The Mythical Leader

Pastor and popular blogger, Ron Edmondson exposes some of the common misunderstandings of leadership through stories from his own experiences, helping leaders develop healthier patterns of individual leadership. Being a leader involves much more than holding a title. And simply having a leader doesn't ensure success. This reality has never been more prevalent in the church than now, when so many churches are considered to be plateaued or dying. Pastor and popular blogger, Ron Edmondson believes this is due to a misunderstanding of what leadership is and what it isn't. In his work with hundreds of pastors and churches, the most common need he encounters is the need for more effective leadership in the local church. Seminaries may prepare pastors to preach, just as colleges may prepare teachers to teach, but who prepares pastors to lead? Simply stated: The church needs better leadership. In The Mythical Leader, Edmondson exposes some of the most common misunderstandings of leadership, shares stories from his own experiences, and will help church leaders develop healthier patterns to improve their individual leadership. While most people may have a preliminary understanding of many of these myths, they often are not lived out with a great degree of depth in the life of the church leader. Don't fall prey to these myths! If gone untreated they can be the very thing that prevents a good leader from leading well.

My mouth watered when first I saw the publication of this title, as it promised a next step in the exploration of cultural phenomena from within a culture s view and vision of itself. George Simons, Delta Intercultural Academy Essential reading for all practitioners and researchers who seek to gain greater insights on cultural differences and leadership competencies. Rosalie Tung, Simon Fraser University, Past President, Academy of Management and author of 11 books including Learning from World Class Companies This fascinating collection of local mythology shows how widely leadership models differ across nations, and how deeply these differences are rooted. True global leadership is based on empathy with local variety. Geert Hofstede, Maastricht University, The Netherlands, author of Culture s Consequences: Comparing Values, Behaviors, Institutions and Organizations Across Nations I have yet to come across a more captivating study of global leadership patterns. The reader is taken into largely unchartered territory linking globalisation, culture and leadership. Delving deep into folklore, mythology and spirituality we begin to understand how these are manifested in human behaviour and are exhibited in leadership styles. A must-read! S. Ramadorai, CEO of Tata Consultancy Services . . . intriguing and worthy book . . . If you are a voracious reader of books on leadership and management style, this 4 part book does provide copious food for thought. The extensive bibliographies at the end of every article/chapter offer excellent suggestions for your further reading and research and it s a great series of 21st century critical commentaries. The Barrister Magazine This ground-breaking book explains how deep-seated cultural mythologies shape contemporary global leaders and provides insights into navigating the dynamics and complexities in today s era of globalization. The authors use myths to uncover core characteristics and values from 20 different cultural contexts spanning all major regions of the world the Americas, Europe, Africa and the Middle East, and Asia and the Pacific Rim that have evolved over generations and continue to shape global leadership models. Commentaries are included from practicing managers and leaders to provide real world insights on the implications of the ideas discussed. International managers and executives, public officials, business consultants and corporate trainers will welcome the insights on cross-cultural leadership styles. The book will also find interest from researchers and students across a broad array of professional and social science disciplines.

An instant national bestseller! Stanley McChrystal, the retired US Army general and bestselling author of Team of Teams, profiles thirteen of history’s great leaders, including Walt Disney, Coco Chanel, and Robert E. Lee, to show that leadership is not what you think it is—and never was. Stan McChrystal served for thirty-four years in the US Army, rising from a second lieutenant in the 82nd Airborne Division to a four-star general, in command of all American and coalition forces in Afghanistan. During those years he worked with countless leaders and pondered an ancient question: “What makes a leader great?” He came to realize that there is no simple answer. McChrystal profiles thirteen famous leaders from a wide range of eras and fields—from corporate CEOs to politicians and revolutionaries. He uses their stories to explore how leadership works in practice and to challenge the myths that complicate our thinking about this critical topic. With Plutarch’s Lives as his model, McChrystal looks at paired sets of leaders who followed unconventional paths to success. For instance. . . · Walt Disney and Coco Chanel built empires in very different ways. Both had public personas that sharply contrasted with how they lived in private. · Maximilien Robespierre helped shape the French Revolution in the eighteenth century; Abu Musab al-Zarqawi led the jihadist insurgency in Iraq in the twenty-first. We can draw surprising lessons from them about motivation and persuasion. · Both Boss Tweed in nineteenth-century New York and Margaret Thatcher in twentieth-century Britain followed unlikely roads to the top of powerful institutions. · Martin Luther and his future namesake Martin Luther King Jr., both local clergymen, emerged from modest backgrounds to lead world-changing movements. Finally, McChrystal explores how his former hero, General Robert E. Lee, could seemingly do everything right in his military career and yet lead the Confederate Army to a devastating defeat in the service of an immoral cause. Leaders will help you take stock of your own leadership, whether you’re part of a small team or responsible for an entire nation.

WINNER: CMI Management Book of the Year 2019 - Aspiring Leaders Category The best leaders are born, not made. The best leaders are always in control. The best leaders are those with the highest IQs. But are they really? The thinking surrounding what makes the greatest leaders is increasingly muddled by stereotypes, snake oil promises and pseudo-science. The best leaders rely on fact, not fads. Myths of Leadership blasts away the fluff and confronts false legends head on. Jo Owen uses the most credible research to analyze each myth, using international business case studies, leadership theory and insightful interviews, to uncover the truth. This is a compelling and practical examination of the most pervasive misconceptions about leadership that will help you elevate your own leadership abilities, better inspire your team and empower your organization by thinking differently. Entertaining but evidence-based, Myths of Leadership throws out the management jargon and skewers over-hyped leadership trends to bring you the best practical tips you need to become a better leader.

In this exciting addition to the field of leadership development, author Barbara Curry charts a course for women as leaders on their own terms. Curry moves beyond traditional, formulaic conceptions to examine leadership as a fluid, adaptive process closely entwined with adult development. Drawing from philosophical, sociological, and physiological explorations of the leader persona, Curry approaches leadership as an interdisciplinary art. She casts aside mythical characterizations of leadership to illuminate a more holistic conceptual framework that fosters the development of authentic leadership. Using portraits of eight women in high-level leadership roles, Curry probes the kinds of conflict that often accompany women’s ascendancy to positions of power. Thoughtfully, Curry examines the constellation of character traits and environmental circumstances that enable individuals to perceive of themselves as leaders and to function productively in such roles. The book’s dynamic approach provides a bridge between explanation and proactive intervention, offering guidance for organizations and institutions aiming to encourage employees’ ascendancy to leadership positions. Through incisive analysis of the psychological and sociological evolution of women’s emergence in leadership roles, the Developing Leader Persona will enable both women and men to don the mantle of leadership with increased confidence.

A major problem in the local church today is lack of leadership. Simply put, we have more needs than we have leaders to meet those needs. So, how do we train better leaders faster? The truth is, very few churches really have a well-thought-out leadership development plan. Growth requires continually adding healthy new leaders, who carry the church culture forward and embody its core values. Everyone knows it, but how do we achieve it? In Empowering Leadership author and leadership consultant Michael Fletcher says leaders like this can't simply be bought, nor can they be hired from someone else's leadership assembly line. Developing leaders at every level, to create an environment that attracts potential leaders, and to build better leaders faster, an organization needs more than a pipeline. It needs a culture that develops leaders organically. Finding the right kind of leaders to guide your church on a path of continual growth comes out of keeping the right focus, and that focus is not just on the leaders. In fact, as Fletcher says, It isn't about the leader. It never was about the leader. It will never be about the leader. It will always and only be about Jesus and his people. It's about the people. True leadership development includes the often messy, but necessary, interaction of life upon life. So hiring pastors and key staff roles from within the church is the very best policy—people who "breathe" the culture of the church and who have helped create the culture you want to maintain. If your church or organization needs a good leadership development structure, then you're holding the right book. Empowering Leadership details Michael's greatest insights on how to build better leaders faster by creating a leadership development culture in your church or organization—naturally, organically, continually. Empower your church or organization through great leadership. This book will show you how!

Nielsen presents the "peer-based" organization, which uses rotating peer leadership councils and cross-functional task forces to manage the organization's work

This volume addresses textbooks written in the Albanian language and in use in Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia and Serbia. Political myths and mythical spaces play a key role in shaping processes of identity-building, concepts of ‘self’ and ‘other’, and ideas pertaining to the location of the self and nation within a post-conflict context. The Albanian case is particularly interesting because the majority of Albanians live outside the borders of Albania, despite the existence of the nation-state, which gives rise to fascinating complexities regarding the shaping of national identities and myths surrounding concepts of ‘self’ and ‘other’. What textbooks teach is always of political interest, as they represent society’s intentions for its next generation. This renders identity-building processes via textbooks in this context a particularly fascinating topic for research, here examined through the lens of myths and mythical spaces.