Author: admin

[rating:3]

(New York: Portfolio, 2010)

244 pgs

Seth Godin takes a unique approach to things. He is a philosopher who makes you think about what you do and how you do it. In this book, Godin argues that the Industrialized Age has depended upon factories making large numbers of commodities at the cheapest price. In an assembly line, people were merely “cogs” who could easily be replaced. The key to personal success was fitting in. Even the school systems prepared people to fit in to the system. However, Godin argues: “Being good in school is a fine skill if you intend to do school forever” (33). Godin suggests that today we have the freedom to become “artists.” Godin defines art as “a personal gift that changes the recipient” (84).

Godin suggests that the recent economic downturn and high unemployment revealed how precarious it is to be a faceless “cog” in the industrial machinery. When times get tough, it is easy to let thousands of interchangeable employees go. The key to thriving in today’s world is to become an indispensable “Linchpin.” These are people who creatively produce gifts of their art that are valued by others. Godin argues: “It’s time to stop complying with the system and draw your own map. Stop settling for what’s good enough and start creating art that matters” (3).

Godin argues: “Our society is struggling because during times of change, the very last people you need on your team are well-paid bureaucrats, note-takers, literalists, manual readers, TGIF laborers, map followers, and fearful employees. The compliant masses don’t help so much when you don’t know what to do next” (7-8). Today, he suggests, the cheapest is not always going to be the best. The world is looking for creativity, passion, honesty, and caring. Employers desperately need people who will passionately go beyond their job description to develop answers for today’s problems. Godin notes: “Now the only way to grow is to stand out, to create something worth talking about, to treat people with respect and to have them spread the word” (26). Godin contrasts the difference between customer service representatives and flight attendants who go the extra mile compared with those who mindlessly follow their script. People who go the extra mile always stand out and are a blessing to the human spirit.

Godin challenges people to consider what they can be passionate about and to invest their life in it. He laments the phrase: “A day’s work for a day’s pay.” He retorts: “Are you really willing to sell yourself out so cheap? Do you mortgage an entire (irreplaceable) day of your life for a few bucks?” (87). He argues that a “cogs” stands and waits for their next instructions (76). People with passion, on the other hand, look for ways to make things happen (92). Godin notes: “The problem with meeting expectations is that it’s not remarkable” (69). The challenges the world is facing today, requires people to accomplish the remarkable and to share their gift with humanity.

Godin gives you much to think about in this book. I am intrigued by how many people are going to work every day, hating their job and counting the days until retirement. I am also concerned with how much mediocrity permeates society. Godin suggests that genius lies within each person at some level. Peoples’ gift to society is to discover their art and to share it. Godin gives some practical advice that I found helpful. He is a prolific author and he suggests that it does not matter what we are good at or passionate about if we do not “ship” our product (103). That is, we must meet deadlines. There are people with Pulitzer Prize winning books on their laptops that will be of no good to anyone because they will never make it to a publisher. “Shipping” is getting the product into the hands of people who can use it. Godin notes that there are a thousand distractions that will keep you from doing what is most important. He notes that activities like checking e-mail or Facebook or Twitter become obsessive to him whenever he has an important deadline looming (134). He suggests an “Internet Fast” where you set aside such distractions until you complete whatever important work you need to accomplish. He also suggests that you seek to produce one important work per year (135). At times, in our effort to accomplish much, we never achieve anything important. Godin also recommends: “Don’t listen to cynics. They’re cynics for a reason” (126).

Godin notes that sometimes the concept of “teamwork” is merely a means of controlling and repressing those free spirits who could bring an entirely new perspective on a problem (153). He also notes that leadership is not a gift. It is a skill that can be learned (48). He concludes: “You’re gifted. But you may not be gifted at what you are doing right now” (226).

Godin is not a Christian and this is not a Christian book. It is, in that regard, a humanistic book that believes in the power of the individual. That said, he has observed symptoms in people that are acute. Too many of us are acting extremely ordinary. We behave like the cogs in the machinery industrialists like Henry Ford created. We clamor for others to find answers to our problems. We wait to be led. We don’t nurture those God-given talents and passions within us, because they are not our job or we do not know how we could make money from them. Godin is correct: the world is changing. Those who keep hoping the world will eventually settle back down to being like it once was are sadly deluded. Society is waiting for those people willing to step up, stand out, and make a difference.

For those who like to have their thinking challenged, especially concerning how the world is functioning today, this will be an interesting read. As with all secular books, you ought to read this one with a Bible close at hand. The world often sees the symptoms but it does not necessarily have the proper solutions. In this case I believe the key to becoming a Linchpin is understanding that God is looking throughout for those He can strongly support, who will make a difference in their day (2 Chronicles 16:9). Godin asks a good question: Are you indispensable?

[rating:2.5]

(Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2010)

194 pgs

God’s people need to be reminded about God’s mighty deeds of old and inspired to seek God’s mighty deeds in the present. Hansen and Woodbridge have provided us with an interesting book on historical revivals. This small book cover revivals from North America, Wales, India, Korea, East Africa, and China. The book seems well researched and many original letters, sermons, and documents are reviewed. The authors try to present us with a wide-sweeping overview of God’s activity throughout the ages and conclude that there are no standardized approaches or procedures that elicit revivals as each one seems unique in their own way. In other words, God moves in response to specific people in specific places as He chooses rather than in response to some formula or technique people follow to cause Him to send His Spirit.

