Leading from Within: Poetry That Sustains the Courage to Lead [Hardcover]

Sam M. Intrator (Author), Megan Scribner (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0787988693 | ISBN-13: 978-0787988692 | Publication Date: September 21, 2007 | Edition: 1

Leading from Within is a wonderful collection of  ninety-three poems from well-loved poets, each of which is accompanied by a brief personal commentary from a leader explaining the significance and meaning of the poem in his or her life and work. The contributors represent a wide range of professions including Vanguard Group founder John Bogle, MoveOn.org cofounder Joan Blades, several members of Congress, Christian activist Brian McLaren, business guru Peter Senge, and many other leaders from business, medicine, education, nonprofits, law, politics and government, and religion. In their reflections, these leaders explore how they have been inspired by poets such as T.S. Eliot, Mary Oliver, William Stafford, Langston Hughes, Pablo Neruda, Robert Frost, Rumi, May Sarton, Wallace Stevens, Wendell Berry, and Rainer Maria Rilke.

"Leading from Within is perhaps the most soulful treatment of leadership ever composed. Leadership is first an inner quest, and there is absolutely no better place to explore your inner territory than in the pages of this book. This is an evocative work of art; do yourself an immense favor, and engage with these amazing and diverse leaders and their poems."—Jim Kouzes, coauthor of the bestselling The Leadership Challenge and A Leader's Legacy

"Leading from Within makes brilliant use of the world's great poets to inspire us to lead with our hearts as well as our heads. It calls to the deeper purpose and meaning within all of us to use our gifts to serve others."—Bill George, author, True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership

"This is a superb collection of poems and deeply personal reflections from a wide range of real leaders. It is a gift to all of us who believe in bringing our hearts to our work."—Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.)

"The entries in this wonderful anthology are a joy to read and all the more interesting because of their special meaning to the leaders who recommended them. It is a book that every nonprofit leader should place among those they draw upon for inspiration every day."—Diana Aviv, president and CEO, Independent Sector

"Leading from Within offers a candid view straight into the heart and soul of leaders striving to do good and effective work in the world. The poems and commentaries remind us that leadership is always deeply personal and chock-full of dilemmas that must be addressed by creativity, passion, imagination, and courage."—Jeff Swartz, president and CEO, Timberland

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

"Like fraternal twins, each pair of facing pages introduces you to magically close companions—an inspired practitioner and a poet who lit the leader's fuse or touched his or her soul. Each touched a deep place in the leader within me.
—Dan Mulhern, author, Everyday Leadership: Getting Results in Business, Politics, and Life

"Do you want to be a more effective, courageous leader? Then read this book. [You may] realize that you must lead with your heart as well as your mind to inspire people to willingly follow."
—Peter Roy, former president, Whole Foods Market, and coauthor, The Book of Hard Choices

Leadership is more than principles or practices—it requires heart, courage, and wisdom, qualities that can be inspired and informed by poetry.

In this beautiful collection of 93 poems, accompanied by a brief personal commentary, leaders reflect on how poetry helps them make sense of the challenges and possibilities in their work. The contributors represent a wide range of professions including Vanguard Group founder John Bogle, MoveOn.org cofounder Joan Blades, several members of Congress, Christian activist Brian McLaren, business guru Peter Senge, and leaders from business, medicine, education, nonprofits, law, politics, and religion. The poems include works by well-loved poets such as T.S. Eliot, Mary Oliver, William Stafford, Rumi, Langston Hughes, May Sarton, Pablo Neruda, Rainier Maria Rilke, Robert Frost, and Wendell Berry. As they did for teachers in their best-selling book Teaching with Fire, Sam M. Intrator and Megan Scribner inspire and nourish the hearts and souls of leaders of all kinds in Leading from Within.

From the Back Cover

Praise for Leading from Within

"Leading from Within is perhaps the most soulful treatment of leadership ever composed. Leadership is first an inner quest, and there is absolutely no better place to explore your inner territory than in the pages of this book. This is an evocative work of art; do yourself an immense favor, and engage with these amazing and diverse leaders and their poems."
—Jim Kouzes, coauthor of the bestselling The Leadership Challenge and A Leader's Legacy

"Leading from Within makes brilliant use of the world's great poets to inspire us to lead with our hearts as well as our heads. It calls to the deeper purpose and meaning within all of us to use our gifts to serve others."
—Bill George, author, True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership

"This is a superb collection of poems and deeply personal reflections from a wide range of real leaders. It is a gift to all of us who believe in bringing our hearts to our work."
—Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.)

"The entries in this wonderful anthology are a joy to read and all the more interesting because of their special meaning to the leaders who recommended them. It is a book that every nonprofit leader should place among those they draw upon for inspiration every day."
—Diana Aviv, president and CEO, Independent Sector

"Leading from Within offers a candid view straight into the heart and soul of leaders striving to do good and effective work in the world. The poems and commentaries remind us that leadership is always deeply personal and chock-full of dilemmas that must be addressed by creativity, passion, imagination, and courage."
—Jeff Swartz, president and CEO, Timberland

Royalties from this book support leadership programs offered through the Center for Courage & Renewal.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (September 21, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787988693
• ISBN-13: 978-0787988692
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 1.1 x 7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #80,261 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A superb gift for the reflective leader, March 6, 2008

By 

Lisa Sankowski (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Leading from Within: Poetry That Sustains the Courage to Lead (Hardcover)

This handsome anthology pairs some of our greatest poets with the reflections of prominent leaders across a wide range of professions. Each contributor testifies to a particular poem's power to illuminate the heart of his or her life's work. Leaders write with startling candor and clarity about both the light and dark places they encounter in their professional lives--and in the inner lives they bring to their work. This gathering of poetry and reflection reminds me that head and heart together create whole individuals with the vision, drive, self-awareness and authenticity that lead to creative and positive change. I have a copy on my desk and another on my nightstand. It's a book to curl up with and savor--and to turn to when the going is rough.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A poetic collection, October 9, 2007

By 

Brian Venturo "Poetic Prowess" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Leading from Within: Poetry That Sustains the Courage to Lead (Hardcover)

Never before has there been a collection of poetry so profound, yet so in touch with human nature. Boldly, yet subtly, one of my favorite collections, will not fall off of my reading desk anytime soon.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Book to Savor, December 15, 2007

By 

Ann B. Graham "Ann B. Graham" (New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Leading from Within: Poetry That Sustains the Courage to Lead (Hardcover)

In Leadership from Within I am discovering one poem and essay at a time what leadership means to all kinds of people from college students to college professors, from social advocates to corporate executives, lawyers and journalists and more. It is fascinating to see the poems that inspire them and the reasons why. This is a book not just to read but to savor.