Leadership Reading List

Hot List - don't miss these!

Leadership Can Be Taught by Sharon Daloz Parks

The Courage to Teach by Parker Palmer

Luther on Vocation by Gustaf Wingren

Leadership Classics

Execution: The Disicpline of Getting Things Done by Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan

Leadership by James McGregor Burns

Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies by James Collins and Jerry Porras

Leaders: Strategies for Taking Charge by Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus

Leadership and the New Science: Learning About Organizations from an Orderly Universe by Margaret Wheatley

In Search of Excellence: Lessons from America's Best-Run Companies by Thomas Peters and Robert Waterman

The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of the Learning Organization by Peter Senge

Stewardship: Choosing Service over Self-Interest by Peter Block

Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness by Robert Greenleaf

Leadership is an Art by Max DePree

Good to Great by Jim Collins

On Leadership by John W. Gardner

The Leadership Challenge by James Kouzes & Barry Posner

Leadership Through Lutheran Lenses

(bibliography from talk presented at the Texas District - Lutheran Church Missouri Synod Educator's Conference on November 20, 2006 entitled "Leadership Through Lutheran Lenses.")

Block, P. (1996). Stewardship: Choosing service over self-interest. San Francisco: Berret-Koehler.

Block, P. (2002). The answer to how is yes: Acting on what matters. San Francisco: Berret-Koehler.

Bloomquist, K.L. & Stumme, J. R. (Eds.). (1998). The promise of Lutheran ethics. Minneapolis:

Bolman, L.G. & Deal, T.E. (1997). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Collins, J. C. (2001). Good to great: Why some companies make the leap and others don’t. New York: Harper Business.

Collins, J.C. (1994). Built to last: Successful habits of visionary companies. New York: Harper Business.

DePree, M. (1997). Leading without power: Finding hope in serving community. San Francisco:    Jossey-Bass.

Hagen, K. (2002). A critique of Wingren on Luther on Vocation. Lutheran Quarterly (16), 249-273.

Hall, D.J. (2003). The cross in our context: Jesus and the suffering world. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress.

Killen, P.O. & DeBeer, J. (1995). The art of theological reflection. New York: Crossroad Publishing.

Koehler, E.W.A. (1971). A summary of Christian doctrine: A popular presentation of the teachings of the Bible. St. Louis, MO: Concordia.

Kohn, A. (1999). Punished by rewards: The trouble with gold stars, incentive plans, A’s, and praise. Boston, MA: Houghton-Mifflin.

Kolb, R. &  Wengert, T.J. (2001). The book of concord: The confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress Press

Kolb, R. (1982). God calling ‘Take care of my people’: Luther’s concept of vocation in the Augsburg Confession and its Apology. Concordia Journal, January 1982, 4-11.

Morgan, G. (1998). Images of organizations: The executive edition. San Francisco: NBerret-Koehler.

Nouwen, H.J.M. (1971). Creative ministry. New York: Image.

Nouwen, H.J.M. (1995). In the name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian leadership.  New York: Crossroad Publishing.

Nouwen, H.J.M. (1996). Can you drink the cup? Notre Dame, IN: Ave Maria Press.

Palmer, P. (1998a). The courage to teach. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Palmer, P. (2000). Let your life speak: Listening for the voice of vocation. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Placher, W.C. (Ed.). (2005). Callings: Twenty centuries of christian wisdom on vocation. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans.

Senge, P. M. (1990). The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization. New

York: Currency Doubleday.

Senkbeil, H. (1994). Dying to live: The power of forgiveness. St. Louis, MO: Concordia

Veith, G. E. (2002). God at work: Your Christian vocation in all of life. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

Veith, G.E. (1999). The spirituality of the cross. St. Louis, MO: Concordia.

Walther, C. F. W. (1986). The proper distinction between Law and Gospel. St. Louis, MO: Concordia.

Walther, C.F.W. (1973). God’s no and God’s yes: The proper distinction between Law and Gospel. St. Louis, MO: Concordia.

Wingren, G. (957). Luther on vocation. Philadelphia, PA: Muhlenberg.

Leadership and Complexity/Chaos Theory

Leadership and the New Science: Learning About Organization from an Orderly Universe by Margaret Wheatley

Synchronicity: The Inner Path of Leadership by Joseph Jaworski

Rewiring the Corporate Brain: Using the New Science to Rethink How We Structure and Lead Organizations by Danah Zohar

The Wisdom of Crowds by James Surowiecki

Complexity: The Emerging Science at the Edge of Order and Chaos by M. Mitchell Waldrop

Chaos: Making a New Science by James Gleick

Life at the Edge of Chaos: Creating the Quantum Organization by Mark D. Youngblood

Emergence by Stephen Johnson

additional titles to add? send your suggestions to donald.christian@concordia.edu

