Book: Next Generation Leader

Just finished reading Next Generation Leader by Andy Stanley. It's pretty much one of the best books on leadership I've ever read. It's pretty small and very easy to read. It's already on my list of re-reads! The book is centered around five principles which he says are the fundamentals of leadership.

These five principles are:
competence, courage, clarity, coaching, and character.

The competence section focuses on identifying your core competencies and discovering the gifts and strengths that God has given you. He talks about how you don't need to be good at everything and that good leaders focus on developing their strengths. They realize that their weaknesses are somebody else's strengths. Some of the things that are hard for you to do actually energize other people. So, by focusing on your strengths you are giving someone else the opportunity to flourish. Conversely, if you are always micromanaging your weaknesses, you're robbing someone else of the opportunity to leverage their strengths.

The courage section talks about how wherever there is great fear, there is great opportunity. He used the story of David and Goliath to demonstrate this reality. He talked about letting your vision drive you. Let the what precede the how. We should not let the how questions deter us from pursuing what could be and should be. We should not let the how questions, no matter how impossible, paralyze us and keep us from going after the dreams God has given us. He also talks about having the courage to say no, the courage to face current reality, and the courage to dream. He says, "The leader who accomplishes great things will not always be the most talented or the best educated - it will be the leader who refuses to put brackets on his thinking. It will be the leader who refuses to limit himself by what others have done or failed to do."

The clarity section discusses how uncertainty underscores the need for leadership. He says that clarity of vision is more important than certainty of outcome. He talks about how every great idea came in contrast to someone's current reality. He says, "In the beginning there is always enough uncertainty to shut down a vision - thus the need for leadership."

The coaching section develops the need for a leadership coach. We will never grow in our leadership capacity without someone pushing us to become better. A good leadership coach doesn't measure us with other people, but against our own potential. They push us to be the best "us" that we can be. A leadership coach can give you honest feedback on how you're doing because he is helping you see yourself from a different perspective than you may not have seen before. Having a leadership coach requires the leader to have a teachable spirit and not limit himself by thinking he has all the answers. He ends the section by encouraging us not only to find a leadership coach, but to be a coach for someone else and help them to become better.

The character section was probably the strongest section of the book in my opinion. He talks about how character makes you a leader worth following and that your character determines you legacy. He says "Character is the will to do what's right even when it's hard." He talks about the importance of deciding ahead of time what your reaction will be when faced with a decision to compromise your values. He talks about how "there's no cramming for a test of character, they are always pop-quizzes." They'll come when your not ready for them. When they come, who you really are will come out. Another good thing he talked about was how we never need to violate the principles of God to maintain the blessings of God. He says, "To become a leader worth following, you must give time and attention to the inner man. To leave a legacy that goes beyond accomplishment alone, a leader must devote himself to matters of the heart."

Really good stuff. I heartily recommend this book to anyone in leadership.