Christian Reflections on The Leadership Challenge

Christian Reflections on The Leadership Challenge is a faith-based companion to the best-selling leadership book of all time--The Leadership Challenge. Grounded in Jim and Barry’s time-tested research, Christian Reflections on The Leadership Challenge describes their Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership ® --Model the Way, Inspire a Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, Enable Others to Act, and Encourage the Heart—and offers practical guidance and inspiring examples about how Christian leaders can have a powerful impact in their workplaces, communities, and congregations by bringing their faith into their leadership.

In addition to Jim and Barry’s foundational wisdom, the book brings together five leaders who reflect on the Five Practices from a Christian perspective. John C. Maxwell, David McAllister-Wilson, Patrick Lencioni, Nancy Ortberg, and Ken Blanchard share insights and stories culled from personal experience and the lives of other Christian leaders who have accomplished extraordinary things in churches, communities, classrooms, and corporations. Their thoughtful reflections on the role of faith in leadership will propel leaders and aspiring leaders

Foreword ix
John C. Maxwell

1 Leadership is Everyone’s Business 1
James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner

2 The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership 7
James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner

Part 1 Model the Way

3 Reflections on Model the Way 41
John C. Maxwell

Part 2 Inspire a Shared Vision

4 Reflections on Inspire a Shared Vision 55
David McAllister-Wilson

Part 3 Challenge the Process

5 Reflections on Challenge the Process 71
Patrick Lencioni

Part 4 Enable Others to Act

6 Reflections on Enable Others to Act 85
Nancy Ortberg

Part 5 Encourage the Heart

7 Reflections on Encourage the Heart 101
Ken Blanchard

Final Reflections

8 Leadership is a Relationship 119
James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner

Notes 127

Selected Readings on Leadership 131

Acknowledgments 135

About the Authors 139

Index 145

Includes Insights on Faith and Leadership From:

Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner are the award-winning authors of the best-selling The Leadership Challenge and developers of the highly acclaimed Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI), a 360-degree questionnaire assessing leadership behavior. The LPI is one of the most widely used leadership assessment instruments in the world.

John C. Maxwell is the founder of several organizations, including Maximum Impact, dedicated to helping people reach their leadership potential. He is the author of more than thirty books, including Thinking for a Change, There's No Such Thing as Business Ethics, and The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership.

David McAllister-Wilson is the president of Wesley Theological Seminary. He has focused his preaching and speaking in an effort to help revitalize the mainline Protestant church, encouraging men and women to consider God's call to ministry, and preparing them for leadership.

Patrick Lencioni is president of The Table Group, a San Francisco Bay Area management consulting firm, and author of the best-selling books The Five Temptations of a CEO, The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, and Death by Meeting.

Nancy Ortberg is a former teaching pastor at Willow Creek Community Church. Nancy speaks to churches all over the world on issues of leadership, community, and the next generation.

Ken Blanchard is the cofounder and chief spiritual officer of The Ken Blanchard Companies, a global leader in workplace learning, employee productivity, and leadership effectiveness. He is the coauthor of The One Minute Manager, Raving Fans, Gung Ho!, and Whale Done!

YOUR NUMBER ONE GUIDE TO EXEMPLARY CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP

Christian Reflections on The Leadership Challenge gathers together in one place a remarkable collection of leaders who share insights on faith and leadership. Well-grounded in research, this reflective and practical book shows how Christian leaders—no matter the setting—put into place The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership®–Model the Way, Inspire a Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, Enable Others to Act, and Encourage the Heart.