Dr. Baron does an excellent job in connecting principle with practical example in this thorough guide through Servant Leadership. If you want to get a different perspective on leading a business and serving people this is a must read.

Leadership is a choice and a practice.  Tony Baron’s life practice observing and living servant leadership is richly portrayed in The Art of Servant Leadership and will help all who read it to step into their power as servant leaders.  During the thirty years of teaching leadership in organizations I have interacted with thousands of individuals looking for a way to become the leader they sought to be when they took on a leadership position.  They are committed yet often distracted and even derailed by day to day organizational needs and poor role models.  Senior leaders who want all to be leaders may not be leveraging their role to model the language, beliefs and behaviors needed to legitimize and encourage all to be servant leaders.  Tony’s book, illustrating servant leaders in action, is filled with powerful examples and lessons for all leaders seeking to create a ‘serving’ environment that energizes people to rise to the challenge of meeting the complex needs of their community.  I highly recommend you read it. 

Some approaches to Servant Leadership read more like leadership abdication. This is especially the case in relation to leadership in churches and other non-profit institutions, which are heavily reliant on volunteers. Tony Baron cuts through such misunderstandings by applying the biblical concept of servant leadership to the business world, in which healthy, vibrant leadership must be exercised for a company to thrive in the marketplace. He roots the principles of servant leadership in a specific case study, which provides both credibility and insight. He demonstrates that servant leadership is self-effacing and entails the empowering of others. Applied to the not-for-profit sector, it means that the servant leader is prepared to do anything, but refuses to be pressured into doing everything. There is all the difference in the world between wearing a towel and becoming a doormat.

This book is for anyone who feels powerless or trapped by his or her corporate culture.  Yes, change is possible, and yes, you are the one called to be the change agent!  Tony Baron combines elements of psychology, economics, and ministry with the powerful case study of Datron World Communications to bring to life how each of us has the power to transform our organizations via servant leadership.  The story of how Art Barter resolved to base his company's leadership principles on what Jesus taught and did is both an inspiration and a blueprint for "taking the plunge."  This book is not about setting up window dressing programs to pretend to be doing good.  It is about being willing to undertake the toughest leadership challenge of all--to transform oneself to truly serve others.

The Art of Servant Leadership has been perfectly mastered by only one, and He was only able to employ it for about three years.  Tony Baron’s superbly structured treatise enables individuals to read--and inwardly digest—the essentials of how to become artists of Servant Leadership.  His logical approach of taking failure of contemporary leadership, fixing it by providing the steps to becoming a new kind of leader, a Servant Leader, is the true essence leading to the formula for success, For the Sake of Others.  This book, with its illuminating examples, should most certainly become standard reading for individuals, corporate and governmental managers, as well as military officers.

Leadership never exists in a vacuum.  It only truly manifests on the ground, with real people, in real situations.  Tony Baron, in this book, offers a compelling case study of leadership in action, leadership tested by adversity.  This book provides an important perspective on leadership. Not only is leadership seen in the midst of real struggle, but more, leadership is presented as something that emerges from the heart and core values of the leader. The primary metaphor turning the process upside-down, but actually right-side up is that of a servant. The driving passion “for the sake of others” infuses the leadership task with an energy that is sustainable and brings transformative change.  Read this book and see how this model of leadership and influence is lived out in real life.

This is a great story of how a company has gone from mediocre to extremely successful by utilizing servant leadership at all levels of the organization.  The company’s change in culture, as the book details, is being led skillfully and passionately by the CEO.  The lucky recipients of this change are the valued employees, the benefited communities of the world, and Datron’s stakeholders.  I would recommend this book to others as a motivating “how to” manual for changing their organization for the better.

The Art of Servant Leadership is easy to recommend as it has important values that work.  My experience is with non-profits, and this book should be part of non-profit libraries.  Servant leadership is what we should always advocate.

I come from the Healthcare industry whose sole purpose is to develop technology that is designed for the sake of others benefit, yet in the end, quarterly driven financial results are what matter with only legal and regulatory requirements providing any moral compass.  With this book, weaved into the amazing story of Art and Lori Barter and Datron World Communication’s transformation of culture is a dynamic and revolutionary systematic approach to organizational leadership that is significant, powerful, and yet still practical to implement. There are many religious-based or morally founded theoretical leadership models out there, but none convey the sustainability of success that Tony describes here in The Art of Servant Leadership as applied at Datron because it encompasses everyone, from the shipping dept to CEO, and every aspect of them as a person. I’ve read many books about integrating Christian values into corporate life but never into the culture of the secular business world as completely and without any religious agenda as found here. Clearly, anyone running a business who wants to operate with a true moral compass has been given a legitimate and proven practical transformational toolkit with The Art of Servant Leadership to apply and see the fruit of their labor.

