"

The Longview by Roger Parrott was a surprise for me.   I heard Dr. Parrott speak at a conference and I liked how he contrasted sailing with powerboats as a metaphor for leadership.  So I bought the book.  What I found was a solid, well written book on leadership which touched on several areas I have rarely come across, and yet I personally believe to be crucial.  Dr. Parrott is the President of Bellhaven College, in Jackson Mississippi, yet what he shares about leadership is as much about the local church as it is about leading a college.  Pastor's will get great value out of this book and definitely need to read the chapters:  "Vulnerability May Get You in, but Humility Keeps You there"  and "Shepherding a Vision Without Scaring Away the Flock."  The 250 pages of material is divided into 13 chapters.  The book is easy to read and organized in a way that is interesting and applicable.  While not a comprehensive book on leadership, it covers the basics while discussing some interesting and often overlooked aspects of leadership.   Some significant quotes are included below.  If you are looking for a good book to use in developing your staff or lay leaders, this one would make a good study.  If you are looking for a good book on leadership to develop yourself - I highly recommend it.

"While a show of vulnerability brings with it immediate gratification for a leader seeking support, it also attracts critics in the same way blood in the water attacks sharks ready to attack. One of my looming concerns for leadership in today's environment is the difficulty of remaining at one ministry for a significant length of time. One of the reasons for this is leaders' increasing tendency to resort to these short-sighted quests for camaraderie among those they seek to lead. Leaders who wish to go the distance must learn to reject the empty promise or ‘transparency’ before their critics make it out to be a disqualifying fault." p. 67

"To develop a culture of renewal, you must become comfortable living with the ambiguous balance of growth and pruning in your working relationships." p. 96

Leaders who neglect effective evaluation and measured accountability may avoid short-term hassles and awkward conversations, but they are undermining the long-term future of their organization, their employees, and their own leadership" p. 101

"Good leaders must envision, probe, and then explore new opportunities. But it is equally important they always return to inspire, lead, and equip others who can follow them and fully utilize the leader's advances." p. 171

"We can deploy plans, strategies, and best practices, but at the end of the day we require a determined godly focus to make it far into the future with those we lead." p. 237