Executive Leadership (CEOs)
| Be a Leader for God's Sake Bruce E. Winston, Ph.D., School of Global Leadership & Entrepreneurship (2002) This is a rediscovery of Jesus' principles of leadership through a study of the Sermon on the Mount showing the values-base of leadership as presented in the Beatitudes and the application to today's organizations. Winston also develops the biblical base for leadership as he takes the reader through the Fruit of the Spirit as presented in Galatians 5. Finally he presents a working profile of a leader as he analyzes the Romans 12 motivational/spiritual gifts. |
| Making Innovation Work Davila, T., Epstein, M., & Shelton, R., Upper Saddle River, NJ: Wharton School Publishing (2006) The most comprehensive yet readable book on the day-to-day activities required for successful innovation is Making Innovation Work, which draws on significant research and innovation processes in place at Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, Toyota, and numerous other organizations. Making Innovation Work is not a dense academic textbook, but instead clearly explains the logic behind what innovation activities work (and which don't), and provides effective tools for leaders to use to maximize their return from innovation investments. |
| Breakfast With Fred Fred Smith, Sr. and Brenda A. Smith, Regal Books (2007) Breakfast With Fred, a leadership wisdom volume, combines 52 of Fred Smith, Sr.'s Weekly Thoughts and 52 responses from leaders influenced by Fred. It sparks, strengthens, and stretches. |
| The Courageous Follower: Standing Up To and For Our Leaders Ira Chaleff, Berrett-Koehler Publishers (1995, updated in 2003) This is a "must read" for followers and leaders to guide and mobilize engaged and effective followership. Courageous followers create and sustain powerful and wonderful leaders. |
| The Seven-Day Weekend: Changing the Way Work Works Ricardo Semler, Penguin Group (2004) The author believes that employee success requires thinking outside the box about work and how it is done. Using his Brazilian-based corporation Semco as a model he shows how asking "why" and seeking other ways of doing work performance will become more productive and employees more fulfilled. While not written from a Christian perspective, Semler provides an opportunity to re-think our traditional Puritan work ethics from the vantage point of meaning and fulfillment. |
| Lead Like Jesus: Lessons From the Greatest Leadership Role Model of All Time Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges, Thomas Nelson Publishers (2006) Lead Like Jesus explores leadership principles drawn from the life of Jesus. These principles are combined with personal, fictional and other illustrations that expand on core leadership concepts. The book demonstrates how individuals can learn to lead like Jesus by combining internal (the heart and the head) and external (the hands and the habits) domains. Especially useful is the practical chart where the authors lay out four key learning stages - novice, apprentice, journeyman, and master/teacher. This underscores the principle of leadership as a journey. |
| The Leadership Challenge James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner, Jossey-Bass (2007) The Leadership Challenge offers a balance between the theory and practice of effective leadership. The authors identify five leadership practices said to be common to successful leaders. These are: (i) model the way, (ii) inspire a shared vision, (iii) challenge the process, (iv) enable others to act, (v) encourage the heart. These practices outline a path towards better leadership. The opening and closing sections of The Leadership Challenge emphasize the authors' belief that credibility is the foundation of leadership and that leadership is everyone's business. Two useful appendices offer readers an opportunity to complete "The Personal Best Questionnaire" and review the LPI - Leadership Practices Inventory. |
| Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies Jim Collins and Jerry Porras (1994) The precursor to Good to Great, this book is also destined to be a business classic. Built to Last focuses on 18 world-class companies (at the time this book was written) and asks what made them so visionary compared with selected companies in their own industry. Based on six years of extensive research, Built to Last debunks twelve prevalent business beliefs. One notable finding about great companies is the importance of having a strong, shared sense of organizational purpose that focuses your products and services. |
| The Contrarian's Guide to Leadership Steven B. Sample (2003) Steven Sample, the president of the University of Southern California, gives us a refreshing and insightful discussion on the characteristics and qualities of a successfully leader. Instead of the commonly expected ideals of leadership, Sample suggests things such as reading Machiavelli instead of national news papers, learning to work for your employees, proclaiming that anything worth doing is worth doing poorly. These and other seemingly counter intuitive suggestions will be helpful for all leaders and managers hoping to promote good leadership and guide their organizations successfully into the future. |
| Courageous Leadership Bill Hybels (2002) This book provides a fresh perspective on leadership styles and compellingly illustrates the power of vision. Written with transparency, passion and conviction, this book reflects the culmination of 30 years of great successes and near fatal failures in Christian leadership. Hybels at his best. |
| Death by Meeting: A Leadership Parable … About Solving the Most Painful Problem in Business Patrick Lencioni (2004) Can your staff actually look forward to business meetings? Lencioni says 'Yes!' and proceeds to give practical advice on how to revitalize the time you spend in meetings. Particularly useful for executives is the idea of promoting creativity and encouraging critical thinking by 'instilling conflict' in staff sessions. Written in his signature parable style with an explicit 'how to' section at the end. A quick read. |
