Reggie McNeal, Practicing Greatness: 7 Disciplines of Extraordinary Spiritual Leaders. Jossey-Bass, 2006.
Referenced in:
LifeandLeadership.com Summary
McNeal offers one of the most perceptive and challenging guides to the consistent disciplines found in those who excel as leaders. The seven disciplines are self-awareness, self-management, self-development, mission, decision-making, belonging, and aloneness. He uses both positive and negative examples to illustrate the dangers of neglect and the benefits of attentiveness to each of the seven disciplines. See the publisher’s description below for more on the seven disciplines.
From the Publisher
Based on his extensive experience as coach and mentor to many thousands of Christian leaders across a broad spectrum of ministry settings, Reggie McNeal helps spiritual leaders understand that they will self-select into or out of greatness. In this important book, McNeal shows how great spiritual leaders are committed consciously and intentionally to seven spiritual disciplines, habits of heart and mind that shape both their character and competence:
- The discipline of self-awareness—the single most important body of information a leader possesses
- The discipline of self-management—handling difficult emotions, expectations, temptations, mental vibrancy, and physical well-being
- The discipline of self-development—a life-long commitment to learning and growing and building on one’s strengths
- The discipline of mission—enjoying the permissions of maintaining the sense of God’s purpose for your life and leadership
- The discipline of decision-making—knowing the elements of good decisions and learning from failure
- The discipline of belonging—the determination to nurture relationships and to live in community with others, including family, followers, mentors, and friends
- The discipline of aloneness—the intentional practice of soul-making solitude and contemplation
About the Author
Reggie McNeal is the director of leadership development for the South Carolina Baptist Convention. Through his various leadership roles, from local congregational settings to denominational positions to seminary classrooms to coach and consultant for thousands of spiritual leaders, he has been devoted to helping leaders understand and practice true leadership greatness. McNeal is the author of Revolution in Leadership: Training Apostles for Tomorrow’s Church (Abingdon Press), along with A Work of Heart: Understanding How God Shapes Spiritual Leaders and the best-selling The Present Future: Six Tough Questions for the Church, both from Jossey-Bass.
***For additional information on this resource, including reviews, click the bookstore links. Check the reference at page top or the links below for resource guides on related topics.***
Related Areas
See Other Resources on Minister Self-Care and Preventing Burnout:
- Minister Self-Care
- Ministry Burnout, Preventing and Overcoming
- Ministry Support Systems
- Strengthening and Renewing the Ministry Call
See Other Resources on Leadership Development:
See Other Resources on Leadership:
See Resources on Over 100 Ministry Topics: