I was an average, introverted guy who felt a calling to leadership in ministry as an introvert. It’s taken me twenty years to figure out how to actually lead other people, and I’m still in elementary school, practically speaking.
When I was first getting started, and leading my first “real” church (it’s a long story), a guy came to town to help lead a brand new church plant that was literally meeting next door to ours! We met when he came and asked if their church could use our baptistry.
I had always challenged our church with the statement, I don’t care if someone literally plants a church next door to ours – we’re going to be asking how we can help them! And then it happened. So we gladly said yes.
That guy was Ron Edmondson. Years later, we wound up speaking at an event together and became friends. Ron is now one of those leaders I can call or text anytime and he’ll always give sage advice.
Ron obviously wrote The Mythical Leader for me. It’s as if he asked me what my biggest leadership struggles were and wrote about them.
How can you lead well, as an introvert? Ron answers it.
What’s the difference between management and leadership? Ron nails it.
How can you lead relationally and communicate thoroughly? Ron’s tips are spot on.
As one who coaches leaders regularly, I was especially thankful for the list of twelve great questions good leaders can ask:
- What can we learn from this?
- Do you understand what I am asking you to do?
- How can I help you?
- What is next?
- Where should we be placing our best energy?
- What am I missing or forgetting?
- How can we do it better next time?
- What do you think?
- What changes could we implement to make your work life (or your efforts on this current project) better?
- What would you do differently if you had my position?
- Are you enjoying your work?
- What would you like to ask me but you have not yet had the opportunity?
And that’s just a tiny taste of the kind of practical, from-the-trenches advice Ron gives.
Anybody in leadership anywhere needs to read this book. Let your leadership myths get challenged!
Disclosure: I purchased this book and highly recommend it. The links are affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I would receive a small commission from Amazon. This doesn’t affect your price at all, and I only recommend books I really like, even when they’re written by friends like Ron.