Dr. Tony Baron quite literally gets to the heart of what matters most in leadership and delivers an inspirational and instructional message on our ability to transform ourselves, our colleagues, the world of business and the greater global community through living a life of servant leadership.

It's the last Friday of the quarter, you're avoiding going to work, the pressure is mounting with each passing minute, you're anxious, tired, stressed and wondering how you're going to spin the story to Corporate when the P&L misses the mark......have you ever been there in your career? Who hasn't? What if you could change all that? What if you could change the paradigm that grips so many companies and so many valuable employees working for them? What if your company was able to change so dramatically that everyone believed in the same core values and silos were silenced? Well, you can! In this brilliant book "The Art of Servant Leadership: Designing Your Organization for the Sake of Others", Dr. Tony Baron walks you through how you can profoundly propel your company, your employees and your life to greatness. With true-life examples, and questions for reflection and discussion, this inspiring story of the servant leaders at Datron and their cultural transformation is a must-read for anyone serious about continuous improvement and living your lives the way you were meant to lead. Your heart, your calling, your gifts and your impact on the lives of others will forever be a source of inspiration and encouragement for those who dare to become servant leaders. This book and its profound truths can lead you down this path with confidence, character and clarity of purpose.

No one can speak more authoritatively to the subject of leadership and servanthood than Tony Baron. Having worked with Tony personally he is a servant leader without question. With narcissistic leadership at an 
epidemic level in the church, nothing could be more timely. This book is destined to become a classic.

In an era where headlines are full of corporate greed, CEO’s abuse of power, and corruption in leadership, the story of Art Barter and Datron World Communications renews hope and faith that success can be achieved through sacrifice and service for the sake of others.  Datron’s growth under such leadership is truly inspirational.  Tony Baron has produced a road map for corporate success.  This book is a must-read for all leaders who believe in the dignity and value of those who work in their organizations.

Every young leader in America—in business, non-profit, politics, education or religion—should read The Art of Servant Leadership. It is strong healing medicine for everyone who has lost faith in the possibility of leadership that is simultaneously ethical and effective. Tony Baron not only shows us what is achievable through servant leadership, he tells us a story of how based on the leadership of Art Barter, CEO of Datron. 

I…honestly had a hard time laying it down.   This book helps paint the picture of what a good model looks like.  It helps me take what may be considered theory and see practical application that works.

An engaging and uplifting book!   What good news to hear that companies can care about people and still make a profit!  As a ‘seeker’ to the principles of servant leadership, the story about Art Barter and the transformation he brought to Datron brought me hope that it’s never too late for bad companies to transform themselves under the right leadership principles as defined by the way of servant leadership.  This book should be read by all seekers of better leadership. The path of Servant Leadership is the way that work should be.

I’ve had the distinct privilege of knowing Art and Lori Barter for the past sixteen years.  Art and I worked together long before his acquisition and great success with Datron World Communications, Inc.  Although Art has always been a kind and generous man, his embracing of the principles of Servant Leadership, so eloquently articulated by Dr. Tony Baron, is a wonderful example for all.  This is a must read for anyone serious about elevating their personal and professional relationships to the highest levels.  What you’ll learn from Dr. Baron’s easy to understand, well-organized book is that , “It’s in giving that you receive.”  Art and Lori Barter are an exceptional example of a life of Servant Leadership guided by a  sincere desire to give for all the right reasons.  And what they’ve received in return for their generosity, by all measurements of success, is indeed remarkable.

- Dr. Keith J. Matthews Professor & Chair of the Ministry Department Graduate School of Theology Azusa Pacific University

- Keith Meyer, author of Whole Life Transformation: Becoming The Change Your Church Needs

--Frank Lyons, Anglican Bishop of Bolivia

-Foley Beach, Anglican Bishop and Pastor

Baron is convicting, challenging, and Holy Spirit-inspiring!  This is a must-read for the Christian leader who truly desires to serve God rather than ego, Christian political correctness, or selfish ambition in their ministry.

--Foley Beach, Anglican Bishop and Pastor

THE CROSS AND THE TOWEL….  A Testimonial

In the late 1990’s my church sent me to a conference on church growth that was being held at a mega church in Chicago.  I went and my eyes were opened to many new ideas, but I came away with the greatest impact from a fellow I ran into in a hallway crowded with people trying to find their next class.  He was an elderly black man with a captivatingly beautiful accent.  He reached out and held my hand for a moment, looked at me directly with his sad, clear eyes and he said, “The Bride is sick.  The Groom is coming soon, and the Bride is sick.”  Immediately I knew he was right and I wondered if I had met an angel.  Those of us who have served as shepherds in one capacity or another are quite aware that there is a great work that needs to be done to restore the good health of the bride… the church.  Tony Baron has addressed this in a clear and effective manner, bringing the issues home for those who truly want to get a firm hold on service “on earth as it is in heaven.”  You will be enlightened and blessed.

--Teresa Goode
Fellow Child of King Jesus