As a Christian leader, your goal is to finish well, and not just finish by yourself; you must aim to influence others so they can join you in your race and reach their fullest potential as they travel with you on your leadership journey, according to Dave Kraft in his book Leaders Who Last. The book is a personal and practical account of essential leadership principles which the author has learned from his personal leadership journey of more than 40 years.
Part 1 of the book deals with foundations, being the leader’s power, purpose, passion, priorities and pacing. Everything the Christian leader is and does needs to be anchored in the leader’s identity with Christ. Part 2 of the book deals with formation, being the leader’s calling, gifts, character and growth. These relate to self-leadership. Part 3 of the book deals with fruitfulness, being the leader’s vision, influence and legacy. These define how the leader impacts others.
In the introduction, the author promises an interesting and worthwhile trip, and by the end of the book I was convinced that the promise had been fulfilled. There are many books that have been written on leadership in general and Christian leadership in particular, but none of them has quite the same emphasis as this one. In my view the author’s writing is clear and concise, and the fairly brief book is filled with principles which will help any leader to thrive over the long term and ultimately finish well.