[.ca] Leadership by the Book: Tools to Transform Your Workplace (ISBN 0688172393)

Very Slow Story!:
I was absolutely bored to tears while reading this book. I think that a lot of the suggestions towards better leadership are very well intentioned and are good ideas, but it is very heavy in religion. If you are a strong believer in JC then this book might appeal to you. I was sick of the many religious references by page 30. The story was also poorly written. I found myself having to re-read portions of the book to understand the point. The only thing I will remember from this book is EGO (you'll get it once you've read it).

Let there be leaders:
This is yet another parable by Ken Blanchard in his characteristic style for driving home powerful messages. This story is around Michael the executive and his friends the minister and the professor. It clearly brings out the pressures experienced by a high-flying executive in his pursuit of success, that soon he loses his links with friends and guidance from the Lord. Business leaders tend to assume themselves as masters to get things done through lesser mortals to achieve business goals. Their egos start bloating, denying them the true unconditional love bestowed on us by the Lord. EGO is aptly described here as "Edging God out". The leadership model as described in this book is based on Jesus and, in my opinion has not been discussed in most management books on the topic. Let there be leaders....who lead as servants of the Lord. Highly recommended for all men and women who would like to lead in leading.

Great book for leadership teams and for growing leaders:
This is a great starting point for anyone interested in developing their leadership skills from a Biblical model. Written in story form, this book tracks the lives of three businessmen and their different approaches to leading. It shows how the Jesus model of Servant Leadership not only works for the church, but in any organization. This is a great read for groups, especially for young people just starting out in their careers or ministry.

Good Insights, Unusual Format:
Perhaps I was just expecting too much with a team of authors the likes of Blanchard and Hybels. Each man is well-respected and highly regarded for his leadership skills and his writing abilities. I was anticipating a powerful collection of biblically-based leadership nuggets. What I found was a lengthy parable about a Christian businessman re-evaluating his life with the help of a seasoned minister and a leadership professor. This book is an easy read -- I finished it in just a couple of sittings. Technical leadership jargon and sociological statistics aren't present in this volume, and their absence is a welcome relief for busy executives. The entire concept of merging spiritual principles with management principles is an excellent one. I also enjoyed the comradery depicted among the three men -- it serves as an inspiration for Christian men to seek and to find accountability partners from whom they can learn and grow. I recommend this book to all Christian leaders, whether their vocation is in the church, the university, or the business world. There are some good insights here, once the reader gets past the unusual parable presentation. The format isn't bad -- it's just different.

Another great Blanchard book:
Leaderhsip By The Book is another in a great string of management books. While many books scratch the surface of management and other delve into the minute details, Blanchard and his co-writers deliver practical, useable ideas in a common-sense manner that will allow the brightest of managers see new insights and the newest of managers see the bigger picture of the challenges ahead of them. The story is told in parable format, similar to Raving Fans and Gung Ho (two books referred to within LBTB), which allows Blanchard, et al. to tell the story of a hard-charging businessman who had built a solid foundation for his direction and effort and had lost his way getting caught up in the fever of big business and big EGO. I'm confident most managers can identify with some of the mistakes made by Michael, the good guy that gets turned around, has a heart attack and finds his way back. The heart attack is symbolic of what often confronts leaders that allows them to see the wrong choices they make that are casued by EGO or other motivators that are not aligned with the idea espoused in this book called servant leadership. You have to read this book. I am leading a leadership program at work and this book is the capstone of the program. Buy it and get a copy for all your employees who are in the position of leadership, whether in management positions or line positions.