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Upside-Down Leadership: Rethinking Influence and Success
Everyday people may not see themselves as successful, influential leaders and there are plenty of stale human expectations to discourage. Yet the lives and words of biblical persons, other historic servant leaders, great missionaries, and contemporary witnesses boost us with fresh perspectives. These lives with unique points of view bind the cynicism that might paralyze us, and release hope that fuels our individual ability to have true impact. Graffiti Church pastor and leader Taylor Field creatively challenges us to flip conventional ideas upside down, escape clichés on leadership, and to see real leadership principle revealed as right side up. Everyday readers involved in community service, church, and missions will find current, practical, realistic, and diverse illustrations―simple, short, biblical, and cross-cultural―that help people to transcend barriers and powerfully influence the faith community and beyond.
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
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18 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 7, 2018
Thank you for a awesome eye opening book of encouragement.
Thank you for opening my eyes. In this book l found out that serving is not a cookie cutter way ,always doing the same thing and getting the same results. I know know that it's time to stop fighting the urge to be different, God is showing me what to do, regardless of how others tell me what will and won't work. Thank you again for the changes that are coming.
Thank you for opening my eyes. In this book l found out that serving is not a cookie cutter way ,always doing the same thing and getting the same results. I know know that it's time to stop fighting the urge to be different, God is showing me what to do, regardless of how others tell me what will and won't work. Thank you again for the changes that are coming.
December 4, 2022
Very practical. Very easy read. There were some parts that were a bit redundant but I think that it really got me to rethink a lot of how I live life following God.
May 18, 2012
I received this book as an uncorrected, unformatted digital proof, so some of what I say here, will probably be reflective of that format, and I'll assume many of the issues I came across due to grammatical, typographical, and clarity concerns have been resolved. Unfortunately, the nature of publishing these days proves that assumption inaccurate but still, I'll offer the benefit of the doubt and try to overlook that aspect of the book.
Now, onto the content itself... Upside-Down Leadership attempts to apply the counter-cultural teachings of Jesus to leadership principles. There are a number of quotable points throughout the book that I highlighted in my Kindle and the overarching thesis is hard to argue with from a Christian perspective. The truth of the matter is that Jesus did teach a different method, ultimately a different perspective on life. Success in God's Kingdom means something entirely different than success in this world.
Field's principles do read as counterintuitive, especially against the backdrop of most modern leadership guidelines. For instance, "Think inside the box" and "Get off the cutting edge," two concepts that run full in the face of conventional wisdom. In a world that praises constant motion, continuous grasping for the next rung, and the endless search for the "next big thing," Field encourages us to stand still, take a deep breathe, and be content with what we have. All of which, I agree with, but these principles only make sense in the context of eternity.
Overall, I largely agree with the book's thesis, though I will caution, it's presented more conceptually than practically. And, at least my version took some significant concentration to bridge the gaps where editing was absent (at times, it felt as though I was reading the book upside down), so I imagine some of that remains. It's still a good book to read and ponder.
-from trudatmusic[dot]com[slash]raw
Now, onto the content itself... Upside-Down Leadership attempts to apply the counter-cultural teachings of Jesus to leadership principles. There are a number of quotable points throughout the book that I highlighted in my Kindle and the overarching thesis is hard to argue with from a Christian perspective. The truth of the matter is that Jesus did teach a different method, ultimately a different perspective on life. Success in God's Kingdom means something entirely different than success in this world.
Field's principles do read as counterintuitive, especially against the backdrop of most modern leadership guidelines. For instance, "Think inside the box" and "Get off the cutting edge," two concepts that run full in the face of conventional wisdom. In a world that praises constant motion, continuous grasping for the next rung, and the endless search for the "next big thing," Field encourages us to stand still, take a deep breathe, and be content with what we have. All of which, I agree with, but these principles only make sense in the context of eternity.
Overall, I largely agree with the book's thesis, though I will caution, it's presented more conceptually than practically. And, at least my version took some significant concentration to bridge the gaps where editing was absent (at times, it felt as though I was reading the book upside down), so I imagine some of that remains. It's still a good book to read and ponder.
-from trudatmusic[dot]com[slash]raw
January 20, 2016
The secular view of success sucks us in with its numbers and fame, but this little book quietly reminds us of God's view on the subject- quite the opposite. The world teaches us to think bigger, bigger...but God often uses the small things and what seems to be the unimportant people to achieve His missions. Really a good book for those in leadership positions who need to see a new way of looking at things.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews