Leadership by the Book

Teya Peyton

March 20, 2010

Leadership by the Book draws on the model and messages of Jesus as the source of practical lessons in effective leadership. Leadership by the Book is written in the form of a story. It is a story of three men, a teacher, a minister, and a marketplace leader, who support one another in their leadership challenges as they learn from one another how to best lead through the example of Christ. This book offers outstanding answers to some of the toughest leadership issues today.

This is a unique book in both its purpose and style. The writing style drew me into the message and taught me better than any book with the stereotypical "textbook" message. The three authors set out to teach servant-leadership by returning to its religious roots. The purpose of the book is to teach management skills and ethics by examining the example of Christianity’s founder, Jesus Christ.

The idea here is to promote leadership in the workplace based on the examples set by Christ in the New Testament. The concept of servant-leadership makes sense in this context, for Jesus recruited his disciples to carry on his teachings in his absence, and his method was wildly successful. When the authors break down the approaches step-by-step, their presentation goes astray by trying to shoehorn a dramatic story around the solid business advice. Eventually, the authors figure out that business people are more likely to be affected by the methods of the servant-leadership approach than characters enjoying a barbecue at the lake, and there are some helpful charts and graphs tracing the development of the mostly practical business approach.

The fictionalized story teaches the reader many ideas that are often overlooked when looking at leadership roles. Leadership by the book is written in a manner that will engage both Christian and non-Christian alike, learn principles of leading by serving others.