Nailing It: Why Successful Leadership Demands Suffering and Surrender
Ebook
Nailing Outdated Leadership Practices to the Cross
Traditional leadership teachings and styles haven't changed much in years. But the world is changing and so are Christian leaders—women need room for their natural gifts to shine and people of color needed space to elevate the values they bring into their roles. Even seasoned leaders are growing weary of the status quo, craving innovative ways to lean into new ways of thinking for the good of their organizations and the emerging generations they serve.
In this transformative resource for leaders of all ages, Nicole Massie Martin inspires us to crucify our ministry idols and nail our outdated leadership practices to the cross. Sharing leadership principles and case studies wrapped in biblical precepts and pastoral wisdom, she leads us through seven areas of traditional leadership that need to be reframed:
- Power
- Ego
- Speed
- Performance
- Perfection
- Loyalty
- Scale
Get ready to take the leap of faith into new leadership realities, and discover how crucified living can lead you to nail it.
Foreword by Carey Nieuwhof
Introduction: The Time Is Now
Part 1: The Problem
1. The Realities of Stress and Suffering in Our Present Age
2. Triumphalism, Trauma, and the American Church
Part 2: The Progression
3. Crucifying Power: From Personal Control to Complete Surrender
4. Crucifying Ego: From Self-Centeredness to Divine Love
5. Crucifying Speed: From Deliberately Fast to Delightfully Slow
6. Crucifying Performance: From Transactional Performance to Transformational Presence
7. Crucifying Perfection: From Unattainable Standards to Grace-Filled Wholeness
8. Crucifying Loyalty: From Collective Assimilation to Communal Affirmation
9. Crucifying Scale: From Organizational Growth to Missional Depth
Part 3: The Promise
10. Resurrecting Healing and Hope: The Value of the Dream
Epilogue: A Letter to Our Children
Acknowledgments
Notes
"After spending more than seventeen years in senior executive roles across both marketplace and ministry, I have seen many leaders succumb to the temptations offered by ego and achievement. But in Nailing It, my friend and brilliant thought-leader Nicole Massie Martin offers a new paradigm that is centered on the sacrificial example of Jesus. I am grateful for this book, and you will be, too!"
"The most helpful, practical, challenging, inspiring, and empowering leadership book I've read. In Nailing It, Nicole Massie Martin has provided a blueprint for effective leadership in our rapidly changing world. By identifying leadership practices that hinder our effectiveness and sharing practical principles that lead to personal and organizational flourishing, Nicole has 'nailed' the pressing leadership issues of our day."
"It would be hard to count the number of books, seminars, and podcasts currently available on leadership. Many are helpful and give wise counsel. In this book, Nicole Massie Martin offers a unique approach to leadership, one that recognizes the pathways and pitfalls of current leadership models in the church and in the culture, but one that also challenges various approaches with the perspective of a leader crucified to self for the glory of God and the good of those they lead. Every leader will resonate with one or more of the issues raised, and every leader will be helped by the wisdom offered in these pages."
"Nicole Massie Martin's Nailing It shines a light on the approaches that are needed now and in the future. I loved Nicole's focus on inclusion in leadership with clear examples of women and people of color. Through founding 4word, I have witnessed how leaders in companies like Toyota North America (through its Christian Fellowship), Envision Radiology, Escalante Golf, and many others implement transformational characteristics of love, surrender, grace, and trust. Nailing It offers practical approaches for leaders to implement these qualities. In addition, Nailing It provides hope for the future where the love of Christ can be shared by leaders of tomorrow by their example with those who may never enter the doors of a church or know another follower of Christ."
"By reading this book, you can learn from one of the most impressive and effective leaders in the world today. Regardless of your specific calling, Nicole Massie Martin here will equip you to lead with joy, humility, and excellence while overcoming discouragement and hardship. By the time you close the book, you will not only be ready to lead better, but you will also be inspired to follow Jesus more closely than ever."
"Nailing It is a powerful and timely look at an approach to leadership that challenges the status quo and invites leaders into a deeper, more authentic way of leading. Nicole Massie Martin 'nails it' when she boldly states that true leadership must flow from crucified lives, allowing God's healing and grace to be resurrected in and through us. She masterfully critiques the inadequacies of our current leadership models and offers a compelling vision for where we could and should aspire to be."
"An encounter with my dear sister, Nicole Martin, is always an uplifting experience. This book is no exception. While sobering, it challenges the secular reaches of leadership with the call for 'crucified leadership.' Ms. Martin presents a well-organized, logical progression of leadership issues with thoughtful principles and some personal reflections. May all of us who have the privilege of leadership follow the path outlined in this book where we 'crucify' those bad habits and patterns and 'resurrect' God's glorious intentions as we serve him and his people!"
"If you've asked yourself how you can respond to the triple challenges of suffering, trauma, and anxiety, this is the book for you. In Nailing It, we are invited to reimagine our Christian leadership to a cruciformity that can heal and transform a generation. The cross still points the way!"
"In Nailing It, Nicole Martin brings us to the heart of leadership rooted in the cross. With wisdom, authenticity, and grace, she shows that true leadership flows from sacrifice, humility, and surrender to Jesus. This is a must-read for anyone longing to lead like Christ in a self-centered world."
"Nailing It is a clarion call for leaders to resist the pull toward ego, power hoarding, and toxic leadership and receive the invitation to follow in Jesus' footsteps and become servant leaders who are meek and lead with low egos to make a great impact."
"We desperately need new models of leadership, ones grounded in the humanity and flourishing that Jesus invites us into. Nicole Massie Martin offers just that in Nailing It, rejecting abuses of power and toxic egos in favor of collaboration and mutuality. With experience leading in corporate, nonprofit, and church settings, Nicole brings her invaluable wisdom at a much-needed moment for today's leaders. This book is a powerful call to rethink leadership for a more just and thriving future."
- Title: Nailing It: Why Successful Leadership Demands Suffering and Surrender
- Authors: Nicole Massie Martin, Carey Nieuwhof
- Publisher: IVP
- Print Publication Date: 2025
- Logos Release Date: 2024
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781514009758, 9781514009741, 1514009749, 1514009757
- Resource ID: LLS:9781514009758
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2025-02-13T01:01:41Z
Rev. Dr. Nicole Massie Martin holds degrees from Vanderbilt University, Princeton Theological Seminary, and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. She is the Chief Operating Officer at Christianity Today and founder and Executive Director of Soulfire International Ministries. She is an accomplished writer and author, serves on various boards and councils, and leads the Grow Ministry at Kingdom Fellowship AME Church in Maryland. She and her husband, Mark, are proud parents to two amazing daughters.