Economic-Life Books

Communicates a method of arriving at conclusions that is relationship driven employing extensive use of careful observation to create actions based on facts rather than unrealistic expectations and/or hopes.

Disasters happen and the key to business success often lies in being flexible enough to respond to emergencies. OPTIMIZING LUCK provides the tools and techniques for creating a corporate culture that nurtures customer satisfaction and peak performance regardless of emergencies and changes. The authors have created one of the longest-lasting astronomy satellite projects and in this profile they combine their science knowledge with business management techniques to provide an analysis of business success.

Having been a front line manager for a fortune 500 buisness, I would have like to have had a copy of this many years ago. Terry and Thomas have taken almost all the concepts of business (and life) and broken them into two catagories, Luck Optimization and Fault Tolorance. This applies to everything from how a buisness responds to changing conditions, to how staff is treated. Although this was written for those who have a direct roll in how a buisness or organization operates, there are many insights for low level managers and even non managers. I found this witty, insightful, and even fun to read.

Jack Gates - Gates Associates:

This is a `value read' book which is based on the authors' experience in a very successful - perhaps historically the most successful - space project, which accomplished truly great things in the face of huge obstacles, like less funding and aging satellites. How was this accomplished? The leaders tapped a strong ownership by the staff that everyone was there to help the customer meet their needs (space researchers) and to continue to seek input on that need and upgrade the service to support it. `Optimizing Luck' is a term the authors' have coined to capture the concept of hire great people and let them do great work - with full support and communication from the mission leadership. Working shoulder to shoulder is an added element here as well.

The book is more than just a case study - although you do get a good picture of what the years were like at the NASA Satellite Project. It breaks the mold of other business books which seem to follow the `here's what I did and here's how you can duplicate it' approach. In fact, the authors do not demean our knowledge or experience by even suggesting the `how to' aspects. The strength of the narrative is the support of ideas and concepts with specific examples that have worked in application repeatedly. Engaging the individuals to find solutions and be innovative for the best result possible - one that exceeds even exceeded expectations! With this as mind-food, you and I can begin to apply the principles immediately to our unique circumstances and situation.

The two take-away elements from the book are from a people perspective: optimize luck - utilize the skills, minds, and imaginations of the people in the organization to yield the very best result possible; and from an organizational perspective: fault tolerance - create systems (whether computer or people) which can continue to operate when the unknown and unexpected creates havoc - even from a major disaster.

This is a book that is never too far away from my desk and while it is not like a dictionary - where you just look up the answer, it is like a detailed map that provides the stimulus to work your problem to a great solution. It has earned each of the five stars that I rated it - that and more.

- Jack Gates

I wish I could have given six stars - but, alas, Amazon keeps me to just five. I really found this book useful for my small business. It taught me lessons for how to work better with both my customers and my employees.

Although the book uses a NASA satellite project to highlight business and management lessons learned, these lessons have broad applicability to both small and large businesses alike. The book opened my eyes to business opportunities I may not have seen before and clued me into how I can run my business to be more fault tolerant.

In every business, there will be highs and lows, but it is useful to take this book along with you on your journey. I will be keeping this book handy so I can reread excerpts when it seems I may have strayed off course.

This is one of the BEST books on networking out there. Donna Fisher's book is also one of the only books on this subject that helps us to develop our 7-9 second introduction and/or our 30 second elevator speech. These tips are especially helpful in a career transition situation. Thank you, Donna.

If you have ever been to a meeting where their are say, 100's of people, all whom you don't know, it's not easy to stand up and give a 30 second "commmercial" about yourself, as you pan you audience.

You might tend to say, "Who are these people? What do they want from me? I don't want to be here, doing this."

Well, with the help of reading this easy to follow book, you will learn to enjoy writing your own 30 second commercial, and knowing that commercial so well, that each time you are invited to a meeting, it will take you only 10 seconds to adjust your commercial according to the type of meeting, whose there, and how you relate to them.

Then you will dazzle them in 30 seconds.

