The Conviction to Lead (Albert Mohler)

In The Conviction to Lead, Albert Mohler (President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) lists and expounds upon 25 principles "for leadership that matters."  This isn't a "how to" book on leadership- it's more of a set of characteristics leaders need to have to be relevant, successful, and have a lasting impact ("how?" advice is offered, certainly, but it's not the point).  In that respect, it's extremely helpful.  All current (and aspiring) leaders would do well to read through the characteristics and perform a self-assessment on each one.  It's geared towards Christians, but relevant to all.

I won't go through every principle presented, but here are some focus areas/concepts below.  My Kindle tells me that I highlighted 239 passages in this book . . . so I present the selected concepts and expound upon them by mashing together some of these quotes into a hopefully-coherent form.

- Leaders must understand the importance of belief and conviction

The leadership that really matters is all about conviction. The leader is rightly concerned with everything from strategy and vision to team-building, motivation, and delegation, but at the center of the true leader’s heart and mind you will find convictions that drive and determine everything else.

[A] conviction is a belief of which we are thoroughly convinced. . . Convictions are not merely beliefs we hold; they are those beliefs that hold us in their grip. We would not know who we are but for these bedrock beliefs, and without them we would not know how to lead. . .

Convictional leadership begins with a commitment to truth and a relentless desire to see others know and believe that same truth.

Convictional leaders propel action precisely because they are driven by deep convictions, and their passion for these convictions is transferred to followers who join in concerted action to do what they know to be right. . . I believe that leadership is all about putting the right beliefs into action, and knowing, on the basis of convictions, what those right beliefs and actions are. . . Your organization exists to serve the mission defined by those beliefs.

- Leaders must have the passion necessary to lead

Leaders need to possess and develop many qualities, but the one element that drives them to the front is passion . . . Passion is not a temporary state of mind. It is the constant source of energy for the leader, and the greatest cause of attraction for followers.

Passion arises naturally or not at all. . . [it] cannot be artificially generated or transmitted.  It happens when convictions come to life, and deep beliefs drive visions and plans. The passionate leader is driven by the knowledge that the right beliefs, aimed at the right opportunity, can lead to earth-shaking changes. 

- Leaders are thinkers, teachers, and communicators

Leadership requires a constant flow of intelligence, ideas, and information. . . Before anything else, leadership is an intellectual activity. . . Without apology, the Christian leader is a devoted student and a lifelong learner. . .Every great leader is a great teacher, and the greatest leaders seize every opportunity to teach well. . .the goal of teaching is to see every student instructed, delighted, and moved.

[T]o be a leader is to communicate constantly, skillfully, intentionally, and strategically. The effective leader communicates so pervasively that it seems second nature, and so intentionally that no strategic opportunity is ever surrendered. . .The leader is always fighting apathy, confusion, lack of direction, and competing voices. . . [so] the leader will spend more time communicating than in any other activity.

The effective leader aims for three essential hallmarks of powerful communication. The first is clarity. . .The goal of communication is not to impress but to convey meaning and purpose. . . The second hallmark is consistency. . . [the] third hallmark of powerful communication [is] courage. . .the courage required for leadership and for the risk of communication is usually the everyday courage required to get up in front of people and expose yourself and your message to the scrutiny of others.

- Leaders are readers

When you find a leader, you have found a reader. The reason for this is simple—there is no substitute for effective reading when it comes to developing and maintaining the intelligence necessary to lead.

Leaders are ravenous consumers of historical biographies. Their natural instinct is to learn about leaders of the past in order to embrace their strengths and avoid their weaknesses.

I have found it helpful to plan reading projects. Each year, I plan two or three of these, intending to pursue understanding on a specific issue or area of knowledge. . .Develop a short list of books in an area, and work your way through them. You will be amazed at how much you can cover in a year.

Know that your most faithful and productive thinking will often come as you are reading from an author with whom you disagree, even as you apply critical thinking and discernment.

