The Leadership Challenge

I almost forgot to mention Kouzes and Posner's The Leadership Challenge. Bob (the younger elder at church) has been after me to read secular books on leadership for some time now. Soooo, this one's for you, Bob!

The thing that makes this book hard to review is that it was good, but a little repititious. Part of what makes it good is that I've read so little on leadership that it's all new to me (until it becomes repititious).

Dr. Martyn wanted us to read it because of its insistence that a leader "challenge the system." The system that Dr. Martyn believes needs to be challenged is the idea that the church minister should simply be a chaplain. Chaplancy for too many souls can become a drain on the spiritual and physical life of anybody. This is the model that was held up in seminaries in the late-60s and early 70s. He believes it's been killing the mainline church, making it simply a caretaker of the sick (those aren't his words, i may be mis-characterizing him).

The book insists that a leader have integrity and competancy. The leader also needs to communicate his or her core values clearly and often, leading from the strength of that core.

The book insists that a leader have integrity and competancy. The leader also needs to communicate his or her core values clearly and often, leading from the strength of that core.

(did I mention it was sometimes repititious?)

All kidding aside, it's the kind of book that sparks ideas while it is being read. I had to keep a separate note pad for writing things I should start doing. Hopefully I'll be able to find that notepad even after we move back to Johnson City.