2017 Reading List

2017 Reading List


How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority
by Clay Scroggins

MultiChurch: Exploring the Future of Multisite
by Brad House, Gregg Allison

Y-Size Your Business: How Gen Y Employees Can Save You Money and Grow Your Business
by Jason Ryan Dorsey

Moses and the Journey to Leadership: Timeless Lessons of Effective Management from the Bible and Today's Leaders
by Dr. Norman J. Cohen

Identity: Who You Are in Christ
by Eric Geiger

Bo's Cafe: A Novel
by John Lynch, Bill Thrall

Deep and Wide: Creating Churches Unchurched People Love to Attend
by Andy Stanley

If You Can Keep It: The Forgotten Promise of American Liberty
by Eric Metaxas

Divine Direction: 7 Decisions That Will Change Your Life
by Craig Groeschel

Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done
by Jon Acuff

Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership: Seeking God in the Crucible of Ministry
by Ruth Haley Barton, Leighton Ford

Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation
by Joseph J. Ellis

Leadership Blindspots: How Successful Leaders Identify and Overcome the Weaknesses That Matter
by Robert Bruce Shaw

Jesus on Leadership: Timeless Wisdom on Servant Leadership
by C. Gene Wilkes, Calvin Miller

In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership
by Henri J. M. Nouwen

Leadership Secrets of David the King
by Bob Yandian

Spiritual Leadership: Moving People on to God's Agenda, Revised and Expanded
by Henry T. Blackaby, Richard Blackaby

The Heart of an Executive: Lessons on leadership from the life of King David
by Richard D. Phillips

Servants of the Servant: A Biblical Theology of Leadership
by Howell Jr., Don N.

Servant Leadership: Jesus and Paul
by Dr. Efrain Agosto

The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
by Daniel James Brown

Uncle Tom's Cabin 
by Harriet Beecher Stowe

Alexander Hamilton
by Ron Chernow

A Year of Living Prayerfully: How A Curious Traveler Met the Pope, Walked on Coals, Danced with Rabbis, and Revived His Prayer Life
by Jared Brock, Mark Buchanan

Emotionally Healthy Spirituality: It's Impossible to Be Spiritually Mature, While Remaining Emotionally Immature
by Peter Scazzero

Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership
by Lee G. Bolman, Terrence E. Deal

Classics of Organization Theory
by Jay M. Shafritz, J. Steven Ott

I Have a Dream: Writings and Speeches That Changed the World, Special 75th Anniversary Edition 
by King Jr., Dr. Martin

Lincoln On Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times
by Donald T. Phillips

Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief
by James M. McPherson

George Washington On Leadership
by Richard Brookhiser

This Fiery Trial: The Speeches and Writings of Abraham Lincoln
by William E. Gienapp

Martin Luther King, Jr., on Leadership: Inspiration and Wisdom for Challenging Times
by Donald T. Phillips

His Excellency: George Washington
by Joseph J. Ellis

Leadership Without Easy Answers
by Ronald A. Heifetz

A Christmas Carol
by Charles Dickens

Rare Leadership: 4 Uncommon Habits For Increasing Trust, Joy, and Engagement in the People You Lead
by Marcus Warner, Jim Wilder

Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration
by Ed Catmull, Amy Wallace

The Prisoner in the Third Cell
by Gene Edwards

The Prince
by Niccolò Machiavelli, N. H. Thompson

A Heart Like His
by Beth Moore

Created to Learn: A Christian Teacher’s Introduction to Educational Psychology, Second Edition
by William Yount

The Ten Golden Rules of Leadership: Classical Wisdom for Modern Leaders
by M.A. Soupios, Panos Mourdoukoutas

Masterpieces of World Philosophy
by Frank N. Magill

A Primer on Postmodernism
by Stanley J. Grenz

Brand Luther: How an Unheralded Monk Turned His Small Town into a Center of Publishing, Made Himself the Most Famous Man in Europe--and Started the Protestant Reformation
by Andrew Pettegree

Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy
by Eric Metaxas, Timothy J. Keller

043: Luther's Works, Volume 43: Devotional Writings II
by Martin Luther

The Cross of Reality: Luther's Theologia Crucis and Bonhoeffer's Christology
by H. Gaylon Barker

Life Together 
by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

The Cost of Discipleship
by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, John W. Gruchy

Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life
by Spencer Johnson and Ken Blanchard

Notes from GLS 2017

GLS NOTES:

Bill Hybel’s

Who do you owe the most for calling your leadership out in your younger years?
--Somebody had a table 18 conversation with you

ACTION:

1) Consider the leadership callers in my life and call or write them
2) Take the 2 minutes to recognize younger leaders

Bill told a great story of Southwest Airlines buying a ticket for person kicked off a plane on a competitors airline.

 Bill encouraged us to Show Proper Respect Rules:

1) Leaders set example on how to differ without demonizing
2) Spirited convos without drawing blood
3) Leaders must not interrupt
4) Leaders limit volume levels
5) Leaders must be curious
6) Never stereotype
7) Apologize
8) Form opinions and change when new information enters
9) Show up and do what you say
10) Set Rules of Respect for the organization

Convene a meeting of your lead staff and develop a civility code and add it to your organizations official documents.

SUCCESSION:

Who? - who makes the call
When? - What's the end date
How? - who will run the process

Planning - Internal - External - Transition

God will write a better script for my future than I can do.



Sheryl Sanberg

Advocate of women in equal leadership.

Self Help section but not help others section

Problems Encountered in Grief:
1) Personalization
2) Pervasiveness
3) Permanence

At the Hospital Idea:  I'm in the lobby for a hug for the next hour if you want a hug.

ACTION: READ OPTION B

If I make a mistake today, I will say too much not to little.




Marcus Lemonis

You need to know yourself better.

Most important thing for me in life is to be vulnerability.

When you unlock someone's heart and earn their trust, you can accomplish must more together.

As a leader, your responsibility is to make sure everyone on your team is successful.

Best leaders are color blind.





Andy Stanley:

If we had it to do all over again, what would we do all over again?  Andy was reflecting on North Point Ministries 20th year of ministry.

- If you don't know how your doing things, you can't fix it if its broken.

Lessons from the first 20 years:

Why did our organization grow so fast?
-- We had a uniquely better product.
Engaging Church experience for the entire family, especially focused on men.

Right now, someone is messing with the prevailing model for your industry.

Discovering uniquely better is virtually impossible.  However, recognizing it is completely different.

Uniquely better is often a solution to a problem that a successful organization are not looking to solve.

Our best hope is to create organizational cultures that recognize rather than resist uniquely better.

How to create a culture that recognizes rather an resists uniquely better:

1) Be a student not a critic
- never criticize what you do not understand
- we usually revisit what we can't control

2) Keep your eyes and mind wide open
-listen to outsiders
- close minded leaders close minds
When was the last time your organization embraced an idea that was not yours?

- You must pay attention to the frontiers of our ignorance. - Sam Harris

3) In your culture replace HOW?  with WOW!
- Your greatest contribution may not be what you do but who you raise.

4) Ask the Uniquely Better Questions

A) Is this unique?
B) What makes this unique?
C) Is it Better?
D) Is it better...really?



Laszlo Bock

GIVE YOUR WORK MEANING.

No matter the industry, everyone needs to remember / be reminded of why we do what we do.

MEANING MATTERS:
400% increase when someone met the person whose life was impacted and changed.
(ACTION POINT - RECORD STORIES FOR OUR STAFF)

If your uncomfortable with it, your doing it wrong.

ACTION:  How can we open source the church staff culture?

RULE FOR HIRING: I'm only going to hire someone who is better than me at something.





Juliet Funt

All of us are getting less and less comfortable with 'pause'

The pause is a formidable source of professional power.

We live in a recipe of 100% exertion and 0% productive.

We are too busy to become less busy.

What are the costs of worshiping business?
1) Bottom Line
2) Sanity

Where are we in the evolution of the overload?
- We can choose right now to throw in the towel, or find a new viable solution.

WhiteSpace - a strategic pause taken between activities
 - it is a pause in your schedule, but far from a rest in your brain
- great leaders naturally use whitespace
- Jack Welch unfailing spent an hour a day looking out the window

You must decrapify your workflow.

