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

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"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.

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.

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.

I really enjoyed "Soul of a Leader" and now my best friend is reading it with great pleasure. It really helped us to re-envision our role and calling as leaders inside and outside of the work experience!

In the introduction, the author defines the words "Soul" and Leader" in broad terms. She makes it clear that some find expression of soul through religious faith, while others may find expression in other ways. The important point is that soul is the spiritual principle that moves a human being to act in an authentic way, consistent with his beliefs. Leadership is likewise defined broadly. As one might expect it applies to holders of positions in tradional organizations, but she points out that parents, teachers, and others who are in a position to influence others should be considered leaders. This approach makes her message resonate with a wide audience. Her book contains examples showing how leaders put the principles identified in her book to work for them in achieving their dreams.

Margaret Benefiel is a leading thinker in purpose of work/leadership/corporate culture space and this is a must read book for anyone interested in that space and frankly everyone should be.

I follow Margaret's conversations on facebook regularly and always find her thoughts insightful and right on the mark.

This book contains many of those insights making it a valuable resource. As Desmond Tutu says in his endorsement, the world desperately needs leaders with soul. Thanks to Margaret for developing a book that not only encourages us to that end but shows us how to get there through a plentitude of real-life examples.

The book, The Soul of a Leader: Finding Your Path to Success and Fulfillment by Margaret Benefiel is a must-read guide for leaders in any industry. Leading with Soul, changes the way we do business, our view the world and our interactions with people. The stories of Leaders leading with soul are inspiring and confirming. I gave this book to many colleagues as a gift for the holidays and it was appreciated. My hope is that I will create a team of successful leaders who lead with integrity, creativity and soul. This book, during these difficult times of uncertainly will guide leaders through change in a kind and gentle manner. It is uplifting and life altering! A must read for all leaders.

Melissa Arnott, EdD LPC LCADC

In THE SOUL OF A LEADER spiritual leader and author Margaret Benefiel makes yet another powerful addition to the library on how to restore sanity in our lives and in our hunger for success. As in her first very successful book SOUL AT WORK in which she offered invaluable suggestions and keys to unlock the door to restoring sanity to this brutal world of self focus, in this book she leads the reader through the journey of finding a better and more satisfying way to accomplish success in the workplace by examining not the usual indices for measuring 'success', but instead gradually informs us of the power of dream and vision and shared concern for those around us as she guides us through many examples of men and women who left their 'prominent but unsatisfying' lives to seek a future rich in personal satisfaction and fulfillment.

The sections that exemplify her genuine concern for the betterment of people's lives include 'Following the Heart', 'Finding Partners', and 'Daring to Dream'. Once she has given examples of important people who have demonstrated these principals Benefiel further supports her goals by discussing 'Practicing Gratitude' and 'Keeping the Mission at the Fore'. Her book closes with sensitive chapters on 'Breaking the cycle of Violence', 'Spiritual Transformation', and 'Finding Spiritual Guidance'. Benefiel wisely chooses a method for summarizing the various planes of development she shares by ending each chapter with a terse 'Conclusions' section followed by a brief series of 'Queries' - a method that requires the reader to reflect and in reflecting, grow to the next step.

Benefiel's writing style is warm and supportive and never approaches the 'preachiness' that often obscures similar messages by other authors. This book is simply a book of wisdom, warmly distributed, from an author who has found a significant and helpful calling: she is truly a Spiritual Guide. Grady Harp, March 09

The publication of "The Soul of a Leader" could not be more opportune. Newspapers that have been filled with data about mass lay-offs are now beginning to report more the distressing stories of the human destruction of this economic downtown. People who lost their job, their healthcare, and their sense of making a contribution are now facing unemployment, housing foreclosure, and evaporating dreams of a better life for their children.

The optimists say this is a time of challenge and opportunity. They may be right, but only if those in leadership make and execute their tough decisions with decency, integrity, and recognition of what their employees have contributed to their firm's success. The optimistic view could well be realized if leaders - and those who work with and for them - take seriously the principles and practices of leadership as articulated in "The Soul of a Leader."

The stories Benefiel tells of leaders are reality-based, important and inspiring. They convey the confusion, discomfort, and loneliness that good leaders often face in tough times. But the stories also illustrate how good decisions can be made in dark times. Her careful articulation of humane leadership principles and her practical guidance drawn from what she has learned from the many leaders she interviewed make this book an outstanding contribution to achieving a world that recognizes that leadership success and fulfillment are inseparable.

The first thing that caught my attention about The Soul of a Leader was its subtitle: Finding Your Path to Success and Fulfillment. At first glance, in a book on soul and spirituality, that's not what I would have expected. It sounded too--well--too materialistic. But, on second thought, success and fulfillment elegantly sum up the contention by scholars of workplace spirituality that soul is good for business but also leads to deeply meaningful work.

Readers of Margaret Benefiel's first book, Soul at Work, will recognize again in this book a crucial distinction presented in its final pages: namely, the difference between what could roughly be called the first and second halves of the spiritual journey. Success characterizes the first half and fulfillment the second, but not without interludes of dark night in between, where neither seem possible. The diagrams of the spiritual path on pages 146-147 (for individual leaders) and 164-165 (for organizations) are alone worth the price of the book. They chart the classical three-fold path of spiritual transformation (purgation, illumination, and union)--with a first and second dark night in between; and they show how it plays out in the life of a leader or organization over the long-term. As maps of the territory, I have seen none better.

Another elegant mapping tool--and this one is quite practical--is the diagram in the Conclusion that reminds leaders to check out four areas of soul: both their own individual inner and outer growth, and that of their organization. Simple as it is, this map keeps us focused on the total four-fold picture rather than only one or two of these areas. In a word, this reminder cultivates balance.

Elegant, too, is the overall division of the book into three sections--choosing the path, staying on track, and persevering to the end. Each of these, in turn, is divided into three sections. For example, choosing the path is divided into following the heart, finding partners, and daring to dream. As if that were not enough, each of these is divided into three. Following the heart, for instance, is divided into paying attention, taking the first step, and stumbling. This elegant structure enables leaders to zoom in and out--looking at the big picture, the mid-size one, and the small. I wondered if these divisions were overly neat and tidy until I realized two things as I read deeper into the book: they all ring true to experience, and dividing them into threes makes them memorable. Like an ingeniously crafted formula such as E=mc2, these divisions distill an enormous amount of information and wisdom into the most compact of spaces. Wow!

Like Margaret Benefiel's first book, this one is full of great stories--revealing, inspiring, opening out a wide window onto what might seem like a hopelessly invisible and elusive topic. The selection of stories is wide-ranging and diverse. I came away from them deeply moved, filled with hope.

If you're looking for a masterful interweaving of the theory and practice of spiritual leadership, this is the book for you!