Leadership and Emotional Sabotage by Joe Rigney

 I started Leadership and Emotional Sabotage about a year ago. I made it about half way through, and was really loving it, but got side-tracked with life. I picked it back up and finished it a couple of days ago. Like in his other book, The Sin of Empathy, Rigney is hitting on an important element of leadership in today's world, because, as he says, "Your home, your church, and this world need leaders who are mature and sober-minded, filled with gravity and gladness, and grounded in the glory of Jesus."  ... meaning that leadership is needed, not just in political positions and church pulpits, but in our homes. And since these leaders need to be "...steadfast, immovable, and always abounding in the work of the Lord..." (I Cor. 15:58), they need to not only be grounded in something that is steadfast and immovable, but they also need to be aware of those things that tend to move people off of the steadfast and immovable... and that is what this book is about. 

I found it to be very helpful personally. I am a leader in more than one sphere of life. I don't always want those roles, but so say all who experience times like these. My leadership has failed on more than one occasion... failed miserably. A few of those times of leadership failure, they might have even been due to the mentioned "Emotional Sabotage" this book is referencing. I have also seen leaders completely succumb to this same thing, and it has made shipwreck their faith. I wonder about the desire to have learned things earlier in my life, but God is sovereign over all, so I don't dwell there too long, I simply thank Him for learned truth when I do encounter it. 

I won't attempt to summarize what is going on in this book, but I will say that you don't need to be a leader to read it. In fact, I would encourage you, even if you don't see yourself as a leader in anything, to read this book. Read it to be a leader, if the opportunity were to ever arise. Read it to assist your leaders. Read it to be ready to lead in whatever area is presented to you. And read it to help yourself identify a leader to follow. 

Leadership and Emotional Sabotage