The Conviction to Lead: 25 Principles for Leadership that Matters (Mohler)

Cultures and organizations do not change without strong leadership. While many leadership books focus on management or administration, the central focus of The Conviction to Lead is on changing minds.

Dr. Mohler was the driving force behind the transformation of Southern Seminary from a liberal institution of waning influence to a thriving evangelical seminary at the heart of the Southern Baptist Convention. Since then he has been one of the most prominent voices in evangelicalism, fighting for Christian principles and challenging secular culture.

Using his own experiences and examples from history, Dr. Mohler demonstrates that real leadership is a transferring of conviction to others, affecting their actions, motivations, intuition, and commitment. This practical guide walks the reader through what a leader needs to know, do, and be in order to affect change.

Table of Contents:

1. The Conviction to Lead: True Leadership Starts With a Purpose, Not a Plan
2. Leading Is Believing: The Leader Is Driven by Beliefs That Lead to Action
3. Convictional Intelligence: The Leader Develops the Capacity to Think in Convictional Terms and Leads Followers to Do the Same
4. Leadership Is Narrative: The Leader Draws Followers Into a Story That Frames All of Life
5. Leaders Understand Worldviews: The Leaders Shapes the Worldview of Followers
6. The Passion to Lead: Passionate Leaders Driven by Passionate Beliefs Draw Passionate Followers
7. Leaders Are Thinkers: Leadership Begins When You Learn to Think Like a Leader, and Leadership Is Not Achieved Until Followers Learn to Think as Well
8. Leaders Are Teachers: The Effective Leader Is the master Teacher Within a Learning Organization
9. Leadership Is All About Character: Leaders Are Trusted When Their Lives Are in Alignment With Their Convictions
10. Leadership and Credibility: Leadership Happens When Character and Competence Are Combined
11. Leaders Are Communicators: The Leader’s Most Essential Skill Is the Ability to Communicate…Over and Over Again
12. Leaders Are Readers: When You Find a Reader, and for Good Reason
13. The Leader and Power: The Faithful Leader Knows That Power Is Never an End in Itself
14. Leaders Are Managers: Not All Managers Are Leaders, but All Leaders Are Managers
15. Leaders Are Speakers: Leaders Give Voce to Conviction and Mobilize hearts and Minds With a Message
16. Leadership as Stewardship: Leaders Never Lead For Themselves; They Are Stewards in Service of Another
17. The Leader as Decision Maker: Organizations Expect Many Things From Leaders, Most of All the Trusted Ability to Decide
18.  The Moral Virtues of Leadership: Leadership and Morality Are Inseparable
19. The Leader and the Media: The Medium Is Not the Message, You Are – and the Leader Must Know How to Deliver That Message
20. The Leader as Writer: The Written Word Remains One of the Most Powerful ways to Lead, so Leaders Write
21. The Digital Leader: Leaders Understand That the Digital World Is a Real World – a World in Which They Are Called to Lead
22. The Leader and Time: Leaders Know That Time Is the Great Equalizer of Humanity
23. Leadership That Endures: The Leader’s Goal Is Not Only to Last but to Endure
24. The Leader and Death: Mortality Frames the Horizon of Leadership
25. The Leader’s Legacy: In the End, the Leader’s Goal Is to Leave a Lasting Imprint

Author 

Albert Mohler is president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, the Southern Baptist Convention's flagship school. Dr. Mohler is a radio personality, blogger, and sought-after commentator.

Endorsements 

"Dr. Al Mohler has written a book that shakes us up and challenges our thinking. The Conviction to Lead is poised to become one of the all-time classic works on Christian leadership." - Jim Daly, President--Focus on the Family

"Having rarely thought about leadership, I was hooked from the first chapter--to my complete surprise. This is a powerful book and gracefully written." - Fred Barnes, Executive Editor--The Weekly Standard