Overview
A book for leaders, by leaders, about the greatest leader of them all.
In our rapidly changing and ever more complex world, we suffer a crisis of leadership. Leighton Ford sees the growing dearth of bold leaders—in the marketplace, religion and public life. In this powerful book, Ford calls Christians to be transformational leaders.
Many leaders work within situations; transformational leaders change situations. Many leaders accept what can be talked about; transformational leaders change what can be talked about. Many leaders talk about payoffs; transformational leaders talk about goals. Many leaders bargain; transformational leaders appeal to a common vision.
Ford realizes that desperately needed Christian and transformational leadership will not emerge until we have a model of the transforming leader. And what more powerful example of leadership could there be than Jesus? Insightfully examining Jesus' work and the best recent books on leadership, Ford presents
—the leader as strategist
—the leader as seer
—the leader as seeker
—the leader as servant
—the leader as struggler
—the leader as sustainer
Executives, pastors, managers, professionals—all will benefit from this fresh, in-depth treatment by a man who is himself one of the world's finest Christian leaders.
Synopsis
Given our all-too-human feelings of inadequacy," Leighton Ford writes, "how can Jesus be taken as our leadership model? If he is unique, if he is the Son of God, does that not put him in a category which is light-years beyond us? And what relevance can a leader like that have for us?" In this inspiring book, Ford recognizes the doubts and weaknesses of leaders as well as their strengths and confidences. He does not saddle already-overburdened leaders with another set of impossibly demanding tasks. Instead, he calls his readers to recognize the unique and refreshing vision of leadership modeled by Jesus. Ford insists that Jesus' model of leadership does not paralyze, but empowers. "When I have false ideas of my strength, Jesus Christ exposes my incompetence," he writes. "When I feel totally beyond my depth, he provides for me God's enabling power." This is not another leadership how-to manual. It is a book for leaders who want to look anew, and thoroughly, at the powerful ministry of Jesus. Only so will they become leaders who create vision, shape values and empower change.