jesus' work and the best recent books on leadership, Ford presents Executives, pastors, managers, professionals--all will benefit from this fresh, in-depth treatment by a man who is himself one of the world's finest Christian leaders.
320 pages, Paperback
First published November 30, 1990
19 people are currently reading
122 people want to read
About the author
Leighton Ford
75 books12 followersLeighton Ford is president of Leighton Ford Ministries. He served for many years as an evangelist with Billy Graham, and was featured as the alternate speaker to Billy Graham on the Hour of Decision broadcast. He also served for nearly twenty years as chairman of the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, an international body of Christian leaders, and for many years has mentored emerging leaders all over the world. The author or coauthor of numerous books, including Transforming Leadership and The Attentive Life, Ford lives in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
October 18, 2012
I read this book for part of a church ministry class. I have included a very rough reading of the notes and quotes that were in the book. General analysis was that it did't contain anything I didn't already know although there were some compelling quotes and thought-provoking principles.
Ch. 1-Leadership: Why Now?
A changing world
-growing older and younger; shifting toward Pacific rim; urban
Communication drawing it closer
Growing religious interest & sense of hopelessness and isolation
A leadership Vacuum
-transformational leadership vs transactional
Where are the leaders?
Defines four generations of leaders (by age) and the gap
Cites five reasons for the drought
-large organizations inhibit leadership development
-impersonal societies create sense of powerlessness
-overspecialized training drains off potential leaders
-society persuades younger leaders that we need experts instead of leaders
-contemporary skepticism towards authority due to ethical and moral failings
What is leadership?
Two characteristics
-leaders take the lead by initiating ideas and plans
-leaders move people to follow them
“Position provides power”
“consideration of leadership must pay attention to the position which the leader holds, the person that the leader is, and the process which the leader employs.”
Empowering Leadership
4 common elements among strategies for taking charge: Vision, communication, trust and empowerment
The Ultimate Leader
Who had greater visions than Jesus? Who knew better how to communicate with his followers through everyday stories? Who was more trustworthy, credibly positioned and believable than Jesus in carrying through his mission? And who has ever been able to empower others more than he, through his own wonderful self-knowledge and the total positive giving of himself?
Ch. 2 Jesus and Leadership
Jesus the Model Leader?
8 reasons Jesus is the model leader
What does this mean for our leadership?
two great ego problems of leadership. The first is fear, the sense of inadequacy, "I'm not good enough or strong enough to be a leader!" Sinful pride can make us shrink back from responsibility. The second and opposite temptation is the power-hungry self wanting to lord it over others.
Ch. 3 The Leader As Son
God’s affirmation of Jesus as His Son at His baptism affirmed his call, purpose, giftedness and strength. Great leaders are formed out of affirmation of these gifts.
A Leader Tested
Citing the work of Tournier and Rentchnick, Ford also suggests that an intriguingly large number of leaders were orphans and that man leaders are also built out of adversity and suffering and concluded that “emotional deprivation may arouse an exceptional will to power.” Deprivation is closely linked with creativity. Because of Moses’ and Jesus’ desert experiences “one wonders whether the desert has some special psychological and spiritual significance in the forming of great spiritual visionaries.” Leadership often leads to “desert” or lonely experiences.
Quoting Richard Foster in “Money, Sex, Power”
"If we expect to engage in the ministry of power, we must understand the hidden preparation through which God puts his ministers."
Quoting Henri Nouwen on the “compulsions of the world”:
Nouwen describes them as the pressures to be relevant, spectacular and powerful.
So the leader rises out of the water of Jordan and walks out of the desert, knowing that his priorities are to hear God's word, worship God's greatness, await God's time.
Ch. 4 The Leader as Strategist
John the Baptist wonders why he is in prison and if Jesus is the promised one
Charisma—for What?
Charisma is not always a sign of a good leader; “it is the mission that makes the difference between leadership and mis-leadership.
A Strategy of Fulfillment: Jesus’ Sense of Destiny
Jesus often talked about “why He came”.
The Fulfiller
“Jesus saw history as an arrow shot toward a target, a fire cast on the earth, a lightning-flash across the sky, a door opened to fulfillment, a task that would be completed.”
A Kingdom Strategy: Jesus’ Master Thought
To understand Jesus' leadership we must understand his mission and his message, and at its heart was the kingdom of God.
A Global Strategy: Jesus’ Long-Range Goal
Evidently, everything Jesus did during his intensive, focused, three-year career was done deliberately to secure the beachhead which would eventually fulfill his long-range strategy to reach the whole world.
A People Strategy: Jesus’ Radical Solution
He seemed to say that poor people could be self-sufficient and Godless, and rich people could be humble and God-hungry. But those who qualified for his kingdom were the poor who were really poor, people who, whatever their economic status, were desperately aware of the depth of their need.
His strategy was a people strategy but also a radical strategy that demanded radical transformation—forgiveness.
A Minority Strategy: Jesus’ Infiltrating Style
His minority strategy might be called a strategy of penetration or infiltration. The metaphors he used showed this vividly. His followers were to be "salt of the earth," "light of the world," "leaven," entrusted with "the keys of the kingdom." All are metaphors of penetration-salt into food, light into darkness, leaven into loaf, keys into a lock. Not a lot of salt is needed to flavor and preserve, as long as the salt is rubbed into the food. Nor does it take a great deal of light to dispel darkness, as long as the light is not covered. A tiny bit of fermenting yeast can make a whole loaf rise. And a small key can open a great door.
A Strange Strategy: Jesus’ Puzzling Tactics
“Jesus’ strategy is seen as much in what he chose not to do as in what he did.”
His choice of text, tactics
Great chart at location 715 with John’s perception of Jesus’ mission and Jesus’
A Strategy of Suffering and Glory: Jesus’ Saving Role
Jesus' "must" is not that of a forced necessity or of a fateful inevitability; it is the "must" of a moral imperative. Jesus showed that a true leader does not resist the "must" that God lays on him, but, accepting these moral imperatives, he transforms them into the material of victory.
So Jesus unfolded his strategy step by step. First, he would be identified as the Messiah. Then he would show the kind of suffering Messiah he was-and the kind of people who would follow him. At last would come the final act. When he would return the revolution would be completed, and there would be great joy for some and eternal sadness for others.
