Table of Contents

List of figures. List of tables. Acknowledgements. 1. What business schools don’t teach you about leadership. 2. Leadership and the psychology of desire. 3. How the gospel creates leading servants. 4. When leaders run on the performance treadmill. 5. When leaders live for people’s approval. 6. Leading with creative tension. 7. Don’t waste your leadership. Index.

About the Author

Sen Sendjaya (PhD) is Professor of Leadership at Swinburne Business School, Australia. A leading scholar on servant leadership, Sen has published in top-ranked management journals and delivered leadership development workshops internationally. Sen is the author of Personal and Organizational Excellence through Servant Leadership.

Reviews

"Reading through Dr Sendjaya’s book, the reader can tell right away that he is an articulate leadership scholar and bible teacher. The book fills with academic research and sound biblical teaching, wide exposure within both church and corporate world and rich personal experiences. With a sharp and observant perspective, Dr Sendjaya challenges the conventional understanding of leadership and unveils the biblical truth of gospel-centered leadership. Whether for seminary training, educational institution, or expand one’s understanding of biblical leadership, Dr Sendjaya’s book is unquestionably a reliable source to explore. It’s truly a worth reading book. I highly recommend it!" — Rev Dr Joshua Ting, General Secretary, Chinese Coordination Centre of World Evangelism"Dr Sendjaya has written an important and practical guide for leaders to adopt and develop a gospel-centered approach to leadership. The book is valuable for new leaders as well as seasoned leaders and useful to all contexts of leadership whether commercial, academic, government, church, etc. Leadership advice in the Bible can improve and strengthen any leader and Dr Sendjaya does an excellent job of supporting the principles and practices with scriptural concepts and examples of leaders in the Bible. This book would make a great base for group discussions about leadership as well as one-on-one leadership coaching sessions." — Bruce E. Winston, PhD, Professor of Business and Leadership, Regent University School of Business & Leadership, Virginia, USA"In a world where leaders struggle to stay true to (or even find) a moral compass, and where spirituality is no longer merely a private affair, this book offers a clear picture of leadership that is driven by Christian values and spirituality. How can Christians and other people of faith lead their organizations on the basis of time-tested religious principles, whether they serve in business, politics, education or other fields? Sen Sendjaya’s reputation as a leadership researcher and his expertise as a leadership educator make this an excellent resource that will indeed redeem leadership from a ‘secular, neutral’ perspective to invigorate it again with a sense of meaning and value that is rooted in the gospel." — Jack Barentsen, PhD, Professor of Practical Theology and Pastoral Leadership, Evangelische Theologische Faculteit, Leuven, Belgium"Drawing upon Scripture, as well modern business theory and practice, Sen Sendjaya has provided us with a timely reminder that effective Christian leaders must firstly be faithful followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. Sendjaya places the gospel at the centre of leadership, focussing on the primary importance of character over other traits and skills for effective leadership. A practical, readable and Christ-centred book that I hope will help shape our thinking about Christian leadership in the coming years. Highly recommended!" — Rev Stuart Coulton, Principal, Sydney Missionary and Bible College"Sen Sendjaya’s book, Leadership Reformed, is a timely reminder that authentic Christian leadership is always in emulation of Christ. Sen tackles the egoism inherent in much contemporary leadership by applying the theological concept of sin and pointing to the need for redemption through faith in Christ leading to humility and self-sacrifice. Christian leaders are not immune from sinful and destructive behaviour, and organisational structures and practices are often inadequate in providing the necessary accountability to protect leaders from their dark side. Leadership grounded in faith in Christ and his Word is the only effective antidote.This book should be read by Christian leaders and by those to whom they are accountable. It combines a wealth of theological, theoretical and anecdotal insights to reinforce the central call for Christ-centred servant leadership." — Dr Stephen Fogarty, President, Alphacrucis College, Australia"This book contains a fascinating blend of spiritual, social, psychological and organisational insights, creating a tremendously helpful contribution to the field of Christian leadership. Sen Sendjaya manages the hard-to-achieve task of making scholarly writing accessible to the non-academic practitioner, and his use of in-the-trenches examples and illustrations makes it really practical. Thoughtful discussions on important leadership topics invite a more considered reflection by a reader who doesn’t simply want a quick leadership fix." — Gary Williams, National Director, Christian Ministry Advancement (CMA), Australia

