New Favorite Leadership Book
Heroic Leadership has placed itself on the top of my list of favorite leadership books. It’s a significant and unique read for leaders today because it writes about a people, the Jesuits, who lived a certain lifestyle that would not be considered leader-like by many standards today. Surely Chris Lowney, who pokes fun at the façade of leadership literature understands that labeling his book “leadership” is an attempt to be relevant (or rather eye-catching) in the language of our culture today. Lowney is quick to point out some of the irony of this leadership industry. Today, what we call “leadership” is often just quick axioms, management tips, and self-development ideas, repackaged under the leadership buzz word. Much of it does not have to do with the science and art of mentoring and mobilizing people. We cannot poke fun at the industry and market of leadership too much since everyone in this discussion board has just spent tens of thousands of dollars to be enrolled in a leadership program, and personally speaking, I was grateful to be able to do so! Nonetheless, Lowney’s, commentary on the leadership field was humorous and appreciated. Consider the description of the Jesuits from Lowney, it seems the Jesuits themselves would have not been very interested in “leadership” literature. They were, of course, more interested in a devotion to a way of life.
Moving past this, Lowney presents us with the track record of the Jesuit success. This Jesuit “business” is unparalleled in success and longevity and was almost impressive enough for me to pick up the Jesuit robes myself. (I’m honestly looking into the Jesuit school nearby our house to see if it might be a good fit for my two sons in the future.) This track record of Jesuit success alone gives Lowney’s credibility of some ancient principles and lifestyles that he is claiming as Heroic Leadership. Furthermore because of Lowney’s JP Morgan experience sprinkled throughout the book we already have a glimpse of how these principles can impact our 21st-century world. These Jesuit ways of life are still relevant and just as powerful. I think a better word for “leadership principles” would be to call them virtues. Virtues don’t expire. Lowney’s thesis and I agree with him, is that if we train wisely in these Jesuit virtues we can emulate the spirit and heroic change they brought about in their lifetime. The Jesuit virtues “to innovate, to remain flexible and adapt constantly, to set ambitious goals, to think global, to move quickly, to take risks”, these are the virtues that could and should be applied to all our work.
Personally, I can see how this could apply to the work I want to do in the higher education world. I see my dissertation project as an attempt to do those things for higher education. For instance, I see that many Universities don’t really think globally except for when it’s branding and marking up its own marketability to its own local demographic. AKA adding a “study abroad” program or an “exposure missions trip to Mexico.” How many universities are actually serving global markets and attempting to produce leaders who will serve global needs? (How many can?) There are many obstacles, and of course other countries have their own systems, but still, we can do something. Is it crazy to think that universities can impact some global needs by utilizing some of the platforms they already have? Can institutions split education away from their accreditation to provide their already packaged knowledge at 5% of the cost?
Maybe you can call my enthusiasm millennial naiveté, since all of us millennials think that we are going to change the world. I’d rather call my attitude, as Lowney calls it, “heroism revisited.” And I would like to be amongst those recruits all over the world who accepted the invitation to start “believing and acting as if whatever they were doing was somehow the greatest enterprise in the world.” Lowney follows up that this heroism takes equal parts “dreamer and indefatigable pragmatist.”
So to be a dreamer, and revisit what heroism might look like in the higher education work I think through the Jesuit virtues again…
For ingenuity sake, let there be new ways to share and engage & educate the majority world populations…
For Heroism sake, let there be the ambition to reach remote and underserved areas with new ways to train leaders so they can advance the Gospel…
For Love’s sake, let there be a realization of what higher education, and even more so solid biblical training, can bring to world populations…
For self-awareness’s sake, let there be a mass surrender of institutional loyalties which maim the cumulative power of the body of Christ…
How many resources are being duplicated by every Presbyterian university offering an online program? How many Assemblies of God Universities online programs does the world really need? Does the Southwest Baptist Seminary really offer such a unique product as the Northwest Baptist Seminary?
It seems that the Jesuits would be able to navigate problems like this through their four pillars. First and foremost, their self-awareness highlights to them their own ungodly attachment to buildings, budgets and other human markers of success. With this awareness can come a conscious decision to reject it. This is the Jesuit’s core value of some indifference. Many people bleed out and die for their blue and gold alma mater, but Loyola taught the idea of “living with one foot raised” (4136). It’s the rejection of any attachment to possession, aversion to risk, prejudice, and the attitude of “we’ve always done it this way.” It’s the allowance for new imaginations to dream beyond what’s currently possible because both feet are not buried in the name of your current institution, custom, or mascot.