The Leadership Style of Jesus
The Strategy of Jesus
Ch. 5 The Leader As Seeker
Using the Parable of the seed to compare to Jesus’ teaching and results
The Shaping of Kingdom Values
Serving Another’s Cause
Teaching Another’s Truth
Accepting Another’s Results
Awaiting Another’s Time
…method and timing are equally as important as the goal.
Is the dream his vision? Is the method his way? Is the timing his moment?
Dreaming of Another’s Glory
Kingdom-seekers are leaders marked by loyalty, for they seek another's cause; by fidelity, for they tell another's truth; by humility, for they accept another's results; by constancy, for they wait another's time; and by expectancy, for they dream of another's glory.
Was Jesus a Visionary?
What Visions did Jesus Have?
Baptism
“Satan fall like lightning” Lk 10:18
Transfiguration
Mark 13
Where Did Jesus’ Visions Come From?
Images of the Scriptures
Things his father told him?
What Were the Marks of Jesus’ Vision?
A seer who lived by the unseen
Practical and very much “down to earth”
Total and compelling, a vision of the largest and widest scope
It was personal
It was realistic
As radical as it was realistic
Hopeful, but not optimistic
What, then, Is It to Be a Visionary in Christ?
If we want to be visionaries in Christ, we will long and pray to see as Christ sees. We will seek that vision through the disciplines of reading, of praying, and of thinking originally and radically in ways which may be painful. We will obey that vision, recognizing that vision has its outflow in acts of service, both great and small. We will understand that vision is costly, for we cannot have Jesus' vision without the vision of the cross in our hearts.
Developing a Vision
Observing, reflecting and acting
A Visionary in Christ
E. Stanley Jones
Ch. 7 The Leader As Strong One
The Quality of the Person
Jesus was a combination of strength and compassion
Christ the Strong One
The Unexpected Power of Jesus
his authority was the exposing of an inner spiritual power that was released little by little-through words, actions, attitudes and his very presence-until finally his character itself seemed to be as wonderful as his greatest miracle.
Firmness of Purpose
Force of Speech
-simplicity, lasting through translation, direct
Balance of Character
-courage and sensitivity; public and private; authority and servanthood; severity and gentleness; patience with decisiveness; accessible and withdrawn; human and divine
Courage in Suffering
Power for What Purpose?
Ch. 8 The Leader as Servant
Leadership and Power
Power and the Powers
Power has a remarkable ability to corrupt
Jesus and Power
Jesus Turned the Power Scale Upside Down
Jesus Took the Role of a Servant
A Leaders’ Mission Statement
We Want You to Do for Us…
Using Mark 10 where James and John ask Jesus to do whatever they want
Leadership involves suffering; a sovereign assignment; servanthood
Only One Example
The Essence of Leadership
His Trump Card Was the Cross
Ch. 9 The Leader as Shepherd-Maker (1)
The Leader as an Empowerer
Jesus’ goal as a leader was to plant and grow his own “mind” in his people.
A Key Transition
In Mark 3 there is a key transition in Jesus ministry from ministering to masses to ministering to a few that he expects to carry on the work.
Ch. 10 The Leader as Shepherd Maker (2) A Case Study
Some students of leadership have focused on the traits of outstanding leaders, some on the situations which produce leadership and others on the process by which leaders go about their task.
This case study is Simon Peter carried on in an interview style seeking to bring out the key elements in Jesus’ style of transforming leadership development.
Quoting 1 Pet 5
He Chose Me
He Named Me
He Teamed Us Up-important for encouragement and balancing strengths and weaknesses; gave a unifying passion that brought out the best in all of them
He Motivated Me
The key for a leader is to look for thirsty people. People want different things. Meaning. Approval. Belonging. Something worth doing. Love. Forgiveness. A cause. I needed those things. I needed a cause. Approval.
He Taught Me
Encouraging and answering questions yet making the disciple do some of the work; through powerful, convicting stories
He Trusted Me
He Tested Me
He Selected Me-Peter’s uniqueness from other disciples
He Included Me
He Confided in Me
He Made Me His Friend
He Warned Me
He Gave Me Another Chance
He Made Me Understand
Ch. 11 The Leader as Shepherd-Maker (3)
A Shared Life
Jesus’ coming to earth and investing His life in the disciples is the model of community.
A Shared Goal
A Shared Partnership
Jesus’ shared goals
These characteristics make up Warren Benniss’ emotional wisdom
1. The ability to accept people as they are, and not as you would like them to be.
2. The capacity to approach relationships and problems in terms of the present rather than the past.
The ability to treat those who are close to you with the same courteous attention you extend to strangers and casual acquaintances.
4. The ability to trust others, even if the risk seems great.
5. The ability to do without constant approval and recognition from others?
Shared Time
A “pull” (as opposed to push) style of leadership leads to 1. A sense of significance, 2. An experience of equality, 3. A contagious enthusiasm, 4 a commitment to growth, 5 a unifying passion
Shared Learning
Quoting someone else-The most marked characteristic of ... potential leaders ... is their capacity to learn from others and the environment-the capacity to be taught."
Shared Risks
Failure is often the beginning of success
A Shared Future
Shared Power
Ch. 12 The Leader as Spokesperson
Blessing and benefit and burden of modern communications
Jesus the Communicator
Jesus’ different style and use of words was dependent on whom His audience was
The impact of his speech was inescapable. He communicated with an immediacy and an incisiveness that unerringly found its mark.
Jesus’ Model of Communication
*Communication imperatives
-Clarity of speech comes from clarity of purpose.
*Know where you are heading
-Believability comes in direct proportion to a quiet sense of confidence
Confidence is a combination of true humility and genuine authority
*Know your source and your identity
-Words live for ever; therefore, they must be handled with care
*Know the power of language
-How they hear is as important as what you say
*Know your audience
-Having the truth is only half the battle
*Know your craft
-Knowing when is as important as knowing what to say
*Know your timing
-Simplicity means to say one thing well
*Know your point
-Take your calling seriously, but do not be anxious for yourself
*Know where your responsibility begins and ends
-Never underestimate your opposition; but always count on your hidden resource
*Know your enemy and know your ally
Ch. 13 The Leader as Struggler
Leadership involves conflict because it involves change; ie. Moses
Nice People Don’t Fight
Conflict is not always based on culture and common ground but on truth and values on which sometimes there is no common ground.
Discerning Conflict
Jesus had three types of conflict
-Supra-conflict-supernatural with Satan and his demons; at issue were ultimate loyalties, values and beliefs; obedience or disobedience to the mission; and the choice of whether he would go by way of the cross or some less demanding way.
*This conflict was fundamental
-Contra-conflict-with the religious leaders/Pharisees; at stake here are the issues of tradition, power and control of ritual versus reality
*This conflict was unavoidable
-Intra-conflict-with the diverse loyalties and personalities of the twelve it was inevitable.
McKenna suggests that three kinds of conflict between the disciples are revealed in the Gospel of Mark: public conflict over the failure of the disciples to heal a sick boy; interpersonal conflict over who would be the greatest in the kingdom; intergroup conflict over who had the right to belong to their group (Mk 9:14-41). To these I would add spiritual conflict over their frequent lack of faith and understanding.
*This conflict was Essential in nature-the disciples needed to become what Jesus wanted them to be
-Extra-conflict-those who were bystanders or “extras”; family members, Samaritans, neighbors; the issues at stake were jealousy, culture and style
*Incidental conflict-did not strike the heart of his mission
Transforming Conflict
transforming leaders will learn to transform conflict by the way they deal with it. Such leaders will discern the nature, the issues, and the seriousness of the conflict; they will then choose a stance and make the most of it.
For a leader in conflict not to see the issue and not to choose a response is the worst thing one can do. On the other hand, to choose deliberately, and with good reason, not to act is quite different.
In Fundamental Conflict: Stand and Fight!
His strategy was to face unconditional opposition with unconditional resistance, and his weapons were prayer and the words of Scripture.
The Leader and Spiritual Warfare
In Unavoidable Conflict: Face and Seize!
When Jesus faced unavoidable conflict, his stance was to face it directly and seize it as an opportunity. His attitude was a combination of patient long-suffering, of challenge, and, eventually, of anger.
The Leader’s Rejection
When we face painful opposition, it would be wise to ask: 1. Am I really on God's business? Or how much of my own need am I fulfilling under the guise of representing God? 2. Can I live with my insecurities by resting in God's love? 3. Can I accept the hardship and even rejoice in sharing God's pain, and thus have it transformed? 4. Can I patiently wait God's vindication, and put aside my hostility?
The Leader’s Discretion and Discernment
Jesus’ response to the religious leaders in Mark 12:15-
1. To discern motives
2. To sense ill will and danger
3. To deflect the attack
4. To see the heart of the matter
5. To challenge the questioner’s conscience
6. By knowing when to stop
In Essential Conflict: Sit and Teach
In Incidental Conflict: Walk and Wait
Meeting Conflict with Truth and Grace
Jesus was a perfect balance and he distributed both according to what was required.
Conflict is never comfortable, but God is more concerned for our character than our comfort.
Ch 14 The Leader as Sustainer
The L-Principle-very rarely are powerful and charismatic leaders followed by similar leaders; they are not nourished in the glory of their predecessor
The Moses and Mao Malady
The influence of great leaders may also be cut short by their inability to adjust their leadership style to changing situations.
The Spurgeon Syndrome-he recognized the changes in culture around him but was neither flexible enough or versatile enough to adapt to them
Intercepting Entropy-underlines the need for transforming leaders who are sustainers.
Strategies for the Sustaining Leader
He showed his way
Theme of the book:
If Jesus had tried to ensure future directions by issuing a policy manual, a program guidebook or a set of rules (a procedure that has been tried, though not very successfully, by many groups using Jesus' name in subsequent centuries), it would soon have been out-of-date and codified into some sort of rigid and not very helpful principles. Instead, Jesus showed "the Way" as he embodied the reality of his kingdom. How he did this has been the subject of this book.
Someone has said that the last act of a dying organization is to produce its new edition of the rule book.
He shaped his people-he allowed them to fail without fear of losing their positions.
He symbolized his values
He Set His Stage
He Sent His Spirit
Jesus would leave behind not simply persons who had adopted a new code of ethics or who had joined an institution. He would leave behind people who had become part of a new life. They would have not just a new philosophy, but a new spirit living within them, creating a new life which would go on deepening and extending forever.
Epilogue
Questions of a Young Leader
A question of motivation
A question of mission
A question of values
A question of vision
A question of character
A question of power
A question of priorities
A question of speech
A question of conflict
A question of endurance
Ch. 1-Leadership: Why Now?
A changing world
-growing older and younger; shifting toward Pacific rim; urban
Communication drawing it closer
Growing religious interest & sense of hopelessness and isolation
A leadership Vacuum
-transformational leadership vs transactional
Where are the leaders?
Defines four generations of leaders (by age) and the gap
Cites five reasons for the drought
-large organizations inhibit leadership development
-impersonal societies create sense of powerlessness
-overspecialized training drains off potential leaders
-society persuades younger leaders that we need experts instead of leaders
-contemporary skepticism towards authority due to ethical and moral failings
What is leadership?
Two characteristics
-leaders take the lead by initiating ideas and plans
-leaders move people to follow them
“Position provides power”
“consideration of leadership must pay attention to the position which the leader holds, the person that the leader is, and the process which the leader employs.”
Empowering Leadership
4 common elements among strategies for taking charge: Vision, communication, trust and empowerment
The Ultimate Leader
Who had greater visions than Jesus? Who knew better how to communicate with his followers through everyday stories? Who was more trustworthy, credibly positioned and believable than Jesus in carrying through his mission? And who has ever been able to empower others more than he, through his own wonderful self-knowledge and the total positive giving of himself?
Ch. 2 Jesus and Leadership
Jesus the Model Leader?
8 reasons Jesus is the model leader
What does this mean for our leadership?
two great ego problems of leadership. The first is fear, the sense of inadequacy, "I'm not good enough or strong enough to be a leader!" Sinful pride can make us shrink back from responsibility. The second and opposite temptation is the power-hungry self wanting to lord it over others.
Ch. 3 The Leader As Son
God’s affirmation of Jesus as His Son at His baptism affirmed his call, purpose, giftedness and strength. Great leaders are formed out of affirmation of these gifts.
A Leader Tested
Citing the work of Tournier and Rentchnick, Ford also suggests that an intriguingly large number of leaders were orphans and that man leaders are also built out of adversity and suffering and concluded that “emotional deprivation may arouse an exceptional will to power.” Deprivation is closely linked with creativity. Because of Moses’ and Jesus’ desert experiences “one wonders whether the desert has some special psychological and spiritual significance in the forming of great spiritual visionaries.” Leadership often leads to “desert” or lonely experiences.
