By: Chad Warren on December 4, 2024
Greatness is something to which everyone aspires, especially when it comes to leadership. William Shakespeare wrote, “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.” This quote raises an essential question in the discussion about great leaders: Are they born with certain traits, or is great leadership something you…
By: Kari on December 4, 2024
“It is exhausting. I get phone calls at all hours of the night. The employees don’t want to think for themselves. They want me to fix everything.” I was at a Thanksgiving gathering of expatriates. This was the response from an exhausted leader when I asked him how his business was going. This is a…
By: Shela Sullivan on December 3, 2024
This week’s reading assignment is based on one of my favorite authors. He is best known for his influential work in the field of leadership studies. Peter G. Northouse, PhD, is a renowned expert in the field of leadership studies. He is Professor Emeritus of Communication in the School of Communication at Western Michigan University.…
By: Tim Clark on December 3, 2024
I’m sitting alone at my computer, shaking my head, and laughing. After 2 years of inspectionally reading books, I’m staring at a thick and dense volume that virtually defies me to engage it with the efficient approach I learned in this program. We’re not ending our semester—and our whole series of lead mentor classes—with a…
By: Ryan Thorson on December 3, 2024
Knowing that this post will put me on the hot seat has activated all the adrenaline and dopamine we’ve been talking about the past few weeks. It’s been a joy to reflect and learn together about leadership over the past few months with my colleagues, and finishing the term with Peter Northouse’s book, “Leadership Theory…
By: Diane Tuttle on December 2, 2024
I first looked at this book in relation to my NPO which is about empowering women to be able to advance their careers in the nonprofit sector. With that in mind, the first chapter of Leadership: Theory & Practice that caught my eye was the one on Gender and Leadership[1]. However, the chapter that resonated…
By: Russell Chun on December 2, 2024
Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono (Hawaiian) “The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness. – Hawaii state motto. Part 1 Introduction Part 2 What my peers are saying Part 3 What Holland Says Himself Part 4 What I learned Epilogue Part 1 Introduction In his book Dominion: The…
By: Kally Elliott on December 2, 2024
Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What do people gain from all the toil at which they toil under the sun? What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun. Is there a thing…
By: Jeff Styer on December 2, 2024
“Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal”[1] This is the definition that Peter Northouse gives after discussing the previous 120 years of defining leadership and concluding that leadership scholars really cannot “come up with a common definition for leadership.”[2] Northouse said his definition consists of…
By: Pam Lau on December 2, 2024
“When contemplating how the Wisdom of God had entered the womb of a woman, and been born a baby, and cried for milk, the paradox of it all was too much for even him,”[1] Abraham Kuyper was born in 1837 in the Dutch town of Maasluis and served as a minister in the Dutch National…
By: Debbie Owen on December 2, 2024
Two men attended an outdoor event where they heard a powerful speaker. Thousands of people from all over the region were at the event. They were all entranced by the eccentric man who held them spell-bound. The two men listened to the speaker for days, following what he said, learning from him, and being challenged…
By: Adam Cheney on December 2, 2024
What is a leader? Am I a leader? If I am a leader, what kind of leader am I? Am I a servant-leader like Jesus? Am I a coercive-dominating leader like the President-elect? In his very well laid out book on different styles and definitions of leadership, Peter Northouse exposits on a variety of leadership…
By: Jana Dluehosh on December 2, 2024
Ten years ago, at my church on the north side of Portland, we had a “mission” moment. This moment of mission was not what I had expected. It was not missionaries from some foreign country or inner-city project; it was different than I had ever heard. Three young women got up from their pew and…
By: Glyn Barrett on December 2, 2024
I was first introduced to Peter Northouse’s book Leadership: Theory and Practice[1] during my Master of Leadership Course. Since then, it has become a staple go-to for me in anything leadership-based. Since its publication in 1997, it has become a cornerstone text in the field of Leadership and has undergone multiple revisions, with the most…
By: Noel Liemam on November 24, 2024
Introduction “The Molecule of More: How a Single Chemical in Your Brain Drives Love, Sex and Creativity – and Will Determine the Fate of the Human Race, “by Daniel Z. Liberman, MD and Michel E. Long is a very good book that has good foundation which were based on the studies and experiment on how…
By: Joel Zantingh on November 22, 2024
I’ve lost track of how many ads I see a day. Even though I make a point to not click on them, and have shut off nearly all of my notifications, the habitual desire to pick up my phone and check in on all my texting and social platforms is strong, and so, even the…
By: Glyn Barrett on November 22, 2024
Why are we never satisfied? This blog will read more like a preach than previous efforts. I am, after all, a preacher, and the truth contained in this week’s blog is too good to miss. The pursuit of “more” is global and timeless. King Solomon, arguably and historically one of the wisest men to ever…
By: Daren Jaime on November 22, 2024
Every week Salome is greeted by the members before church with a question. “Hey Salome, are you singing this week?” Salome is the lead vocalist of his local church choir. A great young man, tall, former college athlete, graduating amongst the highest in his class. His hybrid voice resonating so emphatically across generational lines singing…
By: Jana Dluehosh on November 21, 2024
I met my husband in Chicago. We both worked in residence life at North Park University and were in Seminary together. I love big cities, the chaos, the unpredictability, and the order, especially Chicago, where everything is in a grid. When we started dating, as all dating people do, you take an interest in their…
By: Elysse Burns on November 21, 2024
I have been reflecting deeply on authentic, relational community lately, especially its significance for Christian leaders. The further I journey in leadership, the more I recognize community’s essential role in sustaining leaders. A healthy community provides diverse perspectives, constructive feedback, and shared reflection—offering mutual encouragement and growth. However, this kind of community can look different…
