Third, leadership books like Collins’s Good to Greatand the
essential works of Peter Drucker, Warren Bennis, and others,
matched with biographical studies of great leaders. My book-
shelves were loaded with these, but was Billy really a practitioner
of such skills? And how was he the same, and how different, from
history’s greats?
Fourth, the resources that challenged, energized, and sustained
him. He drew from not only the Bible, which he constantly
quoted, but also the rich traditions of Christian scholars and the-
ologians from many streams. How did they inform his leadership?
Marshall Shelley, editor of Leadershipjournal, agreed to plow
into this “massive opportunity” with me and coauthor the book.
We and editorial resident Collin Hansen started selecting and sort-
ing the plethora of resources and interviewing key players, hoping
to bring the fuzzy picture of Billy’s leadership somewhat into focus.
We had plenty of questions. For instance, how could Billy have
such a reputation for humility yet be so much in the spotlight and
receive all those awards? Why did the press seek him out so much?
He has used throughout his career the principles we see in Drucker
and Bennis and other writers, but he’s probably read few, if any, of
those books. Where did these skills come from? And how could
he endure all the harsh criticism year after year, and the betrayal
by Nixon, yet maintain his optimism? Furthermore, how did he
create his unusual rapport with business types?
We hoped to sort out questions and puzzle pieces into a coher-
ent and helpful guide. Leadership is a fascinating, delightful sub-
ject—and vital to each of us. This book is not intended to lionize
Billy, yet it’s unapologetically positive because of its purpose. We
asked, How could this book not only inform but also refresh and
help each of us lead? That’s why we decided to do chapter wrap-
up sections, drawing from all four of our research categories.
The mosaic that emerged was complex. We found a very
human Billy Graham and were surprised by the mix of candor, awe,
and love that resonated among those who served with him. We’ve
not attempted a scholarly analysis of Billy’s legacy; we’ve
unabashedly probed for the positive to distill transferable principles.
Introduction