Quoting Richard Foster in “Money, Sex, Power”
"If we expect to engage in the ministry of power, we must understand the hidden preparation through which God puts his ministers."
Quoting Henri Nouwen on the “compulsions of the world”:
Nouwen describes them as the pressures to be relevant, spectacular and powerful.
So the leader rises out of the water of Jordan and walks out of the desert, knowing that his priorities are to hear God's word, worship God's greatness, await God's time.
Ch. 4 The Leader as Strategist
John the Baptist wonders why he is in prison and if Jesus is the promised one
Charisma—for What?
Charisma is not always a sign of a good leader; “it is the mission that makes the difference between leadership and mis-leadership.
A Strategy of Fulfillment: Jesus’ Sense of Destiny
Jesus often talked about “why He came”.
The Fulfiller
“Jesus saw history as an arrow shot toward a target, a fire cast on the earth, a lightning-flash across the sky, a door opened to fulfillment, a task that would be completed.”
A Kingdom Strategy: Jesus’ Master Thought
To understand Jesus' leadership we must understand his mission and his message, and at its heart was the kingdom of God.
A Global Strategy: Jesus’ Long-Range Goal
Evidently, everything Jesus did during his intensive, focused, three-year career was done deliberately to secure the beachhead which would eventually fulfill his long-range strategy to reach the whole world.
A People Strategy: Jesus’ Radical Solution
He seemed to say that poor people could be self-sufficient and Godless, and rich people could be humble and God-hungry. But those who qualified for his kingdom were the poor who were really poor, people who, whatever their economic status, were desperately aware of the depth of their need.
His strategy was a people strategy but also a radical strategy that demanded radical transformation—forgiveness.
A Minority Strategy: Jesus’ Infiltrating Style
His minority strategy might be called a strategy of penetration or infiltration. The metaphors he used showed this vividly. His followers were to be "salt of the earth," "light of the world," "leaven," entrusted with "the keys of the kingdom." All are metaphors of penetration-salt into food, light into darkness, leaven into loaf, keys into a lock. Not a lot of salt is needed to flavor and preserve, as long as the salt is rubbed into the food. Nor does it take a great deal of light to dispel darkness, as long as the light is not covered. A tiny bit of fermenting yeast can make a whole loaf rise. And a small key can open a great door.
A Strange Strategy: Jesus’ Puzzling Tactics
“Jesus’ strategy is seen as much in what he chose not to do as in what he did.”
His choice of text, tactics
Great chart at location 715 with John’s perception of Jesus’ mission and Jesus’
A Strategy of Suffering and Glory: Jesus’ Saving Role
Jesus' "must" is not that of a forced necessity or of a fateful inevitability; it is the "must" of a moral imperative. Jesus showed that a true leader does not resist the "must" that God lays on him, but, accepting these moral imperatives, he transforms them into the material of victory.
So Jesus unfolded his strategy step by step. First, he would be identified as the Messiah. Then he would show the kind of suffering Messiah he was-and the kind of people who would follow him. At last would come the final act. When he would return the revolution would be completed, and there would be great joy for some and eternal sadness for others.
The Leadership Style of Jesus
The Strategy of Jesus
Ch. 5 The Leader As Seeker
Using the Parable of the seed to compare to Jesus’ teaching and results
The Shaping of Kingdom Values
Serving Another’s Cause
Teaching Another’s Truth
Accepting Another’s Results
Awaiting Another’s Time
…method and timing are equally as important as the goal.
Is the dream his vision? Is the method his way? Is the timing his moment?
Dreaming of Another’s Glory
Kingdom-seekers are leaders marked by loyalty, for they seek another's cause; by fidelity, for they tell another's truth; by humility, for they accept another's results; by constancy, for they wait another's time; and by expectancy, for they dream of another's glory.
Was Jesus a Visionary?
What Visions did Jesus Have?
Baptism
“Satan fall like lightning” Lk 10:18
Transfiguration
Mark 13
Where Did Jesus’ Visions Come From?
Images of the Scriptures
Things his father told him?
What Were the Marks of Jesus’ Vision?
A seer who lived by the unseen
Practical and very much “down to earth”
Total and compelling, a vision of the largest and widest scope
It was personal
It was realistic
As radical as it was realistic
Hopeful, but not optimistic
What, then, Is It to Be a Visionary in Christ?
If we want to be visionaries in Christ, we will long and pray to see as Christ sees. We will seek that vision through the disciplines of reading, of praying, and of thinking originally and radically in ways which may be painful. We will obey that vision, recognizing that vision has its outflow in acts of service, both great and small. We will understand that vision is costly, for we cannot have Jesus' vision without the vision of the cross in our hearts.
Developing a Vision
Observing, reflecting and acting
A Visionary in Christ
E. Stanley Jones
Ch. 7 The Leader As Strong One
The Quality of the Person
Jesus was a combination of strength and compassion
Christ the Strong One
The Unexpected Power of Jesus
his authority was the exposing of an inner spiritual power that was released little by little-through words, actions, attitudes and his very presence-until finally his character itself seemed to be as wonderful as his greatest miracle.
Firmness of Purpose
Force of Speech
-simplicity, lasting through translation, direct
Balance of Character
-courage and sensitivity; public and private; authority and servanthood; severity and gentleness; patience with decisiveness; accessible and withdrawn; human and divine
Courage in Suffering
Power for What Purpose?
Ch. 8 The Leader as Servant
Leadership and Power
Power and the Powers
Power has a remarkable ability to corrupt
Jesus and Power
Jesus Turned the Power Scale Upside Down
Jesus Took the Role of a Servant
A Leaders’ Mission Statement
We Want You to Do for Us…
Using Mark 10 where James and John ask Jesus to do whatever they want
Leadership involves suffering; a sovereign assignment; servanthood
Only One Example
The Essence of Leadership
His Trump Card Was the Cross
Ch. 9 The Leader as Shepherd-Maker (1)
The Leader as an Empowerer
Jesus’ goal as a leader was to plant and grow his own “mind” in his people.
A Key Transition
In Mark 3 there is a key transition in Jesus ministry from ministering to masses to ministering to a few that he expects to carry on the work.
Ch. 10 The Leader as Shepherd Maker (2) A Case Study
Some students of leadership have focused on the traits of outstanding leaders, some on the situations which produce leadership and others on the process by which leaders go about their task.