Two Step Process:
1) Become conscience of the thieves
- Drive, Excellence, Information, Activity
- taken to the extreme these steal our time
CDO - with the letters alphabetized
"Beware of the lollipops of mediocrity, lick it once and suck forever"
- Your time in the presence of the thieves is a space will be filled, unless you apply a filter.

2) Defeat them with the questions
- Is there anything I can let go of? (Drive)
Reductive Filter - whitespacegls.com
- Where is good enough good enough? (Excellence)
- What do I truly need to know? (Information)
- What deserves my attention? (Activity)

Tactic for handling:
-  RESPONSE TIME CODES

The importance of taking White Space home:







Marcus Buckingham

There is no statistical difference between the number of fights in a happy marriage and an unhappy marriage.

The opposite of bad is not good...its not bad.  We can not just study failure to get Sucess.

Marcusbuckingham.com - slides

Ratings of our employees often recommend the ratings of us.

I need to rate me on you.  Do I turn to you when I need _____?

People want a chance to use their strengths.

A year is 52 baby sprint.  Our job as a leader is to ensure consistency between each week during the year!

People don't want feedback, they want coaching and attention.

Leading is taking unique gifts and finding a way to contribute it to the world.






Sam Adeyemi

In leadership you don't attract what you want, you attract who you are.

The leadership dynamic works when there is alignment between the sense of identity of the leader and that of the followers.

Charisma is really an embodiment of the group ideal.

We can make champions out of ordinary people.  God does this all throughout scripture as a model rather than simply supernatural.

 Whatever people SEE and HEAR consistency over time will consume their hearts.

Describe your vision over and over.

Call your employees not by what they are now, but by what we see them in the future.

Its not because I am special that I am here, its because they are special that I am here.






Angela Duckworth

GRIT

GRIT- Is sustained passion and perseverance for especially long-term goals.

Talent is nothing if you don't apply yourself.

Of course talent matters, but effort counts twice.

Plateau is called arrested development.

What is deliberate practice?

- World Class Expert comes to work everyday with a goal/plan.
- set a stretch goal - Focus - Get Feedback -  Reflect & Refine (cycle)

How do I build GRIT:

1) develop your interests before training your weaknesses
2) know the science of deliberate practice
3) beyond a self purpose
4) growth mindset

Book Quotes (February 2017)

This year I have a goal to read a book a week as a type of leadership 'bootcamp.'  Not every book I have read is worth posting tons of quotes, but I thought I would start posting some of my favorite lines!

The Prisoner in the Third Cell by Gene Edwards

-"Yes I have been to you, as to all others, a Lord not fully understood, a God who rarely makes clear exactly what He is doing in the life of one of His children."

-"Many were healed. But not all. 'And blessed is he who is not offended with me.' "

-[God 'says' to John the Baptist just before his beheading:] "When I called you, John, and told you that you would announce the coming of the Messiah, you assumed that because you were going to prepare the way for me, you would have the joy of seeing that wonderful day of my coming in glory. But today you have met a God you do not understand. Such is the mystery of my sovereignty. Such are my ways in every generation. 

No man has ever understood me, not fully. No man ever will. I will always be something other than what men expect me to be. I will work out my will in ways different from what men forsee…'And blessed are you, if you are not offended with me.' "

-"A day like that which awaited John awaits us all. It is unavoidable because every believer imagines his God to be a certain way, and is quite sure his Lord will do certain things under certain conditions. But your Lord is never quite what you imagined Him to be.  You have met a God who has not lived up to your expectations. You are going to get to know your Lord by faith or you will not know Him at all.

-"The question is not, 'Why is God doing this? Why is He like this?' The question is not, 'Why does he not answer me?' The question is this: 'Will you follow a God you do not understand? Will you follow a God who does not live up to your expectations?'"

Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson

“Life moves on and so should we” 

― Spencer Johnson, Who Moved My Cheese?

 “What would you do if you weren't afraid?” 

― Spencer Johnson, Who Moved My Cheese?

 “What you are afraid of is never as bad as what you imagine. The fear you let build up in your mind is worse than the situation that actually exists.” 

― Spencer Johnson, Who Moved My Cheese?

 “The quicker you let go of old cheese, the sooner you find new cheese.” 

“If you do not change, you can become extinct !” 

― Spencer Johnson, Who Moved My Cheese?

“He knew sometimes some fear can be good. When you are afraid things are going to get worse if you don't do something, it can prompt you into action. But it is not good when you are afraid that it keeps you from doing anything.” 

― Spencer Johnson, Who Moved My Cheese?

“It is safer to search in the maze than to remain in a cheeseless situation” 

― Spencer Johnson, Who Moved My Cheese?

“Movement in new direction helps find new cheese.” 

― Spencer Johnson, Who Moved My Cheese?

“Sometimes, Hem, things change and they are never the same again. This looks like one of those times. That's life! Life moves on. And so should we.” 

― Spencer Johnson, Who Moved My Cheese?

 “Smell the cheese often so you know when it is getting old.” 

― Spencer Johnson, Who Moved My Cheese?

“I guess we resist changing, because we are afraid of change.” 

― Spencer Johnson, Who Moved My Cheese?

The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli

“Everyone sees what you appear to be, few experience what you really are.” 

― Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince

 “There is no other way to guard yourself against flattery than by making men understand that telling you the truth will not offend you.” 

― Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince

 “The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him.” 

― Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince

 “Where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great. ” 

― Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince

 “…he who seeks to deceive will always find someone who will allow himself to be deceived.” 

― Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince

 “A man who is used to acting in one way never changes; he must come to ruin when the times, in changing, no longer are in harmony with his ways.” 

― Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince

 “A prudent man should always follow in the path trodden by great men and imitate those who are most excellent, so that if he does not attain to their greatness, at any rate he will get some tinge of it.” 

― Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince

 “It must be considered that there is nothing more difficult to carry out, nor more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to handle, than to initiate a new order of things.” 

― Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince

 “Men judge generally more by the eye than by the hand, for everyone can see and few can feel. Every one sees what you appear to be, few really know what you are.” 

― Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince

Thoughts from the Sewell Leadership Event:

Collin Sewell

The faster you find your passion, the faster you  won't need an alarm clock.

John Maxwell

Awareness + Abilities + Choices = Capacity

One of the great questions to ask ourselves in self-evaluation…

"What's it like to be on the other side of me?"

Each of us are limited by our inability to be aware of our lack of awareness.

People give up because they can't keep up.

Healthy Assumptions (related to self-awareness):

1) We don't see ourselves as others see us

2) We have blind spots that keep us from our capacity

3) Others who know us and love us can help us

4) We have to give those who love us, permission to help us

People who devalue you do not get to determine your value.

Emotionally strong people do not allow other people to control the relationship.

Emotionally strong people do not waste energy on things they can not control.

Emotionally Strong People do not worry about pleasing others.

Jeff Henderson

Transitioning people from "benefiting from to participating in" is one of the secrets of thriving organizations and leaders.

If your vision currently outpaces your resources, you're on the right track.

Own a space in the land of possibility. Lease a space in the land of reality.

Thriving organizations are create vision-carriers.

What did I do today to cast vision for my organization?

John Maxwell (Sewell Leadership Event) Session 4

John Maxwell 

Session 2

Ability

Energy Capacity

Emotional Capacity
1) When you want someone to make a positive change, you give them a positive model. They choose to be positive.

2) Emotionally strong people don't waste time feeling sorry for themselves.

• You can't moan and lead at the same time.
• 3) Emotionally strong people do not allow other people to control the relationship
• Attitude is a choice, 
• I'm not going to allow you to control my attitude.
• I'm not going to allow you to control my time.
• I'm not going to let people control my priorities.
• I'm not going to let people control my passion.
• 4) Emotionally strong people do not waste energy on things they can not control.
• LESSONS LEARNED FROM MANDELLA
• Surroundings do not control our spirit
• People who devalue you do not get to determine your value
• Dreams can be birthed during the daily grind
• Out of our brokenness we can be made whole and bring healing to others
• 5) Emotionally Strong People do not worry about pleasing others

Thinking Capacity

People Capacity 
Creative Capacity
Leadership Capacity 
Production Capacity

Choice

Responsibility
Character
Abundance
- never known a person who has scarcity thinking who gets to their capacity
- We see things not as they are, but as WE are.
- Abundance mindset does not embrace the clock when your ahead, abundance says they haven't scored enough to beat us yet.
- Always going to be more, there will always be an answer.
Discipline 
Intentionality 
Attitude
Risk 
Spirituality
Growth
Partnership
- Place your agenda at the top of our agenda
- Add Value
- Resource You
- T
- Never Going to Violate The Trust in You
- Exceed expectation in everything we do

- Respect the relationship

Collin Sewell (Sewell Leadership Event) Session 3

Collin Sewell

Grow and develop yourself

- think long term, act short term

Take People with You

- middle of the pack learning (Always learning and teaching) 

- Leg up mentoring (who can i start on second base)

Purify and then clarify your motives

- Why do I want to lead ... really?

