Jim Daly Christian Blog and Commentary

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A Great New Book

  • Jim Daly Jim Daly is president and chief executive officer of Focus on the Family, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping families thrive.
  • Updated Apr 18, 2013

Brad Lomenick is a good friend of mine and he just released a new book this week. It's titled

THE CATALYST LEADER.

In the book Brad shares eight essentials for becoming a change maker - a leader who has the potential to dramatically impact the world for the sake of the KIngdom. I highly recommend this book to those who are passionate about teh calling God has placed on their lives.

To give you a better sense of Brad and the book, here are two questions recently posed to him:

Q: What is the Catalyst Leader about?

A: The Catalyst Leader lays out the eight essentials for becoming a change maker. The traits that I believe one must develop in order to become a change maker, and ultimately a Catalyst Leader.

It’s a practical guide for leading now, and leading well, serving as a leadership handbook for the next generation of leaders in our country. The book presents the key essentials that I believe will define our generation’s ability to influence over the next 20-25 years, laying out what it means to be a Catalyst in this generation.

The Catalyst Leader is packed with a combination of candid interviews with thought leaders, research with the core leadership community, and overall leadership best practices. A rising generation of leaders needs to be equipped for the task of leadership.

Q: Why did you write The Catalyst Leader?”

A: I wrote this book primarily for 3 reasons.

Frist, while leading the largest leadership movement that gathers young career aged Christian leaders in America, I noticed that many of these young leaders desired to lead right now, but they didn’t know how to ultimately lead well. We have a generation of “called but not yet equipped leaders.” Leaders who are passionate about making a difference and having influence now. Called leaders who want to change the world, a generation ready to action, ready to influence and ready to lead, but not yet equipped for the task. They need the tools, the roadmap, the guide for leading well and getting that done. So many of my peers at 25, 30, 35, 40 years of age are flaming out and need a resource to help them finish well.

Second, I noticed that the leaders who were leading well shared several common traits and characteristics. What I’m calling the eight essentials. The book lays out those 8 essential characteristics for becoming a change maker, and ultimately a Catalyst Leader.

Third, we’ve been handed the reins to lead. I just turned 40, and I believe it’s my generations turn and time to stand up, take the reins, and lead. We are now in the drivers seat, and it’s up to us. The called but not equipped generation. I want to see leaders, my peers, finish well. Too many leaders are crashing early and often right now. Just like me, tons of leaders in their 20’s and 30’s are facing great opportunities that they feel a deep calling and passion for, and willing to take on, but not altogether equipped to handle. These peers of mine need a roadmap, a guide, a handbook for leading well and tools for the journey forward. Our generation needs a roadmap for leading well. Some of my best friends currently sit atop great organizations but are failing to shepherd their teams and lead these entities well. I’ve begun to see a disappointing pattern among young leaders. They achieve liftoff with a rocket start but quickly fizzle out. With each instance of short lived success, I grow further convinced that we need to nurture leaders who will not just lead now, but also lead well.

Ultimately, I’m writing a book that I wish would have been available to me 20 years ago when I was first starting my career and vocation life.

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