“We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield, and patriot grave, to every living heart and hearthstone, all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.”
— Abraham Lincoln, Inaugural Address, March 4, 1861
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Lincoln’s iconic phrase, “the better angels of our nature,” revealed his belief that the noblest qualities of humanity would heal a divided nation. Our book, Frontiers in Spiritual Leadership, is about the expression of these noble qualities and how leaders such as Lincoln make that expression possible.
To many, spirituality and leadership appear to be unrelated phenomena. We suggest that they are twin processes. Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines spirit as “the force within a person that is believed to give the body life, energy, and power.” Leadership is said to be the force within a group that is said to give it life, energy, and power. Combining the two terms, we can say that spiritual leadership refers to the process by which a person or persons within a group give it life-affirming aims and provide members with the energy and power to fulfill those aims. Frontiers in Spiritual Leadership contains chapters written by leading scholars at the University of Richmond. The book is multidisciplinary in its focus and combines historical explorations of spiritual leadership with an examination of contemporary issues.
The three editors of this volume represent a nice blend of expertise on leadership and spirituality. Scott Allison and George Goethals are social psychologists who have co-authored numerous articles and books on heroes, 
heroic leadership, and related questions. Craig Kocher is the University of Richmond’s Chaplain, the Jessie Ball duPont Chair of the Chaplaincy, and a lecturer in the Jepson School of Leadership Studies. Dr. Kocher is the spiritual leader of the university and has published numerous essays, sermons, and columns on a wide range of spiritual topics.
Frontiers in Spiritual Leadership will appeal to audiences interested in both leadership and spirituality. Leadership scholars have only recently begun to address spiritual issues, making this volume timely in filling a void in the literature. This book can be adopted in undergraduate and graduate courses on leadership, servant leadership, transformational leadership, heroic leadership, spiritual leadership, ethics, values, morality, religion, philosophy, existential psychology, positive psychology, and human growth.
The book is now available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Here’s what they’re saying about Frontiers in Spiritual Leadership:
“Allison, Kocher, and Goethals have succeeded in gathering an all-star team of scholars representing diverse disciplinary perspectives to bring focus to spiritual leadership and its noble, life-giving qualities. Frontiers in Spiritual Leadership is an inspired volume that forges new ground and offers much-needed hope and direction at a critically important time.”
—Bryan Dik Associate Professor of Psychology, Colorado State University Co-Editor of Purpose and Meaning in the Workplace and Psychology of Religion and Workplace Spirituality
“Allison, Kocher, and Goethals’ Frontiers in Spiritual Leadership is an original and truly interdisciplinary study of spiritual leadership and its impact on the lives of individuals and communities.”
—Michael Harvey Professor of Business ManagementWashington College Co-Editor of Leadership Studies: The Dialogue of Disciplines
“Leaders are models and mentors, instilling in others the motivation to transcend their current states in order to take actions that would not otherwise occur. Such transcendence is the essence of spirituality and, as such, the understanding of leadership and spirituality are synergistic intellectual pursuits. However, no prior book has integrated these fundamental facets of human life. Creatively bringing together scholars from multiple disciplines, Frontiers in Spiritual Leadership: Discovering the Better Angels of Our Nature provides rich, unique, and singularly important discussions of the history, and contemporary significance, of transcendent leadership for enhancing personal thriving and social well-being.”
—Richard M. Lerner, Bergstrom Chair in Applied Developmental Science and Director, Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development Tufts University