| Descending Into Greatness Bill Hybels (1993) A good reminder of how true success is measured for the Christian CEO. Encouraging us to place God's desires above our natural inclinations for upward mobility, Hybels directs us to follow Jesus downward into servant leadership. A great read to keep perspective on what really matters. |
| Dying to Lead: Sacrificial Leadership in a Self-Centered World Robert McKenna, Ph.D., Xulon Press (2008) Many desire to lead. Men and women of faith often want to be available to be used of God in leadership of His work His way. In this important book, Robert McKenna addresses the cost that effective leadership demands. From his academic and professional background in Industrial and Organizational Psychology McKenna addresses the core motivations, elements of identity, essential perspectives and necessary actions required of those who are willing to pay the price of sacrificial leadership. |
| The Extraordinary Leader: Turning Good Managers into Great Leaders John H. Zenger and Joseph Folkman (2002) Zenger and Folkman present mountains of research and information on leadership in an attempt to quantify and demystify the seeming complexities of being a leader in today's marketplace. Analyzing nearly 200,000 assessments from 20,000 managers, it firmly establishes the need and importance of leadership development and a necessary discontent with the status quo. One of the most compelling and informative findings is the correlation between the behavior and attitude of a leader and the overall performance of an organization. This work ultimately culminates in 16 competencies that distinguish successful and effective leaders and organizations from their weaker and less productive counterparts. |
| Finishing Well Bob Buford (2005) Buford explores how individuals aged 40 and beyond have become "pathfinders" that invest their lives in significant ways. These individuals focus on finishing well, and in this book you will read about conversations with 60 such individuals from Peter Drucker to Roger Staubach. |
| The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable Patrick Lencioni (2002) If you want to build an effective team culture within your organization, this book is a must read. Written in a parable format to answer the question, "Why do teams struggle?" it is filled with simple, practical wisdom. Lencioni realistically portrays the amount of effort and the action steps needed to bring health to dysfunctional teams. |
| Good to Great: Why Some Companies make the Leap…and Others Don't Jim Collins (2001) Quite possibly the most significant business book of the decade. The chapter on 'Level Five Leadership' is a must read for every CEO. In an innovative research study of 1,435 Fortune 500 companies, Collins attempts to answer what it takes to move a good company to greatness. Only 11 companies made the cut in his study and their success challenges a lot of contemporary business assumptions about what it takes to be one of the best. |
| The Gospel for Real Life: Turn to the Liberating Power of the Cross … Every Day Jerry Bridges, NavPress (2002) Bridges calls his book Gospel 101, but insists (correctly) that it is not simply a book for new believers. It is a refresher—and refreshment—to those of us who believe with our heads, but find our hearts relying on what we do and how well we do it. Gospel-driven organizations can only exist when the people running them are Gospel-driven people. Bridges' book is a reminder of how the cross is the center to every part of our lives. |
| The Heart of Change: Real-Life Stories of How People Change Their Organizations John P. Kotter and Dan Cohen (2002) Superb! A follow up book to Leading Change, Kotter and Cohen examine in depth how behavior change really occurs in companies and organizations. At the heart of the book is Kotter's insight that people change more because "they are shown a truth that influences their feelings" than because they have been given a factual analysis of the situation. Packed with real-life examples and stories, and useful summaries at the end of each chapter, this book is a must read for any CEO seeking to implement change. |
| The Hero's Farewell: What Happens When CEO's Retire Jeffrey Sonnenfeld (1988) This book is an invaluable description of the ways strong leaders finish their vocational callings. The four-fold typology of monarchs, generals, ambassadors and governors provides a helpful way for senior executives to assess their leadership style and anticipate the nature of their departure. The identification of the three sets of tensions faced in the departure of the corporate hero (1) within the leader, (2) across generations of leaders and (3) between leaders and the wider community provide insight into the psychological and socio-cultural realities of CEO transitions. While not expressed in Judeo-Christian terminology, the material is of significance to Christians as they evaluate their leadership styles, motivations and attitudes. |
| The Leaders' Legacy — Preparing for Greater Things David L. McKenna, Barclay Press; Newberg, Oregon 2006 This book pulls together career-shaping insights on legacy from the author's multiple senior leadership experiences. Utilizing 12 rules of succession, the book provides a wealth of teaching based on both theory as well as practical experience. Leaders just beginning their journey, as well as those preparing for the "final transition" into retirement, will find key insights for their professional, personal and spiritual journey. McKenna's wit, wisdom, clarity and conviction inspire and guide all leaders wanting to leave a lasting legacy. |
