Customer Reviews

Leadership Wisdom from Unlikely Voices: People of Yesterday Speak to Leaders of Today

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The read is brisk and sensible. Fleming does well to qualify himself as an established follower of unlikely voices. Analogies by way of jail cells, salad bars and dog poop (not metaphorically speaking) invite the reader to ease into reality of the past and the humor and hope of today. Fleming's work and reflective technique are such that the inspired leader takes up his pen and renders poetically the lessons gleaned, accessible, now owned, and the worth therein, steadily approaching the forte of a new unlikely voice...one's own.

The introduction to this book criticizes the bulk of leadership books accusing them of predictability and staleness. This introduction promised new and important ideas that narrow, popular leadership books miss. The author does not really deliver on his promise, writing a leadership book that is in many ways hard to understand and in other ways doing the very thing he ridiculed- writing predictably.

The author is clearly writing to a postmodern audience, a characteristic of the book which is truly original. The book is littered with negative references to `modernism' and traditional 20th century thinking. In the author's effort to avoid modernism and logic, he writes in a lot of code. In one sense this can be refreshing, but in another sense it can be frustrating, I found myself thinking, "Stop the verbal vomit and just say it!:" Here is a sentence which reflects this `code', "For the story of creation continues to this day as the invitation from the Divine Mystery, calling us forth as creators to enter his dream." Some of the chapters lacked any kind of coherence, which I consider a fault, but which was probably done purposefully.

Having said this, there are parts of the book that are truly insightful and understandable. Chapters 3,8 and 9 all have good insight into leadership, the topics of these chapters being; maintaining proper focus as a leader, the importance of a leader's authentic relationships, and the value of a leader's education (not necessarily formal). While excellent, two of these chapters are not really original (8 and 9), these are rehashed leadership insights that this book puts into postmodern garb. However, I found chapter 3 regarding `proper focus' very helpful. The author suggests that the leader should step back from the details and daily schedule of his life and take a look at his overall `big picture'. Visualizing our lives and ministries as a narrative can really help us see our lives in focus of eternity.

I would not recommend this leadership book unless the reader thinks through a heavily postmodern framework. While there are some great truths in this book, it is not worth the frustration trying to read through it all.

This is an odd book, one that I frankly did not enjoy. Fleming can write, and I'm sure he knows his subject. But his "unlikely voices" are indeed that, coming from obscure places and people throughout history and offering what I thought was some pretty off the wall, and consequently, unhelpful advice. If it's your cup of tea, OK, but I would not recommend this book as a great source of leadership advice.

Flemming's book is easy to dismiss for it's ethereal approach to modern, or more accurately post-modern, leadership. I found myself feeling angry and frustrated that he was wasting my time as I forced myself through early chapters of this book. Occasionally Flemming wrote something that coincided with my own experience and I was able to compare my own interpretation of this with his. This process was helpful as it critiqued my own ideas and allowed me to refine them. Sometimes Flemming gave voice to something I felt but was unable to articulate and I appreciated the validation this offered to my developing leadership. Finally I appreciated the focus Flemming put on people and relationships while still retaining the value of output. This initiated much reflection about what I focus on in my own leadership.

As thoroughly postmodern as this Leadership Wisdom feels, it has significant contributions for Christian leaders trapped in dictatorial methods. It will be the most valuable for those least likely to read it. Fleming consistently stresses balance. Balance between guiding and letting go, between rigidity and apathy and between chaos and order.

The books is primarily composed of brief biographies and excerpts from the writings of leaders from generations past, with Fleming developing his own thoughts through examples in the lives of others. Instead of moving through parables, as many leadership books have done recently, he moves through real lives, demonstrating how commitment to various principles impacted their leadership. More importantly, the principles are demonstratably true, because they have worked.

Fleming does a wonderful job in formatting his book in such a way as to make it accessible for even the busiest of leaders. Each chapter begins with a sentence labeled "The Point" and is broken down into a few sections that range from very short to manageable. Each section concludes with a reminder to "Pause," something brief to "Ponder," and sometimes an opportunity to place the point into "Practice." The chapters conclude with a sentence or two labeled "Tying it All Together" which helps focus the different discussions in the chapter into a single, unifying point.

Unlikely Voices speaks to leaders because despite the progress of the centuries and the advent of a new millennium, people have not changed. What people respond to in leadership has not changed, and the fallen nature of leaders, which creates many of their problems, has not changed.

This book is by far one of the best leadership books I've read. It hits at the heart of what every future leader needs to develop in order to be successful ~ relational team building skills. Dave is exceptionally gifted in his unique writing style as he creatively infuses 'timeless wisdom' into current culture to inspire, encourage and educate. His insights are engaging and practical. Don't miss this opportunity to gain greater leadership vision!