Cover Image: Leading Things You Didn't Start

Leading Things You Didn't Start

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Member Reviews

Maybe you fell into your position. Maybe someone handed it to you. Maybe you inherited it. But you didn't start it. Reagin helps you examine who or what made it happen and how you are in charge. Whether you hit the ground running, stumbled into your current responsibilities, or are encountering unexpected resistance, you'll find solid ground here.

Written from a Christian viewpoint, there's much to recommend this for others as well. Reagin covers the basics of management and relationship-building, the effects of your decisions, and the qualities that can help your business or organization thrive.

Take time to pick up this book and put your feet (and mind) on a firm foundation. Journal the questions or go through them with your board or leadership team to boost your chances for success.

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Leadership is such a popular topic right now, but despite this, not a lot of people are talking about how to lead things that we didn't start. It can be hard to come into someone else's place and vision, and since most leaders are in this position, it is an important topic to discuss.

I really liked that Reagin approached everything through the lens of Scripture. This type of advice tends creates more genuine leadership qualities instead of quick fixes. It was also really interesting to see how his faith impacted his leadership style. One thing to note on this - while he said that this book is applicable to everyone regardless of their religious beliefs, I personally don't think that someone who wasn't at least open to Christianity would enjoy reading this. Reagin's faith is very evident throughout the book and plays a large role in his advice and experiences, so if you don't also come from a place of faith it may not be the most relevant.

There are two reasons that I only gave this book three stars. First, all of the principles mentioned are based almost exclusively on personal experiences and Scripture. It came across as, "well if it worked for me, it will work for you too," when one person's successes cannot be generalized to others when there are so many different variables in place. I would have loved to see more research to back up Reagin's points.

The second reason is that - aside from the theological applications - none of the principles in this book were new. Granted, I've read a lot of books on leadership, but there wasn't really anything in here that I hadn't heard before. It was encouraging to hear the advice as it related to leading something you didn't start, but it wasn't revolutionary or anything.

Overall, it was well written and brought a new aspect of leadership to the table, it just felt unfinished since it lacked any new revelations or credible data.

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This book took me a little while to get through and I think it was simply the need to go back through the thoughts a second or third time. Overall it was a thought provoking book for me and helped me to come up with some things to work through as well. Decent flow and well written.

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I do not consider myself a leader, and am definitely not one in an official capacity, but I am a wife, and a mother, and that means that I am a leader in my own right. When I first picked up Leading Things You Didn't Start I was skeptical that I wouldn't glean anything from this resource, especially since leadership is not something I need help with, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Yes, the primary focus is on leadership, but the author put a lot more into this resource. The foundation of leadership is Christian faith, and the author implements this faith into every aspect, which as a Christian myself, I appreciated very much. Tyler put a lot of personal stories into this book, which really helped me feel connected to him, and gave me a deeper understanding of why he gives the advice and recommendations that he does. He is the real deal in every aspect and gleaned a lot from Leading Things You Didn't Start, especially when it comes to transitioning and navigating through different seasons of your life and doing the right things the right way.

A very powerful resource and one that I truly believe can benefit leaders and non-leaders alike. If you are a person of any type of influence whatsoever this is the book for you!

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Real world examples, highly recommend for anyone in leadership. Really lays everything out for you in an easy to understand way and how to improve your agency and keep it going well. Definitely recommend for any new manager

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I really enjoyed this book! A different approach from other leadership books which made it unique for me. Tyler's transparency with the peaks and valleys in his own leadership journey coupled with insights on using the Fruits of the Spirit in leadership, re-energized my desire to lead and left me with some new approaches that I want to put into action. The book is relatable, insightful, and encouraging.

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Leading Things You Didn't Start gives a foundation to build on when entering a leadership position behind a former leader. Real life stories shared will bring a smile as well as informative and encouraging truths that will equip anyone to enter a new position with confidence and grace. The topics covered in this book will benefit leaders as well as anyone desiring to improve workplace influence.

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First, I am a slightly biased reviewer because I had the pleasure of serving on a volunteer team Tyler led at the very beginning of a new church when I was in undergrad, and got to experience the kind of culture his leadership helps create firsthand. Though Tyler was well along his leadership journey by the time I started leading things, his first book Life Giving Leader was hugely impactful on beginning to lead with a healthy foundation!

Second, a lot of people could miss picking this book up and gaining some vital insight into leadership transitions because they aren’t currently transitioning into a leadership role. As Cheryl Bachelder pointed out, almost all leadership begins with inherited influence and ends with handing that influence off to the next leader. Even if you started the thing you lead, the leaders under you and the person who will succeed you are leading things they didn’t start!

Having established that Tyler is the real deal and that this book is for everyone who ever hopes to lead anything at any level, it is absolutely fantastic at blending both the tactical and motivational principles that set leaders up for success. I love that Tyler is transparent about the tension between jumping to practical action and pausing a bit longer to evaluate the health of yourself as the leader and the organization or team you lead.

The entire first section is about becoming the kind of leader that stewards influence well, reinforcing the truth that healthy leadership flows from a healthy leader. Tyler begins by vulnerably sharing his trepidation stepping into leading Catalyst, being candid about the weight of taking over a movement he didn’t start. And from there transitions to bringing out the broader challenges and questions anyone entering such a transition might encounter.

The second section is full of wisdom for anyone, leader or not, about navigating seasons of transition well. Obviously it is critical for leaders to get this right, but much of the wisdom here applies to anyone who seeks to create a healthy environment that invites feedback and honest communication.

The third section is probably my favorite, as it really drives home the idea that doing the right things is always right. This extends so far beyond inherited leadership, or even any kind of leadership. There is almost always a tradeoff between speed and sustainability, in business and in life. Even though I love instant potato flakes, there is a lot of wisdom in being aware that pressure tends to reward speed over quality, and the sustainable successes almost always take more time to grow and nurture.

The final section is all about culture and bringing people along into the vision. Often the big picture can get lost in translation within the organization, perhaps being substituted by performance metrics or KPIs that are detached from the motivation of the mission. The more connected the people are to the purpose, and inspired by the vision, the more engaged and passionate (not to mention productive) the team will be!

I almost skipped the interviews and in doing so would have made a big mistake! Even though I have read books and heard talks and interviews with these four leaders, Tyler’s questions and the way answers are tied back to the principles in the book makes both their stories and the truths so much more powerful.

Tyler’s leadership style is so authentic and refreshing, and hearing his take on how to succeed in a difficult transitional leadership season is pure gold. Lots of current and future leaders probably hope to lead the way he has modeled leadership, but might get some of the foundational elements wrong early on. This book will no doubt save many costly detours for new leaders, and help organizations grow healthier cultures that set future leaders up for success.

I have never led something I didn’t start, and yet I got so much out of this book that I would highly recommend it to anyone who aspires to any kind of leadership role or position of influence in any team or organization!

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Leading Things You Didn't Start is a great new book on how to develop and transition as a leader over businesses, churches, programs, etc that you...didn't start, obviously haha!

Tyler Reagin shares morals and ethics that are Biblical but also commonly affirmed in secular culture, so that while he does share Bible verses and info about church life, this is a great tool for non-religious folk as well. The book is well organized and clear, and while it's not overwhelmingly long, I think this could have been much shorter.

My favorite parts of the book and what is sticking with me most, is how he lays out leadership principles through the fruits of the Spirit. Those chapters can be applied to any type of leadership--even for a mother of her children, and I appreciate his wisdom and clarity. The end of the book has a few chapters of interviews with well known leaders that I enjoyed and give the book a fun tone as well as a 30 day practical challenge guide.

Overall, this book is both great for Christian adults with anyone following them, leaders in the secular spheres, and a great practical tool.

Thank you NetGalley and Waterbrook & Multnomah for a free copy in exchange for my honest review.

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