I am not so sure this book is about “God-sized visions” as it is about “revival stories”. Lengthy passages detailing past revivals are informative and even inspiring as God responded in the past to the prayers of His people in various locations around the world. In fact, this could be a primer for a college class on revivals and spiritual awakening, but there are many such good books already on the market.  Regarding “God-sized vision” the authors write, “In this tour of revival stories, we’ve seen how a diverse cast of men and women with a ‘God-sized vision’ have been used as catalysts for true, divinely inspired awakenings.” They conclude their book defining a ‘God-sized vision” as understanding that “gaining knowledge of God precedes gaining knowledge of man…it calls us to completely reorient our frame of reference through which we look at the world…A God-sized vision helps us to understand that the Lord really does love us and care for us. He provides for us. The doctrine of God’s providence gives us both courage and comfort” (P. 181). I am not convinced their definitions match the meaning of “God-sized” vision. I see how people pled with God for His Spirit to move in a mighty way, and how they truly sought Him through personal confession, repentance, and unceasing prayers. But the people and the revivals described in the book seem more to do with humility, devotion, personal sacrifice, and persistence than a grand vision.

If you are looking for a short summary of various revivals around the world, this book will do just fine. It is not an exhaustive treatment, but does offer a few insights I had not remembered reading previously. Having travelled through East Africa, I was interested in reading the accounts of revival and an honest look at its failure to prevent the genocide in Rwanda. There are some great quotes from these chapters. “Revival doesn’t come to respectable Christians…The basis of revival is men and women shattered by their failures – aware that all is not well, helpless to do anything about it.” (p. 133), and “Revival can never supplant the need for consistent, faithful teaching and discipleship. Without this follow-up plan, revival can promote mountaintop spirituality ill equipped to survive the valleys of life.” And, “the Revival doctrine of sin underestimates the power and depth of evil, and by focusing on personal/private morality is quite inadequate to tackle the hideous strength of structural evil and corporate sin manifested in an act of genocide.” (p. 135)

As much as this book reads somewhat like an adapted research paper, I certainly appreciate the research and work these two men have put into writing this book for us, but somehow I was hoping, perhaps even longing for more. There didn’t seem to be any bite at the end, only a fairly standard recommendation for achieving the ever-elusive revival. I have read many books on revival that are more lengthy and have greater detail, and all of them seem to have come to the same conclusion. They say in their own way what Hansen and Woodbridge recommend as we seek revival in our own ministries, that we are to Persist in Prayer, Repent from Sin, Preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and Serve God with Boldness (p. 182-185). I was hoping for a challenge, an exhortation, a rebuke, or something to bring conviction that we are falling short of what it takes. I have heard the quote over and over again, “The world has yet to see what God can do through one man wholly yielded to Him”, and I want to cry out, “Then quit quoting that and start doing it! Stop making everyone else feel guilty if you are not willing to be that person yourself.” So admittedly my bias is to not have another book on revival, but to have a fresh demonstration of God’s transformational power for the world to see. I would prefer to hear quoted a thousand times the prayer, “Lord bring a revival, and let it begin in me.” May we not only recall the mighty work of God in the days of old, but may we experience the fresh anointing and move of the Spirit of God in our presence today!

[rating:3.5]

(Colorado Springs: Multnomah Books, 2010)

231 pgs

(David Platt is the pastor of The Church at Brook Hills, a four-thousand member congregation in Birmingham, Alabama)

Although this is not a leadership book, per se, it has wide reaching implications for leaders who wish to take their church to a new level. In this book Platt invites us to join him on a journey where he attempts to answer two questions:

1. Was I going to believe Jesus?

2. Was I going to obey Jesus?

Platt spends most of his time identifying cultural issues in the American church that run against the Biblical teachings of Christ. He points out how we have watered down Christ’s mandate to take up our cross, we have made Christianity a social club void of any significant commitments or sacrifice, and we have settled with receiving rather than multiplying our faith in others.

His challenge to the “American Dream” is well noted and he does a good job of pointing out the disparity between the life of Christ and the life of the average American Christian in churches today.

“Biblical proclamation of the gospel beckons us to a much different response and leads us down a much different road. Here the gospel demands and enable us to turn form our sin, to take up our cross, to die to ourselves, and to follow Jesus…salvation now consists of a deep wrestling in our souls with the sinfulness of our hearts, the depth of our depravity, and the desperation of our need for his grace. Jesus is no longer one to be accepted or invited in but one who is infinitely worthy of our immediate and total surrender.” P. 39

Platt observes that the vast majority of Christians have failed miserably in following the Great Commission (Matt. 18:19-20) in that they are not making reproducible disciples, or disciples of any kind. We sit, observe, appreciate, enjoy, and go home without any thought that we are to be making disciples ourselves. In many contemporary worship services, “some people have their Bibles open, while others don’t have a bible with them. A few people are taking notes, but for the most part they are passively sitting in the audience. While some are probably disengaged, others are intently focused on what the preacher is saying, listening to God’s Word to hear how it applies to their lives. But the reality is, few are listening to reproduce.” (p. 102)

