The Soul of a Leader: Finding Your Path to Success and Fulfillment [Paperback]

Margaret Benefiel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2008

Demonstrating the principle that soulfulness at work is a way of being and doing, this guide provides new perspectives on the qualities of leadership. Three main sections elaborate on the themes of choosing the path, staying on track, and persevering to the end. Drawing from interviews with outstanding leaders—including Tom and Kate Chappell, the founders of Tom’s of Maine; Bob Glassman, co-chairman of Wainwright Bank & Trust; Desmond Tutu; and The Edge of rock band U2—and supported with guided questions in each section, this book is an essential addition to the bookshelf of anyone who wants to lead with soul. In an environment where leaders are rewarded for their drive, decisiveness, productivity, and long work hours, the spiritual well-being of a leader may get short shrift, and harm can come to both the leader and the organization this individual serves. Challenging the assumptions that effective leaders must sell their souls, cut corners, cook the books, and let go of their vision, a new model of spiritual leadership is offered. Teachers, parents, committee chair leaders, and other individuals in organizations of any size are exhorted to aim higher and lead with soul in any sphere, large or small.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

According to Benefiel, theology teacher and CEO of ExecutiveSoul.com, the Western ideal of leadership demands that modern leaders adopt a Lone Ranger mentality; emphasizes the bottom line; and rewards drive, decisiveness, productivity and long work hours—while paying scant attention to inner and spiritual development. Benefiel outlines her principles of soul formation for leaders through true-life stories, such as those of Tom and Kate Chappell of Tom's of Maine, and the U2 guitarist The Edge, who worked with musicians in post-Katrina New Orleans. Benefiel also writes about lesser-known leaders who have concentrated in the development of their moral grounding as well as their account books. Speaking both to individual and organizational spiritual transformation, she highlights the importance of following one's heart and daring to dream through a program of practicing gratitude, perseverance and seeking out spiritual guidance. The author's inspiring message and endorsement from Desmond Tutu will likely earn her book a receptive audience, but the repetitive, sometimes saccharine execution may deter all but the choir to whom she is already preaching. (Sept.)
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Review

"Speaking both to individual and organizational spiritual transformation, the author's inspiring message will likely earn her book a receptive audience."  —Publishers Weekly

"Today's global community desperately needs leaders with soul. Margaret Benefiel's groundbreaking book meets that need beautifully, by teaching principles of soulful leadership, illustrated with stories of real leaders who practice them. Required reading."   —Archbishop Desmond Tutu, winner, Nobel Peace Prize

"Margaret Benefiel demonstrates the value of spiritual leadership and a practical way to carry it out. She brings to leadership theory and practice the new depth thoughtful corporate leaders have been seeking."  —Gordon Self, vice president, organizational advancement, Caritas Health Group

"Working with Margaret Benefiel has helped me, in a very short time, become grounded in spirit, both in my everyday life and in my corporate workplace."  —Kerry Hamilton, former vice president, director of marketing, BJ's Wholesale Clubs

"Breaks the mold of leadership books. Benefiel helps me to dare to dream, battle for my soul, and break through the barriers that keep me from succeeding."  —David Batstone, professor and author, Saving the Corporate Soul and Not For Sale

"Powerfully inspirational and eminently practical. Through the use of stories culled from interviews with leaders with soul, [Benefiel] provides excellent guidance as to how to lead with soul."  —Jerry Biberman, editor, Journal of Management, Spirituality, and Religion

"Stories are woven together to provide inspiring lessons for all of us who seek to build depth and spirit at work."  —Lee Bolman, author, Leading With Soul

"Margaret gives you real-life examples and practical steps to take in your own setting and create the kind of organization you envision!"  —Charlotte Roberts, coauthor, the million-selling The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: The Crossroad Publishing Company (September 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0824524802
• ISBN-13: 978-0824524807
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #45,514 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Margaret Benefiel, Ph.D., Executive Officer of Executive Soul, LLC, offers consulting, coaching, and spiritual direction and is also adjunct faculty at Andover Newton Theological School in Boston and visiting lecturer at the Millltown Institute and All Hallows College in Dublin, Ireland. For the 2003-2004 academic year, she held the O'Donnell Chair of Spirituality at the Milltown Institute.

Dr. Benefiel has also served as Chair of the Academy of Management's Management, Spirituality, and Religion Group. Over 800 executives, managers, and other leaders have participated in her seminars and courses. She is the author of Soul At Work (Seabury, 2005) and The Soul of a Leader (Crossroad, 2008) and co-editor of The Soul of Supervision (Morehouse, 2010).

Dr. Benefiel has also written for The Leadership Quarterly, Management Communication Quarterly, Managerial Finance, Journal of Organizational Change Management, Organization, Personal Excellence, America, Presence, The Way, Studies in Spirituality, Radical Grace, and Faith at Work.

She is a member of Beacon Hill Friends Meeting in Boston and lives in Boston with her husband. She enjoys hiking, cycling, reading novels, and scuba diving in her free time.

Visit websites featuring her columns:
Sojourners - http://www.sojo.net/
Examiner - http://www.examiner.com/x-10213-Soulful-Leadership-Examiner

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Courage to Follow Your Heart, and Listen to Your Spirit, December 24, 2008

By 

Alejandra Vernon "artist & illustrator" (Long Beach, California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Soul of a Leader: Finding Your Path to Success and Fulfillment (Paperback)

"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.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review of The Soul of a Leader, September 20, 2008

By 

Thomas Henry (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Soul of a Leader: Finding Your Path to Success and Fulfillment (Paperback)

After reading The Soul of a Leader, I ordered 6 copies and sent them to friends. Benefiel writes about the dreams and practices of leaders who are seeking to change the world, and, while these leaders have no previous connection to each other, Benefiel interweaves their stories around themes such as "daring to dream," "practicing gratitude" or "persevering to the end." I was struck by the ways that imagination, skill and sheer determination work together to create each leader's path to success, and I came away wishing I could meet the other leaders featured in the book and learn more.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple Yet Profound, August 22, 2011

By 

Kerry Hamilton (Walpole, MA, US) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Soul of a Leader: Finding Your Path to Success and Fulfillment (Paperback)

In THE SOUL OF A LEADER, Margaret Benefiel explores real-world organizations AND their real-world actions of bringing soul and spirit to the workplace. Many leaders wish to create a spirited and soulful work life. Benefiel writes specifically about leaders who are courageously bringing that spirit into the workplace, to serve both their leadership, and their organizations results.

In nine clear process steps, Benefiel charts the course for Choosing the Path, Staying on Track and Persevering to the End. In reading these simple yet profound steps, any one of us can strive to be a true, soulful and spirited leader.

Especially helpful is Chapter 8, Persevering to the End, where Benefiel lays out The Leader's Three-Fold Path. This acknowledges what we know to be true of leadership. It is challenging, sometimes illuminative, often discouraging as we encounter 'dark nights' and challenges that make us wonder if it is worth it.

In the end, Margaret Benefiel's SOUL OF A LEADER is a courageous companion on the journey of leadership, helping leaders to understand the natural course of leadership challenges -- and the profound transformation that occurs when those challenges are accompanied by a leader's indomitable spirit.