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Category Books

The Genesis of Leadership »

Authors: Nathan Laufer, Joseph I. Lieberman (Foreword by), Michael Hammer
ISBN-13: 9781580232418, ISBN-10: 1580232418
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Jewish Lights Publishing
Date Published: May 2006
Edition: (Non-applicable)

Author Biography: Nathan Laufer

Book Synopsis

We all know the Bible as a resource for spiritual growth and moral lessons. But it can also be read as a profoundly instructive guide for leadership success in business, government and organizational life. The Bible offers us many relevant examples of people who stepped up to lead and overcame the obstacles and hardships built into the leadership enterprise.

This insightful book identifies the important and readily applicable lessons in the stories of the Bible s first five books. It highlights the:
* Litmus tests of true leaders
* Ten guiding principles for effective leadership
* Eight recurring challenges that leaders face
* Legacy of leadership succession

Nathan Laufer fleshes out valuable examples that will resonate with anyone involved in corporate or organizational leadership today.

Find out which paths to take and which to avoid in these stories and more:
* Authority and control: God, Adam and Eve
* Heroes who fail to lead: Noah and the flood
* Leaders are made, not born: The story of Abraham
* Leadership by deceit: Jacob and Esau
* The crucible of leadership: Joseph in Egypt
* Leading change: The God and Moses leadership team

Bk. I	In the beginning ... : relationships, responsibility, and the primacy of values in leadership	7
	Defining leadership	9
	Leadership, trust, and responsibility	11
	Three circles of responsibility	12
	God, Adam, and Eve	14
	God and the human condition	17
	Know where you are going : the importance of foreseeing the consequences of your leadership	22
	Heroes who fail to lead : the case of Noah	24
	Self-reflective leadership : God and the flood	27
	Misguided leaders : Babel's builders	29
	Leaders are made, not born : the story of Abraham	32
	The advent of true leadership : becoming your brother's keeper	36
	The long-term rewards of leadership	39
	Discerning leadership	42
	The sacrificial element of leadership	43
	Becoming the stranger's keeper	44
	Leaders make the same mistakes twice	47
	Losing focus as a leader	49
	Taking responsibility for the next generation	49
	Managing conflict responsibilities	52
	Leadership by deceit : Jacob and Esau	54
	The sins of leaders visited upon their successors : Jacob and his family, Joseph and his brothers	62
	Leaders need mentors : Tamar and Judah	67
	The crucible of leadership : Joseph in Egypt	69
	The abuse of leadership : Joseph and his Egyptian brethren	77
Bk. II	The ten guiding principles of leadership	83
	Leading change	87
	Principle 1 : create urgency!	89
	Principle 2 : care deeply and act courageously	92
	Principle 3 : develop double vision	99
	Principle 4 : recruit a guiding coalition	107
	Principle 5 : establish positioning to secure legitimacy and authority to lead : build credibility and trust by promising and delivering	111
	Principle 6 : communicate, communicate, communicate!	121
	Principle 7 : implement the vision	125
	Principle 8 : establish the vision by codifying the values, policies, and laws necessary for actualizing the vision	136
	Principle 9 : institutionalize the vision by building sacred space and carving out sacred times	144
	Principle 10 : protect the vision by dealing decisively with detractors	156
Bk. III	The challenges of leadership	165
	Why leaders are responsible for their followers' decline	167
	Challenge 1 : to not abandon the people like "a flock without a shepherd"	172
	Challenge 2 : to halt losing streaks ASAP	181
	Challenge 3 : to "hold" the people and not falter or otherwise communicate indecisiveness in their presence	188
	Challenge 4 : to fulfill our promises and explain sudden strategic changes	197
	Challenge 5 : to maintain the sense of urgency	204
	Challenge 6 : to not overmanage and underlead	207
	Challenge 7 : to avoid unnecessary hierarchies, nepotism, and even the appearance of impropriety	212
	Challenge 8 : to compromise, be flexible, and not become pharaoh	216
Bk. IV	The legacy of leadership	225
	Evaluating leadership success	227
	Ceding power and appointing successors	234
	Assuring multigenerational leadership	235
	Establishing self-sustaining systems of governance	238
	Recording your legacy	240