Customer Reviews

Leading with Soul: An Uncommon Journey of Spirit (Jossey-Bass Management)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I have had the opportunity to read a number of books for managers and leaders. This is the first that I was unable to put down. The majority of the text is conversations between two fictional characters, Steve a high ranking leader in a multi-national company, and Maria, his spiritual guide. Steve has lost touch with his heart, and reluctantly goes to Maria at the urging of his boss, the company founder and CEO. The relationship that develops is nothing short of wonderful. I laughed and cried with Steve and Maria, and I learned more about myself in this easy read than in hours of leadership training and seminars. I highly recommnend this readable text.

Well, this is a management book, but not in the usual vein. It is very hard for this reviewer to know what to tell others about it since for some it will be inspirational and for others garbage. It is a gentle book, very fast to read and very slow to digest. It is a contemporary parable of a business leader Steve, who although 'successful' in many materialistic ways is unfulfilled with his life. It seems that material accomplishments are not enough, and he struggles with a sense of purpose in himself and to instill it in others. Maria is his spiritual guide and most of the book tells their conversations over a long period of time. It is quasi-religious but interesting in the sense that we have all had a moment when we look internally and ask what am I doing or why am I here.
It is not a book to read if you are highly cynical about 'softer' concepts and do not like to think about what motivates people who work with you to achieve higher things. This is the type of book that you either love or hate, it either changes your life or inspires sneers. Beautifully written and full of powerful quotes that are interweaved like silent mines from writers such as Rumi and Ernest Becker.

I read this book for a class. It was absolutely incredible! I read the book in two sittings. It mixes a great story (told in a storytelling fashion) and thoughtful text. Even though the book is an easy read, the book stimulates thoughtful reflection. A must read for any leader. In fact I bought two for leaders that have inspired me.

Bolman and Deal walk away from the academic view of leadership and its trappings and tell a story of a person's journey to find his inner spirit. In doing so, he finds understanding of the basic elements of being an excellent leader who inspries people and takes the organization on a path to find success. The book is an easy read, written in a narrative, novel-type style that provides a refreshing look at what people can become.

The leadership of America and other countries could use this book! The common theme in leadership today usually rests upon talent, skill and motivation, whereas this book's authors look at the "spirit". I found it to be one of the best books I have read in the area of leadership.
The story centers around a manager who seeks out a mentor as his spiritual guide. The real crux here is to seek. I think many leaders rely to heavily upon themselves and do want to seek help from anyone, especially soul help.
One of the key elements in this book is that each reader could percieve differnt lessons and take on their own meaning, which I think is a great lesson in leadership. The book requires the reader to soak in the information and even gives the reader an opportunity to practice what they have read.
On the personal level, I believe that leaders need to soul search and model the behavior in the workplace. Coming from the educational perspective, this is true as far as values and morals are taught. A leader needs to be in touch with themselves if they are to lead others.
In the story, Steve finds Maria and is challenged to look within, which is fearful to him, as it is to most of us. The key is to not avoid our own pain. If we do, we tend to avoid feelings that come out sideways, and this is very dangerous as a human being and as a leader. When we can look inside at ourselves and find a sense of peace, we have more energy, and can be more producticve as leaders. In addition, the "burnout" rate will be much less in all levels of leadership.

I've recently completed a graduate program in administration, and am beginning work on another degree utilizing leadership and management that includes this book as a required reading. I have to say I was pretty skeptical of it's value for the first few pages, but suddenly I found myself 3/4 of the way through and starving for more. I highly recommend this book to anyone that has ever managed people and wondered if any amount of money could possibly justify the aggravation, dissolutionment, and/or waning excitement of it all.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who would feel they could benefit from this form of reading. I feel that you need an open mind to this idea of leadership. It is the untraditional form of thinking for leaders and educators alike. The story of Steve Camden and Maria are thought provoking and the interludes get the thoughts going. If you do not fear change or are looking for a deeper sense of self this book gives you the parable to study leadership in a wide range of concepts from the worlds of philosophy, spirituality, and poetry.

I was so surprised about how this audio book really touched a nerve with me. I loved it. The story telling was compassionate and insightful. Wow.

First, a disclaimer -- I'm an atheist, so a book that regularly refers to concepts like "soul" and "prayer" wasn't perfect for me.

That said, as a former partner in an international management consulting firm I've had to wade through many poorly written management and advice books. Among those, this stands out for being particularly vapid. The conceit of being a work of fiction that teaches allows the authors to ignore the need for research or data. The fictional account also allows them to avoid taking any repsonsibility for presenting alternate viewpoints or expressing doubt.

Most management books have a theme that could have been confined to a ten page article, which the authors instead run out to 200 pages to make a book. In this case, the messages of "more to life than work" and "treat employees with respect" would have better been presented as a five paragraph essay.

Nice cover photo of the woods though...

Bolman and Deal present the basic gifts of leadership through this wonderful story of a man searching for understanding of what was wrong in his life as a leader. I appreciate the four gifts and I look for them in myself and fellow leaders on a daily basis. Powerful and moving book...should be the reading requirement for every leader in the world.