When you exert too much force on a rubber band, it may break or deform permanently; when you exert too little force, then rubber band is slack and does nothing. People are like rubber bands, according to Nancy Ortberg in her book Unleashing the Power of Rubber Bands: Lessons in Non-Linear Leadership. The leader’s job is to exert pressure in a continuous direction over a period of time, and expect to see the people grow in skills and character.
The book is a collection of observations about the nature of leadership. The core of leadership is hope. Vision does not belong on T-shirts; it is about using stories to stir, provoke, remind and imagine. A good leader knows how to value the contribution of each team member. Too often we assume that a person is a bad person, rather than just a bad fit for their job. Leaders ought to be the most self-aware people in the room.
In the introduction, the author explained that the book is a non-linear book, and I personally found it too non-linear for my liking. The writing style is fine and the stories are engaging, but I cannot name any new ideas or compelling information that I gathered from the book. The book seems to be intended both for the church market and for the business market, but in my opinion it is likely to be of interest only to the church market.