Read this book to introduce the best of yourself to yourself, and to others - it will mark another milestone in your life's journey.

Donna's principles provide a simplistic approach to building an effective network that can enrich your life in many ways. The step-by-step process is easy to integrate into your daily activities and it doesn't force you out of your comfort zone.

Thank you, Donna, for showing me the way to a much more fulfilling and rewarding life!

I have begun to use just a few of Donna's principles and already am noticing a change in myself when talking with others. The power of interdependence and support is awesome.

I recommend People Power wholeheartedly to anyone who is tired of going it alone and wants a shift in the way they interact with others.

I am constantly reading books of a wide variety and it is easy to see when someone really knows their stuff. It is also easy to see when someone knows how their stuff applies in the real world and Donna Fisher clearly does! Many of the principles Donna speaks of I had heard before but she gave them a real world perspective I had not heard before and made them applicable to me and my business. The principles I had not heard ... WOW! I have tools now I didn't have before reading this powerhouse book! An absolute must for anyone wanting to be of service to others!

Abundance is not just money but vast resources available. A practical read with overtones of spiritual wisdom. The prosperity prayer is one of the best pieces of this book. Lynn Robinson shares some of her and her clients experiences and practices to tapp into sources for a more abundant life. Not woo-woo, not magic, metaphysical but within the realm of using your sixth sense and common sense. Great for small business owners.

Lynn effectively connects with the reader in Real Prosperity. By citing real issues that stop many from seeking prosperity, you feel like she's talking with you, 1 on 1. Lynn's heart-felt compassion and understanding shine throughout.

Snipets from her own life experiences and intuitive work with her clients make the concepts more real. Quotes and success stories inspire: some even add some comic relief. The techniques, questions to ask yourself and suggested steps all combine to make this a readable and actionable resource on your path to abundance. Devour it cover to cover, highlight and earmark the parts that speak to you, because you will refer back often. If you're serious about attracting prosperity in your life, this book will show you how to use your intuition to make it happen. Read it, believe prosperity is possible for you, and take action to create it. Further, if someone has helped you achieve prosperity, this book makes a great thank you gift of gratitude.

As someone who also owns Divine Intuition and the Intuitive Life audio tapes, thanks Lynn, for creating another great resource: I'm grateful for your advice and inspiration in achieving prosperity in my life!

Why is it that some people enjoy lives of luxury, abundance and success, while others struggle to make ends meet? Intuitive consultant Lynn Robinson answers this question as she illuminates the keys to real prosperity, and how to enjoy a life overflowing with more than enough of what you need and want. Robinson shares tips that have helped her thousands of clients realize their dreams over the years, and describes people who are successful, happy and prosperous as, "It's as if prosperity and success seek them out. They magnetize what they want to create through the power of their mind and emotion."

REAL PROSPERITY helps you listen to your prosperity intuition to discover a personalized roadmap to achieving your goals. REAL PROSPERITY is full of excercises, quotations, and stories that describe a spiritual path to abundance. One of my favorite parts of the book is where Robinson points out that often it's often the bleakest times in our lives that turn out to be launch pads for new opportunities and success. This pattern becomes obvious when successful people look back at their lives... and see how they made the biggest turnarounds in the midst of major life changes.

REAL PROSPERITY is written in the very energy of prosperity it describes, so the very act of reading it immediately boosts one's prosperity consciousness. I give this book my highest recommendation!

I discovered REAL PROSPERITY during a time in my life when I was asking GOD some serious questions and researching books on total life prosperity for the highest good of all. Many are weary of get rich schemes and others are weary of giving to the church for fear they will be taken to the bank. What this leaves many humans with is the experience of not having enough money constantly flowing into our lives because we aren't giving out, as well as a feeling of distrust, fear, worry and anxiety about money flowing into our lives because we think there isn't enough available for us. I was so enthusastic when I began reading REAL PROSPERITY and taking notes in my journal. I was most impressed with the flow and ease of REAL PROSPERITY as Lynn Robinson wrote with clarity, wisdom, honesty and compassion. I truly benefited from this empowering, timely and awesome book and I believe you will, too.

