Grow your Character, Competency, and Courage
to Live and Lead like Christ.
"An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge."
Proverbs 18:15
Proverbs 18:15
Most of the book summaries listed below will help you grow in understanding yourself & others. They will give you knowledge and skills to lead well.
However, even more foundational is understanding God and your heart. As leaders, we are the first followers. Our top priority is to follow the heart of God so that others can follow our example. We don't want people to follow us, we want them to follow God.
So how do we lead? We lead by following God.
We lead as the first followers.
The "Top Theology & Christian Life Books" is a list of some of the most impactful books in my life that have helped shape my understanding of God. I haven't had the opportunity to write summaries for these books yet, but recommend them highly to you. These books will help you balance your leadership/ministry reading with theological books. The books on this theology & Christian life list will help you know God better and will give you deep roots to help you withstand the storms of life and leadership.
However, even more foundational is understanding God and your heart. As leaders, we are the first followers. Our top priority is to follow the heart of God so that others can follow our example. We don't want people to follow us, we want them to follow God.
So how do we lead? We lead by following God.
We lead as the first followers.
The "Top Theology & Christian Life Books" is a list of some of the most impactful books in my life that have helped shape my understanding of God. I haven't had the opportunity to write summaries for these books yet, but recommend them highly to you. These books will help you balance your leadership/ministry reading with theological books. The books on this theology & Christian life list will help you know God better and will give you deep roots to help you withstand the storms of life and leadership.
Developing as a leader:
A step-by-step approach
This leadership development model will guide you in developing the core competencies you need for each stage of leadership.
(Template below.)
1. IDENTIFY which Stage of leadership you need to develop.
The stages* of leadership:
Each stage builds on the previous. Even if you already have the position of Lead Others or Lead Organization, evaluate if you should focus first on Lead Yourself. This stage builds the foundation for other stages of leadership. Developing how you lead yourself will always improve your leadership. . . no matter what stage you are at. Shortcomings in leading yourself will only be magnified by a leadership position.
The stages also form a cycle of development. As you grow as a leader, you will return to the same stages and competencies but will apply them with far greater understanding and impact.
(Template below.)
1. IDENTIFY which Stage of leadership you need to develop.
The stages* of leadership:
- Lead Yourself
- Lead Others
- Lead Organization
Each stage builds on the previous. Even if you already have the position of Lead Others or Lead Organization, evaluate if you should focus first on Lead Yourself. This stage builds the foundation for other stages of leadership. Developing how you lead yourself will always improve your leadership. . . no matter what stage you are at. Shortcomings in leading yourself will only be magnified by a leadership position.
The stages also form a cycle of development. As you grow as a leader, you will return to the same stages and competencies but will apply them with far greater understanding and impact.
If possible, work with a coach, mentor, or fellow leader to help you identify the best place to start and when to focus on the next stage.
*Some models divide stage three (Lead Organization) into multiple stages to fit specific roles. For simplicity I have kept it as one stage for this model.
2. IDENTIFY which Core Competency would be most helpful to develop.
Choose the competency that is most applicable to you right now.
Lead Yourself:
Lead Others:
Lead Organization:
3. EVALUATE how you need to improve in this competency.
4. READ the book listed for the competency.
(Scroll down for list)**
Some competencies list more than one book, the books are prioritized in order of importance. Read at least the first book for each competency.
Many of these books are not Christian books, but read them through the lens of the Bible. They often teach us practical ways to fulfill the command to “love one another” and to lead with a "skillful hand".
**As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases made through the Amazon links on our site. This helps cover our website costs. I only recommend books that I have found personally beneficial!
5. WRITE the following after finishing the book.
Writing what you learn and how you are going to apply it helps the learning stick.
6. MEET with a coach, mentor, or fellow leader to Discuss what you are learning and to Develop a plan to apply your learning.
