I’ll probably do lots of book reviews here, since I’m a huge reader. The Servant Leader by Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges happens to be my most recent read. I attended Ken Blanchard’s Faith at Work session earlier this week at the ASTD conference because it was relevant to a custom training program we are currently developing for a client, but ended up picking up this book for my own personal enrichment. It’s a great resource for anyone in a leadership position, about Jesus as a leadership role model. It’s also a very short and easy read.

My overall impression is that I liked the book very much because it made me think, a lot, about things that are important to me and I plan to read it again, this time taking notes. I discovered that I am on the right track with some things, and with others, not so much.

The book itself is divided into four major sections:

• Heart—developing a servant heart
• Head—understanding your role as a servant leader
• Hands—applying servant leadership behaviors
• Habits—incorporating daily habits practiced by Jesus to stay focused on vision and values

I found the first and last sections to be the most personally meaningful, and I really devoured them. I’m not here to preach, so you’ll have to read the book if you are interested (or ask me questions directly, which I’m happy to answer). However I will say that in these two sections especially, many of the concepts presented transcend leadership and are universally applicable. What this tells me is that I needed this book more as a personal reminder about my connection to God, and Jesus, and how to live my life, and less as a tool for altering my current leadership behaviors—although that will happen, too.

I do have a quibble, however. It’s a small quibble, because the content is excellent and I otherwise found the book so valuable, but I have to mention it. There is a section in the book that, to me, reads just a little like a commercial for Ken Blanchard’s earlier work in Situational Leadership. Blanchard describes Situational Leadership as “a practical framework for describing and applying the servant leadership principles that Jesus modeled.” However, it’s really just a standard leadership model (albeit a very good and well-recognized one) that, if I interpret the chronology correctly, was developed by the author before and independently of any deep recognition of Jesus in his life. It works, but it somehow felt like a retrofit. This was definitely the “business” part of the book supported by some scripture rather than the “inspirational” part.

Despite the quibble, I’d recommend this book. The concepts are timeless, and even if stripped of the Christian message and scriptural support, I believe the book carries sound principles for anyone to live and lead by. Four stars (out of five) for making me think.