Leadership. Those who have been given charge over others often struggle with the nuts and bolts of it. Questions swirl around this subject in the areas of leadership principles, characteristics of successful leaders, and indicators of dysfunctional leadership. The mere mention of leadership brings to mind certain authors who have written extensively on leadership. Men such as Al Mohler, John Maxwell, and Stephen Covey are powerful and influential voices today in this arena. However, another voice has emerged in the circles of leadership. Andy Stanley, pastor of Northpoint Community Church in Atlanta, GA has written a book entitled, “Next Generation Leader; Five Essentials for Those Who Will Shape the Future”. Stanley has emerged as a leadership voice to a younger generation. From his leadership podcasts to Catalyst Conferences, he provides leadership principles in a fresh and exciting light. He writes, “My passion is to help equip you to become a leader whose life is marked by qualities that ensure a no-regrets experience for those who choose to follow; a leader who leaves this world in better shape than he found it.”

Stanley divides his book into five sections. In each of these sections, he zeroes in on the important traits and qualifications that he believes makes an effective leader. The five sections are: competence, courage, clarity, coaching, and character. In the first section, competence, Stanley states that leaders must focus their energy toward the areas of leadership they have the greatest capacity to succeed in. He stresses the importance of maximizing you strengths and delegating your weaknesses. In the second section, courage, he shares that a leader is not always the smartest one in the office. Leaders possess courage to initiate action and move ahead. In the third section, clarity, Stanley shares that the leader cannot be vague, instead, he/she must clear, even if uncertain. He writes, “Uncertainty will not be your undoing as a leader. However, your inability to give a clear directive in the midst of uncertainty might very well be the thing that takes you out or causes you to plateau in your career”. In the fourth section, coaching, he emphasizes that regardless of how good or talented you are, everyone needs coaching to take us to the next level. In the fifth section, character, Stanley talks about the importance of “moral accountability” and how the personal life of a leader determines their followship.

Stanley has written a good book. It is not a difficult read, only 158 pages. The strengths of the book are his personal experiences and transparency. He allows the reader to learn from his past mistakes. He also utilizes scripture in a way that is especially insightful. As with all of his books, Stanley’s writing style is engaging, easy-to-follow, and profoundly simplistic. As far as weaknesses go, from a church leader’s stand point, it is a bit narrow and did not expand upon leadership challenged unique to church leadership. Overall, a great work. I recommend it to all who have been given the privilege to lead others.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

 How many times have you connected with the person to whom you were listening? Perhaps it was a teacher who made a difficult subject interesting and fun. Maybe it was a conference speaker who provided the motivation you needed to keep going in a less-than-glamorous job. What was it that moved them from simply talking to connecting? It was their ability to understand the listener and care more for their listener than for themselves. John Maxwell, in his new book Everyone Communicates, Few Connect, offers solid guidance and real-life tools to help leaders and other communicators move from simply talking to an audience to making real connections by making every word count. Maxwell defines connecting as “the ability to identify with people and relate to them in a way that increases your influence with them”.

 I am a fan of Maxwell and a past-reader of his work. As usual his simplistic yet insightful style of writing makes this book an easy read. He does a great job of mixing his content with real-life experiences which add to the credibility of his writing. Maxwell offers five connecting principles and five connecting practices. He helps the reader to understand why connecting with the listener is important. He then goes on to give the reader the nuts and bolts of how to better connect. The highlight of the book, in my opinion, is chapter six where Maxwell talks about how crucial it is to find common ground with the listener. On the other hand, the book does have a low point that I struggled with.  In chapter five, Maxwell gives way to his writer, Charlie Wetzel, in order that he might tell how good of a communicator Maxwell is. To me, this section seemed out of place and unnecessary. I wish this portion had been left out.

I was challenged by this book. As a pastor, I speak to many people in many different settings. This book made me aware of the fact that speaking is not enough. As a communicator, I can’t assume that my words and messages are received by my listeners just because I share them. This book has led me to understand that I need to be more intentional in my speaking. Whether you are a communicator in the business sector, the educational field, or the pastoral ministry, I highly recommend this book to you as an aid to making every word count.