This step is not essential, but it will greatly enhance your awareness, learning, and application. Ideally, meet 2-4 times as you work through each book. If you want to focus more time on a Core Competency before moving on to another; research other books, resources, or practical ways to grow in that competency.
Once you are ready to move to another competency, repeat the steps.
*Some models divide stage three (Lead Organization) into multiple stages to fit specific roles. For simplicity I have kept it as one stage for this model.
2. IDENTIFY which Core Competency would be most helpful to develop.
Choose the competency that is most applicable to you right now.
Lead Yourself:
- Model a Godly Life
- Good People Skills
- Emotional Intelligence
- Manage Your Time, Energy & Priorities
- Become a Lifelong Learner
Lead Others:
- Lead in a Godly Way
- Understanding your Leadership Roles
- Clarify your Team's Priorities & Direction
- Develop & Empower Others
- Good Team Building Skills
- Make Decisions
Lead Organization:
- Persevere in Godly Leadership
- Visionary Thinking
- Good Organization Building Skills & Collaboration
- Lead Change
- Think in Systems
- Conflict Management & Accountability
- Delegate
- Communicate Clearly & Timely
3. EVALUATE how you need to improve in this competency.
- BE: How do I need to grow or change in my attitudes, behavior, character, courage or emotional strength?
- KNOW: What knowledge do I need to learn?
- DO: What skills do I need to learn & practice?
4. READ the book listed for the competency.
(Scroll down for list)**
Some competencies list more than one book, the books are prioritized in order of importance. Read at least the first book for each competency.
Many of these books are not Christian books, but read them through the lens of the Bible. They often teach us practical ways to fulfill the command to “love one another” and to lead with a "skillful hand".
**As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases made through the Amazon links on our site. This helps cover our website costs. I only recommend books that I have found personally beneficial!
5. WRITE the following after finishing the book.
- Summary: 1/2 - 1 page
- Learning: What new or deeper awareness do you have about yourself and your leadership?
- Action Steps: What next steps will you take to apply what you learned? (Can include change of attitude, thoughts, behavior or actions.)
Writing what you learn and how you are going to apply it helps the learning stick.
6. MEET with a coach, mentor, or fellow leader to Discuss what you are learning and to Develop a plan to apply your learning.
This step is not essential, but it will greatly enhance your awareness, learning, and application. Ideally, meet 2-4 times as you work through each book. If you want to focus more time on a Core Competency before moving on to another; research other books, resources, or practical ways to grow in that competency.
Once you are ready to move to another competency, repeat the steps.
Lead Yourself
Core Competencies
1. Model a Godly Life
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OVERFLOWING: Ministry And Missions That Flow From The Heartby Kyle Farran
In our zeal to glorify God and be used by Him, we have a tendency to rely on doing things for God. However, when God chose to use certain individuals in the Bible, it wasn’t because of their efforts or abilities. God was looking at their heart. God wants worshipers who work, not workers who worship. There is a vast difference between the two.
God still searches hearts. Will we be found by God as pleasing to Him? We can become a person that is useful to God—not because of the great things you do, but because of a heart that pleases Him. Who we are is more important than what we do, because what we do flows out of who we are. Our service to God must be an overflow of the heart. We cannot minister from an empty cup. VIEW ON AMAZON |
Other Recommended Books:
• Desiring God by John Piper
• The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges
• The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer
• Desiring God by John Piper
• The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges
• The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer
2. Good People Skills
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How to Win Friends and Influence PeopleBy Dale Carnegie
“How to Win Friends and Influence People” has been one of my most influential books. It has completely changed my life by helping me to better understand myself and others.
