Lasting leadership does not begin with charisma or ambition but with surrender, stewardship, and servanthood.
Dr Margaret Diddams and Dr Shirley Mullen coauthored Tried and True: The Countercultural Virtues of Christian Leadership, which draws on John Wesley as a wise and surprisingly relevant leadership tutor for cultivating courage, humility, and hope for leadership that can last a lifetime.
Dr Margaret Diddams IVPress Page
Dr Shirley Mullen IVPress Page
Dr Margaret Diddams Amazon Page
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:
- Two Major Ways to Motivate People
- Where Charisma Goes Wrong
- Leaders Help People Flourish
ABOUT THE GUEST:
Dr Margaret Diddams is an industrial-organizational psychologist, leadership consultant, educator, and editor of Christian Scholar’s Review, whose work explores how Christian faith shapes leadership, character, and human flourishing. Having served in higher-education leadership, including as provost of Wheaton College, and in the corporate world at Microsoft, she brings both scholarly depth and practical experience to the question of what faithful leadership requires in complex institutions. She is coauthor, with Shirley Mullen, of Tried and True: The Countercultural Virtues of Christian Leadership, which draws on John Wesley as a wise and surprisingly relevant leadership tutor for cultivating courage, humility, and hope for leadership that can last a lifetime.
Dr Shirley Mullen served for four decades in the world of Christian higher education, most recently for 15 years as the President of Houghton University. She has earned doctorates in both history and philosophy. In retirement, she has served on several boards, and continued her mentoring of young leaders, as well as speaking and writing. Her book, Claiming the Courageous Middle, came out from Baker Academic in 2024.
RELATED LINKS:
- Dr Margaret Diddams IVPress Page
- Dr Shirley Mullen IVPress Page
- Book: Tried and True
- Dr Margaret Diddams Amazon Page
- Dr Shirley Mullen Amazon Page
TIMESTAMPED SHOWNOTES:
00:39 – Introducing Dr Margaret Diddams & Dr Shirley Mullen
02:14 – Charisma is a Double-Edged Sword
04:16 – Two Major Ways to Motivate People
04:23 – …authority
04:30 – …influence
04:44 – …good leaders do both
05:00 – Where Charisma Goes Wrong
05:19 – …diffuse hope that is emotionally laden
07:12 – Charismatic Leaders Have Two Choices
07:17 – …deliver on their promises
07:26 – …instability and promise a different future
07:44 – Research on Charismatic Leaders
07:51 – …the perception is better than actuality
08:29 – …sense of entitlement
08:53 – …fallenness in leaders
10:54 – Leaders Help People Flourish
11:25 – …valuing people, not using them
11:56 – …healthy leaders ensure that people under you are growing and developing
12:34 – …leadership and calling set within God’s kingdom purposes
13:59 – …a healthy organization has growing people and growing leaders
14:52 – Takeaways from Dr Diddams and Dr Mullen
18:06 – Finding Dr Margaret Diddam and Dr Shirley Mullen: Amazon, LinkedIn
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