Leadership Lessons – Book Review
When you want to learn from the lives of others, there are generally two ways to go about it:
- Study those who are masters in their fields and emulate the things that made them great.
- Study those who failed mightily at their jobs did and assiduously avoid their mistakes.
In Leadership Lessons – Avoiding The Pitfalls Of King Saul, authors Ralph K. Hawkins and Richard Leslie Parrott take the latter approach by providing us with an in-depth look into the life of one of the most famous men in history – King Saul of Israel.
Leadership Lessons is the perfect study for those who want to improve their leadership skills but are looking for a unique perspective on the subject. The authors pull you in from the very start with these compelling questions:
- What kind of leader blows up and throws a spear at one of his most trusted commanders?
- What kind of leader attempts to kill his own son, his designated successor, in the middle of a conference?
- What kind of leader customarily sits with his back to the wall so that he cannot be taken by surprise?
- What kind of leader slaughters the inhabitants of an entire town because they have harbored someone whom he perceives to be threatening his leadership?
Leadership Lessons opens by providing us with sound reasons for why we should invest our time in studying the life of a failed leader and introducing us to King Saul. We then study 10 reasons King Saul was such a poor leader – and what we can learn from his failures:
- Saul failed to handle authority with humility.
- Saul failed to break out of his tendency to isolate himself.
- Saul failed to think before he spoke.
- Saul failed to act when the time was right.
- Saul failed to lead his people but let himself be led instead.
- Saul failed to promote or make necessary changes.
- Saul failed to love the people.
- Saul failed to be true to his own ethics.
- Saul failed to admit failure or concede to David.
- Saul failed to consult God.
This book is perfect for use as a Bible Study or a Small Group and comes with Group Discussion or Personal Reflection Questions at the end of each chapter to help you ensure that you are not repeating King Saul’s mistakes!
Leadership Lessons can teach us a lot about ourselves and how we interact with others. If you are a Christian who is involved in ministry or business, I particularly recommend this book to you!
I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.
About Dr. Ralph K. Hawkins
Dr. Ralph Hawkins is associate professor of Religious Studies at Averett University in Danville, Virginia. He is a founding co-chairman of the Society of Biblical Literature Joshua-Judges Section. Dr. Hawkins teaches Bible and archaeology courses, is an ordained minister, and speaks frequently on biblical archaeology and leadership.
About Dr. Richard Parrot
Dr. Richard Parrott is a professor at Trevecca Nazarene University, teaching leadership studies in the areas of business, education, and Christian ministries. Dr. Parrott is also an ordained elder in the Church of the Nazarene with a quarter century of pastoral ministry. He has written several books, including My Soul Purpose; True and Best and Authentic Living; When Pastors Pray.
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- Leadership Lessons is available through Thomas Nelson and Amazon.
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Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher to review. However, the opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
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I’m nearing the end of a Bible study right now on the life of David, and I found the section on his relationship with Saul really eye-opening. I think I would enjoy this book very much! Thanks for sharing this at Booknificent Thursday this week! Hope to see you again soon!
Tina
Thanks,this sounds like a very interesting book