How? I read it through this lens: How can I better understand myself and others so I can “love my neighbor as myself”? As I understand myself and others better, I can then be better prepared to give others what they most desire. This book is worth your time. “Most people go through college and learn to read Virgil and master the mysteries of calculus without ever discovering how their own minds function.” You don’t know what you don’t know. This book helped me discover many things I didn’t know. BOOK SUMMARY VIEW ON AMAZON |
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How to Talk to AnyoneBy Leil Lowndes
Some of us are not born with an innate ability to navigate social settings with the ease of a social butterfly. Thankfully, this book and others like them can serve as a guidebook on how to improve in this area and to make it more enjoyable. As with all books I read on understanding people, I read it with this lens: How does this help me understand myself and others better so that I can fulfill Jesus’ command to love others as myself?
This book gives some very practical tips to do just that. You probably won’t use them all, but there are many helpful hints. BOOK SUMMARY VIEW ON AMAZON |
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The Definitive Book of Body LanguageBy Allan & Barbara Pease
Some of us aren't born with an innate ability to read body language well. Reading this book at the age of 35 was like learning a new language for me. It helped me in two ways: 1. To be able to notice the cues others are sending and 2. To notice what my own body language is communicating. We are always communicating, even when we aren't talking. Do you know what you are communicating?
If our goal is to demonstrate the love of Christ, we need to be aware of what our body language is communicating. As with all books I read on understanding people, I read it with this lens: How does this help me understand myself and others better so that I can fulfill Jesus’ command to love others as myself? VIEW ON AMAZON |
Other Recommended Books:
• Winning With People by John Maxwell
• Winning With People by John Maxwell
3. Emotional Intelligence
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Emotional Intelligence 2.0By Travis Bradberry
“Emotional intelligence is your ability to recognize and understand emotions in yourself and others, and your ability to use this awareness to manage your behavior and relationships.”
IQ vs. EQ Contrary to popular believe, IQ is not the best predictor of how people perform in work or leadership. Rather, Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is “the single biggest predictor of performance in the workplace and the strongest driver of leadership and personal excellence.” Unlike IQ, which is essentially fixed from birth, EQ is not fixed. We can learn and grow in our Emotional Intelligence as we understand ourselves and others better. BOOK SUMMARY VIEW ON AMAZON |
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The Emotionally Healthy LeaderBy Peter Scazzero
Once when we were traveling through Dubai, we passed the building site of a future skyscraper. They hadn’t yet built anything above ground but were carefully constructing a solid foundation deep beneath the surface.
In a leader’s life, the same thing needs to happen. There needs to be work done deep beneath the surface. Leadership is hard, and learning to be aware of and handle the many emotions that come with leadership builds a solid foundation. You can only successfully grow upward as a leader to the extent you have grown in your depth as a leader. “The first and most difficult task we face as leaders is to lead ourselves. Why? Because it requires confronting parts of who we are that we prefer to neglect, forget, or deny.” To grow thyself, know thyself. This book will help you on that journey. BOOK SUMMARY VIEW ON AMAZON |
4. Manage Your Time, Energy & Priorities
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The 7 Habits of Highly Effective PeopleBy Stephen Covey
“The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” is a very helpful tool to identify the key habits we must develop in our lives. Busy does not equal effective. This book has helped thousands of people to focus their energy and time in the areas that will help them leave the impact on others and the world that they desire.
BOOK SUMMARY VIEW ON AMAZON |
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First Things FirstBy Stephen Covey
This book was very helpful to me in learning to prioritize. It teaches you to make the distinction between what’s “pressing” and what’s actually important, and looks at techniques for quickly and regularly identifying those which are important. We all strive to do the things that are important to us, but we’re often distracted by things that are “pressing” – things that have to be done right now that aren’t necessarily a part of the central values of our life.
BOOK SUMMARY VIEW ON AMAZON |
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The Power of HabitBy Charles Duhigg
Our brains are fascinating. “Habits, scientists say, emerge because the brain is constantly looking for ways to save effort.” Much like water cuts into a mountain to form a ditch. So our habits make a path in our brain. When it rains on the mountain the water takes the easiest path and our brains do the same things with habits.