Fused with prayers, prose and real life examples, REAL PROSPERITY is a book that will challenge you to live the highest best vision of your life possible while taking full comfort in KNOWING that what you need and when you need it will be provided by the Father (and we are speaking of more than just money). All we have to do is take a look at nature to see GOD's goodness, abundance and love at work.

You'll turn to REAL PROSPERITY again and again as a source of encouragement inspiration and life application that truly works!


Happy Reading!

[...]

The first thing I opened to when I placed this book in my hands was the billfold blessing, written by that well known thinker, Anonymous.

It goes like this:

"Bless this billfold,
Lord I pray
Replenish it from Day to Day.
May the bills flow in and out
Blessing people all about.
Help me earn and wisely spend.
Show me what to buy and lend.
Thank you, Lord, for bills to pay
For the things I need today.
When `tis empty,
Fill it more
From thy vast abundant store".

I appreciated those words - the use of the word "billfold", heard so rarely, brought me in touch with my friend, Tom. The flowing nature of the blessing reminded me of what I already know - some of the standard laws of prosperity... giving and receiving, keeping the flow moving through giving, appreciation of the bills we pay - continual replenishment.... It seems fitting that the first words I read would be some that would resonate so strongly with me given author Lynn Robinson's focus on Intuition.

This book is filled liberally with familiar and unfamiliar quotes... familiar and unfamiliar methods and formulas of becoming prosperous. What was the most magnificent was the unfamiliar - Robinson's unique take on prosperity.

I was disappointed when I saw the familiar, "Decide what you don't want, decide what you do want" but my heart heated up when it saw, "Pump up the positive emotion" followed by "Pay attention to intuition" and gave specific examples and ideas.

I also appreciated Robinson's take on Gratitude "Financial Miracle Gro."

Other new nuggets include listening to Your (Highly Intuitive and Divinely Guided, naturally) Inner Millionaire and my personal favorite of the entire book, "Writing Help Wanted Ads to God." Hey, I am all for creative manifestation.

There are also practical (albeit brief) chapters concerning the path to a debt free life and having a divine investment plan.

Finally, Robinson writes this book as if she was talking to a friend. Her enthusiasm and joy for life floats upon the page quite deliciously. I know I will recommend this one to many, many, many people.

Cliff amazes me with his unique insight about what is really important in our work. He helps us understand how intertwined our identities and souls are with our work, then how to really determine what satisfies and motivates us to perform. This can't be faked if we are to be truly drawn vs. pushed by our work. Cliff guides readers through defining themselves from within vs. the default of external definition like; what does the market or other people need me to do? Without this degree of focus, we are destined to reactive and diffuse career transitions, or none at all.

You have a good job and make a nice living, but lately something is missing. The spark has gone out of your work - and your life. You would like to make a change, but you don't know how or where to start. Yet you know that one day you'll be dead inside if you remain too much longer in your current job. Abandoning the rat race and heading off in some novel direction is never easy, but finding a viable way out has become a survival imperative for many of today's professionals. Are you in a rut? Career expert Cliff Hakim's three-step career change and enhancement program can help you transform your life. getAbstract sees his conversational book as an informed, logical map to new career directions and self-fulfillment. Never preachy, Hakim offers sensible, if not especially innovative, advice, urging anyone contemplating a career change to reflect and explore first, and then engage. It's not "fire, ready, aim" but "ready, aim, fire." His warmly supportive book explains how to make a workable transition to a more rewarding professional life.

This book is for every person who has ever asked themselves on a Sunday afternoon or evening "Why am I going back to that job tomorrow?" Some find no good answer and this can lead to a growing sense of quiet desperation, a kind of 'Sunday Night Blues' or maybe just a sigh of resignation. But the author of this book sugests that this kind of question can be a helpful jumping off point to get you on the road to a work life that compensates you with more than money.