Leadership Without Power

Leading Without Power by Max DePree

Stewardship: Choosing Service Over Self-Interest by Peter Block

The Answer to How is Yes: Acting on What Matters by Peter Block

Beyond Discipline: From Compliance to Community by Alfie Kohn

Hesselbein on Leadership by Frances Hesselbein

Leadership and Spirit: Breathing New Vitality and Energy into Individuals and Organizations by Russ Moxley

In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership by Henri Nouwen

The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life by Parker Palmer

Turning to One Another: Simple Conversations to Restore Hope to the Future by Margaret Wheatley

A Simpler Way by Margaret Wheatley

The Trusted Leader: Bringing Out the Best in Your People and Your Company by Robert Galford & Anee Siebold Drapeau

Building Community in Schools by Thomas Sergiovanni

additional titles to add? send your suggestions to donald.christian@concordia.edu

Leadership and Interagency Collaboration

Getting Agencies to Work Together by Eugene Bardach

Working Across Boundaries by Russell Linden

Mastering the Art of Creative Collaboration by Robert Hargrove

The Collaboration Challenge by James Austen

Collaborating: Finding Common Ground for Multiparty Properties by Barbara Gray

Working Together? Grounded Perspectives on Interagency Collaboration by Amee Adkins, Catherine Awsumb, George Noblitt & Penny Richards

Nexus: Small Worlds and the Groundbreaking Science of Networks by Mark Buchanan

Restructuring Schools for Collaboration: Promises and Pitfalls by Diana Pounder

Collaborative Leadership by Hank Rubin

Organizing Geniuus: The Secrets of Creative Collaboration by Warren Bennis and Patricia Ward Bierderman

Leadership Ensemble: Lessons in Collaborative Management form the World's Only Conductorless Orchestra by Harry Seifter and Peter Economy

Collaborative Leadership by David Chrislip & Carl Larson

Partnering in Action: A Guide for Building Successful Collaboration across Organizational Boundaries by Diane Fasel

Creating Collaborative Advantage by Cris Huxam

Practical Evaluation for Collaborative Services by James Veale, Raymond Morley and Cynthia Erickson

Collaboration: What Makes it Work by Paul Mattessich, Marta Murray-Close, & Barbara Monsey

additional titles to add? send your suggestions to donald.christian@concordia.edu

Christian Writings that Shape Leadership

Aqua Church: Essential Leadership Arts for Piloting Your Church in Today's Fluid Culture by Leonard Sweet

Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation by Parker Palmer

The Wounded Healer by Henri Nouwen

To Know as We are Known: A Spirituality of Education by Parker Palmer

Creative Ministry by Henri Nouwen

Lion and Lamb: The Relentless Tenderness of Jesus by Brennan Manning

Renewing Your Spiritual Passion by Gordon McDonald

The Search to Belong: Rethinking Intimacy, Community and Small Groups by Joseph Myers

Compassion: A Reflection on the Christian Life by Donald McNeill, Douglas Morrison and Henri Nouwen

The Company of Strangers: Christians and the Renewal of America's Public Life by Parker Palmer

Ruthless Trust by Brennan Manning

Roaring Lambs by Bob Briner

The Promise of Lutheran Ethics edited by Karen Bloomquist and John Stumme

Can You Drink the Cup? by Henri Nouwen

The Active Life: A Spirituality of Work, Creativity and Caring by Parker Palmer

The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis

The Cross in Our Context: Jesus and the Suffering World by Douglas John Hall

Luther on Vocation by Gustaf Wingren

additional titles to add?  send your suggestions to donald.christian@concordia.edu

Understanding Economics

Nothing is Sacred by Robert Barro

The Mystery of Economic Growth by Elhanan Helpman

The Armchair Economist: Economics and Everyday Life by Steven Landsburg

Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science by Charles Wheelan

Globalization and Its Discontents by Jospeh Stiglitz

The Debt and the Deficit: False Alarms/Real Possibilities by Robert Heilbroner and Peter Bernstein

The Worldly Philosophers: The Lives, Times and Ideas of the great Economic Thinkers by Robert Heilbroner

The Fed by Martin Mayer

Determinants of Economic Growth: A Cross-Cultural Empirical Study by Robert Barro

Field Guide to the Global Economy by Sarah Anderson and John Cavanagh

Economic Literacy: What Everyone Needs to Know About Money and Markets by Jacob DeRooy

A Student's Guide to Economics by Paul Heyne***

   ***Paul Heyne was married to my wife's aunt and is considered one of the outstanding writers and teachers in economics.  In addition, he was also an ordained Lutheran pastor.  He died of cancer in 2000. 

The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Golbalization by Thomas Friedman

The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman

The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith

The Secrets of Economic Indicators by Bernard Baumohl

Economics for Dummies by Sean Masaki Flynn

additional titles to add? send your suggestions to donald.christian@concordia.edu

Leadership and the Environment

Blessed Unrest: How the largest social movement in history is restoring grace, justice and beauty to the world by Paul Hawken

Silent Spring by rachel Carson

Deep Economy: The wealth of communities and the durable future by Bill McKibben

Six Degrees: Our future on a hotter planet by Mark Lynas