To be able to create new habits, we must identify the old ones and create new patterns. Understanding the “The Habit Loop” can help us know where to start in rewiring our habits. BOOK SUMMARY VIEW ON AMAZON |
5. Become A Lifelong Learner
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Love is the Killer AppBy Tim Sanders
When I began my Masters degree in Organizational Leadership, I was grateful that this was the first book my professor had me read. It enabled me to be more effective in helping others. I love to help others by sharing solutions to problems they face. However, when done in the wrong way it is easy to unintentionally come across as a know-it-all. When this happens, it doesn’t actually help the other person because they aren’t listening to you. This book challenged me to a new way of gaining and sharing knowledge with others. This book shares a few very helpful tips on how to point people to the source of knowledge so they can discover it for themselves, this way you don't come across as a know-it-all. If you love to help others, this book is a great resource.
BOOK SUMMARY VIEW ON AMAZON |
Lead Others
Core Competencies
1. Lead in a Godly Way
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Top Ten Leadership Commandmentsby Hans Finzel
The Top Ten Leadership Commandments is an excellent book for self reflection in leadership. It isn’t a difficult book, but it challenges you to consider your heart and the direction you lead. I would highly recommend it to anyone in any form of leadership. Whether organizationally, church or ministry...there are many applications for life.
This summary has the key ideas, a few important quotes that I return to regularly and some of my own personal applications. BOOK SUMMARY VIEW ON AMAZON |
Other Recommended Books:
• LEAD by Paul David Tripp
• LEAD by Paul David Tripp
2. Understanding your Leadership Roles
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Lead, Develop, Care.By Terry Cook
Lead, Develop, Care gives a leadership framework that clarifies your roles as a leader and gives helpful tools for each role.
Without a model, we don’t know how or when to apply different leadership principles. We don’t have a way to prioritize. We are just randomly trying leadership puzzle pieces hoping it fits the situation. A leadership model helps us answer the question: “What should I do today?” "This model provides a framework for leadership and doesn’t ask you to discard everything else you’ve learned about leading.” Rather, everything fits under these three responsibilities: Lead, Develop, Care. BOOK SUMMARY VIEW ON AMAZON |
Other Recommended Books:
• The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell
• Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
• The Dichotomy of Leadership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
• The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell
• Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
• The Dichotomy of Leadership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
3. Clarify your Team's Priorities & Direction
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Leading from the SandboxBy T. J. Addington
Leading from the Sandbox helps you develop high-impact teams focused on results, not activity. To do this leaders must have maximum clarity on the 4 sides of the sandbox:
1. Mission (Our goal) 2. Guiding principals 3. Central ministry focus (What we must do each day) 4. Preferred culture This book has helped me identify leadership areas where I need to improve. While this is not a focus of this book, as Christian leaders it is vital to remember that character trumps everything. Who we are is more important than what we do. If our character slips, so does our ability to lead. Character is like the rails on a train track. All of the train's ability, speed and movement is meaningless if you derail. BOOK SUMMARY VIEW ON AMAZON |
4. Develop & Empower Others
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The COACH ModelBy Keith Webb
“The COACH Model” defines coaching as “listening to others, asking questions to deepen thinking, allowing others to find their own solutions, and doing it all in a way that makes people feel empowered and responsible enough to take action.”
As missionaries, our goal is empowering local believers to do the work of ministry...coaching gives this opportunity. BOOK SUMMARY VIEW ON AMAZON |
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IDEA Coaching PathwayBy Terry B. Walling
One of the key differences between the "IDEA Pathway” and other coaching models is the blend between Coaching and Mentoring. “Coaching pulls things out. Mentoring puts things in.” When coaching others, the discussion often comes to a point when you realize that you may have some insights or observations that would be helpful for this person to hear. “The IDEA model still affirms conventional coaching wisdom, which holds that most answers are already in the coachee and it’s the coach’s job to pull them out. But the IDEA model creates space for coaches to sensitively share what they sense God doing and to offer what has been entrusted to them when the time is right.” Many of the skills learned in "The COACH Model" are used in this model but with the added component of mentoring.