But, Hakim explains, reflecting is just the start of the process; one then needs to move forward to explore (inward and outward) and engage. If you need this book you'll know it immediately from my first comment. If so, act - move - get it while the spirit is upon you. If someone close to you needs this book, get it for them as it is truly a gift of love.

Rethink Work offers a great perspective on forging a path with you plotting out your own conscious, proactive course. I found it very helpful and inspiriing. Highly recommend; very worthy read

Rethinking Work will challenge you and comfort you. It will stimulate your mind and feed your spirit.

Cliff Hakim draws on more than twenty years experience counseling and coaching individuals on career issues that have kept them stuck and frustrated. In this book he talks to the reader as a trusted and wise advisor. You will not want to be without this book as you navigate challenging career issues.

Cliff employs a variety of exercises, stories and models to help readers move forward in their careers. This is a thoughtful, insightful and practical guide that readers will refer to repeatedly throughout their careers.

Mark Campbell
Author of Five Gifts of Insightful Leaders

I found this book very interesting to read. I did not find it disturbing or brilliant. Anyone who uses the internet, watches television and videos and has been jet lagged from global travel will find this an accurate account of contemporary post-modern man's global lifestyle It has the same fun reading style and spirit as T.Friedman's "The Lexus and The Olive Tree" but with a psychosocial take rather than an economic social view. This work is not grounded in biological science and the generalizations he does make from quantum science are skewed though standard post-modern mantra as far as I know. Scientists may not relate to nature or reality directly as he argues but they do relate to mathematical inferences about nature that allow them to predict with a high degree accuracy how nature works. Otherise I wouldnt' be writing this on the computer. But then Gergen himself says that the book may be just fiction or invention not a building of ideas on top of ideas. Readers interested in the topic of self-consciousness could balance Gergen's argument with A. Damasio's "The Feeling of What Happens" and G. Edelman's "Bright Air and Brilliant Fire".Both of these works attempt to ground consciousness in the body.

Reviewer: LUIS MENDEZ (luismendez@codetel.net.do) from DOMINICAN REPUBLIC este libro es fantastico, nos descubre, nos indaga, nos hace curiosos y participes de las cosas de nuestro yo, que se encuentra atiborrado de cosa, de pensamientos, de acciones, de traumas, espero que lo lean y que lo disfruten tanto como lo he disfrutado yo. LUIS MENDEZ crazzyteacher@hotmail.com

This is a very exciting and important book. Read it! "Social saturation" is a concept that needs to be looked at. "And it's okayyy."

While many books on post-modernism obfuscate themselves in philosophical mumbo jumbo and self-referential exercises, this is a very straightforward introduction to the post-modern condition. It is also a great introduction to social construction, and the idea meaning (including the meaning of our selves) is a socially created truth rather than an absolute. Unlike a lot of books by academics, Gergen has crafeted a very readable book, that I not only learned from but enjoyed immensly.

Ken Gergen does an amazing job of painting the picture of fragmented contemporary in this well-written and compelling book. A definite must read for anyone interested in social psychology or technology and postmodern culture.

A practical book on important topics to make money through services.
Pertinent examples and well designed links between Employees satisfaction/loyalty, customer satisfaction/loyalti, growth stability, operating strategies: to put it bluntly, results don't come by chance!
A bad point: the Typographical Structure is not good as the contents and a cross topics index would have been welcome.

A must read book if you are working in the service industry. Heskett, Sasser and Schlesinger all from the Harvard Business School, have put together a great book. The service profit chain model at first glance seems simple enough. Make employees happy, who in turn make customers happy, who in turn give you more business and you have a great top and bottom line. Simple? Yes, but the book takes you on a journey, using similar methodology to the balanced score card to show how to design service delivery processes, which targets to target, and most important of all, how to deal with service failures. Numerous other models and their use are depicted. To top it of, there are numerous examples from the airline, hospitality, insurance and other industries. Exec or MBA level readers will really appreciate this book. Jim Kayalar is a certified management consultant and has consulted for tourism development organizations, hotels and resorts. His corporate web site can be found at http://www.biztuneup.biz

This should be everyone's bible. 6 stars! It is the best business book available . . . If you're going to read one book this is it...forget "one minute manager" or "good to great", "freakonomics" or "world is flat". Read this and know it and undersand its implications.

