Lead Like it Matters: Book Review

I’ve heard Craig speak on several occasions, and each time, I was challenged and inspired. In this recent book he focuses on leadership principles for a church that lasts. However, many of these concepts, thought-provoking questions, and examples have a direct correlation with our businesses, organizations we serve, and even our families.

First of all, what is ‘it’? He gives some great examples, times when you know a business, an organization, a church just has it! They’re on fire, excited, motivated, with almost cult-like focus—who doesn’t want to be part of something exciting?

There are three (3) sections to the book; What is it? What contributes to it? And What does it mean to get it back and guard it? Some highlights include the importance of a vision, a BHAG, something to strive for that is valuable and bigger than day-to-day. It’s amazing how we tend to want to ‘copy’ someone’s formula, a big business that has had a success, or someone’s style, hoping that the formula will give us the result. He shares what happened when they followed their own formula and watched success and failure, having to figure out what they missed.

There are all kinds of ‘nuggets’ that I’ve highlight; ‘successful leaders do consistently what others do occasionally’; ‘the passion of the people won’t exceed the passion of the leader’; ‘Systems create behaviors. Behaviors become habits. Habits drive outcomes’; ‘a generation is rejecting ‘relevant’ and crying out for ‘real.’; and so many more. Grab your highlighter! Highly Recommended!- CMW