Leading Consciously: A Pilgrimage Toward Self-Mastery [Paperback]

Debashis Chatterjee (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1998

Leading Consciously addresses the issues of motivation, decision-making, communication, time management, effective learning, work psychology, organizational development, and self-mastery. The author weaves together the insights of some of the most remarkable leaders of the world whose lives embody great truths about leadership and self-transformation, masters such as M. K. Gandhi, Edmund Hillary, Mother Teresa, and Albert Einstein.

Debashis Chatterjee is an international management thinker, Fulbright scholar, corporate philosopher, mystic, and writer. He is a member of the faculty in Behavioral Sciences at the Indian Institute of Management in Lucknow, India. An immensely popular speaker on the themes of spirituality and modern management, Chatterjee organizes frequent leadership retreats for diverse audiences of executives, doctors, scientists, political leaders, and social service workers in India and around the world.

· A unique synthesis of the sciences of the West and classical wisdom of the East
· Connects corporate leadership and consciousness
· Places 'self-mastery' into management language and the business arena

Editorial Reviews

Review

'I expect this book to be a landmark in the journey toward cultivating the human side of enterprise....In an era entranced by 'the new' our greatest hope, ironically, may lie in rediscovering 'the old.'...This is a precious book. I hope it finds its way into the hands of readers who are as committed to the future as is its author.'
Peter M. Senge, author, The 5th Discipline

¦Debashis offers, through experiential methods, an opportunity for individuals to experience the power of the mind through visioning, concentration, and focusing on personal and corporate change.¦
¦Tom Phillips, Plant Manager, Ford Motor Company

¦A refreshing contrast to our conventional management wisdom.¦
¦Dr. Kenneth Goodpaster, former professor, Harvard Business School

¦Chatterjee is a teacher of great magnitude. Cheerfully negotiating the corporate world, carrying light and water to the desert, he makes a difference.¦
¦Dr. Jan Thatcher in The Edge

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Butterworth-Heinemann; 1 edition (April 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0750698640
• ISBN-13: 978-0750698641
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #817,467 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A mediocre treatment, September 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Leading Consciously: A Pilgrimage Toward Self-Mastery (Paperback)

The bottom line with respect to this book is that there is simply little that is particularly new or remarkable here. On the contrary, this author's treatment of the subject matter is far more muddled and meandering that other contemporary treatments of "ancient" wisdom applied to contemporary leadership/workplace issues.

There is a great deal that needs improvement in this book. The subject matter has been hashed over a lot recently, but good treatments would still be of interest. There's a lot of loose talk about "scientific evidence this ... " and "science is now showing that ... " etc. with no attempts to provide references or corroborating information. The author's writing style is such that he tends to careen from one thing to another in a way that I found simply annoying.

In short, in my opinion this is not one of the better books in this area by any means.

14 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly Exceptional, June 15, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Springfield, Illinois) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Leading Consciously: A Pilgrimage Toward Self-Mastery (Paperback)

This is one of the most remarkable books on leadership and management I've found. The author takes principles from ancient religions and more recent heroes like Gandhi and Mother Theresa and presents them in the context of developing leadership characteristics through conscious awareness. Chatterjee correctly realizes that true leadership springs naturally from the leader's self-mastery, and eloquently lays out the paths that must be followed. This is a book to be read and re-read in small bites and then contemplated in silence. An achievement of the first order, and deserving of much attention.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Painful, June 16, 2007

By 

Wilbur Wildcat, esq. (Arizona) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Leading Consciously: A Pilgrimage Toward Self-Mastery (Paperback)

The book is best summarized as mysticism and a butchery of philosophical, scientific, and business thought. If you like Deepak Chopra style quasi-eastern religious self-help books then this book is for you! Personally, I think don't think it will help you in your job or your life.