Character of Leadership

Behold, I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore, beas shrewd as snakes, and as innocent as doves. --Matthew10:16 . . . remarkable example of practical humanities scholarship. . ..Those who lead all sorts of nonprofit organizations can benefitfrom this bracing encounter with political realism. --James Wind, president, Alban Institute and author of Places toWorship Leaders of nonprofit enterprises are often motivated by acompleting vision of how the world should be. Too often, however,this prevents them from understanding and skillfully operating inthe realm of pragmatic realism. For nonprofit leaders who want tosucceed in their efforts to change the world without selling theirsouls, Jinkins and Jinkins offer a guide to pragmatic andprincipled politics. This book includes case studies of the political successes andfailures of talented, good-hearted leaders in a variety of rolesincluding seminary presidents, pastors, and leaders of socialservice agencies. The authors show us that realistic leaders knowthat in the rough and tumble of the real world, we must strive tocreate a place where our values can be translated into policy andcommon life--learning how to do this is the task that confronts us.

"Every leader will find this book a richly rewarding read. Itlegitimizes power and challenges leaders to embrace it and use itin their service to society." --Paul Hersey, president, Center forLeadership Studies and author of The Situational Leader "A fresh and systematic look at the writings of Machiavelli enablesthe reader to see beyond the opportunism that is so oftenassociated with Machiavelli's name to a realistic and principledset of strategies for achieving public virtue." --David A.Erlandson, professor of educational administration, Texas A&MUniversity "The Jinkinses have cut through much of the wishful thinking thatfloods our leadership discussions these days. In this remarkableexample of practical humanities scholarship, they have dusted off agreat political thinker and put him to work to illumine ourrealities. Those who lead all sorts of nonprofit organizations canbenefit from this bracing encounter with political realism."--James Wind, president, The Alban Institute and author of Placesof Worship

MICHAEL JINKINS is associate professor of pastoral theology at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. An ordained Presbyterian minister, he served for thirteen years as a pastor in the United States and Britain. DEBORAH BRADSHAW JINKINS has served more than twenty years in public education as teacher, principal, grant writer, and accountability and compliance monitor of school district effectiveness. Currently she is founding principal for NYOS (Not Your Ordinary School), a charter school in Austin, Texas.