In "The Service Profit Chain," the author uses extensive case studies and empirical data to demonstrate how successful companies can achieve customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, and at the same time, profit and customer growth. Too many companies are focused on the next quarterly earnings release that they don't ever see the lifetime value of their customers. Finally, managers at service industries won't have to keep trading off employee satisfaction in order to achieve customer sastisfaction, and customer satisfaction won't be viewed as a cost factor and a drag on profit growth. Service companies that just don't understand these concepts won't be around for long! As we embark into the e-commerce age, service and technology companies that can quickly apply these concepts within their business models (where there is no direct, face-to-face, contact with the customers) will build a truely competitive advantage. Let's review the successful ecommerce companies in 5 years, and see how many have adopted the principles in "The Service Profit Chain."

I think the authors provide a powerful and empirical approach to designing and analyzing a service organization for success. The recommendations are not always intuitive nor easy to implement, but, based on my experience in several industries, I think they are nearly always correct. With a partner, I am starting a own company and have read this book twice very carefully, with lots of notes in the margins, to make sure we do the important things well.

Likening sex to building and managing a business makes you think of the basics we all want in life, recognition, respect, and feeling human. Good fundamentals in a quick read, a great reminder of what we should be doing to each other if we are truly in touch with ourselves.

I thoroughly enjoyed this fresh look at the corporate world, especially the examples of how successful businesses treat their employees. It all makes a lot of sense, and gave me some real insight into how management could improve employee performance.

The nature of people and business has changed so drastically in the past 25 years, even in the 15 that I've been around, that anybody who is not their own boss NEEDS THIS BOOK.
SIB puts into words my unverbalized feelings of today's working world. It opened my eyes to how people communicate, what roles each of us play, and even helped me strategize my own career paths.
We have more means of, but fewer skills for, communication in this technological age. By getting back to the basics of real, intimate communication, we get "naked" with each other, which is both frightening and empowering. In the wake of Corporate Scandals, the Next Wave Of Business will thrive on honesty, openness, and emotional leadership. Unless SIB has been brought into the curriculum, the business will do "okay." Those who care, and know how to show it, will be miles ahead of those who fear change.

There truly is something to be learned by people at any stage of the corporate game. This book was nice because it didn't speak over my head. Instead, it gave me honest-to-God INSIGHT as to how I can institute changes in my professional relationships. Don't let the metaphor throw you off!

I generally don't to gravitate to books about the world of business -- I'm one of the "disillusioned" ones. And, I don't usually buy books with the word sex in the title either! But this book.....WOW! The metaphor (intimate relationships-business relationships) is very well-developed and makes for a very understandable, easy, and humorous read! As I read it, I found myself readily applying what I was learning to both business and personal relationships! I definitely recommend this fresh, new, approach to solving some of the many problems plaguing personal and businesss relationships these days!

Dr. McCormick helps us get it "right." Servant leadership is all about knowing and living this truth: One leads most effectively when serving.....and one serves best by leading. This is the biblical pattern of leadership and when genuinely lived in one's everyday world it works as long as it is congruent with one's heart. Dr. McCormick also helps us understand that for one to consistently live the pattern of leadership that one must stay very close to the One who is the source of pattern.

Shepherd leadership is not for wimps. It is for leaders who want to be both strong and servant leaders. Both emphasisze vision, teaching, and service, but only servant leadership notes how leaders most have an edge, meaning they must make tough decisions.
This book has a number of practical suggestions for today's leaders who must both listen and direct. Leaders must add new skills to their arsenal, including being more accessible, genuine, and interactive. Many challenges for leaders are included in the book with practical solutions. It is a great approach using wisdom from a popular psalms with practical applications and stories. It is tough love for today's leaders in these tough times.