This case study is Simon Peter carried on in an interview style seeking to bring out the key elements in Jesus’ style of transforming leadership development.
Quoting 1 Pet 5
He Chose Me
He Named Me
He Teamed Us Up-important for encouragement and balancing strengths and weaknesses; gave a unifying passion that brought out the best in all of them
He Motivated Me
The key for a leader is to look for thirsty people. People want different things. Meaning. Approval. Belonging. Something worth doing. Love. Forgiveness. A cause. I needed those things. I needed a cause. Approval.
He Taught Me
Encouraging and answering questions yet making the disciple do some of the work; through powerful, convicting stories
He Trusted Me
He Tested Me
He Selected Me-Peter’s uniqueness from other disciples
He Included Me
He Confided in Me
He Made Me His Friend
He Warned Me
He Gave Me Another Chance
He Made Me Understand
Ch. 11 The Leader as Shepherd-Maker (3)
A Shared Life
Jesus’ coming to earth and investing His life in the disciples is the model of community.
A Shared Goal
A Shared Partnership
Jesus’ shared goals
These characteristics make up Warren Benniss’ emotional wisdom
1. The ability to accept people as they are, and not as you would like them to be.
2. The capacity to approach relationships and problems in terms of the present rather than the past.
The ability to treat those who are close to you with the same courteous attention you extend to strangers and casual acquaintances.
4. The ability to trust others, even if the risk seems great.
5. The ability to do without constant approval and recognition from others?
Shared Time
A “pull” (as opposed to push) style of leadership leads to 1. A sense of significance, 2. An experience of equality, 3. A contagious enthusiasm, 4 a commitment to growth, 5 a unifying passion
Shared Learning
Quoting someone else-The most marked characteristic of ... potential leaders ... is their capacity to learn from others and the environment-the capacity to be taught."
Shared Risks
Failure is often the beginning of success
A Shared Future
Shared Power
Ch. 12 The Leader as Spokesperson
Blessing and benefit and burden of modern communications
Jesus the Communicator
Jesus’ different style and use of words was dependent on whom His audience was
The impact of his speech was inescapable. He communicated with an immediacy and an incisiveness that unerringly found its mark.
Jesus’ Model of Communication
*Communication imperatives
-Clarity of speech comes from clarity of purpose.
*Know where you are heading
-Believability comes in direct proportion to a quiet sense of confidence
Confidence is a combination of true humility and genuine authority
*Know your source and your identity
-Words live for ever; therefore, they must be handled with care
*Know the power of language
-How they hear is as important as what you say
*Know your audience
-Having the truth is only half the battle
*Know your craft
-Knowing when is as important as knowing what to say
*Know your timing
-Simplicity means to say one thing well
*Know your point
-Take your calling seriously, but do not be anxious for yourself
*Know where your responsibility begins and ends
-Never underestimate your opposition; but always count on your hidden resource
*Know your enemy and know your ally
Ch. 13 The Leader as Struggler
Leadership involves conflict because it involves change; ie. Moses
Nice People Don’t Fight
Conflict is not always based on culture and common ground but on truth and values on which sometimes there is no common ground.
Discerning Conflict
Jesus had three types of conflict
-Supra-conflict-supernatural with Satan and his demons; at issue were ultimate loyalties, values and beliefs; obedience or disobedience to the mission; and the choice of whether he would go by way of the cross or some less demanding way.
*This conflict was fundamental
-Contra-conflict-with the religious leaders/Pharisees; at stake here are the issues of tradition, power and control of ritual versus reality
*This conflict was unavoidable
-Intra-conflict-with the diverse loyalties and personalities of the twelve it was inevitable.
McKenna suggests that three kinds of conflict between the disciples are revealed in the Gospel of Mark: public conflict over the failure of the disciples to heal a sick boy; interpersonal conflict over who would be the greatest in the kingdom; intergroup conflict over who had the right to belong to their group (Mk 9:14-41). To these I would add spiritual conflict over their frequent lack of faith and understanding.
*This conflict was Essential in nature-the disciples needed to become what Jesus wanted them to be
-Extra-conflict-those who were bystanders or “extras”; family members, Samaritans, neighbors; the issues at stake were jealousy, culture and style
*Incidental conflict-did not strike the heart of his mission
Transforming Conflict
transforming leaders will learn to transform conflict by the way they deal with it. Such leaders will discern the nature, the issues, and the seriousness of the conflict; they will then choose a stance and make the most of it.
For a leader in conflict not to see the issue and not to choose a response is the worst thing one can do. On the other hand, to choose deliberately, and with good reason, not to act is quite different.
In Fundamental Conflict: Stand and Fight!
His strategy was to face unconditional opposition with unconditional resistance, and his weapons were prayer and the words of Scripture.
The Leader and Spiritual Warfare
In Unavoidable Conflict: Face and Seize!
When Jesus faced unavoidable conflict, his stance was to face it directly and seize it as an opportunity. His attitude was a combination of patient long-suffering, of challenge, and, eventually, of anger.
The Leader’s Rejection
When we face painful opposition, it would be wise to ask: 1. Am I really on God's business? Or how much of my own need am I fulfilling under the guise of representing God? 2. Can I live with my insecurities by resting in God's love? 3. Can I accept the hardship and even rejoice in sharing God's pain, and thus have it transformed? 4. Can I patiently wait God's vindication, and put aside my hostility?
The Leader’s Discretion and Discernment
Jesus’ response to the religious leaders in Mark 12:15-
1. To discern motives
2. To sense ill will and danger
3. To deflect the attack
4. To see the heart of the matter
5. To challenge the questioner’s conscience
6. By knowing when to stop
In Essential Conflict: Sit and Teach
In Incidental Conflict: Walk and Wait
Meeting Conflict with Truth and Grace
Jesus was a perfect balance and he distributed both according to what was required.
Conflict is never comfortable, but God is more concerned for our character than our comfort.
Ch 14 The Leader as Sustainer
The L-Principle-very rarely are powerful and charismatic leaders followed by similar leaders; they are not nourished in the glory of their predecessor
The Moses and Mao Malady
The influence of great leaders may also be cut short by their inability to adjust their leadership style to changing situations.
The Spurgeon Syndrome-he recognized the changes in culture around him but was neither flexible enough or versatile enough to adapt to them
Intercepting Entropy-underlines the need for transforming leaders who are sustainers.
