Review: Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership: The Paradox of Personal Dysfunction

Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership: The Paradox of Personal Dysfunction by Gary L. McIntosh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

At the date of this review (in 2015), I understand that all students at Evangel University are required to read this book as part of their first year in seminary - that's a huge stamp of confidence from the student development/leadership department of the importance of the topic and how useful the book is. Churches and Christian Organisations would find this book a good starting point in leadership development and training of their leaders.

Many of us are aware of how gifted and talented we are. And this book will provide a sober reminder and a reality check to warn us how so very close we are so prone to falling and ending up in ministerial failure, not in spite of but BECAUSE of these very strengths that we have. Alongside with Thomas' Sacred Pathways, I use Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership (compiling the questionnaires at each chapter into a single MCQ Test) as a starting point for my christian friends to better understand their leadership gifts (and the respective pitfalls). I have done the test thrice (2013, 2014 and 2015), plotted the results on a graph and appreciated how I had evolved over time. I barely could find a single boring page in the book as the content was engaging to the point I devoured page after page. The real-life illustrations of each Dark Side of leadership perfectly made clear the propositions and substantives the authors attempted to convey. The material was highly accessible, extremely practical and very relevant.

I highly recommend this book for staff working in executive positions for both in Christian and "secular" organisations.

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