Leading Me. Steve A Brown

       Leading Me: Eight Practices for a Christian Leader’s Most Important Assignment

      Copyright © 2015 Steve A. Brown

      All rights reserved

      Printed in Canada

      International Standard Book Number: 978-1-927355-68-8

      ISBN 978-1-927355-69-5 EPUB

      American spelling used throughout.

      Published by:

      Castle Quay Books

      19-24 Laguna Pkwy, Lagoon City, Brechin, Ontario, L0K 1B0

      Tel: (416) 573-3249

      E-mail: [email protected] www.castlequaybooks.com

      Edited by Marina Hofman Willard and Lori MacKay

      Cover design by Burst Communication

      Printed at Essence Printing, Belleville, Ontario

      All rights reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form without prior written permission of the publishers.

      Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 , 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.

      Brown, Steve A., 1970-, author

      Leading me : eight key practices for your most important assignment--you / Dr. Steve A. Brown.

      Issued in print.

      ISBN 978-1-927355-68-8 (pbk.).--ISBN978-1-927355-69-5 (epub)

      1. Leadership--Religious aspects--Christianity. 2. Self-actualization

      (Psychology)--Religious aspects--Christianity. I. Title.

      BV4597.53.L43B76 2015 248.8'8 C2015-900008-4

      C2015-900009-2

      Praise for Leading Me

      “Absorb the vital wisdom of this book and you’ll find yourself leading more like Jesus: less frazzled, more fruitful, less frantic and more fulfilled in the Father’s love. You’ll experience leading as grace rather than as a rat race.”

      Ken Shigematsu, Pastor of Tenth Church Vancouver and best-selling author of God in My Everything

      “Profoundly good leaders lead from the inside out. Leading Me will help you to look in the mirror and monitor how you are doing on the inside so that your leadership stays effective for the long-term.”

      Bruce Johnson, President, SIM USA

      “I am inspired by Steve, not just by his words on a page, but also his living example of leadership in everyday life. From the inside out, Steve lives this book. What I have seen and experienced on the outside of Steve’s life and leadership is clearly the overflow of leading himself well from the inside out. This book will serve us all well if we want to embody humility, grace, intentionality and superb leadership.”

      John McAuley, President/CEO Muskoka Woods

      “Steve has ‘hit the nail on the head’ with Leading Me. Too many leaders today are failing—mostly because of unattended personal lives. This book provides challenges, key disciplines and tools to finish well the race God has set.”

      Geri Rodman, President, Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship of Canada

      “In Leading Me, Steve Brown combines personal experience, leadership excellence and biblical soundness into a helpful guide for today’s leaders. Drawing upon years of interaction with North America’s most promising up and coming Christian leaders, Steve distills lessons learned into a set of core principles every ministry leader needs to know and practice in order to lead oneself and others effectively.”

      Dr. Rick Franklin, Executive Director of Ministries, Power to Change

      “Very practical and insightful. Leading Me takes us through a journey that challenges us to evaluate our priorities and practices. Steve Brown uses his extensive mentoring and training experience to provide an excellent framework to grow in our character, our relationships and our leadership.”

      Robb Warren, Co-Executive Director, Willow Creek Canada

      “A long time ago I was told that Christian Leadership was about ‘God’s story in our story.’ That truth leaps from the writing of Steve Brown in Leading Me. He understands that leadership comes from somewhere and its source bears the fruit of the depth of the soul that it leads from. For those thinking of leadership and becoming leaders, Steve’s book is a must read.”

      Gary V. Nelson, Author of Borderland Churches, President and Vice Chancellor of Tyndale College & Seminary

      “Written from the heart, Leading Me cuts right to the heart of leadership—the leader. Leading Me not only challenges but also inspires and provides practical wisdom for the leader committed to ongoing growth and development in being the person others will choose to follow. Out of his own experience of Christian faith, ministry and partnership with leaders around the globe, Steve has captured a resonant and required message for leaders as true today as it has ever been in the history of the Church.”

      Commissioner Floyd J. Tidd, Territorial Commander, The Salvation Army, Australia Southern Territory

      “Steve Brown has written a timely and practical book about a one of the greatest needs in leadership today—how to lead oneself. By reminding us that we cannot offer what we have yet to receive or ask others to do what we have not done ourselves, Leading Me provides eight essential practices for leading well—by leading oneself first. A great book for young leaders and a welcome reminder to those who want to lead and finish well.”

      Jim Van Yperen, Founder and President of Metanoia Ministries, a Christian ministry dedicated to restoring broken places in the Church

      “In Leading Me, Steve Brown has taken leadership development to a new level. In a world filled with tools to help leaders be more successful and have a greater impact, Steve reminds us that we can only lead people as far as we have gone ourselves. While it is full of practical ideas, Leading Me goes deeper to shape the heart of a leader.”

      Kirk Giles, President, Promise Keepers Canada

      “In Leading Me, Steve Brown has shared a simple but profound learning: to become a truly effective leader, you need to start by focusing on your own heart, character and soul. What makes Steve’s message even more compelling is that it’s deeply grounded in his faith, his ministry experience and his years of close engagement with hundreds of Christian leaders. The result is a book that inspired me afresh to lead—and live—better.”

      Michael Messenger, Executive Vice-President, World Vision Canada

      “At YFC we have recognized that only healthy leaders build healthy and sustainable chapters and ministries. So we encourage all of our developing leaders to go through the Arrow Leadership Program. In Leading Me, Steve has now allowed us all in. Read it slowly. Every other leadership book will only help us in the long run if we lead ourselves first.”

      Dave Brereton, National Director, Youth for Christ, Canada

      “I had thought that leadership was all about leading others. Steve Brown’s Leading Me opened a whole new approach to leadership. True leadership is about leading from the inside out and leading yourself well. Leading Me will give you a fresh approach to your leadership.”

      Sherry Bailey, Executive Director, Dalit Freedom Network

      “Faithfulness: a leader who has lived a Christ-honoring life and finished well. Leading Me is a guide toward this goal. By drawing on the experiences of hundreds of developed leaders and offering tangible, workable life practices, Steve Brown gives us a superlative handbook for the greatest of all leadership challenges—leading ourselves!”

      Dr. Paul Borthwick, Author, Senior Consultant for Development Associates