Strategies for the Sustaining Leader
He showed his way
Theme of the book:
If Jesus had tried to ensure future directions by issuing a policy manual, a program guidebook or a set of rules (a procedure that has been tried, though not very successfully, by many groups using Jesus' name in subsequent centuries), it would soon have been out-of-date and codified into some sort of rigid and not very helpful principles. Instead, Jesus showed "the Way" as he embodied the reality of his kingdom. How he did this has been the subject of this book.
Someone has said that the last act of a dying organization is to produce its new edition of the rule book.
He shaped his people-he allowed them to fail without fear of losing their positions.
He symbolized his values
He Set His Stage
He Sent His Spirit
Jesus would leave behind not simply persons who had adopted a new code of ethics or who had joined an institution. He would leave behind people who had become part of a new life. They would have not just a new philosophy, but a new spirit living within them, creating a new life which would go on deepening and extending forever.
Epilogue
Questions of a Young Leader
A question of motivation
A question of mission
A question of values
A question of vision
A question of character
A question of power
A question of priorities
A question of speech
A question of conflict
A question of endurance
February 22, 2015
This wasn't a particularly enjoyable book, but it did have lots of good insight. It showed me where I (and leaders I have worked under) have made mistakes in the past. My copy is full of notes and highlights.
October 21, 2024
Lead Like Jesus
"Transforming Leadership" does an excellent job of pointing out some of the leadership qualities of Jesus Christ and showing us how we can apply those qualities to our own lives. The key concept is this: true transforming leadership follows this pattern – the divesting of one’s power (that is putting it aside for a while as Jesus did when He took on human form and veiled His glory in the flesh), in order to invest it in others. Ford writes, “The most spectacular cross-cultural leadership in the history of humanity took place when the Son of God became a first-century Galilean Jew.” In that identification he renounced the status and the rights that he enjoyed as God’s Son. Among them, Jesus gave up any right to independence; he was born in a borrowed manger, preached from a borrowed boat, entered Jerusalem on a borrowed donkey, ate the Last Supper in a borrowed upper room, died on a borrowed cross and was buried in a borrowed tomb. He was and still is the greatest leader of all time. We would all do well to be more like Him.
"Transforming Leadership" does an excellent job of pointing out some of the leadership qualities of Jesus Christ and showing us how we can apply those qualities to our own lives. The key concept is this: true transforming leadership follows this pattern – the divesting of one’s power (that is putting it aside for a while as Jesus did when He took on human form and veiled His glory in the flesh), in order to invest it in others. Ford writes, “The most spectacular cross-cultural leadership in the history of humanity took place when the Son of God became a first-century Galilean Jew.” In that identification he renounced the status and the rights that he enjoyed as God’s Son. Among them, Jesus gave up any right to independence; he was born in a borrowed manger, preached from a borrowed boat, entered Jerusalem on a borrowed donkey, ate the Last Supper in a borrowed upper room, died on a borrowed cross and was buried in a borrowed tomb. He was and still is the greatest leader of all time. We would all do well to be more like Him.
August 31, 2020
This book is too outdated for 2020.
January 28, 2023
Lots of great insights, but it could’ve been 50-75 pages shorter.
April 13, 2023
Pretty good. Had some good things and some scratch your head kind of moments. Read this in church leadership training.
January 13, 2010
TRANFORMING LEADERSHIP
PREFACE
FORWARD
1 LEADERSHIP: WHY NOW?
2 JESUS AND LEADERSHIP
3 THE LEADER AS SON
4 THE LEADER AS STRATEGIST
INTRODUCTORY QUOTES
JESUS KNEW WHERE HE WAS GOING, HE HAD A GREAT PURPOSE
"MANAGERS WANT TO DO THE RIGHT THINGS, LEADERS WANT TO DO THE RIGHT THING - Warren Bennis
"THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS ON ME, BECAUSE HE HAS ANOINTED ME TO PREACH TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM FREEDOM FOR THE PRISONERS AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT FOR THE BLIND, TO RELEASE THE OPPRESSED, TO PROCLAIM THE YEAR OF THE LORD'S FAVOR" Jesus
CHARISMA ---FOR WHAT?
MISSION DETERMINES LEADERSHIP OR MIS-LEADERSHIP
A STRATEGY OF FULFILLMENT: JESUS' SENSE OF DESTINY (IT GREW OUT OF HIS SENSE OF MISSION)
TRANSCENDENT PURPOSE CENTERED IN HIS SOUL
FOREBEARS HAD SENSE OF COVENANT / MESSIANIC MISSION
JESUS' WORDS REVEALED SENSE OF MISSION
"I CAME...."
TO CALL ...SINNERS TO REPENTANCE /LK 5:32
NOT...BE SERVED BUT TO SERVE,...GIVE HIS LIFE AS RANSOM /MK 10:45
TO PREACH THE GOOD NEWS OF THE KINGDOM / LK 4:43
TO SEEK AND SAVE THE LOST / LK 19:10
THAT THEY MAY HAVE LIFE...TO THE FULL /JN 10:10
TO TESTIFY TO THE TRUTH / JN 18:37
NOT TO CONDEMN BUT TO SAVE... / JN 3:17
TO LAY DOWN HIS LIFE ... JN 10:16
"I WAS SENT..."
DOWNSIDE OF MISSION
NOT WELCOMED BY ALL
WOULD DIVIDE
(NOT UNDERSTOOD BY ALL)
THE FULFILLER
vs REPLACING (THE LAW)
OF A PURPOSE NOW MADE MORE CLEAR
A TASK ('THE WORK YOU GAVE ME...."
