The most powerful leadership guide in history shaped President Ken Jones’s writing in “The Core 8 Principles for Building Strong, Authentic Leadership.”
The book is scheduled to be released on April 21, 2026.
The book outlines a set of leadership principles drawn from Jones’ years of leadership experience.
“I’ve led leadership seminars for many years across companies, corporations, and churches,” Jones said. “After becoming Chancellor of Lubbock Christian University, I expanded my work and earned a Georgetown certificate in executive leadership coaching.”
Jones said the goal was to identify what truly matters in leadership and turn those ideas into practical principles.
“I thought, what really matters about all the things I teach, what are the principles that really matter,” Jones said.
Jones emphasized that the Bible shaped many of his core leadership principles.
“I have long said that the best book ever written on leadership is the Bible,” Jones said. “I would go into Bible stories and learn leadership principles.”
Jones explained how the core idea came from a story in Esther.
“In Esther, it talks about a man named Mordecai, and it says he was held in high esteem because he worked for the good of others ahead of himself,” Jones said. “I use that as my first principle, and upon that principle everything else is built, and that’s the key to all of this.”
Jones revealed that the book took a long time to come to fruition.
“It stayed in a drawer for a long time,” Jones said. “In fact, I would have probably done nothing with it.”
The manuscript was later revived by co-author Matt Paden, a former employee and student at Lubbock Christian University.
Paden reshaped the manuscript through a learning-focused approach.
“I said, Matt, I’ll do you a favor,” Jones said. “I’ll give you a manuscript of a good book, but I want you to rewrite the thinking of it as though you’re learning from somebody else.”
The story opens with a fable including Jones and Paden as characters to illustrate leadership concepts, then discusses each principle.
“The first half of the book is a fable where he’s one of the characters, and I’m one of the characters, and he’s learning from me,” Jones said. “The second half of the book is just the principles, where they come from, and how they work.”
Jones said the book also includes a foreword from Dr. John Delony, a host and representative of Ramsey Solutions.
“I’ve known Delony for a long time,” Jones said. “He used to work for me.”
After studying engineering, Jones prefers a practical guide rather than a theoretical text.
“My favorite books in engineering were handbooks,” Jones said. “You’ve got all these theories out there, but the handbook just says, ‘Here’s how you apply it.’”
The publisher Forefront Books works with authors to develop nonfiction titles focused on practical applications involving leadership and personal growth.
Forefront Books partners with The Core to provide practical leadership principles for individuals in all areas of life.
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