Making Room for Leadership: Power, Space and Influence [Paperback]

MaryKate Morse (Author), Leonard Sweet (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 27, 2008

You don't just lead with your voice and your decisions. You lead with your body. The way you take up space in a room, the way you use or don't use your body in group settings, influences others. And all of us hold power to lead in our bodies. Yet, pastor and spiritual director MaryKate Morse contends, most of us are unaware of the ways we do or can use our bodies to influence others. Some of us cower in the corner, trying to hide. Others try to speak but are never heard. Still others are the focal point as soon as they walk in a room. What makes the difference? And how can we learn to lead in our own individual way with confidence? In Making Room for Leadership Morse

• explores different types of power in the body, delineating how each type can be used for good or for harm
• highlights how people gain and give leadership in group settings
• helps you identify the kind of power you as a unique individual hold

Throughout, Christ's use of power serves as the guide for how to lead in ways that are life-giving and empowering to others. We all can lead. We all have some kind of power in us. Once we become aware of our influence, we can direct it toward good, toward building others up. Doing just that in these pages, Morse helps you learn to do the same in the places you live, move and have your being.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Making Room for Leadership is both practical and a superb study of the gift of power for leaders. Read it slowly and prayerfully. It will transform the way you lead." (Peter Scazzero, author of The Emotionally Healthy Church )

"I haven't read any other book which talks more openly and realistically about the honest, raw, wondrous complexities of leadership today as Making Room for Leadership." (Dan Kimball, author of They Like Jesus but Not the Church )

"Although I have read many books on leadership, this is the first I've seen that spells out servant leadership in such fresh and down-to-earth terms. So I commend this book to all would-be leaders, and especially those who teach leadership, not only because it's new and groundbreaking, but because it's based on a very old truth. For when God modeled leadership for us he did it by sending his Son in the flesh, coming into space and time in an embodied way. If we are going to lead like Jesus, then we too must know how to use the power of space and body in a way that empowers others. This is an important book, breaking new ground and speaking biblically and practically to a blind spot in our leadership. In every chapter I have learned something valuable. Most of all I commend it because I know how Dr. Morse embodies in her own leadership what she has written for us." (Leighton Ford, president, Leighton Ford Ministries, author of Transforming Leadership and The Attentive Life )

"MaryKate Morse has written a marvelous book which forces us to take a fresh look and a fresh listen at the visual and verbal markers we exchange on a daily basis. . . . [She] most importantly draws back the curtains to reveal the smoke and mirrors behind the machines of 'power' and the machinations of communication. . . . Thank you, MaryKate, for writing a book like none out there." (from the foreword by Leonard Sweet, author of The Church of the Perfect Storm )

Review

"Although I have read many books on leadership, this is the first I've seen that spells out servant leadership in such fresh and down-to-earth terms. So I commend this book to all would-be leaders, and especially those who teach leadership, not only because it's new and groundbreaking, but because it's based on a very old truth. For when God modeled leadership for us he did it by sending his Son in the flesh, coming into space and time in an embodied way. If we are going to lead like Jesus, then we too must know how to use the power of space and body in a way that empowers others. This is an important book, breaking new ground and speaking biblically and practically to a blind spot in our leadership. In every chapter I have learned something valuable. Most of all I commend it because I know how Dr. Morse embodies in her own leadership what she has written for us."

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 215 pages
• Publisher: IVP Books (October 27, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0830834486
• ISBN-13: 978-0830834488
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #213,491 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thought- provoking analysis of power and its proper use, March 30, 2009

By 

Whit T. "Gal 3:28 Believer" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Making Room for Leadership: Power, Space and Influence (Paperback)

Morse has written an original and insightful book about the use of power in relationships within the body of Christ. Her analysis is grounded in an appreciation for "the physical nature of leadership," given that we are all embodied and so relate to each other. The chapter on the ethics of power, called "Holding the Dynamite," describes four kinds of power: social, role, expert and character. Power is a socially constructed reality, i.e., people in a group have power because we give it to them. Her discussion of the factors that cause us to give over power and how we choose to whom we hand it off is enlightening. Often people who abdicate their power as part of a system do so because they are content to delegate it to someone whom they perceive as suitable for leadership because of the amount of "space" the other takes up with body language and behavior - their "presence." She writes from the premise that power is a gift of God meant to be shared; thus for a body to be healthy, each member has to own and make good use of its power for the overall direction of the body.

I most enjoyed her insights in the excellent chapter on the interaction between Simon the Pharisee, Jesus, and the sinner woman who washes and anoints Jesus' feet. Morse explains the entire narrative through the customary hospitality rituals and the moves made by Simon to win honor and avoid shame. She shows how Jesus consistently used his power to restore honor to those who, like the sinful woman, have lost it, and to expose those who, like Simon, misuse power to retain or gain honor for themselves. Jesus exercised authentic servant leadership through the wise stewardship of power to build and expand the kingdom of God by restoring people to honor and usefulness. The Middle Eastern "limited goods" view of the economy affected the society's view of power - because only a certain amount of resources were available, those who had more than their share were expected to ensure that there was enough for everyone. This duty of hospitality should characterize our interactions in the body of Christ, especially in the way we use power to include and honor those members whose functions have been limited, excluded or devalued. In contrast to the traditional Middle Eastern view, a western, "unlimited goods" economic perspective also influences present-day views about power. The western Church tends to see power as an unlimited commodity that is earned by hard work. Accordingly, those who have it have a right to it and are consumer-minded in their thinking about using it as a resource. They may think that if others want it, they can go out and earn their own, as there is plenty of it there for the taking. However, access to power is usually not equitable or healthy in our society. It is important for Christians to recognize and consider the subtle (or even overt) effects of this kind of thinking on our interactions with others in order to align our expectations of power and behavior with the attitude of Christ. Those who have power can learn to share it constructively, and those who tend to abdicate it can learn to participate so that all members of the body can function in the healthiest way for the well-being of the whole.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A unique and impressive dive into the mix of religion and business, April 13, 2009

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Making Room for Leadership: Power, Space and Influence (Paperback)

Body language can speak louder than words could ever dream of. "Making Room for Leadership: Power, Space, and Influence" is a Christian book trying to blend the power and methods of Christ in inspiring today's businesses. Saying that leadership is a universal trait that anyone can use, MaryKate Morse hopes to push today's business leaders to embrace God, grow closer to Him, and to their co-workers as well. "Making Room for Leadership" is a unique and impressive dive into the mix of religion and business.

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved It!, October 25, 2011

By 

SJW - See all my reviews

This review is from: Making Room for Leadership: Power, Space and Influence (Kindle Edition)

I loved this book! It has been significantly influential in my work and ministry. After reading it, I not only loaned my copy to a friend, but bought several to give as gifts. A refreshing, honest look at leadership in any situation.