HISTORY
"A NEW TIME HAD ARRIVED. A NEW REALITY HAD COME. HE HIMSELF EMBODIED THAT NEW REALITY, AND HE CALLED PEOPLE TO SEIZE IT AND FOLLOW HIM. THIS WAS HIS SENSE OF DESTINY, ... HIS DETERMINED STRATEGY"
A KINGDOM STRATEGY: JESUS' MASTER THOUGHT
'THE KINGDOM OF GOD' 121 TIMES
HIS MASTER DESIGN CAME FROM THE FATHER
IT WAS A POWERFUL REALITY---PEOPLE LIVING THEIR LIVES UNDER HIS GUIDANCE
A GOD MOVEMENT
THE REVOLUTION ON GOD
WAS '...LIKE AN INVASION OF EARTH BY HEAVEN'
THE REVOLUTIONARY KINGDOM:
A HIGHER STANDARD
A WIDER ENTRANCE
A DEEPER REALITY
A STRONGER POWER
HAD GREATER COMMANDMENTS AT THE HEART
A GLOBAL STRATEGY: JESUS' LONG-RANGE GOAL
"ALL AUTHORITY IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH HAS BEEN GIVEN TO ME. THEREFORE GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS" MT 28:18
THINK GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY
A PEOPLE STRATEGY: JESUS' RADICAL SOLUTION
HE FIRST WENT TO THE REALLY POOR
HIS IS A KINGDOM OF RIGHT RELATIONS
A MINORITY STRATEGY: JESUS' INFILTRATING STYLE
GOD WORKED WITH A MINORITY FROM THE START
LEADER HAS TO FOCUS ON A FEW
WORKING W/A MINORITY WOULD WORK IF:
1- HIS FOLLOWERS SHOWED LOVE
A STRANGE STRATEGY: JESUS' PUZZLING TACTICS
A STRATEGY OF SUFFERING AND GLORY: JESUS' SAVING ROLE
THE LEADERSHIP STYLE OF JESUS
THE STRATEGY OF JESUS
5 THE LEADER AS SEEKER
6 THE LEADER AS SEER
7 THE LEADER AS SEER
7 THE LEADER AS THE STRONG ONE
8 THE LEADER AS SERVANT
9 THE LEADER AS SHEPHERD-MAKER(1)
10 THE LEADER AS SHEPHERD-MAKER(2): A CASE STUDY
11 THE LEADER AS SHEPHER-MAKER(3)
12 THE LEADER AS SPOKESPERSON
13 THE LEADER AS STRUGGLER
14 THE LEADER AS SUSTAINER
EPILOGUE
PREFACE
FORWARD
1 LEADERSHIP: WHY NOW?
2 JESUS AND LEADERSHIP
3 THE LEADER AS SON
4 THE LEADER AS STRATEGIST
INTRODUCTORY QUOTES
JESUS KNEW WHERE HE WAS GOING, HE HAD A GREAT PURPOSE
"MANAGERS WANT TO DO THE RIGHT THINGS, LEADERS WANT TO DO THE RIGHT THING - Warren Bennis
"THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS ON ME, BECAUSE HE HAS ANOINTED ME TO PREACH TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM FREEDOM FOR THE PRISONERS AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT FOR THE BLIND, TO RELEASE THE OPPRESSED, TO PROCLAIM THE YEAR OF THE LORD'S FAVOR" Jesus
CHARISMA ---FOR WHAT?
MISSION DETERMINES LEADERSHIP OR MIS-LEADERSHIP
A STRATEGY OF FULFILLMENT: JESUS' SENSE OF DESTINY (IT GREW OUT OF HIS SENSE OF MISSION)
TRANSCENDENT PURPOSE CENTERED IN HIS SOUL
FOREBEARS HAD SENSE OF COVENANT / MESSIANIC MISSION
JESUS' WORDS REVEALED SENSE OF MISSION
"I CAME...."
TO CALL ...SINNERS TO REPENTANCE /LK 5:32
NOT...BE SERVED BUT TO SERVE,...GIVE HIS LIFE AS RANSOM /MK 10:45
TO PREACH THE GOOD NEWS OF THE KINGDOM / LK 4:43
TO SEEK AND SAVE THE LOST / LK 19:10
THAT THEY MAY HAVE LIFE...TO THE FULL /JN 10:10
TO TESTIFY TO THE TRUTH / JN 18:37
NOT TO CONDEMN BUT TO SAVE... / JN 3:17
TO LAY DOWN HIS LIFE ... JN 10:16
"I WAS SENT..."
DOWNSIDE OF MISSION
NOT WELCOMED BY ALL
WOULD DIVIDE
(NOT UNDERSTOOD BY ALL)
THE FULFILLER
vs REPLACING (THE LAW)
OF A PURPOSE NOW MADE MORE CLEAR
A TASK ('THE WORK YOU GAVE ME...."
HISTORY
"A NEW TIME HAD ARRIVED. A NEW REALITY HAD COME. HE HIMSELF EMBODIED THAT NEW REALITY, AND HE CALLED PEOPLE TO SEIZE IT AND FOLLOW HIM. THIS WAS HIS SENSE OF DESTINY, ... HIS DETERMINED STRATEGY"
A KINGDOM STRATEGY: JESUS' MASTER THOUGHT
'THE KINGDOM OF GOD' 121 TIMES
HIS MASTER DESIGN CAME FROM THE FATHER
IT WAS A POWERFUL REALITY---PEOPLE LIVING THEIR LIVES UNDER HIS GUIDANCE
A GOD MOVEMENT
THE REVOLUTION ON GOD
WAS '...LIKE AN INVASION OF EARTH BY HEAVEN'
THE REVOLUTIONARY KINGDOM:
A HIGHER STANDARD
A WIDER ENTRANCE
A DEEPER REALITY
A STRONGER POWER
HAD GREATER COMMANDMENTS AT THE HEART
A GLOBAL STRATEGY: JESUS' LONG-RANGE GOAL
"ALL AUTHORITY IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH HAS BEEN GIVEN TO ME. THEREFORE GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS" MT 28:18
THINK GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY
A PEOPLE STRATEGY: JESUS' RADICAL SOLUTION
HE FIRST WENT TO THE REALLY POOR
HIS IS A KINGDOM OF RIGHT RELATIONS
A MINORITY STRATEGY: JESUS' INFILTRATING STYLE
GOD WORKED WITH A MINORITY FROM THE START
LEADER HAS TO FOCUS ON A FEW
WORKING W/A MINORITY WOULD WORK IF:
1- HIS FOLLOWERS SHOWED LOVE
A STRANGE STRATEGY: JESUS' PUZZLING TACTICS
A STRATEGY OF SUFFERING AND GLORY: JESUS' SAVING ROLE
THE LEADERSHIP STYLE OF JESUS
THE STRATEGY OF JESUS
5 THE LEADER AS SEEKER
6 THE LEADER AS SEER
7 THE LEADER AS SEER
7 THE LEADER AS THE STRONG ONE
8 THE LEADER AS SERVANT
9 THE LEADER AS SHEPHERD-MAKER(1)
10 THE LEADER AS SHEPHERD-MAKER(2): A CASE STUDY
11 THE LEADER AS SHEPHER-MAKER(3)
12 THE LEADER AS SPOKESPERSON
13 THE LEADER AS STRUGGLER
14 THE LEADER AS SUSTAINER
EPILOGUE
November 10, 2016
I am not a fan of leadership books. I would much rather read theology or history or a good novel. But as I've worked in campus ministry for a decade, I have realized that it is helpful to read a leadership book every now and then. Recently I asked some older ministry friends what leadership books they recommend and Transforming Leadership by Leighton Ford came up. So I read it. I didn't like it, per se, but that was mostly because it was a leadership book (remember, I am not a fan). That said, judged on its on merit and not my own taste, it is a solid book. Written in 1991 it is a bit dated, but the principles from the life of Jesus remain relevant. If you are searching for a book on leadership, check this one out.
