Incarnate Leadership: 5 Leadership Lessons from the Life of Jesus

This is a charming and humble book on leadership as drawn from a few verses in the first chapter of John. The biblical text, though, is simply a vehicle for the President of Whitworth College to present his vast personal experience on leadership. The result is wonderful. He emphasizes humility, openness, and a willingness to give credit to others. He talks about having the courage to tell the truth gracefully. It is a work about the character of good leaders. None of what he says is strikingly novel, and his illustrations are anecdotal. But that is part of what is so great about the book. Here are the obvious things of leadership that leaders often fail to do. The result is not that you walk away thinking that you've read the most profound book of your life, though it is, in a simple way, profound. You walk away from it thinking you may have come close to a profound man, and you wish he were close at hand to mentor you through the challenging decisions of leadership. Well done, Bill Robinson...and well worth the read.

A very "accessible person" as well as author, Bill turns much of the "high boundary - no friends among colleagues" mantra on its head with insights from a great leader - Jesus. In easily digestible chapters, the reader grasps the author's main premise and applies it to him/herself in leadership positions. I suggest it as a good group study book for leader-pastor types in covenant groups.

I have had several influential people in my life tell me that I should start reading Bill Robinson's stuff. "Sign up for his newsletters" or read the strategic plan for Whitworth University. Just read him because his stuff is so consumable but so rich. I read Incarnate Leadership in one sitting and find myself using its principles in classes I teach and with the leadership of businesses I am lucky enough to consult with. This book will be one that I pull from the shelf often not only to consult for its content but to remind myself on perspectives that are bottom shelf and practical in the now. For me it was a how I may lead in the moment I am confronted with today.