“Reading through Dr Sendjaya’s book, the reader can tell right away that he is an articulate leadership scholar and Bible teacher. The book is filled with academic research and sound biblical teaching, wide exposure within both church and corporate world and rich personal experiences. With a sharp and observant perspective, Dr Sendjaya challenges the conventional understanding of leadership and unveils the biblical truth of gospel-centered leadership. Whether for seminary training, educational institutions, or to expand one’s understanding of biblical leadership, Dr Sendjaya’s book is unquestionably a reliable source to explore. It’s truly a book worth reading. I highly recommend it!” — Rev Dr Joshua Ting, General Secretary, Chinese Coordination Centre of World Evangelism“Dr Sendjaya has written an important and practical guide for leaders to adopt and develop a gospel-centered approach to leadership. The book is valuable for new leaders as well as seasoned leaders and useful to all contexts of leadership whether commercial, academic, government, Church, etc. Leadership advice in the Bible can improve and strengthen any leader and Dr Sendjaya does an excellent job of supporting the principles and practices with scriptural concepts and examples of leaders in the Bible. This book would make a great base for group discussions about leadership as well as one-on-one leadership coaching sessions.” — Bruce E. Winston, PhD, Professor of Business and Leadership, Regent University School of Business & Leadership, Virginia, USA“In a world where leaders struggle to stay true to (or even find) a moral compass, and where spirituality is no longer merely a private affair, this book offers a clear picture of leadership that is driven by Christian values and spirituality. How can Christians and other people of faith lead their organizations on the basis of time-tested religious principles, whether they serve in business, politics, education or other fields? Sen Sendjaya’s reputation as a leadership researcher and his expertise as a leadership educator make this an excellent resource that will indeed redeem leadership from a ‘secular, neutral’ perspective to invigorate it again with a sense of meaning and value that is rooted in the gospel.” — Jack Barentsen, PhD, Professor of Practical Theology and Pastoral Leadership, Evangelische Theologische Faculteit, Leuven, Belgium“Drawing upon Scripture, as well modern business theory and practice, Sen Sendjaya has provided us with a timely reminder that effective Christian leaders must firstly be faithful followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. Sendjaya places the gospel at the centre of leadership, focussing on the primary importance of character over other traits and skills for effective leadership. A practical, readable and Christ-centred book that I hope will help shape our thinking about Christian leadership in the coming years. Highly recommended!” — Rev Stuart Coulton, Principal, Sydney Missionary and Bible College, Australia“Sen Sendjaya’s book, Leadership Reformed, is a timely reminder that authentic Christian leadership is always in emulation of Christ. Sen tackles the egoism inherent in much contemporary leadership by applying the theological concept of sin and pointing to the need for redemption through faith in Christ leading to humility and self-sacrifice. Christian leaders are not immune from sinful and destructive behaviour, and organisational structures and practices are often inadequate in providing the necessary accountability to protect leaders from their dark side. Leadership grounded in faith in Christ and his Word is the only effective antidote.
This book should be read by Christian leaders and by those to whom they are accountable. It combines a wealth of theological, theoretical and anecdotal insights to reinforce the central call for Christ-centred servant leadership.” — Dr Stephen Fogarty, President, Alphacrucis College, Australia“This book contains a fascinating blend of spiritual, social, psychological and organisational insights, creating a tremendously helpful contribution to the field of Christian leadership. Sen Sendjaya manages the hard-to-achieve task of making scholarly writing accessible to the non-academic practitioner, and his use of in-the-trenches examples and illustrations makes it really practical. Thoughtful discussions on important leadership topics invite a more considered reflection by a reader who doesn’t simply want a quick leadership fix.” — Gary Williams, National Director, Christian Ministry Advancement (CMA), Australia