Endorsements: The Leader’s Legacy

Paul S. Amos, cofounder and chairman emeritus, Aflac Incorporated
In The Leader's Legacy, David McKenna reminds us that when you truly believe in your organization—or your cause—your responsibilities do not begin and end with your formal appointment to a leadership position. Just five years ago I passed the “baton” of the Fortune 500 company my brothers and I built from ground up, so I can personally attest to the legitimacy and relevance of McKenna's 12 rules of succession. By peppering his book with recollections and anecdotes from his own long career in leadership, McKenna has provided insightful and compelling examples for current and future leadership alike.

Alec Hill, president, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, Madison, Wisconsin
David McKenna dispenses wisdom like a vending machine on steroids. His challenge to leaders to take succession planning seriously is excellent counsel indeed.

Don Argue, president, Northwest University, Kirkland, Washington
McKenna unpacks The Leader's Legacy with the precision of a scholar, the sensitivity of a pastor, and reflections from a life of successful leadership. It is the best on the subject that I have read.

Steven Moore, executive director, M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust
While organizations are often diligent in their search process, they neglect the handoff and transition of leadership. David McKenna speaks to that important moment in transition when one leader passes the baton to his or her successor. It is a defining moment for both individuals. Done well, the handoff multiplies momentum and lays the foundation for a fruitful future. Done poorly, it can short-circuit forward progress, demoralize those within the institution, and damage relationships and the mission.

Few people can speak to navigating those difficult waters of transition better than David McKenna. The wisdom and insights he shares here are born of prayer and experience. He has practiced what he is preaching. While his counsel has special import for churches, colleges, seminaries, and other ministries and groups, the underlying truths are relevant to all who want to start well and end well.

We are deeply indebted to David McKenna for putting practice into words. We honor all leaders and the work of the kingdom when we translate these words into our lives and the organizations of which we are a part.

Vernon Grounds, chancellor, Denver Seminary
Among Christian leaders of my and his generation, David L. McKenna was regarded as a paragon of creative leadership. In this, the latest of his helpful books, he shares his commonsense, wisdom, and insight for the benefit of those God entrusted with leadership today and tomorrow. Anyone engaged in Christian ministry will profit by Dr. McKenna's counsel.

Anita Schamber, senior associate, Leadership and Organizational Development, World Vision International
The Leader's Legacy is a “must read” for all existing and emerging leaders of World Vision as our organization embarks upon a succession planning and culture-change process. Dr. McKenna illuminates 12 important issues which require leaders to reflect and act in alignment with the “succession principle” of “building upon the past, giving momentum to the present, and leaving the promise of greater things to come.” Using John the Baptist as a model and drawing on his 33 years of experience, Dr. McKenna provides refreshing perspectives on leadership within Christian contexts, although the principles are applicable to leaders in the secular arena as well.

David Kingrey, director, Church Leadership Institute for Ministry, Evangelical Friends Church—Mid-America
David McKenna has made a very significant contribution to church leadership with this book. McKenna articulates clearly the joys, challenges, and unsuspected difficulties that leaders face in churches and other organizations. Explaining that “Succession is the ultimate test of Christian leadership,” McKenna challenges leaders to meet that test by appreciating the history of the organization, advancing its present mission, and assuring its future. His ideas and advice are credible and practical. I strongly recommend The Leader's Legacy to all leaders of organizations—especially church leaders—and to all persons anticipating future leadership.

David J. Gyertson, professor, School of Leadership Studies, Regent University
David McKenna has done it again! This prolific author in the field of leadership theory and application pulls together career-shaping insights on legacy from his senior leadership experiences. His own journey of significance and success enriches the principles he so effectively presents. Utilizing 12 rules of succession, he gives the reader a wealth of teaching based on both theory and practical experience. Leaders just beginning their journeys as well as those preparing for the “final transition” into retirement will find key insights for their professional, personal, and spiritual journeys. His wit, wisdom, clarity, and conviction inspire and guide each of us committed to finishing well.

Dave Arnott, professor of management, Dallas Baptist University; author of Corporate Cults and The Leadership Quotient
Too much is written about climbing the leadership ladder; finally there is a book telling us how to descend. Sometimes, the best form of servant leadership is to stop leading, and the book gives an excellent road map that marks the exit ramps. McKenna employs a John-the-Baptist framework to show Christian leaders how to exit without having our heads presented on a plate. The book is an elegant blend of theory, anecdote, and application that informs us about the most important contribution we make to Christian institutions—the legacy we leave by exiting gracefully. With The Leader's Legacy, Dr. McKenna confirms his role as the ad hoc dean of the college of applied Christian leadership.