about
The success of any leadership is all too often pointed to the characteristics of good leadership. The reality is that many of us are fully aware of the qualities of a good leader. Book after book in the pastoral community may light the path to good leadership but rarely gives us the markers that allow us to discern if we are still moving in the right direction.
Big Results: Leadership tackles that obstacle by guiding our future leaders in their early steps but also points to the “results” of that kind of leadership. The main take away from this read is that God-centered leadership always yields big results.
resources
Mark Croston on the Group Answers podcast
Listen
the author
Dr. Mark Croston is the National Director of Black Church Partnerships for Lifeway Christian Resources. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and is the eighth of nine children. For his masters, he attended the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and graduated with a concentration in Pastoral Care and Counseling. He then received his D.Min. in Christian Education from Virginia Union University.
After 26 years of successful pastoral ministry, he transitioned to his current role at Lifeway in November, 2013. He has been a contributing author to The Chosen Path, Seeds of Hope: Liberia and Virginia Baptists; From My Heart to Yours, and Worship: How to Say to God I Love You.
author q&a
Why did you write this book? What inspired you to write it?
I get to talk to and coach people in leadership positions almost everyday. One thing is true: every leader wants some tools to help them get their organization to achieve the results they are hoping for. I wrote this book to share the overflow of my insights and experiences, blended with research, that can help leaders get where they want to go.
For whom did you write this book?
I wrote this book for current and future leaders. Many people are in leadership positions but have never been taught, or thought about, the true processes and dynamics of leadership. Many want to be leaders, or they step into the leadership space, but then wonder, “What is the next step?” This book provides potential, new and seasoned leaders the systematic tools for success.
How is this book different from other leadership books?
I have been fortunate to have gleaned a lifetime of leadership experiences in a variety of areas—school, corporate, government, community church, denominational, family and more. So, this book is not theoretical but practical. It is filled with easy-to-implement strategies that work.
What is God-centered leadership? How does it yield big results?
There is a tremendous difference between achieving goals and achieving God’s will. God-centered leadership is to allow God to lead the way for his glory and the advancement of his kingdom. Bigger is not always better, and smaller is not always good. Ultimately, big results are those that accomplish God’s purpose and plan.
How does this book give people the markers to discern if they are actually developing qualities of good leaders?
Leadership is done over time, in seasons, phases and stages. What is absolutely right at one place and time can be awfully wrong at another. One size or strategy does not fit all situations. This book cannot cover every situation but guides the leader to glean from the role models in the biblical text. There, leaders gain tools that are effectively adapted to move every leader toward success.
What do you hope readers will do or take away from reading this book?
I hope that those looking for direction will find it, and those whom society counts as failures or underachievers will find that they are neither. Big results are those that accomplish God’s purpose and plan.