Product Description

AS A LEADER, DO YOU SOMETIMES FEEL LIKE YOU'RE FLOUNDERING?

Being a leader is not easy. Because so much is expected, it is normal for leaders to often question their abilities, their methods and their effectiveness. If you are struggling in your role as a leader, you are definitely not alone. According to leadership expert and researcher George Barna, many leaders are frustrated because they do not understand their unique leadership styles and are not equipped to deal with common challenges.

In A Fish Out of Water, Barna shares a fresh perspective of what effective leadership is – and isn’t. Drawing on years of research and thousands of interviews with respected leaders, he outlines practical concepts and actions that will help you succeed as a leader. This is not a book of standard leadership principles and motivational sound bites. A Fish Out of Water goes deeper to help you discover your God-given potential and unique leadership style so you can be the effective leader you are called to be.

Whether you currently lead people, want to lead people, or simply know that you should be leading people, you need the insightful and proven strategies for effective leadership Barna has laid out in this book.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1483794 in Books
• Published on: 2006-02-01
• Format: Bargain Price
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

From the Inside Flap
DISCOVER HOW TO OVERCOME CHALLENGES AND BECOME THE LEADER GOD CREATED YOU TO BE.

Every leader–whether of a church, business, sports team, or community service group – will inevitably face certain challenges. When we encounter these challenges, we sometimes feel like fish out of water and wonder whether we’ll ever have what it takes to be successful leaders.

In this groundbreaking book, George Barna outlines practical strategies for how you can overcome these struggles to become the effective leader God intends for you to be. Drawing from decades of extensive research, Barna reveals how you can anticipate and navigate through nine challenges that confront most leaders, including these:

- "How do I get people excited about God’s vision for our group?"

- "What is my leadership style, and how can I best work with others?"

- "If I’m suppose to be the leader, why isn’t anyone following me?"

- "Should I ever use conflict to resolve critical issues?"

- "How do I nurture my relationship with God?"

Barna shares the wisdom and experience of thousands of leaders whose paths he has analyzed to help you avoid some common mistakes. With clarity and fresh insight, he communicates helpful suggestions that will enable you to lead people more effectively by blending your faith in Christ with skills and perspectives that are consistent with Scripture and proven in the world.

A Fish Out of Water is a valuable tool for any leader who desires to maximize his or her leadership abilities and to raise the water level for God’s people.

About the Author
GEORGE BARNA is founder and president of the Barna Research Group, a marketing research firm in Ventura, California. He is the best-selling author of more than thirty books, including The Frog in the Kettle, The Second Coming of the Church, The Power of Vision and User-Friendly Churches. A popular speaker at ministry and leadership conferences around the world, Barna is frequently relied upon journalists, business executives, and clergy to interpret today’s culture. Barna lives with his wife, Nancy, and their daughters, Samantha and Corban, in southern California.

Customer Reviews

Where is the Biblical Basis?
I have read Barna for years and have consistently credited him with being a most able marketing research, marketing, and leadership practioner of the finest level. His successes would exhibit this.

However, equally as consistent has been my criticism that Barna makes emphatic, foundational assumptions claiming God said, when in fact God has not said, e.g. Jesus and Paul were the consummate marketing men when the Biblical proof he offers is bogus.

Here it is more of the same, applying supposed God says to Church Leaders who are visionary leaders for change in fulfilling God's vision. What does Barna suggest here and in the books he has written on vision? Quoting Proverbs 29:18, he defines visionary leadership as the pastor sensing what better future he has in mind for a group of people as a blessing. If only he would clearly tie this to the Gospel of Jesus Christ he would be ok. But no, he ties it to some dream, some Joel Osteen like wish and hope inside a person which doesn't equate at all with God's constant revelation of true interpretation/applicaiton of Prov. 29:18 ---- that then turns Servants of the Word, true sent and speaking for God pastors into CEO/Leaders which Barna exhorts here in this work.

Since this is based on business/management principles for leadership, it is useful to those in that pursuit, be they Christians or not. But for Christian church, this is leaven being brought into the church from world. To be rid of, or Barna et al will have to provide Biblical proof for it.

Was Jeremiah a leader sent by God according to Barna's criteria? I don't think he can pass the test Barna presents here. The other prophets and the current cannot either.

This is dangerous work which must be exposed as not for church but for industry.

An excellent book on leadership, but not management,
This book is well worth the reading. Barna presents some good ideas about leadership, based on his experience. He presents his own theories about what makes a leader and the issues facing a leader.

His book is well worth studying. The book should be included in any course on leadership, secular or not. He make a good argument that leader are called to the task. I disagree with his premise that leadership can't really be taught. Christians in leadership roles need to read this book, and ponder the difficult questions he asks at the end of many chapters.

George Barna knows What's Up.
The Barna Research Group is world-renowned for its research and studies on Christian organizations, religious, secular and cultural trends, and organizational behavior.

I wanted a bare knuckle, no-nonsense practical book on leadership I could put to use with my management team, my sales people, and my ministry groups. This was it.

Barna describes four types of leaders: directing, strategic, team-building, and operational. The first thing I did was find myself in the mix, naturally. His insights are clear and very perceptive. Then I evaluated my managers. His insights into each style's nature, strengths, and growth opportunities were invaluable; especially as a mirror on myself and how I tend to interact with others.

He then sent me into my mission and vision statements for the organization and examine those in light of God's vision for me, my business, and His will. The time I have spent reflecting on this portion of the book and clarifying our objectives in light of God's plans, will certainly the business and my life.

A terrific book and a must-have for every organizational leader, father, and fellow traveller on the Christian journey.