When the Choir Began to Sing

By Harry E. Eastridge

Businesses, schools, churches, faith-based organizations, any group...use this book to help members unlock their leadership potential! Great for students too! We all know how easy it is to get mired... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1589921186
• ISBN13: 9781589921184
• Release Date: October 2002
• Publisher: Master Teacher, Inc
• Length: 48 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.

Customer Reviews

AT LAST, A DIFFERENT VIEW OF MANAGEMENT BY EXCEPTION

When the Choir Began to Sing is evidence that a book does not have to be lengthy to be full of insight and wide application. Eastridge and O'Callaghan have provided us with a paradigm-busting read in the line of Marcus Buckingham & Curt Coffman's First, Break All the Rules and David Whitney and Amanda Trosten-Bloom's The Power of Appreciative Inquiry. In doing so they have redirected our thinking about the time-worn principle of management by exception. As leaders, we need to redirect our attention to the choir, those individuals who day-in-and-day-out "deliver the goods" for our organizations. Too much time, attention, and pages in employee handbooks have already been devoted to those who refuse to align their efforts with others to produce something that none of us can do alone. We need to quit trying to put in what is not there among the minority of organizational employees who don't get it and start drawing out what is there among the bulk of organizational employees whom we have taken for granted for far too long. That time, recognition, and effort will yield a much better return on investment. That notion has far wider applications and implications than the church context within which the book is written. I would urge every organizational leader to purchase the book and integrate its lessons into organizaitonal life. Thank you, gentlemen, for speaking up for the choir. Your words are music to our ears!

A Help in Getting People to Become Involved

This is a valuable and delightful book that is easily read and understood. Though the concepts are straight-forward, they are seldom considered by groups attempting to bring about change, especially internally. The presentation is effective in that it lists concepts, then explains and applies those concepts through an on-going story. Though the story is about a church choir it is applicable to any group, whether private sector or public. In reading the story I could not help but apply the content to the changes I am seeking to bring about in the educational arena. I recommend the use of this book for individuals seeking to form a group to bring about changes and also for the entire group as a starting point.

A New Kind of Inspiration

When a friend and fellow superintendent gave me a copy of this book with his enthusiastic recommendation that I read it, I politely accepted his offer. Privately, I was skeptical about its value for educational leadership. However, to honor my promise, I read it in an airport while waiting for a flight. It didn't take long for my attitude to change. This wasn't just a story about a choir and a church; it was about relationships and leadership. I couldn't get the story out of my mind, and I found myself in constant reflection about it during my cross-country flight. This simple story caused me to think about my leadership and the culture of my school district at a level deeper than I've ever experienced. Since that trip, I have met with a group of colleagues to talk about the book. At each gathering, we create new and deeper meaning around its message. I've now come to the conclusion that there will be no end to what I learn from this book. The message is not confined to the story alone. It is far more personal. The message is found in how I am inspired to think at new levels about my leadership.

Powerful ideas, quick to read

I read this book during a one-hour airline flight, and was struck with the simple, yet powerful messages it conveyed about leadership and motivation. I immediately recommended it to the CEO client I had been flying to visit, and have continued to recommend it since. Entire management teams would benefit from reading and discussing this book, and then putting its concepts into action.

A phenomenal leadership & team-building tool!

Any individual or organization would benefit from this book, as it touches on the human spirit and how crisis can drive wonderfully needed CHANGE! Whether you are in Education, Ministry or Corporate America, this book will help you tap into the hidden leaders that surround you. I work in sales training, and this book has provided a quick and inspiring read, which has led to discussion and interaction between "old school" and "new school" people. This is a MUST for any leader!