Book Review: Practicing Greatness

I've read a lot of books on leadership but rarely have I come across one that delves so deeply to the core of what makes a truly great leader. If you're looking for a book that will help you with the mechanics of organization or time management then look elsewhere. If, instead, you want to understand those aspects of a spiritual leader that make them worthy of following then I heartily recommend Reggie McNeal's book, "Practicing Greatness: 7 Disciplines of Extraordinary Spiritual Leaders".

You can read the reviews on Amazon or other sites but to whet your appetite here are the seven disciplines:

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  The discipline of self-awareness—the single most important body of information a leader possesses.


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  The discipline of self-management—handling difficult emotions, expectations, temptations, mental vibrancy, and physical well-being.
  


• The discipline of self-development—a life-long commitment to learning and growing and building on one's strengths.
  


• The discipline of mission—enjoying the permissions of maintaining the sense of God's purpose for your life and leadership.
  


• The discipline of decision-making—knowing the elements of good decisions and learning from failure.
  


• The discipline of belonging—the determination to nurture relationships and to live in community with others, including family, followers, mentors, and friends.
  


• The discipline of aloneness—the intentional practice of soul-making solitude and contemplation.
  

I've also read McNeal's book, "A Work of Heart : Understanding How God Shapes Spiritual Leaders" which I also found great value in. I'm looking forward to reading more books by this author and other books in the J-B Leadership Network Series.