Master Leaders: Revealing Conversations with 30 Leadership Greats

by George Barna, Bill Dallas (Contributor)

Imagine the chance to sit down with 30 of the world’s best-known and best-respected leaders as they share their secrets to success. That’s Master Leaders ―the most valuable leadership book of the decade. Based on personal interviews and never-before-published conversations with “the greats” (including Colleen Barrett, Ken Blanchard, Ben Carson, Tony Dungy, Newt Gingrich, Seth Godin, Patrick Lencioni, and many others), Master Leaders offers 16 key distinctives that you need to know in order to be a successful leader. Co-authored by George Barna ( Revolution ) and Bill Dallas ( Lessons from San Quentin ), and created in partnership with the Church Communications Network, Master Leaders contains top-of-the-line insider information on leading wisely and well . . . from the people who know.

Genres: Leadership

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

George Barna was raised and educated on the East Coast before moving to California in the early 1980s. He held executive positions in advertising, public policy, political campaigns, and media/marketing research before beginning his own company, the Barna Research Group (now The Barna Group), in 1984. The firm analyzes American culture and creates resources and experiences designed to facilitate moral and spiritual transformation. Located in Ventura, California, The Barna Group provides primary research as well as developmental resources and analytic diagnostics. The company has served several hundred parachurch ministries and thousands of Christian churches throughout the country. It has also supplied research to for-profit corporations such as Ford Motor Company, The Walt Disney Company, Visa USA, and Prudential, and has assisted the U.S. Navy and U.S. Army as well.

To date, George Barna has written more than 40 books, predominantly in the areas of leadership, trends, spiritual development, and church health. Included among them are bestsellers such as Revolution, Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions, The Frog in the Kettle, The Power of Vision, and Pagan Christianity? Several of his books have received national awards. He has also written for numerous periodicals and has published various syndicated reports on topics related to faith and lifestyle. He also writes a bimonthly research report, The Barna Update, which is accessed by hundreds of thousands of people through his firm's Web site (www.barna.org). His work is frequently cited as an authoritative source by the media. He has been hailed as "the most quoted person in the Christian church today" and is counted among its most influential leaders. In 2009, George initiated Metaformation, a new organization designed to help people maximize their potential. More information about his current projects is available from www.georgebarna.com.

Barna is a popular speaker at ministry conferences around the world and has taught at several universities and seminaries. He has served as a pastor of a large multiethnic church, has been involved in several church plants, and currently leads an organic church. He has served on the board of directors of various organizations. After graduating summa cum laude from Boston College, Barna earned two master's degrees from Rutgers University. At Rutgers, he was awarded the Eagleton Fellowship. He also received a doctorate from Dallas Baptist University. He lives with his wife and their three daughters in Southern California. He enjoys spending time with his family, writing, reading novels, playing and listening to guitar, relaxing on the beach, visiting bookstores, and eating pizza.

Reviews

[Jmajors · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read Barna before but this was the first book of his that I have read where he uses the idea of a story or setting to communicate his thoughts. The story takes place at conference of 30 great leaders speaking in turn. It is the conversations in the "green room" where all the wisdom is dispensed and discussed

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was Ok. didn't hold my attention very long. Some interesting anticdotes though.

[Edward Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Barna shares leadership thoughts from a wide variety of highly successful and highly respected people, along with his comments. Some people will probably enjoy the rambling, storytelling style, but I found it repetitive and a bit contrived, and felt the added fluff took away from the insights these leaders shared. He provides inspiring and thought provoking quotes, but it’s a lot of pages for a few nuggets.

[Tony Rogers Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book!! It’s pretty much like being mentored from seasoned leaders on a variety of subjects pertaining to what great leaders do, how they think and the impact they make on their followers.

This has become one of my favorite leadership books.

[Paul Adrian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good place to start for those interested in getting started at understanding leadership.

[Yolanda Ortiz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excelente recopilación de conceptos y reflexiones acerca del liderazgo.

[J Samuels · Rating 4 out of 5]

A creative context

An easy read in terms of leadership material. Only drawback was that the wisdom was only drawn from leaders within the USA context. A more global representation of leaders could have made it more applicable for a wider international audience.

[Rick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting premise with an imagined conference where all of these leaders have gathered in one place and the story revolves around the group answering the authors questions while gathered in the green room prior to their onstage presentations. There was much in the way of take aways and I didn't much care for the Christian bent to it although I get it I just don't find much use for it.

[Kevin Coriolan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a nice idea of a book. However, it didn't work for me. There are many great insights into leadership in Master Leaders. The source material is the 30 master leaders, so of course there is good content. But, I didn't enjoy reading the style of the book in the conversational form. It was difficult for me to follow while there were so many people sharing their principles. I think a better form for me would be more in the voice of one person quoting these leaders.

[Patti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creative approach to sharing research info. Great content from an awesome group of masters in the leadership arena.