Greg Ogden. Intervarsity Press. Downers Grove, IL 2007.

If I could trace the most significant influences in my personal and professional journey, Greg Ogden would be at the top of the list.

And so I am especially excited that he is back with another formation tool, Leadership Essentials. Focused on developing emerging leaders in character, influence and vision, this new tool provides a simple structure for anyone wanting to build into the life of another.

Instead of imposing an ideal (read unattainable) model of leadership on us, he lays out a process which engages our individual formation stories.

The process provides structure and content for the personal and relational dynamics to take on a power all of their own. The benefits to each person’s leadership maturity increase directly and exponentially with the level of energy and love invested.

Designed for those who share a Christian spirituality and find the Bible a vital resource for life direction, personal health and vocational reflection.

If you find yourself resorting to the “over commit the good-hearted” method of leadership development, here is your ticket to change.

It was precisely such a personal and dynamic investment that transformed my own life. I recommend you find another leader or two and accompany each other on this experience.

Don Silver. Adams-Hall Publishing. Los Angeles, CA. 2007.

Ever wonder how why some kids seem astute with money and others are still paying for the last two things they bought? For that matter, how do so many of us get to adulthood and still feel like slaves to our lifestyles instead of the other way around?

You’ve got to pick up Don Silver’s High School Money Book. It is a practical guide to a broad array of money issues. It is written is short, pithy sections that are easy to digest and perfect for the young adults in our lives whose attention spans are often shorter than a television commercial.

My favorite sections are the ones on credit and investments. The value of money over time can work powerfully for us or against us whether we’re saving or borrowing. Don spells it out in a clear, straightforward style.

I was fortunate to have parents who equipped me to function in this money-based society of ours. Not all are so fortunate. Give your kids (or even yourself) the gift of financial fluency.

I am back into this classic with a vengeance. I am working with one client’s executive team on a reading program and am being renewed in my passion for lifelong learning.
I believe systems thinking is crucial to agile leadership, but is often dismissed as just so much consultant-speak. Peter Senge brings the theory down to specific habits one can practice and hone over time. These are not one-size-fits-all gimics that you have to squeeze yourself into. Senge offers insightful thinking, organizing and relational tools to enhance who you are as a leader.

Joseph H. Bragdon, Society for Organizational Learning, Cambridge, MA, 2006.
If you’ve been feeling that the traditional political and economic categories fail to explain or enhance work and life as I have, this book is for you. Joseph Bragdon offers a revolutionary perspective on thriving and surviving in a capitalistic context. He calls it Living Asset Stewardship and not only delivers a helpful thinking framework, but works through the practical implications as well. For those of us weary of the idealists and extremists preaching at us from the sidelines.

C. Otto Scharmer, Society for Organizational Learning, Cambridge, MA, 2007.


I’m ready to jump right into developing a coaching course around this book. This is the real thing. The vocabulary and the framework we’ve been groping around for over the past twenty years. You cannot even begin to think about leadership techniques until you’ve examined the inside of the leader him or herself. How do you gain objective awareness of one’s subjective processes? Unless you do, you’re flying blind. I can’t recommend making this effort more highly.

I have long critiqued those who try to “technique” their way to leadership effectiveness. Henry Cloud provides an accessible guide to closing any disconnect between your person and your performance. His helpful framework is firmly grounded in the complex realities that make up our working worlds. You will appreciate his six dimensions of characters with integrity: the ability to build trust, face reality, get results, solve problems, cause growth, and achieve meaning in life.