I personally use the COACH Model, but when there is a need for mentoring, I use some of the methods from this book between the Awareness and Coarse stages of COACH. As Christians, we want to help those we coach to overcome problems. But each person’s greater need is to be sensitive to the work that God is wanting to do inside of us. Therefore, the goal is to coach the person, not the problem. The IDEA Pathway gives an excellent way to help others grow in their walk with Christ and to develop as a leader. BOOK SUMMARY VIEW ON AMAZON |
5. Good Team Building Skills
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The AdvantageBy Patrick Lencioni
What makes a Successful organization? Organizational Health. Without health, you can have great intelligence but go nowhere. “People in a healthy organization, beginning with the leaders, learn from one another, identify critical issues, and recover quickly from mistakes. Without politics and confusion getting in their way, they cycle through problems and rally around solutions much faster than their dysfunctional and political rivals do. Moreover, they create environments in which employees do the same.”
This book helps you identify and work on four disciplines that lead towards organizational & team health. BOOK SUMMARY VIEW ON AMAZON |
Other Recommended Books:
• The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork by John Maxwell
• The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork by John Maxwell
6. Make Decisions
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DecisiveBy Chip Heath & Dan Heath
In life we are constantly facing decisions. In leadership you will face even more decisions and many will be larger in scale. If you do not have a process to make decisions, the sheer volume of decisions will cause decision fatigue, poor decisions or indecision. This book identifies the 4 “villains” of decision making so that we can be aware of the key areas we typically make mistakes. It then gives a simple process of decision making that addresses each of the “villains”.
BOOK SUMMARY VIEW ON AMAZON |
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BlinkBy Malcolm Gladwell
Do you ever have a “gut feeling” about something? Maybe a decision that just “feels” wrong, but you aren’t able to articulate the reasons why? We all have, and this book explains why.
Sometimes, we need to analyze every angle and come up with a clear and well articulated reason for our decision. Other times, we may not know the reason why a decision “feels” wrong and we need give ourself the permission to make those decisions without being paralyzed by our fear of not being able to explain ourself. This book explains how our brain functions so that you can make those decisions with more certainty. BOOK SUMMARY VIEW ON AMAZON |
Lead Organization
Core Competencies
1. Persevere in Godly Leadership
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Leading on EmptyBy Wayne Cordeiro
Ministry is draining. Thankfully, God promises to renew us and give us strength to minister. But, as the author Wayne Cordeiro reminds us: “We don’t forget that we are Christians. We forget that we are human, and that one oversight alone can debilitate the potential of our future.” We tend to push ourselves too hard for too long, not realizing that little by little our spiritual and physical tank is running dry.
BOOK SUMMARY VIEW ON AMAZON |
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Tempered ResilienceBy Tod Bolsinger
In the path of leadership you will face many obstacles, problems and resistance. How will we handle these? At first these can be a welcomed challenge, but as the months and years go by, the same challenges can grow and wear us down. Tod Bolsinger said “the question I find myself asking is not ‘Can I learn the skills I need to lead change?’ but rather ‘Can I survive it?’” To survive in leadership, we need more than skills, we need resilience. “Resilience is not about becoming smarter or tougher; it’s about becoming stronger and more flexible. It’s about becoming tempered.” To be tempered “means both to make stronger and more flexible”.
Skills are important, but we need resilience to last in leadership. BOOK SUMMARY VIEW ON AMAZON |
2. Visionary Thinking
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Start With WhyBy Simon Sinek
Do you want to lead well in your ministry, team, church or organization? This book challenges you to answer the question that matters most to lead towards the things that matter most.