Not to take myself too seriously, but when aligning my work and my life with the virtues of Heroism, Love, Ingenuity, and Self-awareness I become inspired by my work. I become inspired to do more work! Not just the potential work of this dissertation, but my life work that God is calling me to.
10 responses to “New Favorite Leadership Book”
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I loved the book as well, and think it was revolutionary when it comes to life and leadership. I also loved your statement, “Maybe you can call my enthusiasm millennial naiveté, since all of us millennials think that we are going to change the world. I’d rather call my attitude, as Lowney calls it, “heroism revisited.” And by the way, I don’t think you are naive and completely support your attitude of heroism revisited. Get post my friend!
Kyle, first let me tell you how thankful I am that you are a millennial and you are part of our cohort! We need to hear your voice! The world cannot continue to criticize and ignore our future leaders. So, onto the book – did you look for and/or find any controversial reviews? I’m glad you liked it, but I found several points of controversy that made me reconsider it as THE leadership book…
Thanks for the encouragement Jean!
Great post, Kyle– your enthusiasm jumps right out and is catching. I also loved this book and the way that Lowney brought these worlds together. I liked the way you particularly applied this to your own work in higher ed. One interesting thought is, since the Jesuits are known for their work in higher ed, is there a place for you (and others in your position and tradition) to meet and learn with modern-day Jesuits. Or, to establish partnerships with some of those universities, etc. Could be exciting!
Kyle,
I love your enthusiasm and how you applied the book to higher education. We need millennial creativity and passion to tackle the challenges of our world. I’m also intrigued you would consider sending your sons to the local Jesuit school. Jesuits are known for their high calibre education, so it’s likely a great formation for them.
I know your life is crazy with work-ministry-family-education responsibilities. My belief is that the Jesuits were able to thrive and be sustainable for such a long time frame because they rooted their activism in contemplative spirituality. So as you actively pursue your passion, I hope as well you’ll find the place in your life to pause and integrate.
Here’s an Ignatian center I found near you in Sacramento:
http://www.stignatiussac.org/center-for-ignatian-spirituality.html
Kyle,
What a great way to apply this book to your dissertation. Your reimagining of Lowney’s four pillars into how to reach the world for Christ and the discussion on redundancy in institutions of higher learning point a light in a direction most would find uncomfortable. Why do we need buildings that are $200,000.00 shrines to some president who wants to leave his mark, great thoughts brother.
Hi Kyle,
I liked the fact that you put into italics the word “business” when describing the Jesuits. I kept wondering if the Jesuits could actually be described in business terms and compared to being a business?
Great minds must think critically alike. Thanks for your post, Kyle.
Kyle,
Thanks for your comprehensive review of the Jesuit model of leadership. Other than Lowney’s one reference to Jesus as a “nonnegotiable” of the way, the Jesuit company, with Jesus in their name, does little to pattern their leadership approach after the Jesus I see in the Bible (292).
A Kindle word search showed zero hits on Holy Spirit or servant and only four hits on sacrifice, but none of those were used in the context that resembled self-sacrifice.
Did you find any critical reviews on Lowney’s work for your consideration? Not surprisingly, his work using the Jesuit “hero” leadership model does not bode well in many leadership circles.
I think parts of Lowney’s approach have application, but I prefer the transformational-situational-servant leadership model. I just don’t think “hero” leadership is appropriate for ministry leaders.
Stand firm,
M. Webb
Mike, thanks for your comment. I think the Jesuits did involve the HS in self-reflection a lot, but for this book it seemed outside the scope of study. We should write a pentecostal-jesuit-hyrbid leadership book together. 😀
Kyle, I am glad to hear your reflections on Lowney’s book and the take aways personally. I am curious if you found anything you disagreed with or any aspects you would challenge? I was loving the book as I began but then spent some time in reviews and it made me rethink a few aspects and challenge the reviewers a bit.
Also, I am interested in hearing more in your posts about your dissertation topic and how these sources are applicable.