The Painful Side of Leadership: Moving Forward Even When it Hurts

Author: Jeff Iorg
Publisher: Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2009; 271 pages.
Category: Church, Society

Synopsis: Leadership is a difficult task. Even the best leaders will meet with resistance, will hurt others with bad decisions, and will suffer from the often-times unfair treatment by people in and out of the organization. Any person who desires the responsibilities of leadership needs to be aware of what makes leadership painful. Jeff Iorg, an experience leader in his own right, offers his experience and research to guide leaders through the hardest parts of being the point man.

Value: The leader’s role is highly romanticized by those who covet it and often dreaded by those who shoulder it. Jeff Iorg’s advice can save new and naïve leaders a lot of pain by learning what to expect in terms of personal struggle and organizational conflict. Experienced leaders can be encouraged that they are not alone or failures just because they struggle in leading others. This book will not have all of the answers to leadership, but it will make people aware of what lies ahead for those who step up to lead people.