The advance of any community, organization, or institution is dependent on the quality of its leadership. Governments, schools, industries, businesses, or churches only advance when skilled leaders are at the helm. Raise the level of those leaders and you raise the impact of organizations.
Leader Reading
How do you do it?
The Bible wisely observes, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17, NIV) The idea is a person’s skill level is honed to a fine edge when the person shares their experience with another who is likewise striving for excellence in the same field.
Though not all readers are leaders, all leaders are readers. A great way to improve your skill is to glean lessons from the experience of others through books. Reading on leadership enables you to learn from another person’s journey. For decades, I have been reading on leadership as I have sought to enhance my own.
Even better than reading leadership books is to read leadership books as a member of a Leadership Book Group. Such a group can really fulfill the “iron sharpens iron” objective.
What do I mean by Leadership Book Group? Glad you asked!
About 14 years ago I formed my first group. I wanted to raise the level of Christian leadership in my church. I gathered a small group of professionals who led in a variety of venues in the community: business, medicine, education, law, and ministry. As the facilitator of the group I asked each member to make a commitment to participate in the group for a number of months.
We agreed on a list of leadership-oriented books to read during the agreed upon time period. We met a few times each month to discuss the books and share our own leadership experiences. The insights gained were invaluable.
We all led in very different organizations, but at a fundamental level our leadership challenges had much in common. We would learn from each other, but as Christians we would also actively pray for one another. We became better leaders.
Since that time I have formed many such groups. I find when Christian leaders grow together in leadership, they tend to have more influence for the Kingdom of God.
I am leading a group right now. It is amazing watching leaders glean lessons from books and help each other implement the principles in their specific settings.
Often, I have former group members call me and thank me for the role a group played in their life and leadership. In fact, a man texted me just the other day thanking me for a group I led six years ago.
Are you a leader that wants to sharpen your skills? Consider starting a group. Here are some simple steps you can take…
- Gather a group of leaders. It’s easy! Just start by asking other leaders you know. You will be surprised how many will say yes. Leaders are hungry for this kind of experience.
- Choose a group from varying fields. Leadership principles are universal to all organizations. It can be very helpful to learn from people who are in somewhat different settings than you.
- Agree on a lifespan for your group. How long will your group last? Most people like to join something that has a clear end. I have done groups for as long as a year and as brief as 14 weeks.
- Decide on a regular time and place to meet. Often we have met at a local restaurant for breakfast twice a month. The group I lead now meets at church each Wednesday evening. We only meet for an hour or so. Do what is right for you.
- Determine the books you will read and discuss. As the facilitator you might want to make several suggestions to choose from. But listen to the group. They will have good ideas. You might choose books like…John Maxwell’s 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, Henry and Richard Blackaby’s Spiritual Leadership, Albert Mohler’s The Conviction To Lead, or Bill Hybel’s Axiom. There are so many options!
- Pray. Ask God to sharpen your group’s leadership and strengthen your friendships.
- Start meeting. Set the date, buy the books, read, and start meeting.
Question: Have you read a great leadership book, perhaps with a Christian emphasis? Will you share it with us? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