| Leadership by Design: Strengthening Integrity in Higher Education E. Grady Bogue, Jossey-Bass (1994) While not specifically written from a Christian perspective "Leadership by Design" identifies the ideals essential to successful leadership in colleges and universities and is applicable to other nonprofit settings. It explains how values shape a leader's realities and shows how leadership is a conceptual, moral, and performing art form built on ideas and ideals, as well as a solid philosophical and empirical foundation, and perfected in practice. |
| The Leadership Engine: How Winning Companies Build Leadership at Every Level Noel Tichy (2002) An outstanding book on leadership development. Using real life examples, Tichy observes that winning organizations have "good leaders who nurture the development of other leaders at all levels of the organization." The last third of the book is a how-to section titled Handbook for Leaders Developing Leaders and depicts how you can create a leadership engine within your own organization. |
| Leadership on the Line Ronald L. Heifeitz & Marty Linsky (2002) More practical and personal than the earlier Leadership without Easy Answers, this book takes a realistic look at the 'perils of leadership' and how to live through them. What makes leadership so dangerous? In the words of Heifeitz and Linsky, "When you lead people through difficult change, you challenge what people hold dear—their daily habits, tools, loyalties, and ways of thinking—with nothing more to offer perhaps than a possibility." No wonder resistance is to be expected! An insightful and inspiring read. |
| Leadership Without Easy Answers Ronald Heifetz (1994) Brilliant. A thought-provoking discussion about leadership that will help anyone appreciate the distinction between leading with power and leading without power and position. Leadership must risk revealing the discrepancies between values and actions, and move organizations and people toward greater congruence between what they say and what they do. Very well written. |
| Leading Change John P. Kotter (1996) One of the best books on managing change that you can find. Renowned Harvard Business School professor John Kotter outlines an actionable, 8 stage process for leading organizations successfully through change. Interspersed with many examples from real life situations, this is an invaluable guide for how to make things happen. |
| Leading Lessons: Insights on Leadership from Women of the Bible Jeanne Porter, Augsburg Fortress Publishers (2005) Jeanne Porter provides an important women's perspective to the lessons and principles she believes are important for women in positions of spiritual leadership. Emphasizing broad-based principles that can also apply to men in leadership, she helps the reader understand how they can serve with grace, joy and effectiveness in God's Kingdom work. |
| Management of the Absurd Richard Farson (1997) Human behavior is not always rational. So how does this affect your assumptions about leadership? Farson challenges leaders to embrace the paradoxes intrinsic to human nature in order to think creatively beyond simplistic solutions to managing and leading others. Thought-provoking.\ |
| Now Discover Your Strengths Marcus Buckingham (2001) To achieve excellence, build on your strengths instead of focusing on overcoming your weaknesses … but to build on your strengths, you must know what they are. This follow up book to First Break All The Rules gives you the opportunity to identify your innate top 5 strengths through an interactive Web survey. |
| The One Thing You Need to Know Marcus Buckingham (2005) Buckingham brings clarity to managing, leading and sustained personal success by identifying the essential, controlling insight that can produce the greatest and most comprehensive impact in each of these areas. Especially useful to CEO's is the concept of imbalance—acknowledging our weaknesses and building a leadership team whose strengths can balance our flaws. A fresh, engaging read. |
| Practicing Right Relationships: Skills for Deepening Purpose, Find Fulfillment, and Increasing Effectiveness in Your Congregation Sellon, M. K. & Smith, D. P., Herndon, VA: The Alban Institute (2005) This book offers a practical approach to using emotional intelligence in the context of the church. The book builds a case for right relationships being essential to church health. Emotional intelligence is the basis for stories, tools, and exercises that can help strengthen essential relationships in the church. |
| Re-imagine!: Business Excellence in a Disruptive Age Tom Peters (2006) Management guru Peters gives an ardent wake-up call to businesses and organizations on how the business environment has changed and explores inventive ways to respond. Innovation is something everyone must own in organizations, and the CEO's role is to foster a nurturing climate for innovation to occur. Peters take his own advice in the design of this book. Using changes in words' font, size and color, icons, vibrant photos, dotted lines from the text to side bars and other items, this book reads more like a contemporary magazine than a standard business book. |
| Resonant Leadership: Renewing Yourself and Connecting with Others Through Mindfulness, Hope, and Compassion Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee, Boston, Harvard Business School Press (2005) Resonant leaders create hope in the face of fear and despair. These leaders move people powerfully, passionately, and purposefully, compassionately serving others. Resonance, therefore, requires sacrifice of self. Sustainable resonance, however, requires renewal of self. The book provides the way resonant leaders should follow to balance sacrifice and renewal in a beneficially irenic interplay between I and Though. |
| Twelve Extraordinary Women: How God Shaped Women of the Bible, and What He Wants to Do with You John MacArthur, Thomas Nelson (2008) John MacArthur turns his excellent expositional skills to an important and in some theological streams controversial topic. He effectively looks at the lives and examples of a dozen of the Bible's more prominent women providing insight, guidance, encouragement and support for God's call on women to special places of service and ministry. |