“There are leaders and there are those who lead. Leaders hold a position of power or influence. Those who lead inspire us. Whether individuals or organizations, we follow those who lead not because we have to, but because we want to. We follow those who lead not for them, but for ourselves. This is a book for those who want to inspire others.” “Great leaders…are able to inspire people to act. Those who are able to inspire give people a sense of purpose or belonging that has little to do with any external incentive or benefit to be gained.” (pg. 6) BOOK SUMMARY VIEW ON AMAZON |
Other Recommended Books:
• The Leadership Challenge by James M. Kouzes & Barry Z. Posner
• Made to Stick by Chip & Dan Heath
• The Leadership Challenge by James M. Kouzes & Barry Z. Posner
• Made to Stick by Chip & Dan Heath
3. Good Organization Building Skills & Collaboration
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Primal LeadershipBy Goleman, Daniel; Boyatzis, Richard; McKee, Annie
We can all think of good leaders and bad leaders. There are leaders we would love to follow and those we would not love to follow. What characteristics set the good leaders apart?
"Primal Leadership" looks at the role that emotions play in leadership. Good leaders take people’s emotions into account because people’s first response to a change or a rollout is with emotions, not intellect. If it feels bad, people won’t truly engage intellectually to give it a fair chance. Good leaders take this into account and help those they lead work through both the emotional and intellectual process of change. Great leaders “ignite our passion and inspire the best in us. When we try to explain why they are so effective, we speak of strategy, vision, or powerful ideas. But the reality is much more primal: Great leadership works through the emotions.” Just because something is the right decision doesn’t mean you can ignore people's emotions. You can do the right thing in the wrong way. The wrong way is ignoring or being ignorant of the emotional impact of your decision. This book helps leaders to consider the emotions of others as they lead. BOOK SUMMARY VIEW ON AMAZON |
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Sticky TeamsBy Larry Osborne
Leading teams is hard. Each person comes with their own ideas and priorities. What can help a team move together in unison? What are some pitfalls to avoid? The author wrote this book because of his conviction that “the health and long-term effectiveness of any ministry begins with the health and unity of its primary leadership teams”. The way he aims to do this is by shoring “up the foundation of a healthy team, because even the clearest vision, greatest innovations, and most stellar programs won’t make much of an eternal (or even short-term) difference if our ministry and leadership teams are mired in the deep weeds of disunity and conflicting agendas”.
BOOK SUMMARY VIEW ON AMAZON |
4. Lead Change
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Leading ChangeBy John P Kotter
Leading change is hard. People don’t want to change unless staying the same is harder or less desirable than change. So as leaders, our role is to help change become desirable, and to help others see that staying the same is going to be harder in the long run.
Many great ideas never take flight because they are launched in stormy weather. If change is pushed too hard, organizational or team storms can brew very instantly. This book helps leaders learn how to test the weather and prepare to launch ideas and change that will take flight, not crash at the end of the runway. BOOK SUMMARY VIEW ON AMAZON |
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Canoeing the MountainsBy Tod Bolsinger
Lewis & Clark’s plan was to find a water route to the Pacific. But as Lewis stood looking at “the most terrible mountains I ever beheld”, everything changed. “He was planning on exploring the new world by boat. He was a river explorer. They planned on rowing, and they thought the hardest part was behind them...They would have to change plans, give up expectations, even reframe their entire mission. What lay before them was nothing like what was behind them.”
When we face mountains instead of rivers, we need to be willing to adapt and forge ahead. It is a true saying that “what got us here wouldn’t take us there.” There were no experts, no maps, no “best practices” and no sure guides who could lead them safely and successfully. The true adventure—the real discovery—was just beginning. BOOK SUMMARY VIEW ON AMAZON |
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SwitchBy Chip & Dan Heath
Change requires that we act differently. But people act as they do because one or more of the following is true: 1. they think it is right, 2. they don’t want to change or 3. change is too difficult. In order to help people change we must determine which area to address.