I understand the aphroism is really "brevity is the soul of wit" - but this small volume demands that the phrase be recast. McCormick and Davenport take the 23rd Psalm apart and suggest some basic principles about leadership that come from the psalm. The book is loaded with examples of each of the styles or main points. But perhaps even more valuable is a series of suggestions to work with the principles established in each chapter.

I found the most interesting issue raised in the book one about Supply Side management. I have been a CEO of an organization for more than a dozen years. McCormick and Davenport suggest that the role of a leader is too often looked at from the demand side of the equation - those inevitable lists. But leaders should also consider the supply side - what excites you about the job? How does one find those niches which make the lists of to dos a bit less demanding. Many leadership jobs seem to be comparable to that of Sisyphus. But with a little attention to the supply side - those inevitable demands become less onerous.

Buy it, read it, use it!

Book Review by Robert Tunmire (from Baylor Business Review, Fall '03)

Many leaders, like me, have highly dominant personalities. We may struggle with the "softer side" of managing. Shepherd Leadership: Wisdom for Leaders from Psalm 23 gives us excellent reasoning and examples of how a "softer" - yet truthful and effective - approach can be a more effective management style.

The analogy of the leader as shepherd is a credible one, and presented in a straightforward manner. The authors clearly lay out, guided by Psalm 23, what a shepherd's responsibilities are and how that applies to a leader's responsibilities in the real world of business. Each chapter ends with two items: "Shepherd Thinking," and "Shepherd Doing," assisting with application of the chapter's concepts.

Read the rest of this review at
http://www.baylor.edu/bbr/index.php?id=10399

In Shepherd Leadership, McCormick and Davenport present a refreshing model of leadership which takes the person as a whole into account. As someone who is young in my career, I found this book valuable in helping to develop my management style and philosophy. I left business school with strategies, theories, and policy, but very little in the way of leadership practices, which left me treading water when first entering a management role.

One section that stood out for me was the shepherd leader's toolkit. The compass and the frame represent two valuable practices for leaders at any level. The compass reminds you to set clear direction to navigate through the maze of information, reports, meetings, and endless action items that you encounter on a daily basis. The frame sets boundaries and expectations for your organization while still allowing your employees room to creatively explore new approaches.

A fantastic read for anyone who's just been thrown in the deep end of management!

Dr. Greenslade offers helpful hints in basic management. In a world of high tech, and numerous books available on "how to manage" properly, we often overlook the "simple": -management is relationships- with your subordinates, your colleagues and your friends. Greenslade helps marry (manage) your personal and business life, to survive the chaos at work and focus on common ground and objectives; it is garnered from his own extensive management experiences in various biomedical industries. It also teaches you to care for yourself, and others. It reflects his own experiences in past "management chaos" in an honest and forthright manner. Utilizing those experiences, allowed him to "seize his own day" and pass on to others ways to "simplify, simplify, simplify" management. A valuable tool in the continuous quest to "manage" in a way that people and businesses can "grow together".

In the spirit of "The One Minute Manager", this book provides practical hands-on guidance for dealing with real issues. Although rooted in such grand concepts as Integrity, Ethics, Honesty and Principle it is a practical book. In fact, it is because of this that it is a practical and useful book for day-to-day-manangement of work and life.

The clarity, brevity and sincerity of the author shines through with advice which can be life altering to the serious reader.

I read this book for myself, but ended up giving the chapter "WHAT'S IT WORTH" to my account coordinator when she was struggling with the decision of whether or not to accept a competitor's job offer. After reading the chapter and doing the lessons, she decided to stay with me. It turns out that her values were more alligned with my philosophies and the fact that the competitors were offering more money didn't carry as much weight as she first assumed. I would have been lost without her, so this book certainly saved my sanity!

This book dispenses with the double-speak and presents practical advice in a straightforward manner. I think it would be useful to people in a leadership position, and also quite helpful for those working their way up the corporate ladder and trying to develop a better understanding of where their managers are coming from.

