Synopses & Reviews
Your Number One Guide to Exemplary Christian LeadershipChristian Reflections on The Leadership Challenge gathers together in one place a remarkable collection of leaders who share insights on faith and leadership. Well-grounded in research, this reflective and practical book shows how Christian leaders—no matter the setting—put into place The Five Practices of Exemplary Leaders®–Model the Way, Inspire a Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, Enable Others to Act, and Encourage the Heart.
Includes Insights on Faith and Leadership From:
Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner are the award-winning authors of the best-selling The Leadership Challenge and developers of the highly acclaimed Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI), a 360-degree questionnaire assessing leadership behavior. The LPI is one of the most widely used leadership assessment instruments in the world.
John C. Maxwell is the founder of several organizations, including Maximum Impact, dedicated to helping people reach their leadership potential. He is the author of more than thirty books, including Thinking for a Change, There's No Such Thing as Business Ethics, and The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership.
David McAllister-Wilson is the president of Wesley Theological Seminary. He has focused his preaching and speaking in an effort to help revitalize the mainline Protestant church, encouraging men and women to consider God's call to ministry, and preparing them for leadership.
Patrick Lencioni is president of The Table Group, a San Francisco Bay Area management consulting firm, and author of the best-selling books The Five Temptations of a CEO, The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, and Death by Meeting.
Nancy Ortberg is a former teaching pastor at Willow Creek Community Church. Nancy speaks to churches all over the world on issues of leadership, community, and the next generation.
Ken Blanchard is the cofounder and chief spiritual officer of The Ken Blanchard Companies, a global leader in workplace learning, employee productivity, and leadership effectiveness. He is the coauthor of The One Minute Manager, Raving Fans, Gung Ho!, and Whale Done!
Review
"
In Sweet Company provides readers with a bird’s eye view of the inner lives of fourteen very different women whose practical wisdom and generous hearts inspire us to deepen our own spiritual connection. Their lives are their message to us all, a message we need to hear: connect with the Divine, anchor our actions in spiritual principles, serve the greater good."
—Laurie Beth Jones, author, Jesus, CEO
"This is an invaluable resource that harnesses the wisdom, beauty, creativity, and resourcefulness found in women who are committed to make a difference. This book is inspirational and filled with creative possibilities to manifest a better world for our children and grandchildren, exemplified by the way these extraordinary women have led their lives."
—Angeles Arrien, cultural anthropologist; author, The Four-Fold Way and The Second Half of Life
"Inquiring conversations with 14 women whose lives and work are energized and given meaning by their personal connection with spiritual wellsprings."
—Jean Shinoda Bolen, M.D., author, Goddesses in Everywoman and Urgent Message from Mother
Synopsis
Praise for In Sweet Company"In Sweet Company provides readers with a bird's eye view of the inner lives of fourteen very different women whose practical wisdom and generous hearts inspire us to deepen our own spiritual connection. Their lives are their message to us all, a message we need to hear: connect with the Divine, anchor our actions in spiritual principles, serve the greater good."
—Laurie Beth Jones, author, Jesus, CEO
"This is an invaluable resource that harnesses the wisdom, beauty, creativity, and resourcefulness found in women who are committed to making a difference. This book is inspirational and filled with creative possibilities to manifest a better world for our children and grandchildren, exemplified by the way these extraordinary women have led their lives."
—Angeles Arrien, cultural anthropologist; author, The Four-Fold Way and The Second Half of Life
"Inquiring conversations with fourteen women whose lives and work are energized and given meaning by their personal connection with spiritual wellsprings."
—Jean Shinoda Bolen, M.D., author, Goddesses in Everywoman and Urgent Message from Mother
Synopsis
Fourteen remarkable women share the stories of their spiritual journeys
Many women yearn to connect with the spiritual side of themselves, regardless of what tradition they may come from or are going toward. In Sweet Company is a collection of warm and remarkable conversations with 14 celebrated women, each with a spiritual life that nourishes them and serves as a dependable compass for their decision-making. The book takes readers on a spiritual odyssey into the hearts and minds of some of the most influential women of our time: beloved religious leaders, noted human rights activists, award-winning writers, visionary thinkers, and groundbreaking artists. Each woman shares her thoughts on the spiritual life and relates her own personal journey.
Margaret Wolff (Lake San Marcos, CA) is a writer, speaker, and consultant whose work celebrates women s growth and development.
Synopsis
In Sweet Company takes readers on a spiritual odyssey into the hearts and minds of some of the most influential women of our time —Olympia Dukakis, Sister Helen Prejean, Riane Eisler, Zainab Salbi, Margaret Wheatley, Katherine Dunham, Reverend Lauren Artress, Grandmother Twylah Hurd Nitsch, Sri Daya Mata, Rabbi Laura Geller, Le Ly Hayslip, Miriam Polster, Alma Flor Ada, and Gail Williamson. For all these women, their spiritual life nourishes them and serves as a dependable compass for decision making. Written with warmth and wisdom, In Sweet Company tells their stories, their personal journeys, and relates their thoughts on living a spiritual life.
Synopsis
Praise for "In Sweet Company"
""In Sweet Company" provides readers with a bird's eye view of the inner lives of fourteen very different women whose practical wisdom and generous hearts inspire us to deepen our own spiritual connection. Their lives are their message to us all, a message we need to hear: connect with the Divine, anchor our actions in spiritual principles, serve the greater good."
— Laurie Beth Jones, author, "Jesus, CEO"
"This is an invaluable resource that harnesses the wisdom, beauty, creativity, and resourcefulness found in women who are committed to making a difference. This book is inspirational and filled with creative possibilities to manifest a better world for our children and grandchildren, exemplified by the way these extraordinary women have led their lives."
— Angeles Arrien, cultural anthropologist; author, "The Four-Fold Way" and "The Second Half of Life"
"Inquiring conversations with fourteen women whose lives and work are energized and given meaning by their personal connection with spiritual wellsprings."
— Jean Shinoda Bolen, M.D., author, Goddesses "in Everywoman and Urgent Message from Mother"
Synopsis
Christian Reflections on The Leadership Challenge gathers together in one place a remarkable collection of leaders who share insights on faith and leadership. Well-grounded in research, this reflective and practical book shows how Christian leaders - no matter the setting - put into place The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership®: Model the Way, Inspire a Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, Enable Others to Act, and Encourage the Heart.
About the Author
Jim Kouzes is an Executive Fellow at the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University. He is also chairman emeritus of the Tom Peters Company, a professional services firm that inspires organizations to invent the new world of work using leadership training and consulting solutions.
Jim is featured as one of the workplace experts in George Dixon’s book What Works at Work: Lessons from the Masters (1988) and in Learning Journeys: Top Management Experts Share Hard-Earned Lessons on Becoming Great Mentors and Leaders, edited by Marshall Goldsmith, Beverly Kaye, and Ken Shelton (2000). Not only is he a highly regarded leadership scholar and an experienced executive, the Wall Street Journal has cited him as one of the twelve most requested non-university executive education providers to U.S. companies.
A popular seminar and conference speaker, Jim shares his insights about the leadership practices that contribute to high performance in individuals and organizations.
Jim directed the Executive Development Center (EDC) at Santa Clara University from 1981 through 1987. Under his leadership, the EDC was awarded two gold medals from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education. He also founded the Joint Center for Human Services Development at San Jose State University, which he managed from 1972 until 1980; prior to that, he was on the staff of the University of Texas School of Social Work.
His career in training and development began in 1969, when, as part of the Southwest urban team, Jim conducted seminars for Community Action Agency staff and volunteers in the “war on poverty” effort. Jim received his B.A. degree (1967) with honors from Michigan State University in political science and a certificate (1974) from San Jose State University’s School of Business for completion of the internship in organization development.
Jim’s interest in leadership began while he was growing up in Washington,D.C. In 1961, he was one of a dozen Eagle Scouts selected to serve in John F. Kennedy’s Honor Guard at the presidential inauguration.
Inspired by Kennedy, he served as a Peace Corps volunteer from 1967 through 1969. Jim can be reached at [email protected].
Barry Posner is dean of The Leavey School of Business and Professor of Leadership at Santa Clara University (Silicon Valley, California), where he has received numerous teaching and innovation awards, including his school’s and his university’s highest faculty awards. An internationally renowned scholar and educator, Barry is the author or coauthor of more than one hundred research and practitioner-focused articles in such publications as Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Applied Psychology, Human Relations, Personnel Psychology, IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, Journal of Business Ethics, California Management Review, Business Horizons, and Management Review. In addition to the books he coauthored with Jim Kouzes, Barry has coauthored several books on project management, most recently Checkered Flag Projects: 10 Rules for Creating and Managing Projects that Win! Barry is on the editorial review boards for the Journal of Management Inquiry and Journal of Business Ethics.
Barry received his B.A. degree (1970) with honors from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in political science. He received his M.A. degree (1972) from The Ohio State University in public administration and his Ph.D. degree (1976) from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in organizational behavior and administrative theory.
Having consulted with a wide variety of public and private sector organizations around the globe, Barry currently sits on the board of directors for the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the San Jose Repertory Theatre.He has served previously on the boards of Public Allies, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Santa Clara County, the Center for Excellence in Non-Profits, Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity, and several start-up companies.At Santa Clara University, he has served as associate dean for graduate programs and managing partner for the Executive Development Center.
Barry’s interest in leadership began when he was a student during the turbulent unrest on college campuses in the late 1960s; he was participating in and reflecting on the effort to understand the balance between energetic collective action and chaotic and frustrated anarchy.
Barry can be reached at [email protected]. More information about Jim and Barry and their work can be found on their Web site: www.theleadershipchallenge.com.
Table of Contents
Foreword (John C.Maxwell).
1 Leadership Is Everyone’s Business (James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner).
2 The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership (James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner).
PART 1: MODEL THE WAY.
3 Reflections on Model the Way (John C.Maxwell).
PART 2: INSPIRE A SHARED VISION.
4 Reflections on Inspire a Shared Vision (David McAllister-Wilson).
PART 3: CHALLENGE THE PROCESS.
5 Reflections on Challenge the Process (Patrick Lencioni).
PART 4: ENABLE OTHERS TO ACT.
6 Reflections on Enable Others to Act (Nancy Ortberg).
PART 5: ENCOURAGE THE HEART.
7 Reflections on Encourage the Heart (Ken Blanchard).
FINAL REFLECTIONS.
8 Leadership Is a Relationship (James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner).
Notes.
Selected Readings on Leadership.
Acknowledgments.
About the Authors.
Index.