"In today's competitive business environment, working hard is just the price of entry. Working smart is what keeps you miles ahead of the competition. And as you no doubt know, it's easier said than done. Learning To Read the Signs will help you successfully navigate your own personal trail. It has worked hard and smart for me. I urge you to try it."
-John E. Haire, Publisher, TIME Magazine
"Now that free enterprise capitalism is, globally, ¦the only game in town,- management as well as the consumer public (not to mention academics and other of the business community's ¦cultured despisers¦) need to rethink what business does and why. Nahser's unique qualifications¦practical experience, business success, philosophical sophistication, and spiritual insight¦make Learning To Read the Signs one of those rare, comprehensive books that addresses a wide audience. I will be surprised if it does not altogether change the way Americans of the 21st century understand the place of business in American culture.¦
¦Kenneth L. Woodward, Senior Writer, Newsweek Magazine
¦To me one of the most striking sections of the book is Nahser's reinterpretation of the Benedictine monastic vows so as to make them applicable to our very secular society. He finds spirituality no more incompatible with business practice than is ethics; on the contrary, business practice will be immeasurably enriched if it can be seen as part of a spiritual and ethical discipline.¦
¦Robert N. Bellah, from the Foreword
¦Before you analyze, re-engineer, or downsize your company, here's the reality of how to successfully understand and improve your business for the long haul without doing irreversible damage in the process.¦
¦Robert J. Sunko, President & CEO, Spectrum Sports
¦Nahser's book supports the use of intuition in business but gives a way to test it. Or, in other words, don't believe your own PR!¦
¦David Sanguinetti, President, Florsheim Shoe Company
¦In decidedly secular and delightfully communicative language, F. Byron Nahser expands traditional understandings of ecclesiology into corporations, boardrooms, and other business settings. This book reimages long held, limiting, and separated definitions and descriptions both of the business world and of the church world.¦
¦Dr. Peter Gilmour, Professor of Pastoral Studies, Loyola University Chicago
¦Learning To Read the Signs afforded me the options to dive deep and explore the purpose of my business journey. The signs have always been there, and this book offers us the vision and the method by which to move forward.¦
¦Frank Smola, President, Merlin Corporation
¦Ron Nahser really made me think. His idea that `everyone holds a piece of the truth' reinforces the importance of listening and working hard to understand the many (and often conflicting) pieces of information that come from our customers, vendors, and even our own management. I felt the questions at the end of the chapters were an excellent way to help bring the key points into focus. Perhaps most important, Mr. Nahser reminded me of one of the most critical roles I have as a business leader¦to make a difference with our communities and employees.¦
¦Barbara Allen, Executive Vice President, The Quaker Oats Company
¦What struck me most is Nahser's interweaving of business practice, the philosophy behind it, and spirituality. He has hit upon an important connection.¦
¦Brother David Stendl-Rast, Esalen Institute
