Book Review
Book Review of
The Conviction to Lead: 25 Principles for Leadership that Matters
by Albert Mohler
Print Length: 222 Pages
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers, Bloomington, MN (2012)
Language: English
ISBN: 978-0-7642-1004-4
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers, Bloomington, MN (2012)
Language: English
ISBN: 978-0-7642-1004-4
Author of the book Albert Mohler, Jr. is
president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, which is clearly a true
form of leadership. He gets to the crux of the purpose of the book in the very
first sentence, “Let me warn you right up front – my goal is to change the way
you think about leadership.”[1] There have been many books written about
leadership, however this is the first that I have read which came from a
Christian perspective. Being a leader is not simply being a figure-head of a
group of people. A leader who deserves a following is one who is not only
prepared but who also possesses a deep conviction to be a leader.
As could be
expected, Mohler sits on the right side of the aisle as a conservative
republican, having enlisted into Ronald Reagan’s 1976 campaign as a volunteer.[2] Mohler states that
plenty of leaders are able and willing, but lack the important trait of
conviction. He also points out in the book that being highly intelligent, which
is always a favorable characteristic, does not equate to good or effective
leadership. Mohler claims that an effective leader needs to possess
convictional intelligence. He advises that a leader will receive that
proportionately as he studies God’s Word, prays and reads other books as well.[3]
An
effective leader is also one that understands worldviews. We must make
fundamental moral judgments every day, therefore we cannot rethink our basic
understanding of the world each day. The basic fabric of our morality is, or
must be rooted in us. In explaining how effective leadership works Mohler
writes, “You aim at the heart and the head of your followers, confident that if
they share the worldview and embrace it with conviction, the right actions will
follow naturally.”[4]
Every
leader needs to have the passion to be an effective leader. Passion is not a
trait that can be summoned at a moment’s notice. Either you possess it or you
don’t. According to the author passion comes from conviction.[5] Passion can also be
contagious, a good leader’s passion will drip down to the followers. When this
happens, passion spreads as if it were an infectious disease throughout the
organization.[6]
Leaders
must be teachers if they are to be ascribed to the effective list. Jesus was a
fabulous teacher! He taught using illustrations and allegories, bringing
meaning to the subject at hand. He taught the disciples and then the disciples
made other disciples, and much like an organization employing a network
marketing model, growth becomes exponential. According to Mohler, “Leaders
teach and teachers lead.”[7]
Leadership
cannot be fruitful if it is not credible. Credibility is something that must be
earned, it does not come when you accept a position. Even though credibility
can be won, unfortunately bad decisions can cause it to be lost. If it is lost,
it is very difficult to regain.
Mohler
states that the book was written, “With the concern that far too much of what
passes for leadership today is mere management. Without convictions you might
be able to manage, but you cannot really lead.”[8] Passion will be a
by-product of Conviction. If we are not committed to a certain belief to the
point of conviction we will not be passionate about the subject and our
leadership will suffer.
Leaders are
thinkers. On the face that does not seem to be a prolific statement. It sounds
like fluff, filler or fodder for the word count, but it is much deeper than
that. Mohler claims that most people do not like to think. By thinking, he is
speaking of thinking in a concerted, critical and careful way. The leader must
be completely committed to the truth.
Again, that sounds simplistic, but to lead effectively, he or she must
be a disciple of Christ. Christ made the comment, “…I am the way, the truth and
the life…”[9]
We communicate with people every day in one form of interaction or another. This does not mean we are skilled at communication. Effective leaders must be. Mohler says that there are three hallmarks of powerful communication. The first is clarity. It is essential to good communication not to let your message become tangled and ill-conceived. Some leaders attempt to “speak over” their hearers. In other words, they speak to the crowd in the most prodigious manner they can find in a thesaurus, until their entire oration becomes jumbled.
The second
hallmark of powerful communication is consistency.
An effective leader with always be speaking in the same manner; not one way
today and another style tomorrow. That is because he is consistent.
Inconsistency reveals a lack of conviction, and a lack of conviction makes the
leadership a non sequitur.
The third
and final hallmark of powerful communication is courage. The trait of courage is needed because if your message has
any conviction whatsoever, it is certain to be a point of opposition for
someone. Courage to face opposition and criticism, and to defend your own
arguments are essential to effective leadership. Mohler writes that if you lack
courage and are offended easily, you should probably steer clear of leadership
roles.
In this day
when weak leadership and poor management are the rule and not the exception, I
believe Mohler has done an excellent job of getting his message out in a way
that may be accepted. Church and Ministry leadership have been hurt drastically
in the last couple of decades due to unwise financial management and immoral
decisions made by evangelists and pastors. The time has come for effective
leadership which may be held accountable in all areas.
Leaders
must make decisions which will be deemed unpopular by some. According to
Mohler, “Leaders have to bear the burden of right decisions that hurt.”[10]
CONCLUSION
At a time
when many look at organized religion as fraudulent and non-Biblical, Dr. Mohler
has written a book that motivates the reader to do more. As Mohler states,
leadership is not for everyone. Someone has to follow, but they should be picky
as to whom they do follow. He wrote more about the character and requirements
of a leader than he did describing what the leader should do.
Any leader
who is worthy of the title wants his organization to succeed, both now and even
after he has gone. He has worked hard at growing the organization and has
usually had to sacrifice to accomplish some of his goals. For a leader to
pretend that he doesn’t care one way or another about his legacy, is
disingenuous. Rupert Murdoch, who owns many media companies and is one of the
world’s wealthiest people claims to be in that league. “I’m not looking for a
legacy.”[11]
Mohler’s closing remark is all about legacy. “Your legacy is all that remains when you are gone. Do you have any idea what that legacy will be? Answering that question honestly is part of what it means to have the conviction to lead.”[12]
I enjoyed reading this title and I give it 4 stars out of 5.
- Cliff Eastham
2. Ibid.,
16.
3. Ibid.,
36.
5. Ibid.,
52.
6. Ibid.,
55.
7. Ibid.,
72.
9. The
Holy Bible, King James Version. John
14:6.
12. Ibid.,
213.
