The Articles Library, Section 7
What does “Christian” mean on Monday morning?
LEARN TO LEAD FAITHFULLY

William Pollard
The ServiceMaster Company is a global corporation, operating in more than 40 countries and generating annual revenues of several billion dollars. But it is also a company whose first objective is “To honor God in all we do.” In this excerpt, its former Chairman explains the company’s connection between honoring God and generating profits.

Henri Nouwen
Henri Nouwen (1932-1996) was a Dutch-born Catholic priest whose 40 books have been widely read by Catholics and Protestants alike. In his later years, his ministry shifted from teaching ivy-leaguers at Harvard to pastoring at Daybreak, one of the L’Arche communities for mentally handicapped people. Soon after that transition, Fr. Nouwen was invited to give a series of talks about Christian leadership to a group of clergy, talks that were eventually published under the title In the Name of Jesus. This article shares the essence of Nouwen’s ideas from that book.

Nancy Pearcey
“The central problem of our age is not liberalism or modernism,” writes Francis Schaeffer–or even hot-button social issues like evolution, abortion, radical feminism, or homosexual rights. The primary threat to the church is the “tendency to do the Lord’s work in the power of the flesh rather than the Spirit.” This paradigm-changing excerpt from Pearcey’s book, Total Truth, presents an essential alternative for every ministry leader.

Michael Zigarelli
See the video version of this article
How should Christians in managerial and leadership positions make decisions? Here’s one time-honored tool that can keep us on track.

Michael Zigarelli
There’s a standard process for getting better results – a classic approach that traces its roots to Deming and Drucker, among the wisest management thinkers of the 20th century. And it applies just as much to your personal life as it does to your professional life.

Max DePree
A dozen qualities of an effective leader, presented by a Christian CEO with more than forty years of corporate experience. Here is the culminating chapter in his bestselling book, Leadership Jazz.

Corne J. Bekker
It might not come as a surprise that Jim Collins was not the first person to describe the power of leadership humility. Fifteen hundred years ago, Benedict of Nursia, a Christian monk, offered time-honored, twelve step process for how every leader (and anyone else) can develop this elusive quality.

Andy Stanley
In the world of athletics, nobody performs his way out of needing a coach. In the world of leadership, though, we operate under the misguided assumption that because we are leaders, we don’t need to be led.

Michael Zigarelli
See the video version of this article
Want to succeed in your career and reflect the love of God at the same time? Your interpersonal skills will make a difference. At work, in the home, at church, around the neighborhood and just about everyplace else, these skills can enhance your ability to both get things done and to model Christ. In this article, the author offers an extensive and practical list of people skills strategies.

Michael Zigarelli
The prospect of terminating an employee can turn even the most seasoned business professional into a nail-biting novice. And when that professional is also a Christian, there’s the added difficulty of reconciling the firing with God’s call to servanthood, forgiveness, and love. Here’s a Biblical approach that comport with both God’s law and man’s law.
John Wooden on Success
John Wooden and Steve Jamison
John Wooden, 1911-2010, is widely-acclaimed as the most successful college basketball coach in history, having led the UCLA Bruins men’s team to ten NCAA national championships in twelve years. But “winning” is not how Coach Wooden defined success. Here are two brief excerpts from his bestseller, Wooden on Leadership.

Set Greater Expectations
Anson Dorrance and Tim Nash
Anson Dorrance is the women’s soccer coach at the University of North Carolina. Under his leadership, this Division 1 team has won 21 of the last 31 NCAA championships, compiling a winning percentage of .935 and at one point, a 101-game unbeaten streak. How do they do it? And what can other leaders learn from Dorrance’s experience? The starting point, he says, is to set the bar very high.

How Excellence Happens: Seven Lessons from the Winningest College Soccer Program in America
Michael Zigarelli
From 2000 to 2010, the Messiah College soccer program–the men’s team and women’s team combined–posted the best record in NCAA soccer: 472 wins, 31 losses, and 20 ties. Few programs were even close. Seventeen Final Fours between them during this time. Eleven national titles. Unbeaten streaks measured not only in games, but in seasons.
How do they do it? What’s their secret of success? They use what might be called “the Messiah method,” seven disciplines that propelled these teams from decent to dynasty. They’re seven disciplines that can supercharge your team, too.

Essential Lessons from Peter Drucker
John Pearson
Of all the lessons Peter Drucker taught us, what are the most essential? And how can we continue to learn from this remarkable man? Consultant John Pearson, former President of the Christian Management Association, offers some insight in his practical book, Mastering the Management Buckets.

Free Resources from Harvard Business Review
Videos: The HBR Channel on iTunes (3-5 minute management tips)
Audios: The HBR Ideacast (podcasts of about 10 minutes each, mostly interviews with business leaders and authors). Also available iTunes by clicking here
Commentaries: The HBR Business Blog (insight on business trends and events; easily searchable)