Lead Like It Matters to God Book Summary - Lead Like It Matters to God Book explained in key points

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Lead Like It Matters to God summary

Name: Lead Like It Matters to God
Rating: 3.6 (207 reviews)
Author: Richard Stearns

Richard Stearns

Values-Driven Leadership in a Success-Driven World

3.6 (207 ratings)

25 mins

Brief summary

'Lead Like It Matters to God' by Richard Stearns offers a faith-based approach to leadership, emphasizing humility, integrity, and a focus on serving others. The book challenges readers to rethink their priorities and embrace a higher purpose in their work.

Topics

Work Culture Coaching Leadership Christianity

Table of Contents

Lead Like It Matters to God
Summary of 8 key ideas

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Key idea 1 of 8

What’s in it for me? Find out what it takes to become a Christian leader.

True leadership isn't about making money or achieving a personal goal. It’s a spiritual responsibility.

As a Christian leader, you should commit to embodying positive values, and aim to transform an organization for the better. Drawing on Biblical wisdom and decades of experience in leadership roles, the author offers you guidance on Christian leadership inspired by the ultimate leader – Jesus Christ.

In these blinks, you’ll learn

why humor can be an effective tool in the workplace;
a more practical alternative to the slogan “What would Jesus do?”; and
the story of how a few dollars in the mail contributed to the creation of an archbishop.

At work, Christians should remember their main job – acting as ambassadors for Christ.

After attending church on Sunday, going into work on Monday morning, for many Christians, can feel like entering another world. The language and values of the secular workplace often seem completely unrelated to faith.

So how to deal with this abrupt change in culture? Compartmentalize? Treat faith and career as two separate worlds?

The author argues that Christians should actually aim to integrate their religious values with their work. After all, a Christian has only one true job – not company director or office manager, but ambassador of Christ.

This is the key message: At work, Christians should remember their main job – acting as ambassadors for Christ.

Many of us spend so much time at work that it can lead to a loss of our personal identities. Christians must act with intention to prevent faith from becoming walled off from the rest of life. This means acting according to Christian values always and everywhere – in the office as well as in church.

People in leadership roles have an additional, important responsibility, regardless of how many they lead. The anthropologist Margaret Mead observed that even a small group of people has the power to change the world. This is evident when you think of the construction of bridges and skyscrapers, or the invention of vaccines or smartphones – they’re all the result of group efforts. A group can achieve so much more, as people contribute their different skills and abilities.

Considering the enormous potential, it makes sense that the character and behavior of the group leader are particularly important. You need only look at responses to the COVID-19 pandemic from leaders in every kind of institution to understand the importance of leadership style. Some leaders unite their communities, while others foster division.

Leadership is important to God too. He doesn’t care if someone’s a CEO, but does care how a person leads.

So, how should Christians lead? How should they act at work? Clearly, the Bible has many of the answers. And as you’ll see in the following blinks, the author’s own life story can provide inspiration for Christians trying to integrate their faith more deeply with their working lives.

Surrender and sacrifice are the starting points for Christian leadership.

As a young man, Stearns could never have imagined the path his life would take. He was studying neurobiology at Cornell when he met and fell in love with a woman named Reneé. But she was a devout Christian and Stearns wasn’t. She couldn’t see a future with someone who didn’t share her beliefs.

The breakup led to a period of deep introspection and study for Stearns, who soon became convinced of his need to have faith in Christ. And the only way to have faith was to surrender. As the scripture says: “Not my will but thy will.”

See your coworkers from God’s perspective, and act lovingly.

Back in the 1990s, some young Christians wore bracelets with the letters WWJD, for “What Would Jesus Do?” It was embraced as a simple reminder to be more like Jesus in everyday situations, but is it really that simple? It’s a beautiful idea, but some may need more concrete guidance.

Here’s another question Christians can ask themselves: “What would love do?” It’s a principle that can guide people in their daily lives, and even help them to do the right thing at work.

A leader can create a positive work culture through encouragement and humor.

In the New Testament, the apostle Peter comes across as a deeply flawed man – impulsive, inconsistent, and quick to anger. If you were his boss, what kind of performance review might you give him? Would you criticize him, and highlight his areas for improvement?

Jesus had a different approach. He praised Peter in front of the other disciples and announced that Peter would become the future leader of the church.

Leaders should prioritize integrity, and set a good example for their teams.

Integrity is the North Star of leadership – a moral compass that allows the leader to guide the organization in the right direction. As a leader you may have many positive qualities, but without integrity, you’re lost.

While working at World Vision, Stearns faced an integrity challenge. Once a year, the organization contacted two million potential donors by mail and included a pack of pumpkin seeds in the envelope. The recipients were encouraged to send the seeds back to World Vision along with a donation. The organization would then send the seeds to farmers in Africa and provide agricultural training.

A courageous leader with a vision can stay motivated, and motivate others.

Jesus was a leader with a vision. He inspired his followers with a clear vision of a better world – something to look forward to and work toward.

God uses leaders to change the world by transforming and redeeming organizations. That’s why it’s vital for leaders to create compelling visions which provide clarity and foster unity and motivation.

A leader should be humble, self-aware, and ready to listen to others.

There are many ways for Christians to follow Jesus’s example. But they shouldn’t only look outward. Sometimes it’s necessary for Christians to look inward, evaluating their strengths and weaknesses with humility and honesty.

Stearns recommends 360-degree performance reviews for leaders. Every year, he asked his direct reports at World Vision to provide in-depth evaluation of his leadership. It wasn’t always a comfortable experience. Getting this candid insight into how he was perceived, however, helped him to become aware of his weaknesses, and improve as a leader.

Forget about conventional notions of success, and focus on faith.

Sometimes, all it takes is a small act of faith – planting a seed, and watching it grow. The story of Jackson is an example of the power of faith, and how a small act can lead to incredible results.

Jackson grew up in a poor family in Kenya in the 1970s. Throughout his childhood, he took part in a World Vision program for children living in poverty. He received regular support through donations from families in the US. As a result, he stayed healthy and had food to eat. He also got to attend Bible programs, and he finished high school – a rare achievement at the time.

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What is Lead Like It Matters to God about?

Lead Like It Matters to God (2021) is a reminder to Christians that work isn’t just about money and status. Stearns uses his own career experiences to offer guidance to Christians in leadership positions. He outlines the key values to prioritize and gives practical suggestions for improving organizations and creating a more positive working environment.

Lead Like It Matters to God Review

Lead Like It Matters to God (2020) is a thought-provoking book that challenges readers to reconsider their approach to leadership through the lens of faith. Here's why this book is worth reading:

It offers insights from a biblical perspective that provide a fresh and unique take on leadership principles.
The book emphasizes the importance of moral integrity and ethical decision-making in leadership, making it relevant and impactful.
Through compelling real-life stories and practical examples, the book demonstrates how leading with purpose and compassion can make a positive difference in the world.

Who should read Lead Like It Matters to God?

Leaders and aspiring leaders
Christians contemplating their careers
People who want to integrate their religious values with their working lives

About the Author

Richard Stearns was president of the international Christian relief organization World Vision United States for 20 years. He writes on poverty and AIDS for various US newspapers and magazines and has written several books, including the award-winning best seller The Hole in Our Gospel.

Categories with Lead Like It Matters to God

Management & Leadership Religion & Spirituality

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