The book The Right to Lead by John C. Maxwell is an inspirational book filled with stories, letters, quotes, and anecdotes that exemplify the qualities of a good leader. This book is truly a study in character and courage.
Maxwell looks at the qualities of a leader, which include action, vision, sacrifice, risk, determination, service, and integrity. A theme that runs throughout this book is the fact that leadership is not given, appointed, or gained. Rather leadership is something that is earned. For instance, Maxwell uses an excerpt from a letter of an unknown author to make the analogy.This author says an officer in the military must earn the right to be a leader of his men; he simply does not become a leader because he receives orders that state that he is to be a leader. Maxwell uses stories of inspirational leaders such as Norman Schwarzkopf, Harriet Tubman, Eric Liddell, George Washington, John Wooden, Nelson Mandela, and Chiune Sugihara to illustrate his points.
Maxwell also uses points made in other books about leadership to more accurately describe what it means to gain the right to lead.For example, Maxwell gives the reader criteria for taking risk, which he found in The Indispensable Qualities of a Leader. However, Maxwell also gives his own ideas on the topic. He tells the readers that to become the kind of leader that others will want to follow we must first let go of our ego, become a good follower first, build positive relationships, work with excellence, rely on discipline (not emotion), make adding value our goal, and finally give away our power.
This book is not the typical self-evaluation book, but rather it is a collection of inspirational biographies with analysis by Maxwell. Overall, the book is enjoyable to read. Bly, R. W. (2002).
Count Your Blessings. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc. The book Count Your Blessings by Robert Bly is an encouragement to all. This book is dedicated to the memory of the victims of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The author of this book encourages readers to take stock of the many blessings that we experience every day.Not only does he provide 63 things for readers to be grateful for, but he also encourages readers to go on and think of other blessings not mentioned in the book.
Bly begins with a quote by Solon: “If all our misfortunes were laid in one common heap, whence everyone must take an equal portion, most people would be content to take their own and depart. ” Bly helps us to realize as his mother would say, things could be worse. So we should look at the bright side and count our blessings.Some of the many blessings that Bly mentions in the book that most of us could all be grateful for are air conditioning, electricity, creativity, God, friendship, hot dogs, jokes, modern medicine, money, junk food, and the list goes on. Some of my favorite blessings that Bly mentions deal with the talent of human beings.
He speaks of being grateful for creativity and imagination. We not only are blessed by having the ability to create and imagine, but we also are blessed when we receive the benefits of others’ creativity and imagination.
