In recent weeks I took time to share twelve books that shaped my leadership and that I propose should be read by any aspiring leader. The books were broad in scope, not necessarily academic or known as classics, and were not exhaustive on what a leader should read. I want to take the exercise one step further. We live in a changing world with rapid advances in communication, technology, and culture. What you do today may not be sufficient to keep you effective in the future. Leaders cannot lead change unless they personally have a willingness to change themselves.
Allow me to share five books that can help you look ahead. Wayne Gretzky, one of the greatest hockey players of all time, stated that the key to his success was not his ability to “skate to where the puck is but to anticipate and skate to where the puck will be (paraphrased).” What a great thought for today’s leaders. Here are five books that can help you do just that.
- Liquid Leadership: From Woodstock to Wikipedia — Multigenerational Management Ideas That Are Changing the Way We Run Things by Brad Szollose. How do you simultaneously lead those in their twenties and those in their sixties? To be effective, you must know how. The generations are so different in the thinking, values, and manner of work. This secular book is worth the read for any leader needing to sharpen their multi-generational leadership.
- The Great Evangelical Recession: 6 Factors That Will Crash the American Church…and How to Prepare by John Dickerson. While the title sounds pessimistic the reality is that the church is in a struggle. What are the cultural factors that are feeding the erosion in North America? The book is sobering but one key to a turnaround is to be brutally honest about the current landscape and then to seek and implement Biblical solutions. The subject is the church, but any organizational leader can benefit from this important read.
- Meet Generation Z: Understanding and Reaching the New Post-Christian World by James Emery White. You hear much about Gen X, have been trying to figure out the Millennials, and now guess what? A new generation of teens and young adults are emerging and they are different. Not different in a bad way or good way but definitely different. Your leadership will have to adapt or you will be viewed as irrelevant. What will be different? Read this book to find out.
- iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy–and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood–and What That Means for the Rest of Us by Jean Twenge. Do you remember a time without computers, iPhones, smart tablets, hundreds of channels on television? Younger adults have no idea what that is like. They think differently and one primary effect is their immersion in technology from their early toddler days. Do you want to be a better leader? First, seek to understand before you seek to be understood.
- Systems-Sensitive Leadership: Empowering Diversity Without Polarizing the Church by Michael Armour. This book is a deeper dive but it is insightful and valuable. Between this book and Liquid Leadership, you will have a great secular and Christian look into generational distinctions with sound wisdom on how to adapt your leadership in order to maximize your effectiveness.
Like with my dozen books on balanced leadership in previous weeks, this list is not exhaustive but will take you much further down the road to greater understanding and influence. Leaders are readers and I hope you will tap into these resources as well as my book, Why They Stay to help you on this journey.