12 Ducere Est Servire: THE LEADERSHIP JOURNAL OF DALLAS BAPTIST UNIVERSITY DS: What are some of your favorite books to recommend on the study of leadership? Cook: First, certainly the Bible. More can be learned from studying the Bible about leadership than any other book. Studying individuals like Joseph, Moses, David, Daniel, and Paul can provide the greatest insights in understanding how we should live our lives in service to God and our fellowman. Certainly, studying every word about the life of Christ would be the most important part of studying the Scriptures. A second book would be Good to Great by Jim Collins. This carefully researched and well-written book provides particular insight into what he terms, “level five leadership.” Level five leadership is really what we know to be called servant leadership, and it is what the Lord taught us when he asked us to be servants. The third book is The Contrarian’s Guide to Leadership by Steven Sample. Dr. Sample was one of the most highly regarded university presidents, serving at the University of Southern California for a number of years. Reading his book helped me significantly as I served as President of Dallas Baptist University. The fourth book I would recommend is Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders. This book is really a classic and should be read by all church leaders as well as lay persons who want to live out their lives in devotion to the Lord in their vocations. Lastly is Hearing God written by Dallas Willard who served as the chair of the philosophy department at the University of Southern California. His book helped me to understand that praying was not just talking to God, but it was also listening for God to speak. The rich, spiritual insights I gained while reading this book helped me to truly understand how I could hear God’s voice more clearly and communicate with Him. DS: How should leaders respond when facing major challenges such as the recent COVID-19 pandemic? Cook: The children’s book that was the most inspirational to me was The Little Engine That Could. My mother read that to me over and over,
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