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The Leadership Wisdom of Jesus

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The Leadership Wisdom of Jesus

Practical Lessons for Today

Berrett-Koehler,

15 min read
10 take-aways
Audio & text

What's inside?

If you’re in the market for a role model, why settle for second-best?

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Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Well Structured
  • Concrete Examples
  • Engaging

Recommendation

Each chapter this book begins with a quote or parable from Jesus, and goes on to show how his teachings can apply to leadership today. Author Charles C. Manz uses a mix of personal and professional examples to illustrate this principle. His theme is that effective leaders should apply compassion, humility and caring for others to their daily conduct, using Jesus as an example. He asserts that doing the right and moral thing will result in long-term success. Manz avoids preaching or proselytizing, so the book can appeal to a broad spectrum of readers – whether or not they are religious, or even Christian. The text generally is well written, short and to-the-point. getAbstract recommends this book for those interested in a new perspective on traditional concepts. It offers new ideas (based on ancient fundamentals) for developing a more empowering and effective leadership style.

Summary

Jesus’ Leadership

You can become a wise and effective leader by applying a "constructive and compassionate approach to leadership" based on the teachings of Jesus and on his positive spiritual principles. This approach requires you to be compassionate, have humility and maintain a sincere commitment to service. It emphasizes an empowering rather than visionary approach. The focus is on your followers and the talents and abilities that you can unleash in them, rather than on your personal charisma or inspiration.

To learn about these principles, look to the words and parables of Jesus as related by the Bible. These guidelines provide much wisdom, as do the teachings of many other great historical leaders - King Solomon, Moses, Confucius, Lao Tzu, Buddha, Gandhi, and Muhammad.

Although the traditional goal of business is to maximize profit and the return on investment for shareholders, putting the welfare of your employees and customers first actually makes good business sense. Companies that do so are the best long-term performers. But even when you don’t make a great deal more money solely by being ethical, you will find that it is more satisfying and fulfilling...

About the Author

Charles C. Manz Ph.D., is a professor of business leadership at the University of Massachusetts School of Management. His clients have included 3M, Ford, Motorola, Xerox, American Express, the Mayo Clinic, and the U.S. and Canadian governments. He has written five previous books, including the best-selling SuperLeadership


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