Customer Reviews

Leadership Lessons of Jesus

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Profound leadership lessons that can be read on a daily basis and based on the life of Jesus according to the Gospel of Mark. This small book is packed with many large lessons. Every person can use the wisdom shared in whatever life's vocation they have chosen. I am using them in my workplace and with my children. A must read!

Brilliant. The authors combine leadership experience, the Life of Jesus, and clear thinking to provide today's leaders with fresh insights and perspectives. Useful, practical and easy to read, and yet demonstrates profound depth of thinking.

I normally shy away from the platitudes and punditry of self-help and business "rules, tools, & tips", but I saw this book in the uniform sales shop that serves the US Special Operations Command,right next to War of the Flea: The Classic Study of Guerrilla Warfare, and I could not resist.

This little volume will join The Astonished Universe, a French-English side by side poetry book that celebrates life, in my travel briefcase.

I write this sitting by the window of an old estate in Provance, France, while attending a retreat with four others active in the Collective Intelligence movement. I bought it primarily because it was on sale in the bookstore that serves the U.S. Special Operations Command.

Written by a sports writer and producer in partnership with a pastor, it provides the reader with 52 segments, each consisting of a quotation from scripture, and then a two page double-spaced discussion. I found this book over-all to be thoughtful and practical and not at all "preachy."

The authors immediately drew me in, non-practicing believer that I am, by stating up front that this little guide was a means of discovering and/or reintroducing Jesus to your life. That did it for me, I'm ready.

The book opens with an emphasis on truth as the most important element of both faith and performance, then surprised me by emphasizing that how a leader is perceived is something the leader can never hear too much of.

The authors are at one with Peter Drucker is saying that the best lives are those in which the person is deeply enmeshed in a "calling" and striving to please and serve God while being faithful to their own talents and visions, accountable to others, but never subservient to others.

They distinguish between management, which pays people to follow orders, and leadership, which inspires others to work selflessly in harmony with others. They emphasize that leadership is personal, not at all removed or elitist. One segment stresses the importance of breaking bread with those you seek to lead. At this retreat that I am on, the food--vegetarian and the basics--bread, oil, fruit--is being treated as a spiritual celebration in its own right, so I would add that it is not just breaking bread, but doing so in communion with the Earth that gave us the food, and with one another who seek to save the Earth for future generations.

Among the many bullets that I noted:

* Leaders are disciplined in time management
* Leaders use prayer as reflection
* Leaders are teachers, and can teach under all circumstances including hostile
* Enduring leaders are compassionate
* Diversity is good for team building
* Core values are enduring, but in practice adaptation is essential
* Speak to the masses but nurture an inner core of future leaders
* Understand the importance of strategic withdrawals and pauses
* Setting for major announcements or intense dialogs are important--airport hotels are pedestrian, retreats with memorable environments enhance and nurture the intentions and goals
* Chapter 23 was special for me, after 20 years of dealing with opponents who refused to acknowledge the importance of open sources of information that could be shared: the chapter tells us that visionaries *will* be considered lunatic, even within their own families. This is precisely what happened to me in 1992 when I published an article in Whole Earth Review on the need to create a new national intelligence paradigm that was ethical, ecological, evolutionary, and based on open sources of information instead of stolen secrets. The chapter tells us that the price of leadership (whether direct, of men, or indirect, of ideas) is the willingness to bear with persistent pain and rejection in the face of disbelief and constant attack.
* In a separate chapter, the authors tell us that many will know *of* the leader, but very few will really know who the leader truly is.
* Expect to be unappreciated, but avoid sharing too much too soon.
* Know when to move on, and prepare your successors, encouraging them to move into the world "two by two" so they can reinforce one another and learn from one another.

The book ends with the observation that to be strong is to be in faith, and that in praising God, we should be all we can be within his larger framework.

There are many other lessons and anecdotes in this volume, and I recommend it highly.