Platt further urges that our priorities are selfish, self-centered, and void of compassion for the hurting, the hungry, and the needing around the world. He points out a denomination newsletter that proclaimed victory in that 23 million dollars was raised for a new sanctuary for a First Baptist church, while across the page a small article mentioned that five thousand dollars was raised to help feed 350,000 refugees in western Sudan. “That’s not enough to get a plane into Sudan, much less one drop of water to people who need it. Twenty-three million dollars for an elaborate sanctuary and five thousand dollars for hundreds of thousand of starving men, women, and children, most of whom were dying apart form faith in Christ. Where have we gone wrong? How did we get to the place where this is actually tolerable?” (p. 16)

Platt concludes his search for answers to his two questions with five challenges and one year to carry them out:

1. pray for the entire world
2. read through the entire Word
3. sacrifice your money for a specific purpose
4. spend your time in another context
5. commit your life to a multiplying community

It is easy to point out faults and flaws with the church today, many have. But Platt actually puts his own church on notice and demonstrates for us what it will look like to live out this challenge. He is not all talk and all finger-pointing; he is action. He lives out what he preaches. He walks the talk.

In regards to leadership, Platt shows what a leader of God’s people can accomplish when they live by conviction rather than program. Platt puts his career and his reputation on the line for the sake of the Gospel. What is fascinating is how he was not fired by his mega-church for being so radical and “in your face” with his convictions as a pastor. They chose to follow this leader even though many of them would end up sacrificing their savings accounts, changing vocational directions, and giving up long-held dreams for a comfortable life in the US. Influencing people to sacrifice is not unusual, but they need something worthwhile to buy in to. Platt’s book does this. I will be interesting to see the follow-up book as they are still in their trial year.

This book is well-written, easy to follow and offers challenging thoughts. However, I wish there was more attention given to seeking God himself, spending time in concerted prayer times, and seeking God’s will rather than simply committing to five challenges. Although there is nothing wrong with these five challenges, it would be a mistake for Christians to think this is what God is asking of them. Like every revelation God gives a person, one shoe does not fit all Christians (unless it is from God’s book). There is a danger to settle for accepting Platt’s challenge rather than discerning for yourself what God is asking of you personally. He may have 8 challenges for you or 3, but they will be tailor-made for what He wants to do in your life, and not just jumping onto the next band-wagon that comes through town. I do not disagree with Platt’s challenges, but there is a danger of following another man’s idea of what pleases God rather than checking in with God Himself.

[rating:2]

(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2010)

220 pgs

Talk about an attention getter! This title is right up there! I like Lencioni. His books on meetings and the dysfunctions of a team are great. For those who have read his previous books, you are aware he writes in fables. This is not a detailed outline of leadership principles, but an entertaining story that makes you think. This particular style is not for everyone. Yet many people are driven by stories and for those who are, they will most likely enjoy his writing.

This particular book seems to drive home one basic thought: that those in the service industry must be relentlessly and unashamedly customer focused. He tells a great story in this book. It is humorous and suspenseful. I am sure many people will be able to relate to it. He also addresses an extremely relevant issue today: with the economy still far from robust, how do you enlist and keep clients? What makes this book unique in this series is that it describes Lencioni’s own business and draws heavily from his own experience.

While I like Lencioni and enjoy his style, I thought this book did not really offer as much material to take away as some of his other books. While being customer focused is crucial, much of his material seems somewhat self-evident. His “three fears” is his unique contribution, but even these do not strike me as profound new insights. I think this book would be a helpful read for those in the service industry. However, I think this particular book has more limited usefulness than some of his other books. As a result, I only rated it with a 2. For those seeking more detailed answers for their leadership questions, this is probably not the first book you ought to grab.

[rating:3]

(New York: W.W. Horton and Company, 2010)

276 pgs

Nicholas Carr has written a thoughtful, insightful, well-researched, and somewhat alarming book on the effect the Internet is having on society. We are all familiar with studies that show a correlation between such things as the use of video games and teen violence, or childhood obesity. But this study goes much deeper and in many ways is more disturbing. It suggests that the widespread use of the Internet today is changing the way our brains work. He presents a lot of compelling evidence.

Carr begins by citing Marshall McLuhan who famously wrote, “The medium is the message” (2).  He goes on to argue that computers which have been designed to make our lives easier, have begun to shape our lives and even change the physical nature of our brains. He argues, “The computer screen bulldozes our doubts with its bounties and conveniences. It is so much our servant that it would seem churlish to notice that it is also our master” (4).

Carr delves into far more science than this history major is used to reading. However, he draws out the findings of numerous scientific studies that demonstrate some troubling realities. He notes that our brains physically adapt to the kind of thinking we are doing. For example, it has been demonstrated that taxi drivers have a more developed area of the brain that is used to remember spatial information and to navigate distances. However, with the increasing use of GPS devices, that part of taxi driver’s brains is actually decreasing as it is no longer needed to the same degree.

Another study was done measuring peoples’ brains. Half the group was skilled at surfing the Internet, the other half were not. The experienced group’s brains all demonstrated greater development in the area that is related to such skills. Yet in only five days of practice, the novices’ brains had adjusted and changed through practice. Amazingly, scientists saw that the brain had physically changed in only five days of regular exposure to the Internet (121).

Carr points out that the development of reading dramatically changed society from an oral culture to a literary one (53). He notes “The written word liberated knowledge from the bounds of individual memory and freed language from the rhythmical and formulaic structures required to support memorization and recitation” (57). He concludes: “The achievements of the western world, it is obvious, are testimony to the tremendous values of literacy” (57). Our brains have been traditionally developed around reading and writing. However, that is now changing.

