Spirit of God, and so many of the new organizations seemed to
interrelate, or began as we talked and prayed together on our
travels. It was natural to encourage and help them along.”
On reading that, I shook my head and said aloud, “Unbeliev-
able! Just like all those Level Five leaders.”
The tone of his letter, as usual, was self-effacing, giving credit
to others. He even urged me to “choose someone with better lead-
ership skills than I... .” Although Billy soon gave me his blessing
to write this book, his initial reluctance and humble spirit strongly
affirmed key factors that created the “extraordinary results” of his
lifetime of service.
What had started in my mind, however, as a fairly straight-
forward task—draw from Billy’s experiences his key leadership
principles—became a complex journey of exploration and dis-
covery. Although the Level Five parallel fit and shed significant
light, it didn’t solve other mysteries. Yes, Billy has been a highly
effective CEO for a half century. However, how could you do that
while in the headlines and counselor to presidents? How did he
create media breakthroughs and globally expand beyond cultural
limitations? What alchemy of Spirit and character made all this
happen?
Although hundreds of books and thousands of articles have
been written about Billy, his role as an executive leader has been
largely unexplored. This book’s discovery process, then, would
plunge into four deep pools:
First, Billy’s closest associates. What would they say created
this phenomenon? These thoughtful, highly accomplished lead-
ers had labored beside Billy for decades in the “sweaty arena.”
What was it like to have Billy Graham as a boss? Or, how did fel-
low CEOs of large enterprises view serving him as a board trustee?
What was really going on behind the scenes?
Second, books, articles, original letters, and other resources in
our CTfiles, the Billy Graham Center, and elsewhere. We knew
Billy’s autobiography and William Martin’s comprehensive Prophet
with Honorwould be essential. How might these familiar materi-
als help answer the questions?
The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham