I have been a student of leadership for nearly 40 years. I’ve sat through conferences, attended webinars, took classes, taught classes, spoke at conferences, lead workshops, and read a lot of books on the subject. I have my favorite list of books that I think everyone needs to read and many prepared lessons that touch on various aspects of leadership.

After reading this book by Richard Stearns, I will have to not only add it to my list of books that every leader needs to read, but put it towards the top. What Stearns does in this book is to go to the heart of leadership and sets a foundation upon which to build a solid practice of the skills of leadership. That foundation is expressed in the title: Lead Like it Matters to God. According to Stearns, and supported throughout his book with anecdote, scripture, and personal experience, that is exactly right: our efforts to lead DO matter to God. The biblical admonition found in Colossians 3:23-24, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It the Lord Christ you are serving.” (NIV) is merely the starting point for delving into the practical implications of what that means.

Grasping that my leadership in any and every area of life matters to God re-frames everything about the how and why of leadership and the way to lead.  Stearns breaks his book into 20 chapters, each one focusing on as aspect of leading like it matters to God. While you may not resonate with each point, there is certainly enough thought-provoking material here to give any leader pause in considering how and why they lead.

Bottom line: I highly recommend this book for everyone, especially for those in roles of leadership.

Here are some quotes that have hit their mark with me:

“God is looking for leaders ‘after his own heart, winsome leaders who will submit to his leading and trust him for the outcomes. A leader’s character matters more to God.” p. 2

“Values driven leadership is more about character than capabilities, more about being than doing, more about pleasing God than people.” p. 6

“We personally join Jesus’ kingdom revolution by repudiating the values of this world – greed, arrogance, selfishness, hatred, racism, sexism, domination, exploitation, and corruption – and modeling the values of God’s kingdom: love, justice forgiveness, integrity, sacrifice, encouragement, generosity, humility, inclusion, and compassion.” p. 16

“Christian leaders shape and influence institutions, and that matters. Integrity, excellence, humility, forgiveness, encouragement, trust, and courage are values of the kingdom of God.” p. 19

“Your career is just the setting in which you live out your calling to serve as Christ’s ambassador.” p. 40

“When Christians compartmentalize their faith from their work- they enter the workplace not as a tree with roots by the stream but like the tumbleweed, blown about by every crisis, out of touch with the life giving God and unable to rise above worry to bear fruit where they are planted.” p. 59

“The best leaders create a culture of excellence and set a high bar for achievement based not exclusively on outcomes but on fairness, commitment, and effort.” p. 67

“…on of your key responsibilities as a leader is to help the people under your care realize their God-given potential.” p. 79

“As you lead others, give them permission to challenge your thinking and to disagree with you when they believe they have a better idea. Don’t allow yourself to become the ‘emperor without clothes’ whom people are afraid to speak truth to.” p. 88

“We cannot control the ways others conduct themselves in our workplaces, but we can control our response to their actions. And that often means forgiving people who never apologize for their words or their behavior.” p. 141,2

“The best leaders make efforts to become aware of their own weaknesses and shortcomings and to learn to understand the magnified impact of their words and actions can have on others. That’s because the best leaders take the thoughts and feelings of other people into account. A leader who is not self-aware is like a blindfolded child playing pin the tail on the donkey with a very sharp tack – dangerous!” p. 155

“…a great leader understand that he or she is only one member of a larger team that requires the efforts and talents of all its members to flourish.” p. 155

“A leader who achieves a healthy balance in life between  work, family, faith, and rest will broaden their perspective, make better decisions, and set a positive example for their teams.” p. 165

“When leaders persevere in the face of adversity, they create a culture of hope, a culture that invites people to see what’s possible, a culture that believes a better future is attainable. And hope sustains people in the face of great adversity.” p. 209

“A Christian leader can be an island in the storm for people who are hurting in a difficult work environment. If you can personally rise above the anxiety of a stressful situation with a spirit of peace, your steadiness can lift the spirits of those who are struggling.” p. 213