Carr notes that the natural state of the brain is to be distracted (63). It takes discipline to read deeply and thoughtfully. Yet he argues that such deep thought brings deep insight. He suggests: “To read a book was to practice an unnatural process of thought, one that demanded sustained, unbroken attention to a single, static object” (64). “’Deep reading . . . is by no means a passive exercise.’ The reader becomes the book” (74).

Carr then cites numerous studies that reveal what we know intuitively, that the Internet is designed to constantly interrupt and distract our mind rather than to allow it to focus deeply on subject. He quotes numerous people, some who are authors and college students, who confess they have great difficulty reading an entire book any more. They have become so used to blog-length articles or computer screen lengths of text, that to flip through 300 pages seems like an eternity. Furthermore, the Internet text is filled with hyperlinks so that after less than a paragraph, you can click on the link and transfer to a related cite with interesting, new material that also has hyperlinks that take you still further from your original text. An hour later you have barely dealt with the text at hand but in the mean time you have glanced through several other articles, checked several incoming e-mails, read several Facebook messages, and ordered a new magazine from Amazon. The Internet is a master at distraction! What is most alarming is not that the Internet does this as much as that our brains are being re-wired so that we come to depend on this and to be unable to turn our focused attention on the traditional exercise of actually reading a book, thoughtfully.

Carr cites studies that demonstrate that our “working memory” can only retain up to seven items (124). After that, items are lost. Yet the typical computer screen is flashing various alerts and incoming messages to us constantly while we scan its pages. Interestingly, he mentions studies that show that students who were exposed to audiovisual presentations actually remembered less of the material than those who simply read from a book (131). He also notes that studies have shown that people who read Internet text typically read less than 18% of what is on a page (135). This, even when doing academic research. He concludes: “Once a means to an end, scanning is becoming an end in itself” (138). We are becoming a people who merely scan texts without thinking deeply about them.

Multitasking has become so prevalent today that it is having a profound impact on how we think. He notes: “What we are doing when we multitask ‘is learning to be skilled at a superficial level’” (141). Even more troubling, “Intensive multitaskers are ‘suckers for irrelevancy’” (142).  Carr explains how our mind transfers short term memory into long term memory. This is best done when we focus. Of course, the nature of the Internet is to distract us. Again, he argues that the Internet is preventing us from remembering the same amount of information we retain when we carefully read a book.

Carr also challenges the modern assumptions that the Internet, with its vast store of related sites and links makes the educational process far more effective. It seems archaic to ask modern students to memorize passages when Google can find whatever they want instantly. Yet he concludes: “We don’t constrain our mental powers when we store new memories. We strengthen them. With each expansion of our memory comes an enlargement of our intelligence” (192).  He argues forcefully that the nature of the Internet is actually dumbing down our brains. He cites studies that demonstrate that students who solved problems with high-tech software actually retained less information and understanding than those who had less computer assistance. He concluded: “The brighter the software the dimmer the user” (216). He also notes that with the prevalence of search engines such as Google, today, research is made easier in many ways. However, search engines “Tend to serve as amplifiers of popularity” (217). Rather than taking researchers to obscure sites and lesser-known articles, it takes you to the place most often travelled by other researchers. Again, our tools are determining what we learn and how we learn it. He suggests: “We program our computers and thereafter they program us” (214).

Finally, he demonstrates how the Internet is even affecting our emotions. He shows how our minds can only process so much information at once. If we do not have time to reflect on information, we cannot determine how we feel about the data. We do not focus long enough to form an educated opinion. As a result, we are accustomed to surface reading and surface feeling. He warns: “We shouldn’t allow the glories of technology to blind our inner watch dog to the possibility that we’ve numbed an essential part of our self” (212).

This book is not for everyone. It is filled with scientific studies that may take you past your biological and technological expertise (as it quickly did for me!). Carr also comes from an evolutionary perspective. At times he can sound like an alarmist.

However, it would be naïve to assume that the prevalent use of the Internet and electronic media is not having an effect on us. Just think about your own reading habits. When was the last time you read a 400+ page book on a serious subject? Are you reading more Online than from physical pages these days? When was the last time you read an article or book that pushed your level of understanding and knowledge? Leaders must be thinkers. We must solve problems. And, today’s problems require more than shallow, surface thinking. Could it be that, with all the benefits that result from technology, that it is also enslaving us to a level where we no longer are able to think as deeply as we need to? Could our tools be in the process of becoming our master? This is an interesting book and one that raises some provocative questions.

[rating:2]

(Carol Stream, Illinois: Tyndale House, 2010)

230 pgs

I don’t read a lot of sports-related leadership books. I generally find them to be relatively surface level as far as leadership insights go and more anecdotal about famous sports characters we all like to know the inside story about. Generally I found this book to fall into this genre.

That said, I do respect Tony Dungy. He is clearly a sincere Christian who has experienced success and is highly thought of. He has managed to maintain his integrity both in professional football as well as on television.  His agreeing to mentor Michael Vick after his jail time for animal abuse showed real character and courage.

For the most part I did not find anything in this book on leadership that was particularly insightful or unusually deep. What did attract me to this book was his focus on mentoring. Dungy suggests that it is possible to lead without mentoring (117). But mentoring is adding value into peoples’ lives (193). He suggests that ultimately, the most important thing in life is relationships (5).

Dungy gives numerous examples from football, especially from his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers as well as when he was a coach at Tampa Bay and Indianapolis. For those who follow the NFL, this provides great insights into well-known athletes and coaches.

However, although there are obviously some great leadership principles inherent in guiding a football team, I have always felt like much of the thinking that comes out of football somehow carries the feeling of a pep rally. At the end of the day you are trying to motivate and organize highly paid athletes to get a pig skin across a line more times than the opposition does (Hopefully this is not showing my bias for hockey too much!).

Some statements by Dungy could be challenged. Such as that Jesus sought to get the “right” people around him. Obviously Judas would not have fit in that category! Nor were the rest of the disciples particularly noteworthy. In reality, Jesus made those men the “right” kind of people! I am sure Dungy would agree with that, as he advocates mentoring. Dungy also classifies “character” as a competency. I am not sure I would use the same categories as Dungy.

He does note that we are all serving as a role model for someone. He also places great emphasis on investing our lives intentionally into other people. That resonated with me. At times we can be so busy getting our own jobs done, that we neglect the invaluable investment of helping others achieve their maximum potential. I was challenged by his descriptions of veteran athletes who help out rookies even though they realize that the rookie will one day be challenging them for their own job. That shows real character and a concern for others.

Dungy adopts Maxwell’s definition of “Leadership is influence” which I have always felt was inadequate. Dungy clearly has thought much about leadership and has demonstrated it. But generally he adopts the teachings of popular leadership authors without seeming to critique them very deeply. I believe his focus on investing in people is sound and needed. I have always been uneasy about the concept of “mentoring” for at least two reasons. For one, it is not a biblical term. That in itself is not crucial, neither are many other things that are helpful for Christians to practice. But secondly, traditional mentoring involves one person teaching and training another, one on one. I don’t think one on one teaching over time is a healthy biblical model. Traditionally, discipleship was done in groups. Even the apostle Paul noted that he had taught Timothy in the presence of others (2 Timothy 2:2). The problem with one on one is that you can share your strengths with someone else, but you will invariably also pass on your weaknesses and blind spots. That is why it is better to have more people in the process, so others can make up for where you may lack.

That said, Dungy is not really presenting a book describing the traditional model of one on one mentoring. He seems to be focusing on the mindset of investing ourselves into others whenever the opportunity arises. With that, I can fully agree.

This is the kind of book you read when you need something a bit lighter than the heavier fare we have reviewed in these pages. If you are a football fan, you’ll enjoy the numerous stories you would expect from such a book. If you have not given much thought to mentoring, this may encourage you to be more intentional about it.

Overall this would not add a lot of new information to your leadership library but you may still want to read it to be encouraged by how one high profile person has consciously chosen to share what God has given him with others.

[rating:4]

(New York: Rodale, 2011)

350 pgs

Perhaps this book caught me at a timely moment, or, perhaps I had simply gone too long since my last skinny, vanilla latte, but I liked this book. Howard Schultz is a consummate salesman and that comes through in this book [He sold me!]. He also loves coffee (he really loves coffee), so we had that in common. But there are some basic leadership themes that come through in this book that I think would be particularly helpful for people leading in the challenging environment of today.

In 2008, Schultz returned to be CEO of the company he made famous after he sensed it was in serious trouble. This book is about the effort of a leader to intervene to save a struggling organization. In the process, he does some things that are fundamental to good leadership. He identified the soul of his company. He refused to compromise its values. He sought help. He read. He enlisted great people. He inspired vision. He reinvented his company’s story. He respected and fostered corporate culture.

Of course this is not a “Christian” book, although I believe the principles he espouses could do a lot to infuse life into congregations. But it is about identifying the uniqueness of an organization and staying true to it.

Of course, he is famous for transforming a cup of coffee into an “experience.” He notes: “This was so much more than a coffee break; this was theater” (10). Schultz also related his famous story of how his father struggled in low paying, unfulfilling jobs all his life (15). This has been part of Schultz’s motivation in providing unique benefits such as health insurance for part time employees.

Schultz claims that Starbucks began to forget who they were and to allow their competition to define them (63). A low point was when McDonalds was rated with better coffee than Starbucks! (85). He claims, “In short, we were losing control of our story” (31). He notes that Starbucks was guilty of what many organizations do, becoming enamored with their success. He notes: “Our strategy was to do more of what had worked in the past” (35). He also observes how organizations can measure the wrong things and delude themselves into thinking they are healthy. He says: “every metric we were looking at said everything was fine” (40). “Like a doctor who measures a patient’s height and weight every year without checking blood pressure and heart rate, Starbucks was not diagnosing itself at a level of detail that would help ensure its long term health” (97).

Schultz goes into detail how over two years he turned the company around from its worst performance to record profitability. He is candid about his mistakes and failures and the process he went through to bring about positive change. He claims, “Now Starbucks needed another vision, and I had to come back with one. I had to come back leading” (47). He does share the excitement of the challenge: “It was invigorating to plan for how to make it right” (48). He uses the familiar metaphor of deposits in the bank to refer to the trust he had garnered over time with his staff: “We’d made enough deposits that I could draw from it. But not forever” (57). He also admits he did not return to the CEO role with a desire to be “liked” but to transform the company (57).

He also admits the harsh reality that not everyone will be able to make the necessary adjustments when you are trying to turn around a major organization: “I understood the fact that climbing a mountain is not for everyone. Some people would not have the fortitude for the kind of journey I needed them to embark on, or the skill to make the tough, quick decisions. Others simply would not have the faith in the brand or in me” (58). Schultz did have to let people go and to rebuild his leadership team.

Schultz proceeded to rediscover who Starbucks was as a company and to help remind people of their unique culture. He shares: “We had to rediscover who we were and to imagine who we could be” (73).  He confesses: “We thought in terms of millions of customers and thousands of stores instead of one customer, one partner, and one cup of coffee at a time” (97). “We forgot that ‘ones’ added up!” (98).

Schultz takes the reader through the reinvigoration of the Starbuck’s mission. “The Starbuck’s mission: To inspire and nurture the human spirit one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time” (112). He also claims that Starbucks is not a coffee company that serves people but a people company that serves coffee (141).

Throughout the book, Schultz touches on numerous leadership issues. For example, he found that although Starbucks preferred to promote people from within, at times they had to enlist outside expertise in order to address the company’s shortcomings (188). He also discusses the manner in which they let people go. With dignity (171). He also demonstrates why he has been such a good promoter of Starbucks for so long when he notes that every time he saw someone go by with a coffee cup from another company, “I take their decision not to come to Starbucks personally” (201). He also notes he has not embraced traditional advertising but rather has sought to grow his company one satisfied customer at a time (211).

Concerning leadership Schultz suggests that although he does not believe there is a single ingredient for successful leadership, “. . . I do think effective leaders share two intertwined attributes: an unbridled level of confidence about where their organizations are headed, and the ability to bring people along” (260).  He also claims, “How leaders embody the values they espouse sets a tone, an expectation, that guides their employees’ behaviors” (294). He concludes: “At its core, I believe leadership is about instilling confidence in others” (308).

Schultz also admits some misfires on launching new products. He concludes, however, that “exploring an imperfect idea can often lead to a better one” (269).  He also suggests: “Growth, we now know all too well, is not a strategy. It is a tactic” (315). He also suggests that every organization ought to go through the challenging process of reinventing and updating itself every twenty years (315).

I have read countless leadership books. There is often something new to be learned but then often they seem to cover the same territory. That is one of the reasons I enjoy biographies, because they teach leadership with real-life stories. You see leadership played out in how they lived, rather than in twelve easy steps. I am not sure I learned anything new about leadership in this book (although I learned a lot of interesting facts about Starbucks!), but he puts flesh on many familiar concepts and does so in a generally modest way. Despite his previous, phenomenal success, Schultz, like many CEOs in recent times, learned how to lead in an economic downturn.

While you may learn more about Starbucks than you ever cared to know, this book has a lot to offer. It presents a great study on developing and distinguishing your “brand” as well as your culture. It examines change up close. It looks at how staying true to your values looks when you are under pressure to make changes. It shows how a leader who is over his head gets help and enlists a team. This is a longer book than some people may want to wade through (but hey! It has lots of pictures in the middle!). I think this is a book that touches on many of the pressing leadership issues people are struggling with today.

[rating:1]

(New York: McGraw-Hill, 2008)

323 pgs

This book review feature is not just for books we recommend that you read but also a place to suggest books you not waste your money on! This is one of those books. I must confess that as someone who is fascinated by business biographies, I wanted to do some reading on Jack Welch who has been highly acclaimed for his 20-year tenure at the helm of General Electric. The title of this book caught my attention. I was intrigued by how leaders use their words to lead people and I thought this might be an insightful book since as Lane worked with Welch closely for close to 19 years.

However, this book rubbed me the wrong way for a number of reasons. First, it is filled with profanities and crude language. Lane attempts to give an inside view of the working of Welch but quoting the profane language Welch used seems unnecessary and the vulgar language Lane uses in telling his story is simply unprofessional. Second, Lane is clearly a starry-eyed fan of Welch. He readily admits that Welch enabled him to become rich and he owes his success to him. This makes his analysis, although crudely transparent at times, to lack real punch or objective credibility. Third, Lane spends far too much time commenting on the alcohol he consumed, or the pretty secretary, or the dramatic rise in his stock options, or how much he was paid, or golf. It is as if he is still an inexperienced young man who hasn’t matured yet. He is still enamored with the most basic, crass pleasures and has not developed a more mature outlook on life or business. Lane also readily admits that he has never run a business or had much administrative experience. He is a speechwriter, not a businessman. And it shows. He often makes comments that would never be found in a higher-level business book.

He makes statements such as: “A forceful leader can turn a culture on a dime” (12) and “Companies that overindulge work-life balance are going to be undercompetitive” (218).

Lane made me want to give Welch another chance by a writer who knew more about what he was talking about. I can’t imagine Welch being pleased with this book, despite Lane being enamored with him. At one point, when discussing Welch’s pride in his golf game, Lane notes: “I just didn’t feel in the mood to fuel this gigantic ego with more nitromethane” (202). Lane reports numerous angry outbursts by Welch and his penchant for firing those who underperformed. He relates how Welch agonized to prepare a rebuttal in case Warren Buffet tried to “zing” him when introducing him at a meeting (214). When Welch was in a vanload of GE staff, he made them all return to the office when his lunchbox was missing its turkey sandwich (225). Lane tries to make the point that Welch demanded excellence from everyone, but the scene of this multimillionaire CEO forcing everyone to return to the office for his sandwich makes Welch seem petty and childish. When commenting on his contribution to Welch, Lane notes: “Ghosts like me are paid very well to be unmentioned in memoirs” (173). Lane also notes that when Welch took over at GE, he “probably couldn’t stand about 25 to 30 percent of the people in the room” (89). However, after a number of departures and retirements, “By January, he probably hated only 15 percent.”

Nonetheless, Welch clearly was a highly successful CEO who took his company to astounding heights. Obviously he did some things well. Several controversial moves by Welch included dismantling GE’s long range planning machinery (25). Welch refused to have “visions” and instead focused on best practices (80). Further, he famously declared that any business of GE that could not be number one or two in its field would be fixed or sold (99). This insistence on focus and excellence is similar to Steve Jobs who narrowed what Apple offered and demanded its inventory be of high quality.

Lane does comment that Welch was extremely responsive to notes that were sent to him (87). He also claimed self-confidence was the essential ingredient to leadership success (108). Welch insisted that integrity and candor be the basis of everything done at GE (141). Finally, he observes that everything Welch put his name to had to be “owned” by him (247). Clearly Welch’s insistence on performance and honesty paid huge dividends. Finally, Welch’s desire to become a “learning organization” and his large investment in training his leaders helped produce a hugely successful company that was filled with talented leaders who were highly sought after by other companies.

What is lacking in this book is any level of sophisticated analysis. It is as if Lane is a sycophant reporting what he heard in the inner office without having the ability to analyze or critique what was said. Clearly Welch was an extremely successful business leader who challenged many contemporary business theories and who was able to transform the culture of a large, successful, inbred organization. It is therefore disappointing that this volume skims the surface of Welch’s accomplishments.

Lane, quite naturally, assumes that Welch’s success is largely centered around business presentations. He introduces his book by claiming, “The vanity of communications is about never—ever—allowing anything but your best face, and that of your organization, to ever, ever appear in front of your constituencies or your employees or your mates. Come with me . . .” (3). In a fitting conclusion, Lane begins his acknowledgments page by saying, “I’d like to thank myself for sitting at the dining room table for the better part of a year cranking this out . . .” (323). He concludes, “Why did I write this? Jack, you have to understand vanity.” (324).

[rating:2]

(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2010)

232 pgs

Leading Outside the Lines is similar to other leadership books that seek to address an issue of corporate leadership that is rarely if ever discussed. As a result, this is not a comprehensive book on leadership but one that hits hard on one important subject that deserves more attention than it generally receives.

While this book is 232 pages long, it essentially bangs one drum throughout. This is that most organizations underutilize the important informal dynamics that could greatly enhance their performance. The authors note that most organizations emphasize the formal processes. They note: “Formalists view the world through the lens of rationality—they value logic, analysis, data, and frameworks. They manage through formal processes and programs. . . .These formal elements are promulgated through the organization in protocols and memos and enforced with comprehensive control-and-reward systems” (19). Key mechanisms for formal processes in organizations include: strategy, structures, processes and procedures, programs and initiatives, performance goals and metrics (21). Anyone familiar with leadership is aware of these.

While leaders are generally very familiar with the formal processes, the informal avenues that run deep in their organizations are often neglected. The authors note: “In essence, the informal is the aggregate of organizational elements that primarily influence behavior through emotional means” (23). These include, shared values, informal networks, communities, pride (23-24). The authors observe that “unlike the formal the informal construct is not strategic, analytical, logical, efficient, or enforceable. Nor is it manageable in the usual sense of that term. It is intuitive, personal, emotional, immediate—and it can be influenced” (26).

Formal processes are useful for work that is predictable and repeatable that needs to be done efficiently and with little variance (28). The informal is particularly good when facing challenges or crisis or when creative problem solving is called for. Often the informal leaders of an organization are not necessarily the ones who look as if they are being groomed to become the CEO (53). But they know the pulse beat of the organization.

The reality is that there are benefits to both the formal and informal organization (67). The key is for leaders to maximize the benefits of both. Unfortunately, when organizations face challenges, the natural instinct is to rely on formal processes because they are easily measurable and controllable. Another problem is that when people try to address the informal of their organization, they do so as if it involves nothing much more than warm, fuzzy, pep talks (118). The authors note that those addressing the informal aspects of their organization need to tie their efforts to measurable, identifiable goals. There are ways to relate what is done on an informal basis with organizational productivity. Formal procedures are not the only ones with measurable results.

The authors cite an interesting study by Nicholas Christakis and James Fowler that demonstrated that if you have a friend who is obese, there is a 57% chance you will become obese as well. More starting, there is a 20% chance that if a friend of your friend is obese, you will become obese also (100). Clearly we are affected by the behaviors of those around us! So, wise leaders find a way to get to the hearts and behaviors of those in their organization.

I believe this book addresses an issue that we know intuitively but about which there is scant literature. We all know influencers in our church or company who may not hold the most powerful formal position, but whose opinion and attitude carries enormous weight. Likewise you may have discovered that despite sending out reams of memos and holding numerous meetings, attitudes and behaviors remained unchanged. Clearly when leading, it is imperative to touch both the mind and the heart of followers.