Helping others change is more than simply telling them what to do. There are ways to help others overcome the obstacles to change. Understanding the key areas involved in all change will help us make change in our personal lives, help others make change, and help teams, organizations and churches to change. BOOK SUMMARY VIEW ON AMAZON |
5. Think in Systems
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EssentialismBy Greg McKeown
We can learn to "make one-time decisions that make a thousand future decisions so we don’t exhaust ourselves asking the same questions again and again. The way of the Essentialist means living by design, not by default. Instead of making choices reactively, the Essentialist deliberately distinguishes the vital few from the trivial many, eliminates the nonessentials, and then removes obstacles so the essential things have clear, smooth passage. In other words, Essentialism is a disciplined, systematic approach for determining where our highest point of contribution lies, then making execution of those things almost effortless."
Our life can either be going in 1,000 directions or in a few, but we can’t do both. For most people, they would like to accomplish more meaningful things, but they don't feel they have the time or energy. It doesn’t take more energy or time to go far in one direction, it takes clarity of focus and removing the nonessentials. This book helps you do both. BOOK SUMMARY VIEW ON AMAZON |
6. Conflict Management & Accountability
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Crucial AccountabilityBy Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler, David Maxfield
No one likes to confront. That’s why problems go unresolved, growing like an unseen cancer. We all want to obey Matthew 18, yet many times we delay confronting because it isn’t a sin issue or because of fear and uncertainty about how to confront. This book gives practical steps to: -Know when to hold people accountable -Know how to hold people accountable -Know how to make it easier to hold people accountable (by setting clear expectations) If you lead in any way, this book can strengthen your ministry & relationships. BOOK SUMMARY VIEW ON AMAZON |
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Resolving Everyday ConflictBy Ken Sandy & Kevin Johnson
Conflict happens when you are at odds with another person over what you think, want, or do. Conflict begins when you don’t get what you want. As Christians we can’t escape conflict. Despite our dislike of conflict, conflict isn’t always bad. Conflict, handled well, became beneficial. This book helps equip you with healthy perspectives and practices for dealing with conflict. Instead of escaping or attacking when conflict happens, this book gives the steps to peacemaking in a Biblical way. BOOK SUMMARY VIEW ON AMAZON |
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The Oz PrincipalBy Roger Connors, Tom Smith & Craig Hickman
Many times individuals and organizations fail to change and grow because they are “trapped in the victim cycle. This kind of thinking is “Below the Line”, it will never improve itself because it blames all the failures on something outside itself. This attitude does not see the need for itself to change.” The only way to overcome this is by truly beginning to “take accountability for our actions and being willing to confess that we may not be doing everything we could be if we truly want something to succeed.” We should always be willing to have the humility to ask ourselves and those we work with ““What else can you do” to overcome this obstacle and achieve the desired result.”
BOOK SUMMARY VIEW ON AMAZON |
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Conflict Coaching FundamentalsBy Samantha Hardy
"Human beings frequently create stories, even if information is limited or there is no story there. We invent one that provides some meaning to what may objectively be an abstract collection of phenomena.
The kinds of stories we tell ourselves about conflict typically have the attributes of conspiracy theories. They tend to connect real and imagined information into a form that seems coherent and emotionally satisfying. They blame others (the bad guy) for causing our suffering, and they lead us to believe that a certain kind of justice (usually based on the bad guy receiving his comeuppance) is right and available. The problem is, however, that these stories are not complete, they are not “true” for everyone involved, they are based on many assumptions, and they often make it more difficult to improve our situation by narrowing our thinking and our options." Conflict Coaching Fundamentals gives practical steps to coach those in conflict to see the full story and take ownership for their part in the conflict. BOOK SUMMARY VIEW ON AMAZON |
7. Delegate
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Strength-based DelegationBy various authors
"Rather than always dictating decisions, a good leader will try as often as possible to let those he is leading make decisions. Insisting on being in on all the decisions communicates lack of trust and confidence. It also slows the development of new leadership. Very often, how a project is done doesn't really matter. If it is done differently but accomplished effectively, then the job gets done, which is all that matters." (Hans Finzel, The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make)
When many people hear the word “delegation” they may think of dumping work on someone else. While it is true that some people treat delegation this way, it is not an effective way to view delegation. Delegation that people love is strength-based delegation. Delegating to people’s strengths is empowering and energizing to others, develops others, gets great work done, and allows you as a leader to focus on your personal areas of strength which keeps you energized. This is not a book, but is a short collection of helpful resources to help you empower others through delegation. READ MORE |
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StrengthsFinder 2.0By Tom Rath
StrengthsFinder 2.0 is designed to help you identify your key strengths. However, it can also be used by leaders to look for the strengths in those we lead and empower them to use them. This is important because “people who do have the opportunity to focus on their strengths every day are six times as likely to be engaged in their jobs and more than three times as likely to report having an excellent quality of life in general.”
