Christian Book Award Finalist

The Kind of Leadership that Lasts in Times of Change

What type of leadership is needed in a moment that demands adaptive change?

Tod Bolsinger, leadership expert and author of Canoeing the Mountains, is uniquely positioned to explore the qualities of adaptive leadership in contexts ranging from churches to nonprofit organizations. In Tempered Resilience, he deftly examines both theexternal challenges we face and the internal resistance that holds us back.

Bolsinger writes: "To temper describes the process of heating, holding, hammering, cooling, and reheating that adds stress to raw iron until it becomes a glistening knife blade or chisel tip." When reflection and relationships are combined into a life of deliberate practice, leaders become both stronger and more flexible. As a result, resilient leaders are able to offer greater wisdom and skill to those they serve, focusing on a vision that is beyond the profit, success, or even survival of the organization—one that is focused on the needs of real people.

In Tempered Resilience, Bolsinger walks through the six-step process ofhow tempered leaders are formed:



- Working: Leaders are formed in leading.

- Heating: Strength is forged in self-reflection.

- Holding: Vulnerable leadership requires relational security.

- Hammering: Stress makes a leader.

- Hewing: Resilience takes practice.

- Tempering: Resilience comes through a rhythm of leading and not leading.



If you're facing resistance to the changes you know are necessary for your organization to thrive in this rapidly changing world, Tempered Resilience will give you the tools you need to remain steadfast through change and lead with strength of purpose.

Also Available: Tempered Resilience Study Guide

Want to get more out of the book? The Tempered Resilience Study Guide is also available for purchase. The guide is designedto lead to honest conversations for self-discovery and offers practices that leaders and their teams can take on together.



Tod Bolsinger is the founder and principal at AE Sloan Leadership Inc., the executive director of the DePree Center Church Leadership Institute, and associate professor of leadership formation at Fuller Seminary. He is the author of Canoeing the Mountains and Tempered Resilience. Tod and his wife, Beth, split their time between Pasadena, California, and Ketchum, Idaho.



Introduction: The Smith's Forge

1. The Crises of Leading Change: Failures of Nerve and Failures of Heart

2. Resilience: The Raw Material of a Tempered Leader

3. Working: Leaders Are Formed in Leading

4. Heating: Strength Is Forgedin Self-Reflection

5. Holding: Vulnerable Leadership Requires Relational Security

6. Hammering: Stress Makes a Leader

7. Hewing: Resilience Takes Practice

8. Tempering: Resilience Comes Through a Rhythm of Leading and Not Leading

Epilogue: Why Is This So Hard?

Acknowledgments

Notes