Congratulations Leaders on getting to the end of a serious growth year! There have been plenty of experiences to challenge and reward us through development, flexibility, and mindset shifting. Good for us. This final episode of season two is my thank you card to each listener. It's been a great set of books and discussions we've had in season two, and I hope there is something for everyone to apply. 

We've got a great lineup planned for season three and invite you to stick around, keep listening, and bring/share with friends!

Dr. Scroggins and the team at the Leaders Lead, Leaders Read Podcast wish you the happiest of holidays and a wonderful new year!

Where You Are Is Not Who You Are by Ursula M. Burns is advice from the life and times of Ms. Burns on mentoring, coaching, modeling for one's team, leader and leadership development, and preparing to serve on a board of directors. This is a book for women and for everyone else. Ms. Burns, I feel, fairly presents her life to us: where at fault, where learning, where succeeding, where influenced, where another gets the credit, she tells us just that. Reading this book was like a conversation with Ms. Burns. For those of us who have big dreams but small exposure, the path of Ursula Burns is inspiring and instructional; we get lessons in how to adjust mentally, show up and perform, and then accept the wonderful experiences that working hard affords. I hope you'll enjoy this review. Let me know when you read the book and what you think!

The Black Church by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

I am so in love with my PBS subscription and ordered this book when I saw the PBS series on The Black Church. It was wonderful!

This episode is what I call my "peripheral review" of the book because this is not a leadership book. But as promised, I am sharing how I see a thread of leadership in the book, the history, and the institution of the Black Church. If you claim no loyalty to a faith expression, there is still some value in this episode for you. I want to look at why movements persist over time, from the big idea to varied expressions in society. The short answer is leadership. Men and women who feel a sense of duty and calling to own part of the big idea and move vision forward. People like James Cone, a brilliant voice from the academy and the African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) church who brought us Black Theology. People like the preachers, justice seekers, and freedom fighters who from the knitted community receive torches to lead us in their areas of influence: entertainment, the sciences, literature, education, and religion. 

I hope you'll enjoy this episode, and a little peek into how I think about leadership ideas. 

The Leaders Lead, Leaders Read Podcast is sponsored by the Center for Legacy Driven Leadership, where they train the future through leader development and curriculum design. Create a leadership legacy by building leaders now for when you will need them. Stay connected to the Center for Legacy Driven Leadership online at www.legacydrivenleaders.com. Follow on social media @LegacyLeadershipCenter on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

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I read All About Love by Bell Hooks and started thinking about leadership. Spiritual leadership, to be exact. Then I wondered about leader evolutions because of the comprehensive way Bell Hooks talks about love. Spiritual leadership theory posits that the intrinsically motivated leader through his/her values, beliefs, and attitudes will engage followers through a sense of calling and memberships toward a result of organizational commitment and performance. 

***THIS IS A FAITH-BASED BOOK.***

I personally don't like disclaimers, but I want to give you a fair warning in case your leadership and your faith don't mix. 

This book is based on the account of Nehemiah the cupbearer and his leadership journey to rebuild the wall. There are distracting enemies, strategic movements, wise responses, and of course navigating communication with the people. There are lessons on competent leading, diligence, wisdom, faith, and finishing strong.

If you are not a person of faith, but you can appreciate the principles, then try this book out. If you are a person of faith, consider a small group study and discussion of the principles in this book. The process of leadership is emphasized in this book -- how one builds character development toward improved leadership, and how one learns to lead. 

The title is explained by Dr. Swindoll in the very early pages. "Good leaders are made, not born; they are built, shaped, and tested by God -- brick by brick -- over time."

This book! I was happy, sad, angry, surprised, and disappointed. Geesh, the leadership examples abound. Historians may appreciate this read, as well as students of leadership. I learned after I finished this book that some in the medical field had this book as required reading while they trained. 

The important spotlight of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is the placement and application of ethics in an institution. I think (but I tend to think this way!) the ethics discussion that can be sparked from this book can also fit many institutional contexts -- medicine, education, religion, entertainment, government, etc. 

Leave a message with your review of the book, if you read it before or when you complete it. 

Follow the Center for Legacy Driven Leadership (podcast sponsor) on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube @legacyleadershipcenter. 

This book is famous as a memoir. There are also some leadership lessons from Mrs. Obama's career search, discovery, and connection with "doing something immediately meaningful, directly impacting the lives of others" (p. 180). I know many who own the book and have either not read it or not finished it yet. Please make it a point to do so! If you remain on the fence about purchasing Becoming, please jump that fence, buy the book, and read it all! This episode emphasizes the three career lessons we can learn from Mrs. Obama's professional journey. 

Feel free to send me a message and let me know what messages from Becoming resonate with you. 

I am a FAN of Leslie Odom, Jr.! Oddly, I first learned about him when I heard his interview on NPR promoting his album Simply Christmas. Then I learned he wrote a book. Yay. 

If you are risk-averse or afraid of failure, then you want to consider this book. You do not need to be a singer, performer, or creative to read this book. The application is human. When you read it, come back and leave me a message. I'd like to hear your review!

Leaders! Can you believe we made it to season two?! 

How exciting. There's a link for you to leave me messages. Please, let me know when you've read a book reviewed on this podcast. Also, make suggestions about leadership books to read -- especially from independent and unknown authors. 

I want to make sure you understand that the faith-based books to be reviewed in this second season have some universal leadership principles that apply to everyone. Don't skip an episode!

Thank you for your support in season one. Now, let's keep reading!

Leaders! This is a check-in. How are you all doing? 

I want to remind you, with a fabulous quote from Leslie Odom, Jr.'s Failing Up, that your resilience is shining through. 

You are taking your challenges to task and you are emerging intact! 

Season 2 is coming in the fall; I look forward to sharing another set of great books with you.