Book Review of De-Railed, by Tim Irwin, PH.D.

I just completed reading De-Railed by Dr. Tim Irwin last night, and its effect upon me will be long-lasting. I am coming off an extended time of meetings and travel, and I am feeling stressed and stretched. Just ask my wife, Lou Ann! So, the arrival of this book in my mailbox from Thomas Nelson and Michael Hyatt was something my soul needed. Let me explain.

My work as Regional Executive Director of Mission Mid-Atlantic is primarily with pastors and churches. As I read the profiles of the de-railed leaders in Dr. Irwin’s book, I found myself applying the hard lessons to ministry settings and they fit more often than I liked to admit. Christian leaders also struggle with hubris and an entitlement mentality, and when a ministry succeeds leaders within the local church are also tempted to attribute the organization’s success to their own brilliance. This is why I meticulously read each profile, looking for lessons to pass along to our pastors. Few ministry leaders are fired because of fraudulent behavior. Instead, as is the case of De-Railed, most are let go due to failure of character.

I appreciated Dr. Irwin’s emphasis upon character over competence, and found that he argued his case in a slightly different manner than the one presented by Bill Thrall and Bruce McNichol in The Ascent of a Leader. They argue that the capacity ladder, which many leaders climb to positions of leadership, fails to keep them there, and they urge leaders to create relationships of trust and environments of grace to develop character. Irwin addresses character from a different point as he urges leaders to focus upon four character-rooted qualities (Authenticity, Self-management, Humility and Courage). He also offers an online assessment at http://www.derailedleader.com/. Complete the forty-eight questions and you will instantly receive your results with suggestions to address risk areas.

Irwin follows the profiles of six high-profile executives with a brief summary of the derailment process. Most ministry failures follow the five stages he outlined in De-Railed and begin with the same insight: Lack of self-awareness. The rest is sadly predictable. Throughout the rest of De-Railed, Irwin explores strategies to stay on the rails and to do so for a life-time.

I recently attended the Memorial Service for a Christian leader, and as I sat and listened to family and friends describe his impact in their lives, I wondered why so few leaders finish well. Dr. Irwin has helped me answer that question. Few Christian leaders finish well because they fail to practice self-awareness and put in place the metrics to guide them over the long haul. De-Railed, by Dr. Tim Irwin is a book every Christian leader will find helpful to maintain character and integrity over a life-time.

~Jim