Customer Reviews

Black Belt Leader, Peaceful Leader: An Introduction to Catholic Servant Leadership

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I used to roll my eyes when I thought of leadership. I can't help it. Years in FFA and then as a full-fledged overachiever in college left me burnt out and with a bad taste in my mouth about leadership. Isn't "leadership" just a code word for "getting people to do more and more and MORE"?

Well, as it turns out, no, it's not. Being a leader doesn't mean being on the edge of overcommitted. It isn't another name for boss's pet.

I started to learn this, I think, at about the halfway point of my master's program. Maybe it was having to juggle all that reading or maybe it was the experiences of all of the group projects we did. (Ahh, the good ole days of b-school. I'm getting the starts of a caffeine attack just thinking about it...)

When I started Warneka's book, I was afraid. I wanted to like it...but I was quite sure it would be more of the fuzzy-overworked-impossible medicine I had rejected from other leadership materials. I was pretty sure he had put a Catholic moniker on concepts that had nothing, in my mind, to do with leadership.

I was gloriously, wonderfully, joyfully...WRONG.

Warneka approaches leadership in a way that reminds me of Cesar Milan (of Dog Whisperer fame and whose book I'll be reading soon) or Dr. Ray Guarendi (whose book captured me a few months ago). It's not a long book, because Warneka doesn't beat around the bush or use fancy phrasing.

I don't know a thing about martial arts, and I've never heard of Aikido. But I know that this little book has changed my approach to leadership and has made me pay attention to making a habit of Catholic leadership.

Peaceful Leader is excellent reinforcement for the teacher who wants to be a better student and the student who wants to be a better teacher. No matter your faith or discipline if you are truely interested in being universal in your works and actions I recommend opening yourself to Mr. Warneka's interpretations. This is a great read for those who's attention span is limited as the book is easy to cover quickly and is more enlightening each time you read it. Another useful tool in my journey that has value far above the monetary cost. I am truely grateful for the opportunity to read this.

Skillfully blending the teachings of Aikido with the truths of Roman Catholicism, Tim Warneka has put together a wonderful leadership guide in "Black Belt Leader, Peaceful Leader." While the subtitle of the book alludes to Catholic Servant Leadership, Warneka's book applies to all leaders, Catholic or otherwise. Warneka breaks down key elements of leadership and then puts them in perspectives that the average reader can identify with. From learning to slow down in order to get faster results to practicing P.E.A.C.E., Warneka gives the reader a solid basis for better leadership skills.

The only shortcoming of this book that I found was that I felt a couple of the chapters could have gone into a bit more depth of explanation. With that said, however, Warneka makes it clear that his book is a growing and changing creature. I look forward to future editions of this book as its author grows in wisdom.

The fact that Aikido is blended into Roman Catholicism might worry some, but know that Warneka's use of the martial art only enhances the power and truth of Catholicism.

With excellent quotes throughout and as a solid foundation of further study, I highly recommend "Black Belt Leader, Peaceful Leader" to anyone in any station of authority. From finance officers to fathers, everybody can learn something from this book.

Don't be put off by the book being for "Catholic" leaders - this is truly one of those cases where it the word means "universal," - in other words, I recommend this book for all leaders, in businesses or organizations.

Borrowing from his training in Aikido, Warneka applies the principles of the peaceful martial art to the everyday challenges that leaders face: conflict resolution, service, and stress management. Like The Way of the Christian Samurai: Reflections for Servant-Warriors of Christ the principles of Eastern "warrior" schools of thought are applied to Western, modern life - but in Black Belt Leader, Peaceful Leader they are specifically written for those leading others.

There are also powerful and personal stories here from Warneka's service as a volunteer in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina.

Black Belt Leader, Peaceful Leader is an excellent leadership resource for people of all faiths. Warneka examines and coaches leadership skills through the eyes of love, compassion, faith, and community. He translates lessons he learned in martial arts into Christian leadership lessons, complete with discussion questions at the end of each chapter.

This book is a great read on its own, but would also work very well in group study.

Black Belt Leader has a lot to offer and shouldn't be limited to Catholic Leadership. The principles can be applied to leadership in a business, church, or household. In fact, if we could all follow the teachings of this book, the world would be a better place.