The Shaping of an Effective Leader

Leadership is both an art and a science.We may be tempted to look for a sure-fire formula, but the reality is quite different: effective leaders are exceptional generalists rather than narrow specialists. The best leaders take what the best business experts have to offer, and apply that based on their own abilities, experience and judgment. And these leaders seek real-life mentors and learn from them.Gayle Beebe, who has spent over a decade as a college president, had the opportunity to study with Peter Drucker, the father of modern management and the author of The Effective Executive. Drawing on Drucker's influence as well as his own years of experiences as a pastor, administrator and president, Beebe has developed a pyramid of leadership principles. The combination of these defines a leader of influence and integrity.In these pages you'll also meet some of Beebe's other mentors: Steve Sample of USC, Harold A. "Red" Poling of Ford Motor Company, Richard Foster of Renovaré, David McKenna of Asbury Seminary and Bob Emmons of SmartFinal.In a day of relentless self-direction, strong leaders have a critical role. With this book you can discover what it takes to be effective in your sphere of influence.



Steve Forbes is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Forbes, Inc. and Editor-in-Chief of Forbes magazine. A widely respected economic prognosticator, he is a four-time winner of the Crystal Owl Award, a prize the U.S. Steel Corporation used to award the financial journalist whose economic forecasts for the coming year proved most accurate.



Gayle D. Beebe (Ph.D., Claremont Graduate University) is president of Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California, and past president of Spring Arbor University in Spring Arbor, Michigan. He served as one of the general editors for The Renovaré Spiritual Formation Bible. He is also author of The Interpretive Role of the Religious Community in Friedrich Schleiermacher and Josiah Royce and coeditor of Keeping the Concept in the Social and Natural Sciences; Keeping the Concept in the Philosophical, Practical and Productive Arts; A Concept to Keep; and Religion and Its Relevance in Post-Modernism.

Preface: "I Think He Said His Name is Peter"


Introduction: Eight Principles of Effective Leadership


Principle 1: The Necessity of Character: The Foundation of Effective Leadership


Principle 2: The Importance of Competence: Threshold Competencies and the Essentials of Effective Leadership


Principle 3: The Advantage of Team Chemistry: The Role of the CEO and the Top Management Team in Creating a Climate of Effectiveness and Success


Principle 4: The Interplay of Culture and Context: The Dynamic Relationship of Organizational Culture and Environmental Context


Principle 5: The Strength of Compatibility and Coherence: Discovering the Right Fit


Principle 6: Leading with Convictions: Making Life's Greatest Impact


Principle 7: Maintaining Our Connections: Facing Our Greatest Leadership Challenge


Principle 8: Making an Ultimate Contribution: Discovering Life's Greatest Purpose


Finis: When Our Time Is Up, Making Sure Our Life Has Mattered


Appendix 1: Vices, Virtues and the Leadership Pyramid


Appendix 2: An Overview of Top Management Work in the Twentieth Century


Appendix 3: Robert Wuthnow's Eight Spheres of Society


Acknowledgments


Notes


Annotated and General Bibliography


Index