Leadership is a stewardship. As such, Stanley exhorts young leaders to consider five components of effective and faithful leadership: competence, courage, clarity, coaching, and character. Stanley, a gifted communicator, draws from personal illustrations, professional experience, and biblical examples in order to compile this rich and insightful resource for young leaders. A ( )

good friend of mine lent me this book. The author covers 5 essentials things that a leader needs that are summarized best by the paragraph on page 161

"You must discover and play to your strengths and delegate your weaknesses. You've got to be courageous, and you've got to be clear in the midst of uncertainty. You need to find a leadership coach. And along the way it is absolutely essential that you maintain your character."

The book is written in a very fast paced style. You can tell that the author is very good at speaking to people. It is a pretty high level look at things you should do and always keep in mind as you are leading.

In The Next Generation Leader: 5 Essentials for Those Who Will Shape the Future, author and Pastor Andy Stanley presents five essential principles that current and future leaders must know, work to achieve, and consistently evaluate in order to be people worth following and who leave the world a better place than when they began. Stanley writes to communicate mainly to individuals who are not yet, but are soon to be in positions that will necessarily launch them into leadership and recognition in every occupational field. Although not a comprehensive book on leadership, The Next Generation Leader is a great primer on specific and necessary principles that should be considered by anyone who will find themselves in a position of leadership.

Stanley is the lead Pastor at North Point Community Church in Atlanta, Georgia. The congregation at North Point is made up of over 12,000 members with an average age of 30 years old. Stanley is a graduate of the Dallas Theological Seminary and is married to Sandra, whom he has three children with. Stanley is the son of Dr. Charles Stanley, pastor of the 14,000 member First Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, and twice elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention. Dr. Stanley is also the president and founder of In Touch ministries and has authored several popular Christian Living books. In writing Next Generation Leader, Andy Stanley draws heavily from the experiences of planting and pastoring North Point Community Church as well as being raised by and seeing the leadership model of his father.

Stanley writes to introduce five essential characteristics that are, in his mind, necessary for the success of next generation leaders. He calls these directives the “irreducible minimum,” which include competence, courage, clarity, coaching, and character. He approaches each subject attempting to address the things he wishes were shared with him when he was a young leader, what he knows now that he wishes he knew then and, of everything that could be said of leadership, what is most important and pertinent for up-and-coming leaders. Stanley’s philosophy is that success is succession. “If someone coming along behind me is not able to take what I have offered and build on it, then I have failed in my responsibility to the next generation” (11). Fully implementing the five essentials Stanley presents will, according to him, make a person completely able to build on what is presented and eclipse whatever he has to offer.

Most useful to me was the section written on competence. In discussing competence, Stanley addresses an issue that is, in my best estimate, something that most leaders struggle with on a daily basis in all facets of life. It is incredibly easy to slip into a mindset that being a good leader includes being a well-rounded and having an equal grasp on every facet of the ministry or organization that one is leading. Stanley says of this, “As a leader, gifted by God to do a few things well, it is not right for you to attempt to do everything. Upgrade your performance by playing to your strengths and delegating your weaknesses. This one decision will do more to enhance your productivity than anything else you do as a leader” (33). In other words, “Only do what only you can do” (19). This is valuable advice at a time such as this when the world is speeding up and pressures on leaders to perform increasingly more difficult tasks are mounting. In this light, it is important to remember that, “If you are so fortunate as to gain success in the eyes of the public or within your organization, you will wake up one day to the realization that what was once applauded as exceptional is now expected. It is more exciting to win the world heavyweight championship than it is to defend it” (136). One must be diligent in his efforts to guard himself and his family, lest he fall into the trap of becoming involved in more and more tasks while accomplishing less and less.

I am convinced and affected by Stanley’s conclusions, but am somewhat disappointed at his choosing of words to describe the Church. Often, he refers to North Point as an organization or as an enterprise. I choose to see the church as the biblical definition, the bride of Christ, and as a community of believers who love Jesus and love one another. While the principles presented in Next Generation Leader apply to leadership roles across the occupational spectrum, some of the descriptions offered do not necessarily fit a biblical church with the intention of changing lives and reaching people who know not Christ. Leading a church should not include thoughts of growing a business, increasing a personal following, or increasing income. While I want to be a leader worth following, I want all my leading to point to Christ. I think it unfortunate that Stanley has left that analysis out of this book. In other words, I agree that each of these principles is important for a leader, but they should all be viewed in the context of glorifying God and creating an environment of spiritual growth and involvement. Additionally, I think the most essential element for next generation leaders to consider is a deeply intimate relationship with Jesus Christ through fervent prayer and in-depth, theologically grounded Bible study. None of the essentials that Stanley points out matter if they don’t point to Christ.

Stanley’s writing style is engaging and easy to read, while filled with practical advice and timeless wisdom from several years of experience. I recommend Next Generation Leader: 5 Essentials for Those Who Will Shape the Future to any leader, young or old, as a reminder, at a minimum, of some of the important characteristics necessary to become and effective and God honoring leader. Stanley accomplished his goal in writing this book and will have a significant impact on the generations of leadership to come. ( )

3 audio CD's