Leadership as an Identity: The Four Traits of Those Who Wield Lasting Influence

This is an excellent book on leadership because it deals with character development on a spiritual level. Just wish Crawford would do the audio version, and in his own voice.

After seeing Dr. Loritts speak at a men's retreat on Leadership as an Identity, I was taken with this man. He truly is one of the most humble servants of God you will ever meet, and his book reflects this. As a rising leader in a local church, I knew that I needed to learn more about leadership, but I was tired of all of the corporate/business themed leadership books. A church is not a business, it is a sanctuary. After reading Loritts book Leadership as an Identity, I can honestly say it is one of the best books out there. The essence of leadership, according to Loritts, is not the mechanics but the placement of the heart. Our hearts and our relationship with God is what is most important in becoming leaders in the church. I give this book my highest recommendation!

This is an important book for today's culture. The author presents leadership as an assignment from God. This perspective provides an entirely different starting point from where most modern leaders start. As a result, the overwhelming pride and sense of entitlement that many current leaders display is shown to be antithetical to the type of leader that Crawford Lorritts describes. The four identity characteristics that the author descibes and elaborates upon are (1) brokenness (2) uncommon communion with God (3) servanthood and (4) radical & immediate obedience. I will highlight just a few valuable statements that make me want every pastor and government leader to read this book. A quotation from Dr. Joseph Stowell who said, "leaders fall when they stop following"(p.44). The implication is that if a leader is not following God, then he can quickly go astray. But, the author doesn't merely stop there, he points out the solution "When you can embrace mistakes - and even failures - you've opened the door for growth and a different outcome for the next time." (p.68) Lorritts also offers some important questions that a leader should ask himself/herself including "are you concerned with visibility and recognition, or with significance?" (p.136) Another insight expressed is "Sometimes God has to send us a painful reminder that His assignments are not meant to be about us." (p. 139) I hope this provides you with a picture of the contents of the book and why I believe it can be a helpful tool to all leaders and potential leaders.