If you’d like to expand your thinking and develop your practice of leadership, dip into the suggestions below.
This is a curated list of books, articles and videos on leadership based on the work of some great leadership thinkers and practitioners. Some of these thinkers are Christians, many are not, and all of them provide insights that have much to offer the church.
Dr Marina Barnett on community organising
In her TEDx talk, Marina Barnett tells two stories that beautifully illustrate how to organise for change in our communities. She then unpacks how investing in relationships, understanding the resources in our communities and true reciprocity enable us to see change for the better where we live. Barnett is a Professor of Social Work at Widener University.
Brené Brown on the power of vulnerability
Brené Brown’s work is all about the power of vulnerability to help us live, love and lead better. Brown’s books are very accessible and easy to read, yet they’re based on years of research into the practices and attitudes that help people to flourish. By ‘vulnerability’ she does not mean weakness or over-sharing, but rather the courage to have difficult conversations, to acknowledge and to move past our own insecurities, and hence to live what she calls a ‘whole-hearted’ life.
Start with her TED talk, which went viral, and to date has been viewed over 60 million times
If you have more time, check out one of her books, such as Dare to Lead: Brave work. Tough conversations. Whole hearts.
Jim Collins’ research on greatness
Although Collins' research subjects are usually profit-making businesses, he argues convincingly that ‘business thinking is not the answer.’ In one brilliant study, Collins and his team carefully selected eleven American companies that had been moderately successful, and had then gone through a change process which led to really great results. They then compared each company with a similar one that was facing the same market conditions, but did not enjoy the same results, looking at the factors that helped some companies to succeed where others did not. The principles the team developed have a great deal to offer the church and nonfprofit sector as well as the business world.
If you have half an hour, start with this article.
If you have a little more time, read Good to Great: Why some companies make the leap… and others don’t.
And check out the monograph (very short book) in which Collins applies his work to nonprofits, such as churches.
Chip and Dan Heath on what makes change happen
The book Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard by these American brothers is an easy and accessible read. It explores human behaviour in an engaging way, helping us adapt the way we think, speak and behave to bring about change. Using the image of someone riding an elephant along a path, the book explores ‘the rider’ – our rational brain; ‘the elephant’ – our emotional brain; and ‘the path’ – the way we want to go. Chip and Dan Heath argue most change efforts fail because they are focused only at the rider; we need to speak to the 'elephant' too, and to adjust the path.
If you only have ten minutes, check out this video:
Revd Raj Bharath Patta: political theology rooted in Scripture
Raj is a recognised and regarded Methodist minister and scholar who helps us notice and interrogate themes of power and injustice in the Bible. You can read his essays here.
Matthew Syed, 'Black Box Thinking'
Syed argues that learning from failure, or 'failing better', is crucial to improvement in every aspect of human life. He contrasts the commitment of the airline industry to learning from crashes and near-misses with the culture of blame and cover up often found in healthcare. Get a snapshot of his thinking in this video, and if you have time, read the book.
Simon P. Walker and undefended leadership
Walker is a former Anglican priest whose writing on leadership feels very different to most of the work on this list. Walker’s approach is to help us understand who we are in leadership and our relationship to power, so that we can lead in healthy ways, without defensiveness. The Undefended Leader trilogy is published in one volume as well as in three short books: we’d particularly recommend the first two in the trilogy.
Leading out of Who You Are: Discovering the Secret of Undefended Leadership
Leading with Nothing to Lose: Training in the Exercise of Power