The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham

Awesome book! Full of fantastic leadership hints and real-life examples. I would recommend to anyone interested in improving themselves and/or improving relationships with others.

I teach a leadership course and tell my students I will read and review the business or leadership books they recommend. I was skeptical at first, most attempts to create Bible oriented business books fail. However, in this case the authors chose to use Good to Great, one of the best business books of the decade, as a primary focusing lens and there is a single Bible verse at the end of each chapter. The story begins with the observation leaders are often forged in the furnace of life. Billy got off easy this once. His furnace experience was being rejected for marriage by Emily, saying "I just don't see any real purpose in your life yet." The statement stung and after months of consideration, Billy decided to be fully committed to God. The story then moves to Theodore Roosevelt, who was also pursing his life's true love. He got the girl, but only for three years, soon after his father passed away, his mother and wife died at his home within hours of one another. Billy's calling as an evangelist was tested, he was offered movie contracts, even a million dollars a year, ( this is the 1950s, so that would be more like 6 million today using the Consumer Price Index). The book pours you through history, not just Billy's experiences, but those of his friends. Billy had to face the growth pains of the nation, trying to serve both Catholics and Protestants in divided cities like New York and Boston. They discuss the civil rights movement where he was pressured to hold segregated meetings; he did not. I am not overly emotional, but I cried during many of the historical passages as I remember this nation's history, the author's tell the story well. He was friend to Presidents and others in power including friends that fell including Nixon and evangelist Jim Bakker. He gave Nixon's Eulogy and conducted the memorial service for the Oklahoma City Bombing and the National Cathedral service for the 9/11. The book does a great job of covering his management style; he built a great team and gave them a lot of freedom to act. If there is one place a bit more depth would have helped, it would have been more information on his health struggles, how did Billy Graham balance life and mission. The bottom line, this is a good book whether or not you believe in the Christian faith. It deserves at least two readings, there are so many illustrations and nuggets it is impossible to get them all the first time through.

The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham aren't really secrets, but rather a look into how this man of God has operated since his call to serve the Lord as the main spokesman and leader of an international organization focused on sharing the Good News with people throughout the world. He clearly has illustrated that leadership isn't about him, but in finding good people and placing responsiblity and trust in those people. Much literature on leadership looks at how supposed leaders get action out of those who follow. Graham, by contrast, has an ability to find good people and then steps aside to let them use their God given talents. Leadership is about empowering those around you, not forcing your vision on them. Leadership is about helping them succeed, not pushing to make things happen according to your desires. Graham's leadership is bathed in prayer for those around him, seeking the Lord's desire.

Billy Graham is not thought of as an organizational leader first and foremost, but then again, without the ability to organize and lead, the message for which he will be known as one of the foremost purveyors of in the 20th century would not have gotten out. What organizations take for granted today, Graham intuitively seemed to know and understand well before terms such as "team-building and "organizational mission" become catch-phrases. More than just a study in management though, this book is a study in character and deals not just with the triumphs but also the failures and struggles. In that way it reads as easily and as honestly as the subject matter himself. Especially helpful are the sections that deal with how crusades and cooperative efforts were accomplished without making key compromises. That is as much an art as any science one could offer. This book has a lot to offer for ministries and Christian organizations, but the principals hold true in businesses of any size. A very profitable read!

Billy Graham's secrets are drawn from a foundation of eternal principles and truth. The book is refreshing in that it is not just another collection of management principles recycled from the best business schools. It is an honest evaluation of life and can be applied to leaders of all descriptions, whether they be business, political, church or military leaders. It is equally valuable for the person who is leading his/her younger sibling by example. Some of the principles include the value of laughing at oneself and one's failures, as well as recognising the fact that we all fail at different times and need to be prepared for failure when it comes. But read it for yourself. It will quickly become #1 in your self-improvement library.