Leaders Are Readers
Visit here often and
watch the progress on my
Top 100 Books All Leaders and Managers Must
Read!
Here they are in no particular order, but
stay tuned. We'll add more titles from time
to time.
Some are out-of-print, but try www.Amazon.com
or www.EBay.com
to track down the titles.
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100. Managing
Our Work, John W. Alexander (InterVarsity
Press)
I read this in 1974, just prior to
interviewing for my first nonprofit CEO position.
Alexander was president of InterVarsity Christian
Fellowship and wrote this book for his IV
staff. His goal: help them understand that
management and planning were God-honoring
practices useful in the ministry world. It's
still a classic--and I got the job.
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99. Balancing
Life's Demands: A New Perspective on Priorities,
J. Grant Howard (Multnomah Press)
Howard debunks the common misunderstanding
that you should prioritize your life so God
is #1, your family is #2, your church is #3,
and your work is #4. It's not biblical and
it also doesn't work.
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98. A Diary of
Private Prayer, John Baillie (Scribner)
Baillie was a seminary prof in Scotland
(Lloyd Ogilvie was his student). His 30 morning
prayers and 30 evening prayers (that's it)
are classic. His prayers are superb as are
his insights into the challenges of daily
life--and how our Gracious God enjoys intervening
in all of our work and relationships. I treasure
this book.
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97. The Delicate
Art of Dancing With Porcupines: Learning to
Appreciate the Finer Points of Others, Bob
Phillips (Regal Books)
Buy it! This stuff is transformational
and affects all your relationships: family,
work, church, donors, teaching/preaching,
etc. You're either a driver, an analytical,
an amiable or an expressive--and 75 percent
of the population doesn't think or stress
out like you do. This one definitely is on
my Top 10 list. There are lots of systems
out there, Myers-Briggs, etc.--but you can
remember this one!
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96. The E-Myth
Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't
Work and What to Do About It, Michael E. Gerber
Lots of businesses and organizations
fail--but the ones that make it have created
systems and execute with intentionality.
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95. Experiencing
God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God, Henry
T. Blackaby and Claude V. King (LifeWay Press)
Wow! Every decade or so, God seems
to anoint a book. This was the one for the
90s. It's both basic and revolutionary. If
you haven't done the workbook on your own
or with a group, you're missing a lot of joy.
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94. A Tale of
Three Kings: A Study in Brokenness, Gene Edwards
King Saul, King David and King Solomon
make up this trio. God puts people in leadership--and
whether the kings or the CEOs or department
managers are God-honoring or not--he expects
men and women to honor their leaders. In some
cases, give this to a person you're firing.
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93. The Effective
Executive: The Definitive Guide to Getting
the Right Things Done, Peter Drucker
My long-time friend and mentor, George
Duff, reads this book once a year. That's
a good discipline for all of us.
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92. Halftime:
Changing Your Game Plan From Success to Significance,
Bob Buford
Buford gave a name to this emerging
"Halftime" movement with this book
and he's written several more since. If nonprofit
organizations and churches could see the potential
of his big ideas--and activate the latent energy
in the pew, we could ride a revolution in
Christendom. God would honor this. Check out
Bob's personal website at www.activeenergy.net.
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91. Joy at Work,
Dennis Bakke
Bakke's book is radical--and you won't
agree with much. That's why you should read
it. His theology is really thoughtful and
his basic belief is brilliant, but tough to
implement. The main point: what your people
want most is the fun of making their own decisions
at work. More info at www.dennisbakke.com.
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Contact JPA today!
John@JohnPearsonAssociates.com
| T. 949.500.0334
