Success & Leadership

All Christians are called to be influential. Does that mean we all have to be prominent members of the community, seen by all, boldly blazing trails forward in philanthropy, science, industry, and the arts? Certainly not. But the Church collectively should be engaged in all these things, and since the Body of Christ is called to excellence in God's name, the Church should not simply follow the current trends, whatever those may be.

In order for the Church to fulfill this mission of leadership and Christian witness in all things, men and women need to lead individually. Leaders need to be reliable, and to prove their reliability to others, meaning that they must be successful in their personal and public lives. Who would follow someone who'd never accomplished anything, who had nothing to show for their effort and work?

Granted, success from a Christian perspective looks a lot different than success from a secular standpoint. Secular success usually means no more than that the individual in question has earned enough money to do what they want, and then that they do what they want. Followers of Jesus aren't supposed to work for their own gain, but for the advancement of the Kingdom of God.

But what are the tools and character traits necessary for success? The books in this section will guide you. Not all of them are written from a Christian perspective, so we encourage you to compare everything these authors say with Scripture (even the Christian authors). The goal isn't simple self-improvement or better pay or an easier life, it's the chance to influence other people the way Christ wants us to.

This element of success and leadership training can't be repeated too much or overemphasized. Our society is absolutely taken with the assumed importance of the individual and with material security and prosperity. To suggest "looking out for number one" isn't the most important thing is, for many Christians, accepted consciously while at the same time subconsciously ignored or even rejected. Our culture is strong in each of us, and it takes a conscious effort to align our attitudes with those found in God's Word.

At the same time, we need to be careful not to swing to the other extreme, and assume that earthly success is meaningless. God put us on this earth, not so we could make it to the other side with as little notice as possible, but to take dominion of all things in His name. He has given us a spirit of boldness to accomplish these things, and it's to our shame if we ignore worldly concerns in favor of retreat and solitude.

The books in this section are meant to inspire, guide, and advise as you build good habits and learn to lead others through example and personal success. Of course, the best book to read for guidance is the Bible, and if you never read a leadership manual but you're diligent in Scripture reading, that's okay—certainly the concepts of servant leadership, humility, and the necessity of virtue for sound leadership are the most important lessons one can learn on the subject. But for those whose desire and abilities suggest a leadership role, these titles offer some very good practical content.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
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27 Items found Print
7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens
by Sean Covey
Original from Fireside Books
for 7th-12th grade
in Success & Leadership (Location: HSR-LEAD)
$6.00 (2 in stock)
7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens
by Sean Covey
Updated from Fireside Books
for 7th-12th grade
in Success & Leadership (Location: HSR-LEAD)
$17.99
7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens - Workbook
by Sean Covey
Updated from Touchstone
for 7th-12th grade
in Success & Leadership (Location: HSR-LEAD)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
8th Habit
by Stephen R. Covey
from Free Press
in Success & Leadership (Location: HSR-LEAD)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Atomic Habits
by James Clear
from Avery
for 9th-12th grade
in Success & Leadership (Location: HSR-LEAD)
$27.00
Blink
by Malcolm Gladwell
1st edition from Back Bay Books
for 11th grade-Adult
in Success & Leadership (Location: HSR-LEAD)
$18.99
Christian Coaching
by Gary R. Collins
from NavPress
for Adult
in Success & Leadership (Location: HSR-LEAD)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Creativity, Inc.
by Ed Catmull
1st edition from Random House Books for Young Readers
for 11th-Adult
in Creating Culture (Location: XCU-CRE)
$19.00
David & Goliath
by Malcolm Gladwell
from Penguin Press
for 11th-Adult
in Success & Leadership (Location: HSR-LEAD)
Developing the Leader Within You
by John C. Maxwell
from Thomas Nelson Publishers
for Adult
in Success & Leadership (Location: HSR-LEAD)
Essentialism
by Greg McKeown
from Currency
for 9th-Adult
in Success & Leadership (Location: HSR-LEAD)
$18.00
Essentialism
by Greg McKeown
from Crown Publishers
for 9th-Adult
in Success & Leadership (Location: HSR-LEAD)
$12.50 (1 in stock)
First Things First
by A. Roger Merrill, Rebecca R. Merrill, Stephen R. Covey
from Simon and Schuster
for Adult
in Success & Leadership (Location: HSR-LEAD)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Grit
by Angela Duckworth
First Edition from Charles Scribner's Sons
for Adult
in Success & Leadership (Location: HSR-LEAD)
$21.00
Handoff
by Jeff Myers
from Legacy Worldwide
for Adult
in Clearance: Christian Books (Location: XCLE)
$8.50
How to Win Friends and Influence People
by Dale Canegie
Revised from Pocket Books
for Adult
in Success & Leadership (Location: HSR-LEAD)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
Leadership
by Stephen Viars
from New Growth Press
for Adult
in CCEF Counseling booklets (Location: XCL-CCEF)
$2.79
Leadership and Emotional Sabotage
by Joe Rigney
from Canon Press
for 11th-Adult
in Success & Leadership (Location: HSR-LEAD)
$17.95
Lemonade to Leadership - Set
by Bonnie Drew
from Institute for Excellence in Writing
for 3rd-8th grade
in Success & Leadership (Location: HSR-LEAD)
$24.00 (1 in stock)
Outliers
by Malcolm Gladwell
Reprint from Back Bay Books
for Adult
in Success & Leadership (Location: HSR-LEAD)
$18.99
Outliers
by Malcolm Gladwell
from Little, Brown & Company
for 10th-Adult
in Success & Leadership (Location: HSR-LEAD)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Rescuing Ambition
by Dave Harvey
from Crossway Books
for Adult
in Practical Christian Living (Location: XCL-PRAC)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Spiritual Leadership
by Henry Blackaby, Richard Blackaby
from B&H Books
for 10th-Adult
in Clearance: Christian Books (Location: XCLE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Thomas Jefferson Education
by Oliver Van DeMille
4th edition from George Wythe College
in Thomas Jefferson Education (Location: HSR-METTJ)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Thomas Jefferson Education Home Companion
by Rachel DeMille, Oliver DeMille, & Diann Jeppson
from George Wythe College
for Adult
in Thomas Jefferson Education (Location: HSR-METTJ)
$17.50 $9.00 (2 in stock)
Tiny Habits
by BJ Fogg
from Harvest Books
for 9th-Adult
in Success & Leadership (Location: HSR-LEAD)
$16.99
Tipping Point
by Malcolm Gladwell
from Back Bay Books
for 11th grade-Adult
in Success & Leadership (Location: HSR-LEAD)
$12.50 $8.00 (1 in stock)