Leadership Secrets of the Salvation Army Paperback – February 1, 2013

This was an excellent book. I work in a non-profit organization, and this is a good reference for greater efficiency of operation.

Read includes references to well known organizational leaders and Harvard level speakers

I found the history of the Salvation Army interesting and now have even greater respect for the organization.

Well written and filled with fundamentals that apply to all types of organizations.Truly a must read for executives and managers.

I’m not sure if I’m unique in this, but I wasn’t really excited to read Leadership Secrets of the Salvation Army by Robert A. Watson and Ben Brown. Maybe it’s because my main interaction with the Salvation Army is during the Christmas season during their Red Kettle campaigns. Maybe it’s because many of my interactions with non-profit organizations don’t typically involve lessons in effective leadership. In any case, I was immediately drawn in by the introduction to the book which quotes the late management guru Peter Drucker saying in Forbes magazine, “The Salvation Army is by far the most effective organization in the U.S. No one even comes close to it with respect to clarity of mission, ability to innovate, measurable results, dedication and putting money to maximum use.”It is this quote that inspired the initial edition of the book back in the early 2000s, as Watson felt the need to quantify Drucker’s magnanimous praise. Indeed, his quote is even found on the cover of the book, as though Leadership Secrets of the Salvation Army is the direct answer to the enviable doubts raised by such an extreme statement. Needless to say, I was very interested in the answer.And what an answer it is! Where has this book been all my management life? Watson and Brown cut to the heart of what makes an organization thrive; integrating and noting several well-known leadership and management axioms. This isn’t new territory, but what is new is seeing these ideas clearly applied in a gospel-centered way to the unique context of the non-profit organization.The Salvation Army is truly an incredible organization in both depth and breadth, and it’s really exciting to get a look under the hood. There is so much applicable content here that I want to buy the print version of the book so I can mark it up! The chapter titles say it all: “Engage The Spirit,” “Put People In Your Purpose,” “Lead By Listening,” “Organize To Improvise,” “Act With Audacity,” and more. And those chapters are filled with stories, testimonies, examples, and principles that will be beneficial to any organization, big or small, profit or non-profit.This is a must read for any who find themselves in positions of leadership or management (or as I prefer to call it, cultivation). The audiobook version I listened to had some great narration by Bob Souer.Please Note: This audiobook was gifted as a part of the Christianaudio Reviewers Program in exchange for my unbiased review of this work. This has in no way influenced my opinion or review of this work. More information can be found about this and other Christian audiobooks at christianaudio.com.

Leadership Secrets of the Salvation Army by Robert Watson and Ben Brown is a quite interesting look into the everyday running of the Salvation Army and their corporate structure and beliefs. It is great to hear that a church run business is considered one of the most successful businesses in America and better yet that they are helping the community in the process.The inner working of this business and its history are discussed in great detail, which could be very helpful to businesses or churches that are looking to grow but don't really know the process involved.In Australia the Salvation Army is affectionately known as the Salvos and have a very good reputation for helping in the community. I found this book very interesting to see how an organisation balanced trying to run a business while helping the community as much as possible and providing Biblical values and assistance.The narration was good as usual as the audio was clear and about the right pace to be able to listen to without being too slow.This book would be great for people interested in the Salvation Army as an organisation or people looking to glean business ideas or principles from this successful business.This audio book was gifted as a part of the christianaudio Reviewers Program in exchange for my unbiased review of this work. More information can be found about this and other Christian audio books at christianaudio.com.

I am editing my Review of this book because I wanted to include that I have just come to find out that the audio version of this book won the 2014 Audie Award against stiff challengers such as a title about Steve Jobs and others...here is my original review: This book is filled with leadership information that inspires and educates at the same time and is useful for both secular and church & non-profit application. I also think that this book would be educational for college students of business and management, after all it is endorsed by business guru Peter Drucker! Seminary students would also benefit as they train to one day have a church. I have had the pleasure of reading this book several times and each time I find myself struck by the awesomeness of the work that is done by each Salvation Army division within its community and by the small size of staff that accomplishes so much. I highly recommend this book to all companies from small to large, it is important that every employee have the vision of the company that it works for and this is particularly true for non profits and churches. The author, [retired] National Commissioner Robert Watson draws from years of experience working for one of the largest national and international organizations and I didn't tire of each point being made or real-life examples including failures to learn from. For me it was a page-turner an inspiration and also learning tool. Leadership Secrets of the Salvation Army