“How to Lead When You’re Not in Charge,” by Clay Scroggins, the Lead Pastor at North Point Community Church (Andy Stanley’s church), is a really strong book on leadership for everyone. The main thrust of the book is the idea that people do not need to wait until they are at the top of the org chart before they start leading; that we actually all have influence and potential to lead from whatever position we serve in, whether at work, the church, in the community, or anywhere.

I love his challenge that being a leader doesn’t mean leaning on positional authority, rather it is effectively leveraging influence and relationships to lead.  He challenges the readers to first lead themselves well, to be active – not waiting for opportunity and blaming others when it doesn’t go as hoped, but to instead be constantly thinking critically about ways to improve and grow and then go after it.

I loved his quote, “Leaders don’t sit back and point fingers. Leaders lead with the authority of leadership … or without it. The authority [a title, positional authority] is largely irrelevant – if you are a leader, you will lead when you are needed.” (p.26) I love that challenge. It really does boil down to recognizing that God gives opportunities to act, God gives each of us influence somewhere, and are we using it to lead? Scroggins does a great job of painting a picture of both recognizing that leadership ability and giving practical advice on acting on it.

As a guy who isn’t the lead guy in my church, I loved reading leadership advice from the man who leads under Andy Stanley – one of the more famous senior pastors in America. It was incredibly thought provoking and really challenged me to rethink the ways I could grow in my leadership while not being the lead guy. The book is easy to read, flows well, and has great guidance for everyone. I highly recommend it!