The Steward Leader

Coach. Entrepreneur. Mentor. Executive. Servant. Visionary. Everyone has a different idea of what a leader should be. How can any one person be everything? Scott Rodin brings unity and clarity to this confusing, demanding picture of leadership. He offers a comprehensive model that brings together a biblical understanding of holistic stewardship with the best in leadership studies. Whether in churches, not-for-profit ministries or in business the need for sound leadership is readily apparent. Drawing on his years of experience in development and fundraising and his extensive theological training, Scott Rodin offers a new paradigm--a transformational approach to leadership that is biblically sound, theologically rich and practically compelling.

Steward leadership is a form of leadership that focuses on others, the community and society at large, rather than the self. Many senior leaders and executives across the globe appear to ‘naturally’ move into a stewardship mindset at a ripe age or when their careers have matured, whereas executives of around 30 years old, on average, are typically focused on their personal self-interests. The authors of Steward Leadership: a maturational perspective, who teach MBA courses around the world, wondered how to develop stewards at younger ages and set about creating a framework for stewardship and its requisite behaviour. Their research was conducted among a group of MBA students, testing nine stewardship attributes: personal vision, personal mastery, vulnerability and maturity, risk-taking and experimentation, mentoring, raising awareness, shared vision, valuing diversity, and delivering results. The outcome of the study, which is explored in this book, provides a base-line of attitudes which were tested against various demographic variables. In addition, the authors interviewed industry leaders from around the world to gauge their perspectives on and experience with the concept of stewardship and some of its dimensions, to gain qualitative insights. The results of their research provide the theoretical as well as consulting tools with which organisations can develop stewards, whether through training programmes, mentoring programmes, coaching initiatives and/or personal development practices. The authors believe that stewardship is a more viable and indeed better alternative to current leadership concepts. This book provides a roadmap by which contemporary and upcoming leaders can be guided into developing their leadership abilities – and become the stewards of the future.

1. This is a 'kick-in-the-pants' to those servant leaders, especially the ones in church leadership, who serve their mission to the point of becoming hostages to it. 2. If you desire to live out your calling for the long haul, then you have to reassess who needs to be served first. Your effectiveness to serve and lead others is only as effective as your ability to lead yourself. 3. Steward Leadership is a calling to treat yourself as the Temple you are, renewing your mind around the fact that in order to DO more for your mission effectively, you first have to BE more. 4. This book not only tackles leadership "mind" obstacles, it connects why failing to overcome those obstacles can lead to bodily destruction, burnout, and the 5 pillars of chronic illness that result in conditions such as heart disease, Alzheimer's, hormone imbalances, and auto-immunity problems, obesity, and many more.

Most approaches to nonprofit organizational leadership are borrowed from the for-profit sector. But these models are often inadequate to address the issues nonprofit leaders face. We need a new framework for nonprofit management that is rooted in historical precedent and biblical principles yet is also appropriate for the nonprofit context. Nonprofit consultant and researcher Kent Wilson presents a comprehensive model for steward leadership, in which leaders act as stewards or trustees, never as owners. Scripture and history give concrete examples of stewards who manage resources on behalf of others for the good of others. Wilson applies this classical understanding of the steward to modern organizational management, defining and developing steward leadership as an alternative to its cousin, servant leadership. Steward leadership offers great hope for the transformation and effectiveness of nonprofit leadership for stakeholders, board members, executive directors and staff members. Designed by a nonprofit leader for nonprofit leaders, this fresh approach to leadership gives you a new focus to lead your organization with excellence.

R. Scott Rodin unpacks a theology of the abundant life, which encompasses our world, life and possessions, and appropriately begins with the very being of the Creator.

Leadership by the Good Book will inspire, empower, and equip men and women to lead their businesses, their teams, their ministries, and even their families to greater heights and to have an eternal impact. For David L. Steward, founder and chairman of World Wide Technology, his philosophy for building a successful business is simple and founded on a Biblical principle: "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve" (Mark 10:45 NIV). As a business leader, he says, the first priority is to serve employees. Together with Brandon K. Mann, these two leaders distill their wisdom in this field guide for leaders who want to bring respect, integrity, honesty, and trust to the workplace. Steward and Mann draw from personal experiences as well as share insights and examples of how God's Word has informed and influenced their leadership. Each chapter ends with a section titled Your Leadership Flywheel: Learn, Live, Lead, Legacy, which includes self-reflection questions, application of biblical principles, as well as a prayer.

Block presents models of stewardship, both for entire companies and for individuals, to produce reforms in such areas as human resource practices, performance appraisal, and the role of staff groups.

Transform from leader to steward to drive growth and make an impact Inspiring Stewardship helps leaders drive sustainable development and growth by balancing short- and long-term objectives amidst competing interests. By examining a range of exceptional individual and organisational stewards alongside insights from quantitative studies, this book unlocks the contributions you can make to enhance your influence and secure your legacy. Profiles of leaders from Ratan Tata to Bill Gates illustrate what stewardship really means, and the attributes and characteristics of steward leaders. Are they fundamentally different? Where do they get their exceptional drive and resilience? Why do they shoulder such huge responsibility? Risks, rewards, motivations and actions are explored in depth to give you a real-world view of stewardship, and to show you how to embody these principles in your own everyday life. The notion of stewardship has never been more relevant to business than it is today, as managers struggle to balance present and future interests. This book provides clarity, direction and guidance for more purpose-driven action. Understand the concepts and principles of stewardship Discover characteristics of steward leaders across cultures Learn how stewards have shifted the course of their organisations Examine the capabilities that deepen organisational resilience Today, ownership of firms is increasingly fragmented, investment structures are more and more complex and the time horizons of investors, executives and owners do not always coincide. Inspiring Stewardship helps you break through the tension and drive sustainable growth through adaptability and good leadership.