About the Course


What makes an effective leader? It’s sometimes thought that leadership is a gift that can’t be taught, but might there be practices we can cultivate to better align our purposes with God’s in our leadership roles?

Join Michael Lindsay, President of Gordon College and author of View from the Top: An Inside Look at how People in Power See and Shape the World, as he explores core elements of effective leadership in biblical perspective. Drawing on his extensive personal interviews of the world’s most influential leaders—from former presidents and high-ranking government officials to CEOs and heads of non-profit organizations—Lindsay identifies five keys to effective leadership. Learn how God can use your customs, coaches, challenges, confidants, and crises to equip you to join in God’s business in your leadership role, wherever it is.

What You'll Learn

  • What makes an effective leader?
  • How do our daily practices shape our ability to lead well?
  • How do good leaders negotiate challenges? 
  • What role do coaches and confidants play in the lives of effective leaders?
  • How can God use crises to forge our character?
  • What skills do leaders need to overcome adversity?

Course curriculum

  • 1

    Lesson 1 - Developing Leadership

    • What Makes a Leader?

    • Customs

    • Coaches
  • 2

    Lesson 2 - Behind the Curtain

    • Challenges

    • Obstacles Shape Us

    • Confidants
  • 3

    Lesson 3 - Faithfully Following

    • Crisis

    • The Crucible

    • Whose Will be Done?

    • Work Makes the World

About the Instructor

President, Taylor University

Michael Lindsay

An award-winning sociologist and educator, Michael Lindsay is president of Taylor University, and an expert on religion, culture, worldview, and leadership. View from the Top, his most recent book, reports the findings of his 10-year study of senior organizational leaders — including former Presidents Carter and Bush, and hundreds of CEOs at the nation’s largest corporations and nonprofits. Michael graduated from Baylor University and holds graduate degrees in theology from Princeton Theological Seminary and Wycliffe Hall at Oxford. He earned his Ph.D. in sociology from Princeton University.