- Leaders are speakers

When leaders speak, we speak for the movement, the organization, the company, the congregation, or the institution we lead. If communication is central to leadership, speech is central to communication. . . leadership means speaking, and effective leaders learn to speak with greater skill and ability as they mature in the leadership role.

Speaking is an art and a craft, not a science. The most effective speakers love language and enjoy telling a tale. . . People connect to stories, and the best speeches and messages lean heavily into narrative. . . [speakers] experiment with different ways of using words and sentences, different strategies for constructing messages and talks. . .the effective leader combines ethos, pathos, and logos in every speech, every talk, every presentation, and every message—every time.

Know what you want to say. . . know your audience. . . outline your message. . . frame your  presentation. . .punctuate and illustrate. . . get yourself ready. . .speak like you mean it. . . tell the audience what to do.

- Leaders are writers

Leaders who want to make a difference, and to make that difference last, must write. . . When the leader writes, he writes to inform, to motivate, to explain, and to inspire . . . The only way to become a better writer is to read and write as much as possible . . . The act of writing helps us learn how to make words work, how sentences come together, and how to make a message come through. 

- Leaders are stewards

We are merely stewards, not lords, of all that is put into our trust. The sovereignty of God puts us in our place, and that place is in God’s service. . .A steward is someone who manages and leads what is not his own, and he leads knowing that he will give an account to the Lord as the owner and ruler of all. . .We are called to exercise dominion over creation, but not as ones who own what we are called to lead. Our assignment is to serve on behalf of another.

Leaders—no matter their title—are servants, plain and simple. . .We are the stewards of human lives and their welfare. . .We are the stewards of time and opportunity. . .We are the stewards of assets and resources. . . We are the stewards of energy and attention. . .We are the stewards of reputation and legacy. . . We are the stewards of truth and teaching. . . leaders will be humble, or they will be humbled.

- Leaders need both character and credibility

Character is in fact the only secure foundation of leadership itself—any form of leadership. . . Leadership requires the possession and cultivation of certain moral virtues that allow leadership to happen. If the leader does not demonstrate these essential virtues, disaster is certain. . .

Truth telling is central to leadership. . . We are not perfect, and claims of perfection will only serve to undermine our leadership. . . [a leader] demands that those around him tell him the truth, and he leads by being the truth teller in chief. . . [it's difficult, but we have to fight the fact that] Our followers would often rather hear a comforting untruth than an uncomfortable truth.

Leadership is about a sense of direction and purpose, and a competence that puts the room at ease. The leader is not a superman, but he had better know who he is, what he is doing, what the organization faces as a challenge, and how to move forward. . . A good leader stands out when character is matched by competence and the central virtue of knowing what to do. . .[leaders require] a firm vision of what the institution [is] all about, a deep knowledge of the urgent challenges it face[s], and a clear strategy to get it moving in the right direction.

- Leaders decide

Leaders simply cannot avoid making important decisions, and effective leaders stand out because they are both courageous and skilled in making the right decisions again and again. . .If you lead faithfully, you will make decisions that are unpopular, costly, and sometimes filled with risk.

Leaders make decisions all the time and must be ready to make a decision at any moment. Failure to make a decision paralyzes the organization, and making the wrong decisions can be disastrous. . . Indecisiveness is one of history’s greatest leadership killers.

- Leaders recognize the importance- and limitations- of time

The scarcity of time is the great leveler of humanity, affecting the rich and the poor, the powerful and the powerless. . . “Effective executives,” Drucker insists, “do not start with their tasks. They start with their time.”

- Leaders keep the end in sight, and build a legacy that can endure and flourish after their departure/death

Mortality not only is the great equalizer, it is the great motivator. Time and opportunities are precious and perishable. . . A legacy is what is left in the wake of a great leader. The leader is gone from the scene, but his influence remains essential to the direction and culture of the work he led. . .What matters is that the convictions survive. . . If all goes well, our successors will outperform us and reach heights we could only dream of. . . This should be our hope, not our fear. If we are faithful stewards of the leadership entrusted to us, we will see ourselves as setting the stage for greater things to come.

Overall, this an informative, insightful, and challenging read.

Rating: A