Gill debuts with a succinct guide for Christians seeking to become capable, powerful leaders, built on Christian teachings and brimming with uplifting encouragement. Stressing the need to be intentional, specifically through a laser focus on developing a well-defined future plan and following through with action steps, he presents an approach to life and leadership based on three foundational principles: To achieve or to lead, you must exercise faith and apply God’s teaching; maintain physical health; and pursue lifelong education. Gill develops these principles--and lays out advice specific to leadership—all with a strong emphasis on faith, arguing “[i]t costs you nothing to believe, and may cost you everything not to.”
Gill organizes this slim guide around his three central truths, expanding on each with anecdotes from his past as well as drawing from well-established leadership sources, such as Bruce Tuckman’s stages of group development. To encourage readers to accept the impossibility of perfection, he writes frankly about his own personal challenges stemming from his active military service, and he uses his own failures as illustrations for regrowth and transformation. Christian readers will appreciate the shared private spiritual experience–including Gill’s somewhat surprising account of “speak[ing] my son into existence”–and his continuous use of Bible verses to clarify concepts.
Despite a heartening core message, some elements of Gill’s treatise would prove more persuasive with further development. His emphasis on physical fitness is refreshing, but the brief chapter on health is also somewhat pitiless, as when he insists that putting on some “pandemic weight” can “take a leader off the path to true leadership.” More clear and helpful are passages encouraging readers to develop leadership characteristics by giving back to underserved populations and concrete steps on how to build meaningful relationships with employees–and Gill’s observation that “faith is like insurance” is intriguing. Readers seeking basic ideas on leadership skills supported with Christian beliefs will find a start to build on here.
Takeaway: A examination of what it takes to be an effective leader, paired with Christian faith principles and supporting Bible verses.
Great for fans of: James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner’s Learning Leadership, J. Oswald Sanders’s Spiritual Leadership.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B+
Marketing copy: B+
