The main character, John Daily, is general manager of a glass factory. On the surface his career is a success, but at work his staff won't follow him and the union is fighting him, while at home his marriage is strained and his children are distant. At his wife's suggestion, he joins a week-long leadership retreat at a Benedictine monastery.

The teacher is Brother Simeon, once a legendary businessman who left his career to enter the monastery. The whole book is this week of classroom dialogue: the participants include a head nurse, a pastor, an army officer, a coach, a principal and John, each with a different leadership struggle.

Simeon starts by defining leadership as the skill of influencing people to work enthusiastically toward common goals. He then separates two kinds of influence:

• Power: forcing others to do your will because of your position, even if they would rather not.
• Authority: getting others to willingly do your will because of your personal influence.

Power can be gained through a position and is easily lost; authority has to be built over time through character and action. Leading with power works in the short run but slowly damages relationships.

Simeon draws the traditional organizational pyramid: the boss at the top, employees below, customers at the very bottom. Then he flips it: customers at the top, front-line employees serving the customers, and managers at the bottom serving the employees.

Simeon draws a clear line between needs and wants: a slave does what others want, a servant does what others need. A leader is not a pushover who grants every wish, but someone who finds and meets people's real needs—which include clear expectations and discipline.

Simeon quotes the description of love in First Corinthians and defines love as a behavior, not a feeling. He uses the Greek word Agape for this love: not emotional liking, but love that comes from the will and meets others' needs through action. A leader doesn't have to like everyone, but should treat them with these behaviors:

• Patience: controlling your own emotions.
• Kindness: giving attention, appreciation and encouragement.
• Humility: being authentic, without arrogance.
• Respect: treating others as important people.
• Selflessness: meeting others' needs.
• Forgiveness: letting go of resentment.
• Honesty: not deceiving, and being willing to give candid feedback and hold people accountable.
• Commitment: sticking to your choices.

The book sums up its ideas as a model that builds from the bottom up:

Will → Love → Service & Sacrifice → Authority → Leadership

In other words, leadership starts with a choice. Good intentions aren't enough; intentions must be matched by actions. When you keep choosing to serve others and give of yourself through loving behavior, you build authority and become a true leader.

At the end of the retreat, the participants discuss whether people really change once they know these ideas. Simeon says change goes through a process—“unconsciously unskilled → consciously unskilled → consciously skilled → unconsciously skilled”—just like learning to drive, it takes repeated practice until it becomes a habit.

Back at the factory and at home, John starts with listening, respect and keeping his promises, slowly repairing his relationships. The book's message: anyone can be a leader, and leadership begins with being willing to serve others first.