- Quit being cheap - invest in yourself

- Quit being selfish - invest in others

Jeff Henderson (Sewell Leadership Event) Session 2

Jeff Henderson

Lead Pastor at Gwinnett Church

Former Chick Fil a Marketing Executive

Transitioning people from "benefiting from to participating in" is one of the secrets of thriving organizations  and leaders.

How do we recruit, invite and ask people to participate in the vision of what we're trying to accomplish?

If your vision currently outpaces your resources, you're on the right track.

You can't create raving fans with a small vision.

Vision-carriers are vision-casters.

Vision is a Team Sport.

How do we create more vision carriers for our organization?

VISION:

- what is the problem we are trying to solve?  Why are we the one to solve it?

- "I didn't hire you, I selected you.

- Own a space in the land of possibility. Lease a space in the land of reality.

- If you don't live in a land of possibilities, you will not attract vision carriers.  And vision carriers are vision casters.

- David McCullough The Wright Brothers

Thriving organizations are create vision-carriers.

- Whose job is it to cast vision for our organization? 

- For a thriving organization, Everyone's.

- Vision-casters are vision-carriers.  / Vision-carriers are vision-casters.

People by in to the vision in order to benefit from it.

People buy in to the vision in order to contribute comfortably to it.

People buy in to the vision enough to invest in it. (This is the land of the vision carriers)

VISION IS NOT:

- limited to a one time event

- about assuming the best about your communication

BRAND POSITIONING STATEMENT:

- for far to long the church has been known for what it is against, we are for Gwinnett.

   Vision is never urgent until it's TOO LATE.

The Vision question:

What did I do today to cast vision for my organization?

Vision not repeated is just a one time dream.

Leaders are repeaters.

- 5 years it took to integrate 'my pleasure' at CFA

Recruiting Vision Casters:

Start where you are.  

-Ask what is our problem to solve and what we are doing to solve it.

- Exactly how many people do you need to solve this problem.

- Unspecific requests lead to unspecific results

Use what you have. 

- technology is wonderful but it will never replace looking someone in the eye and asking them "Will you help me?"

Do what you can

- Leverage Stories. 

- vision casters are great story tellers

Things to do to create more vision carriers:

1) Think Abundantly.

2) Plan Intentionally.

3) Execute Consistently.

4) Celebrate Frequently.

Push through the no.  Celebrate the Yes.

Become a fanatical thank you note writer.

John Maxwell (Sewell Leadership Event) Session 1

John Maxwell

Capacity Talk

Grow in Awareness

Develop Abilities

Making the right choices

Awareness + Abilities + Choices = Capacity 

Awareness:

- Most exciting because it may be the most ignored and most opportunity for growth.

- "What's it like to be on the other side of me?"

- Each of us are limited by our inability to be aware of our lack of awareness

- "Exchange Event" 10k for a 3 day experience...something to consider down the road

- People give up because they can't keep up.

- Each strength has a diminishing area

- We can not reach our capacity if we only focus on our strengths, we need to be aware of our dismissing area, or our weakness.

Healthy Assumptions:

1) We don't see ourselves as others see us

2) We have blind spots that keep us from our capacity

3) Others who know us and love us can help us

4) We have to give those who love us, permission to help us

Caps on our Capacity:

- not problems, those are things we can fix

- sometimes the cap is placed upon us by someone else (something said)

- sometimes the cap is something I do to me (impressing people)

- EQUIPing and Counseling are two different things - EQUIPing works on strengths and Counseling works on weaknesses

- Increasing awareness requires us to surround ourselves with people that will be honest, because we will always over estimate ourselves and usually hang on too long.