I personally devote equal time to developing strengths and overcoming weaknesses. By identifying your strengths, you will be more aware of opportunities to use those strengths so that you can lean into your gifting. BOOK SUMMARY VIEW ON AMAZON |
8. Communicate Clearly & Timely
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Everyone Communicates Few ConnectBy John C. Maxwell
Why is this book important?
Because communication affects every part of our life. If you can improve your communication, it touches all of your relationships including family, friends, coworkers, customers, acquaintances, etc. As John writes: “Everyone communicates. But few connect. Those who do connect take their relationships, their work, and their lives to another level.” If we want to be as effective as possible in our life, work or ministry, we need to be effective communicators! "If you can connect with others at every level—one-on-one, in groups, and with an audience—your relationships are stronger, your sense of community improves, your ability to create teamwork increases, your influence increases, and your productivity skyrockets." BOOK SUMMARY VIEW ON AMAZON |
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Talk Like TEDBy Carmine Gallo
To lead well, we must communicate our heart and vision with clarity. This books helps teach you how.
“Ideas are the currency of the twenty-first century. Some people are exceptionally good at presenting their ideas…Ideas, effectively packaged ad delivered, can change the world.” “Talk like Ted is for anyone who wants to speak with more confidence and authority. It’s for anyone who delivers presentations, sells products and services, or leads people who need to be inspired. If you have ideas worth sharing, the techniques in this book will help you craft and deliver those ideas far more persuasively than you’ve ever imagined.” BOOK SUMMARY VIEW ON AMAZON |
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Communicating For A ChangeBy Andy Stanley & Lane Jones
Why do we communicate? What is our goal? So many times when we have the opportunity to communicate we are just transferring knowledge. But for people to change they need more than just knowledge, they need to know the practical application of that knowledge. For the message to stick, it must be clear and not cluttered in the midst of a hailstorm of information. This book gives some very simple steps for evaluating how to communicate in a way that helps people change and grow in their walk with God. The goal in communication is not just changed knowledge, it is changed lives. BOOK SUMMARY VIEW ON AMAZON |
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Influencing Virtual TeamsBy Hassan Osman
This short book of simple tactics will help you communicate more effectively in your digital communication.
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Cross-Cultural ServanthoodBy Duane Elmer
We have all been there in missions or in leading cross-cultural teams. We encounter a cultural difference that just DOES NOT make sense to us. It is tempting to think our way of doing it is better and to be frustrated at how another culture does things. But each culture is like a jigsaw puzzle. Each piece of their culture fits in their jigsaw puzzle, not ours. Even if we don’t understand why a piece is part of their culture, we can remember it is.
Our goal as Christians is to display Christ to the people we minster to. We are called to serve others. But how can we best do this cross culturally? There are often obstacles that we unknowingly carry with us that hinder us from effectively serving and loving others. If our life is not communicating love in a way that others understand, then our message of Christ is clouded because our lives are a daily testimony of Christ. BOOK SUMMARY VIEW ON AMAZON |
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