I found that this book addressed an important subject in leadership theory. Because it focused on a narrow issue, it struck me at times as if the point was belabored. Nevertheless, if you are interested in this particular subject (as most leaders should be), then it may stimulate your thinking on how to impact your organization at deeper levels than you may have been touching previously.

[rating:2]

(New York: Portfolio, 2008; expanded ed., 2009)

310 pgs

Leander Kahney has written this book on Steve Jobs to try and analyze how he has been able to develop the enormously innovative and successful Apple Computer company. Like many books of this genre, countless numbers of business leaders want to learn from those who have been wildly successful. We seem to never tire of reading about others’ success in the hope that we might pick up some tidbit that could turn our own career and business around. And, like most books of this ilk, there are some things that the successful CEO did that are unique to that individual and would bring calamitous results if copied by a lesser mortal, and then there are business principles that, if followed, can produce similarly positive results.

Some leaders appear to be larger than life. Steve Jobs is one of those people. He was born in San Francisco in 1955 to a pair of unmarried college students and immediately put up for adoption (5). He grew up constantly on the verge of delinquency and dropped out of college after only one semester (5). He went lived with friends, eat free meals at the Hare Krishna temple, and attempted to live on an all-apple diet (6). Such was the making of greatness!

Jobs’ story is now legend. At age 26 he was considered too young to administer his rapidly growing company so he enlisted John Sculley of Pepsico as the CEO. In 1985 Jobs was forced out of his own company and did not return for 11 years (8). Gil Amelio, the last CEO before Jobs returned, saw Apple lose 1.6 billion dollars. He laid off thousands of employees while earning 7 million in salary, had 26 million in stock, was lavishly refurbishing the executive offices, and negotiating a seven million dollar severance package for himself (17). By the time Jobs returned, the company was only six months from bankruptcy.

With the development of such products as the I-pod, I-phone, Apple Stores, I-pads etc., Jobs has turned a moribund company into one of the most dynamic businesses in the world. But how did he do it?

For one, Jobs brought focus to the company. He discontinued many of their product lines and determined to focus on what they could be good at (25, 29). Jobs’ favorite mantra was: “Focus means saying ‘no.’” (38). He also chose not to compete for price with other companies like Dell, but instead branded his computers with a reputation for quality and dependability (31). Jobs also excelled at innovation. However, he believed that innovation does not come from asking people what they want. He notes Henry Ford’s comment that if Ford had asked people what they wanted, they would have asked for a faster horse! (62). Jobs demonstrates a certain patronizing attitude when he notes that people don’t know what they want until he shows it to them (63). Of course this has been the hallmark of many of the greatest businesses: they drove the market rather than being driven by it.

Jobs is also a perfectionist who refuses to settle for less than the best (85). He is a “control freak” who insists that his highest standards are met by his employees. Jobs earned the reputation for being an extremely difficult boss who is subject to angry tantrums and instant firings (105). Many people who work for him live in constant fear of being fired (151). Nevertheless, he has managed to attract highly talented people who are loyal to him and, while many people may worry about being fired; few quit (151).

What Jobs has done well is to instill a sense of mission in his company 146). He has developed a powerful brand, identified in such slogans as, “Think different” (124). Jobs has also maintained a small executive team of only ten people who clearly understand his values and standards and help ensure they permeate the company (165). Jobs also develops numerous prototypes and continually improves a product until he is satisfied it is the best they can make it. Kahney suggests that Jobs’ personality traits, “obsessiveness, narcissism, perfectionism” have been transformed into the hallmarks of his career (11).

The pressing question for Apple, of course, is whether the company can thrive when it no longer has Steve Jobs at the helm. Kahney talks about the “routinization of charisma” made popular by Max Weber (273). This is where the personality traits of the charismatic leader become ingrained into the institution so it continues to uphold the leader’s values long after a new generation of leaders emerges. If a leader is not able to accomplish this, then his or her accomplishments will not survive them. It is extremely doubtful that another Steve Jobs can be hired when the original one retires. It is also unlikely that other CEOs could get away with many of the unusual ways Jobs led his company back to profitability. Shouting at employees, immediately firing people who underperform and the like could get lesser CEOs in hot water from their board. It is therefore difficult to study Jobs to see how other CEOs can model their behavior after him. Unless you have the creative powers of Jobs and the charisma to attract the finest talent on the planet, you must apply his leadership style with caution.

What one can take from Jobs is his passion, his sense of mission to change the world and the determination to do things to the best of his ability. These are qualities that seem to be characteristic of most great leaders.

Jobs has been fighting a well known battle with cancer. In a commencement speech in 2005, Jobs said: “Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make room for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.” (285).

I found this book interesting. Certainly Jobs is a fascinating character who has accomplished a herculean task. As far as takeaways, I was interested in how Jobs branded his company and product. In so doing, he was able to charge more for his product and to earn a fierce loyalty from his customers. One has to look past some of his personality traits and administrative styles, but the fact is that many companies, including Microsoft, are adjusting their styles to match that of Apple. Clearly Jobs’ leadership is worth studying. Because this is focused on a particular leader, and because there are several characteristics of Jobs’ style that are less than commendable, I only rate this book a 2. However, for Apple lovers as well as those interested in major corporate turnarounds, this book may be of great interest to you.