What this book does so generously is illustrate the ways that people are making ideas about a soul-driven way of doing business work in their own institutions. So often people feel that it can't be done, but when you look at all these stories laid together, contrasted and compared, you see a conclusive rebuttal to that argument. It's not just theory, but practical advice from folks who have been there, and will be a welcome companion to change agents everywhere.

"The Soul of a Leader" is an exceptional book. Beautifully written by Margaret Benefiel, it tells of the journey taken by some remarkable men and women, who are not only successful in the way the world would determine it, but are most impressive in how they have gone about gaining that success. By considering their employees, the community they work in, and the environment they live in, they have created a new way of doing business, one that flourishes in every area and brings balance and meaning to everything they do, adding joy to prosperity, and strength during the lean times.

It is a courageous path; you have to take risks, accept failure when it might come and learn from it, and keep moving forward with perseverance. Most of all you must listen to your heart and follow its leaning. We have in each chapter many stories of people from various walks of life. We read about Rabbi Samuel Karff, co-founder of the Sacred Vocation Program, which teaches health workers to incorporate spirituality into their work, a principle that can be used in almost any line of endeavor, and transform it from boring to life-changing. Among others we hear from Edge (U2), who helped restore the creative force of New Orleans, its music, after Katrina, and the late, great Anita Roddick of the enormously successful Body Shop, who so well "demonstrated to the world that capitalism, even capitalism devoted to beauty and health products, could have a soul."

My favorite chapters of "The Soul of a Leader" are some of the final ones. They tell how you can survive a "dark night of the soul," as many have had to do. It can come upon you when you least expect it, and Benefiel tells us how Tom and Kate Chappell, founders of Tom's of Maine, went through the many phases of their company, including their "dark night," and how they renewed their vision and values, and transformed their company and their lives. Whether you are self-employed as I am as an artist, or the owner of a large corporation, there is much to be learned from "The Soul of a Leader." It will teach you how to follow your heart, and if you are already on the path, it will bolster your courage and help you fulfill your destiny.

You don't need to be religious or spiritually-oriented to appreciate this book. The author has a talent for telling engaging stories, and then drawing practical lessons out of the stories. The book helped me understand and learn from my own experiences with leadership, and it helped point me toward future paths of leading more grounded in my values and full self. I highly recommend the book.

What a pleasure to read Margaret Benefiel's follow-on to her first book, "Soul at Work." I was inspired by the cases she presented in her first book--businesses that prioritize a bottom line that is broader, more inclusive, and more far-reaching than simply the financials. This book takes a closer look at the leaders who head up companies in the for-profit, and non-profit sectors. What makes them tick? What sustains their leadership style? Where do they go for support, creativity, re-charge, and perspective? Highlighting leaders of organizations such as Tom's of Maine, the rock band U2, Wainwright Bank and Trust, and others, Benefiel offers us a glimpse of the inner life of these leaders; and provides a clear, direct and compelling outline of the practices and resources necessary to maintain such leadership. She also provides a framework for conversation and thought for the rest of us, as we seek to be come leaders with soul. I bought one for every member of my family!

Like Soul at Work: Spiritual Leadership in Organizations, Margaret Benefiel's latest book offers wisdom for leaders in many aspects of life in a variety of organizations. Her case studies illustrate her points, which always helps me relate to the material more directly (and makes the reading more enjoyable).
Benefiel defines a leader broadly saying, "Everyone is a leader in his or her sphere of influence. While the CEO of a company is clearly a leader, so are managers and supervisors in their own sphere of influence. So are housekeepers or nursing assistants when they lead informally with coworkers or patients" (p. 22). As a hospice chaplain working in a team environment, and a chair of two committees for my Quaker meeting, I found information in this book that I can put to work immediately.
The author's link between a company's mission and the passion that brought a leader to his/her work in the first place makes the case for the soul work necessary to stay in touch with that passion.
This is not just another business book about leadership or another spiritual text that somehow touches on the business world. It is both a practical and inspirational work that shows how real people have made a success of paying attention to their soul and done good business at the same time. I recommend it.