Know Your Story and Lead with It

by Richard L. Hester, Kelli Walker-Jones

Knowing your story is an essential component of effective leadership, but finding your story among the myriad narratives that fill your life isn't a simple task. Richard L. Hester and Kelli Walker-Jones have offered a path to finding your own story amid the powerful family and cultural narratives that may be obscuring your vision. The aim of this book is to show leaders how to explore their story of reality, tell it to other group members, and consider how it can be used as a resource for leadership. This narrative perspective holds that because there's always more than one story about a situation, we have choices about which story we will embrace. After more than six years working with groups of clergy, the authors have woven these stories together to create the fabric that is the backdrop of narrative clergy leadership. The book is an account of their pilgrimage. As you read you will have a sense that this is your pilgrimage, and it will encourage you into narrative ventures of your own.

Genres: Leadership, Nonfiction

182 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Cindy Buckshon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was recommended this book about 5 years ago and forgot I had it on my Kindle app until recently. While I am not a member of the clergy, for whom the book is mainly written, there are useful principles for everyone. The book is about narratives, and how knowing our own stories as well as hearing those of others in our lives can help us navigate the world, particularly in ministry leadership roles. The concept of operating from a place of"not knowing" in our relationships with others was particularly useful.

The book is mainly based on experiences from a small group process where clergy leaders learned to process what they are experiencing in a safe space. Featuring stories from group members, the reader is guided into the group format and experience. The last portion of the book is instructions about how to operate one of these groups and would be helpful to members of the clergy who would like to create a safe space to explore their stories and how they can apply what they learn to their leadership of their congregations.

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Useful practical helpful. I will USE this book.

[Kara Koester · Rating 3 out of 5]

A valuable book for assisting clergy in engaging story work.

[Kyle Janison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arguably, a cause for Americans’ decreased interest in organized religion comes from a top-down leadership approach in various churches. While this may be a cause for disenfranchisement, it hardly diminishes Americans’ spiritual longings. Richard Hester and Kelli Walker-Jones in “Know Your Story” offer a better solution: Pastors must employ relational leadership, or one in which they walk with their congregations via intentionality and engagement. Hester and Walker-Jones lay out why pastors must lead this way and as importantly describe to them how they can do so. This book ought to be on the reading lists of seminaries across the country.

[Kate Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of best books on doing story work with clergy that I've read so far. A good introduction to story work for those who don't have time for a multi-year-degree or experiential deep dive through participating in a facilitated story group before wanting to launch their own (though there are ethical questions to consider in that scenario). The questions and formats here are solid starting points.

[Shawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read about how to live out your story and invite others to live out their's. I found the most refreshing part to be the idea of knowing your story and learning how to help others discover theirs...and God's by seeking transformation, not success.

[Gerald]

I like the concept of leading from a not knowing position. Many helpful insights.

[Elsa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book confirms my longing for such a clergy group but misses the mark on explaining what narrative leadership might look like in ministry.