A few favorite quotes:
"The world was not to be changed by building great institutions, behind whose walls his followers could safely hide, nor by passing legislation to make people conform, nor by the force of arms or coercion, nor by militant majorities of high powered publicity campaigns. It was to be moved by a quiet minority, , little platoons of men and women who had been with Jesus and whose hearts and minds had been changed. Living by his Spirit as 'little Christs,' in the highways and byways of everyday life, they would restrain and reshape from the inside, the institutions, the armies, the legislatures, the homes, the temples and the trading-posts of the nations" (67-68)
"The biggest thing is too small a thing when it is not done to the glory of God and for the global purpose of Jesus" (97)
"Jesus shows his followers that his kingdom is God's total answer for their total need" (108)
"Many mistake toughness for strength, precisely because they lack inner security and have to project a brazen image. Jesus, on the other hand, possessed a remarkable force of personality and character and was secure enough that he could be remarkably open. He showed his emotions and concealed neither his tears nor his anger. He enjoyed people and allowed them quickly to establish intimacy. Children loved him, and ordinary people could approach him in the marketplace. In Jesus, strength and compassion were joined so that his strength became a transforming, liberating force, not one which frightened and crippled others" (122)
"Jesus never regarded people who pushed into his life as interruptions of his ministry" (208)
A few favorite quotes:
"The world was not to be changed by building great institutions, behind whose walls his followers could safely hide, nor by passing legislation to make people conform, nor by the force of arms or coercion, nor by militant majorities of high powered publicity campaigns. It was to be moved by a quiet minority, , little platoons of men and women who had been with Jesus and whose hearts and minds had been changed. Living by his Spirit as 'little Christs,' in the highways and byways of everyday life, they would restrain and reshape from the inside, the institutions, the armies, the legislatures, the homes, the temples and the trading-posts of the nations" (67-68)
"The biggest thing is too small a thing when it is not done to the glory of God and for the global purpose of Jesus" (97)
"Jesus shows his followers that his kingdom is God's total answer for their total need" (108)
"Many mistake toughness for strength, precisely because they lack inner security and have to project a brazen image. Jesus, on the other hand, possessed a remarkable force of personality and character and was secure enough that he could be remarkably open. He showed his emotions and concealed neither his tears nor his anger. He enjoyed people and allowed them quickly to establish intimacy. Children loved him, and ordinary people could approach him in the marketplace. In Jesus, strength and compassion were joined so that his strength became a transforming, liberating force, not one which frightened and crippled others" (122)
"Jesus never regarded people who pushed into his life as interruptions of his ministry" (208)
July 27, 2007
I wasn't a big fan of this book. If it hadn't been required reading for me I would have put it down after the first few chapters and moved on to something else. Not that it was bad--it just didn't have much to offer that was interesting to me. Leighton Ford does a good job of presenting Jesus' leadership qualities, but gives way too many examples, so the book often just feels like a summary of the gospels, only somehow taking much longer than the gospels themselves. Ford makes a few good points along the way, but most of them are underdeveloped. Additionally, he attempts on several occasions to present his material more creatively, e.g. writing a chapter as an interview with Peter about his time with Jesus. Unfortunately, these attempts end up being pretty silly, tediously long, and redundant to other material in the book. I am most surprised by how long this book was, and how little in the way of new insight I gained from it. I'm sure Ford has a lot of great insights into leadership, but somehow they couldn't penetrate through the rest of the material. This book could have really benefited from some good editing.
August 18, 2007
Writing a book on leadership based off of Jesus' life, excellent idea. Writer's execution... so so. Leighton ford has a lot to say, but he could say it more succinctly and thus be able to delve deeper into some of his more insightful comments. I think through the course of the book he gets every gospel reference to jesus used!
While his categories for Jesus' leadership were interesting, the content of each chapter wasn't always very clearly connected, though helpful and interesting. You can tell that Ford is first a speaker and second a writer in the way he writes.
What I liked most about the book was that he draws on other leadership gurus well. In many ways this book was a "connector" book, the quotes from other authors and thinkers often being the most insightful (ironically).
All in the all the book was helpful to my perspectives on leadership, but could have been shorter, clearer, and it would have communicated things much better.
While his categories for Jesus' leadership were interesting, the content of each chapter wasn't always very clearly connected, though helpful and interesting. You can tell that Ford is first a speaker and second a writer in the way he writes.
What I liked most about the book was that he draws on other leadership gurus well. In many ways this book was a "connector" book, the quotes from other authors and thinkers often being the most insightful (ironically).
All in the all the book was helpful to my perspectives on leadership, but could have been shorter, clearer, and it would have communicated things much better.
September 4, 2007
This book is chock full of wisdom about good leadership. It's full of excellent stories. I really like Leighton Ford's take on leadership, and he has a lot of helpful insights. It's longish and slow going, I thought, but it would be a perfect book to read through with any kind of leadership team, a chapter or 2 at a time, discussing it together. Over the course of 3-6 months it could prove a sure guide to very valuable and deep leadership training.
November 3, 2012
This is a superb book. Although it's information is outdated...chronologically...it's still relevant today. Mr. Ford provides a lot of practical ways to increase your leadership. It will help you a pastor teach his/her associate leaders how to lead and follow. I'd consider it a must read for all leaders.
January 25, 2010
Not the best book on leadership I have ever read. It is way too drawn out. Ford also seems to be too topical, forcing his own categories on Jesus and the text of the Bible instead of the other way around.
September 27, 2012
This book breaks down the leader portrays the leader as one who is wearing different hats such as a strategist ,a seeker, a servant, a sustainer of struggler and a seer. Although I had to read it for classes in school, I found to be very enlightening for my personal journey as a leader.
October 24, 2012
One of my favorite books on leadership.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews