Coram Deo ~

Looking at contemporary culture from a Christian worldview

The Leadership Style of Jesus: How to Make a Lasting Impact by Michael Youssef

The Leadership Style of Jesus: How to Make a Lasting Impact by Michael Youssef. Harvest House Publishers. 210 pages. 2013. 
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This helpful book about the leadership style of Jesus is divided into 5 main parts and 18 principles. The five parts are:
Part 1: The Beginnings of Leadership
Part 2: The Qualities of Leadership
Part 3: The Temptations of Leadership
Part 4: The Problems of Leadership
Part 5: The Future of Leadership
The author tells us that the ultimate role model of effective leadership is Jesus. Jesus was one man, but he multiplied himself through the lives of his followers. And they in turn multiplied themselves. And their followers multiplied themselves. He tells us that is the leadership style of Jesus.
Among the principles covered in the book are the leader as shepherd, courage, generosity, power, anger, criticism, and developing leaders. Much like a John Maxwell book, the book is well written, easy to read, includes many illustrations to bring to life his principles, and features practical action steps for the reader to apply the principles as authentic leaders. This would be a good book to read and discuss with other leaders and potential leaders, in whatever situation you find yourself in – business, church, non-profit, government, education, sports, military, the home, etc.
Here are 20 of my favorite quotes from the book:

  • If you don’t have followers, you are not a leader.
  • All authentic leaders must be confirmed in order to lead.
  • Every great leader is a product of his or her teachers, mentors, and other influences.
  • The leader who practices shepherd-leadership knows his sheep personally and cares about them individually.
  • A leader sees a future no one else can see, and then takes his followers there.
  • As leaders, we can’t be everyone’s best friend, but we can be available to our people. The people in your organization want to know if they can come to you with problems and questions.
  • If you lack the courage and boldness to stand for your principles, then you shouldn’t be in leadership.
  • An authentic leader is willing to pay the price to maintain his integrity.
  • Great leaders who follow the leadership style of Jesus are generous with their resources, their time, their wisdom, and their insight. They give as Jesus gave, expecting nothing in return.
  • The leadership style of Jesus reminds us that authentic leaders must always speak the truth, always live the truth, and always handle the truth with love.
  • Effective leaders are forgiving leaders. We cannot work with people by holding grudges against them.
  • In the kingdom of Jesus, the leader is the one who serves, and the servant is the one who leads. Jesus came to stand position power on its head.
  • The person who cannot control his or her temper cannot lead like Jesus.
  • Leadership is a lonely calling, and we as leaders are often required to make hard decisions in which the blame or fault is ours alone.
  • To be a leader is to be a target for criticism. Learning how to deal with unjust criticism is one of the most important lessons a leader must learn.
  • You may think it’s hard to recruit people with good skills. But I guarantee it is even harder to recruit people with good character. It’s even harder to recruit people who will work faithfully behind the scenes, doing all the little thankless tasks that need to be done, people with the heart of a servant and the wisdom of a leader.
  • As you mentor and train leaders, be sure to affirm them.
  • One of the key lessons we learn from the leadership life of Jesus is that the purpose of leadership is not to produce followers, but to produce more leaders.
  • One of your most important goals as a leader should be to prepare your followers to outdo you.
  • Identify leaders early, train them well, and give them responsibility before they think they’re ready.