Other leadership books I have read and reviewed:
The Tao of Democracy: Using Co-Intelligence to Create a World That Works for All
Leadership and the New Science: Discovering Order in a Chaotic World
The World Cafe: Shaping Our Futures Through Conversations That Matter
Building a Knowledge-Driven Organization
The Code of the Warrior: Exploring Warrior Values Past and Present
The exemplar: The exemplary performer in the age of productivity
Leading Minds: An Anatomy Of Leadership
The Chalice and the Blade: Our History, Our Future

This book neatly identifies major themes in leadership theory and illustrates their being practiced and taught by Jesus. While it is somewhat thin, I consider this perhaps the single best leadership book ever written nevertheless. In 200 years this book will enjoy just as much applicability as it does today and it did 2000 years ago. Few other volumes can make such claims. Regardless of whether you are (or hope to be) a military, business, political, ministry, athletic or social leader, this is the first book to read.

After that I know a few hundred you might want to read. For starters you might want to peruse my Leadership Classics list.

You will truly enjoy this book! Bob Briner and Ray Pritchard bring an exciting and refreshing look at how the greatest leader in the world can provide the blueprint to become leaders in our own lives, our communities, our workplace, and especially in our own families. If you are a father, a brother, a coach, a teacher, or someone in a position of influencing another human being, this is a must read! As you read, pray for the gift of wisdom to understand all that is presented on these pages, so that you can apply them in your own lives! God Bless!

I am a student of Leadership and this book covers all the basics in line with the teachings of Jesus through the words of the Gospel of Mark. I bought a couple of copies for both of my sons to help them get a good foundation in Leadership principles.

I constantly buy this book, because I'm forever giving it away. This book is a must for any one that is in leadership anywhere period! You will use this book repeatedly. I am so glad I know have the electronic version. I will continue to buy the physical book to give to folks, but know I will always have a copy for myself.

"Who is the greatest leader in history? Of all the names that might be given in response to that question, one name stands above all the rest: Jesus Christ."
- from the introduction of "The Leadership Lessons of Jesus: A Timeless Model for Today's Leaders" by Bob Briner and Ray Pritchard.

From the Publisher:
This newly redesigned edition of The Leadership Lessons of Jesus is expanding to include more than seventy unique easy-length readings that explore and adapt the individual techniques that made Christ's leadership so powerful.


Timeless, relevant, and practical applications of the ministry of Jesus Christ taken from Gospel of Mark presented in 75 short but insightful chapters focusing on key areas all leaders should aquaint themselves.

A sampling of the lessons include instruction to leaders on: The Call, Followers, Authority, Discipline, Teams, Plans, Attacks, Unity, Faithfulness, Vision, the Unexpected, Rebukes, Strategies, Loyalty, Gratitude, Public Relations, Flattery, Commitment and Management. All areas are addressed with frankness and practicality.

This is a handbook for all those in leadership positions.

Gina Hendrix
Vessel Project Book Reviewer
http://vesselproject.blogspot.com

This book was one of the required reading assignments for a Christian class I took last year. The book is great for just that. Although the lists are quite extensive (and you may become wary after reading #15; 25-26 in all!!)from the lessons that they point out that Jesus taught while here on earth, it is still interesting to read how the two authors managed to extract from the four gospels and compiled a list of what they thought to be the most important lessons Jesus demonstrated through His actions. It is a great comparative piece and I love how the authors have allowed the reader to see the differences yet similarities between each other. Great book for a class discussion.

Having bought this book at my local Clothing Sales on Fairchild Air Force Base, I can tell you that this book, in no way abuses the lessons of Christ.

A follower of Christ is called to glorify God in ALL he/she does. Not just when they are in church or when they are talking about faith issues, but in everything we do. This book takes on a certain aspect of people's lives...leadership. The book doesn't focus on the business world or the CEO of major companies..those aren't the only leaders. Leaders can be in pastors, church group leaders, or even the leader in a group of friends. This book gives a lesson on leadership using the the greatest example of all...Jesus Christ. How one could be offended by this is beyond me.