Leadership Reconsidered: Becoming a Person of Influence [Paperback]

Ruth A. Tucker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2008

While books and articles on leadership abound, most of them are written by "successful" men who look at the world through the lens of a Western business model. The standard for success is based on the bottom line--financial growth in both the personal and corporate realms. This perspective has infected Christian leadership literature as well. In Leadership Reconsidered, Ruth A. Tucker calls for a revised definition--one that abandons the love of power and success for the eternal value of legacy. She challenges the assumption that a leader must by definition have followers, be an extrovert, crave recognition, and dominate others. Instead, legacy encompasses the values of behind-the-scenes influence that are available to everyone and last beyond the grave. This unique and refreshing perspective on leadership is accessible and engaging and will make an impact on anyone who takes it to heart.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Have we been bamboozled by 10-step guides and seminars on leadership? Is the leadership industry more hype than help? Ruth Tucker says yes. She challenges conventional wisdom on leadership, making the important distinction between our common Western understanding of leadership and the more biblical concept of legacy. Leadership Reconsidered tackles current assumptions and asks provocative questions, including •Does leadership training really make a leader? •Is the Bible a guide for leadership? Is Jesus the premier example? •Is servant leadership a misnomer? •Is leadership inherently good, or is it a neutral concept? •What do personality and charisma have to do with leadership? •Is the "Great Man" theory of leadership still valid? •Are women more suited to leadership roles than men? •Can leaderless organizations or groups function effectively? "If we'd concentrate more on our legacy, we'd be the kinds of leaders that we are called to be. Ruth Tucker is one of the finest storytelling teachers I know."--Scot McKnight, Karl A. Olsson Professor in Religious Studies, North Park University, www.jesuscreed.org "Ruth Tucker thoughtfully and boldly challenges current leadership paradigms--with the notion that great leadership and lasting legacy cannot be separated."--Hutz H. Hertzberg, executive pastor, The Moody Church, Chicago "Tucker shatters many unquestioned but widely assumed 'management principles.' Brilliant, surprisingly creative, this small book is worth many larger ones."--Ralph Winter, founder of the U.S. Center for World Mission and one of Time's 25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America Ruth A. Tucker (PhD, Northern Illinois University) taught for many years at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Calvin Theological Seminary. She is a conference speaker and award-winning author. Among her many books are From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya and Walking Away from Faith.

About the Author

Ruth A. Tucker (PhD, Northern Illinois University) has spent more than twenty years teaching and was the first woman to hold a faculty position at Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She is the author of many books, including From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya and Walking Away from Faith. Tucker lives in Comstock Park, Michigan.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Baker Books (December 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080106824X
• ISBN-13: 978-0801068249
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 1.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,036,244 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ruth A. Tucker (PhD, Northern Illinois University) has taught on alternative religions at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. Formerly, a professor of missiology at Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan, she is the author of several books, including From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya: Second Edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Some Interesting Discussion but Lacks Theme and Coherence, January 19, 2011

By 

C. Stephans - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Leadership Reconsidered: Becoming a Person of Influence (Paperback)

Tucker leads discussion about some of the current trends in leadership teachings in the form that she would teach to a college class. The topics are interesting as they relate to leadership. She questions and criticizes much of the trendy assumptions about leadership and leads readers to examine what they have been taught. Tucker does not bring the book around to a conclusion to offer readers that would be instructive about leadership. The latter half of the book is a collection of essays that seem to stray from the previous them of leadership discussions. She includes chapters on gender and her own family's history. Then the latter third of the book is about legacy as a priority over leadership. This again is interesting but not very instructive if a reader is hoping to gain insights about leadership.

Throughout this book, I was unable to discern Tucker's worldview, personal beliefs or main purpose for this book. It lacks cogency and purpose.

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Sadly Disappointed, January 8, 2010

By 

John Knox (Southeast) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Leadership Reconsidered: Becoming a Person of Influence (Paperback)

This was a sadly disappointing book on leadership. It almost appears as if the author is simply trying to sell a book for personal gain by touting herself as an expert on a subject which she ultimately seems to understand only partially.
Faulty conclusions, logical fallacies, and political issues fill the book making it an unwise use of time for anyone really interested in understanding what it means to become a person of influence. The author spends as much time complaining about gender inequality, social issues, and climate change as she does discussing other subjects she deems relevant to leadership. A person of leadership and influence doesn't sit around whining about the unjust treatment they have received in their lifetime. Instead, they choose to lead and influence others to change the status quo and to prevent others from going through their experience.
There are some helpful thoughts but it is not worth the time it will take to sift through the mounds of refuse necessary to find those thoughts. The main premise of the book seems to be that leadership cannot be taught. However, leadership can be taught but not if you first do not understand it yourself, the very problem this author possesses.