Rating: 
Summary: Spiritually, Very Average......
Review: This book is "ok". If you use the track record of corporations to measure Key Span (Brooklyn Union), then what they've done is good, not great, but good. If you use a spiritual or moral measure, then what they've done is quite mediocre. The main accomplishment is that of the monk, Kenny Moore, who was able to foster direct and non-judgemental communication between the workers and management. This is a good thing and many companies would do well to learn from this example. Key Span does do a lot of charity work, but their motives for doing so, by their own terms of "enlightened self-interest", are just that, selfish. The company pressures average workers to give up their free time to volunteer for charity. The result is that Key Span gets publicity at the expense of their unpaid workers. This is PR on the cheap and takes unfair advantage of the already financially strapped workers. They hire social workers to aid the company in extracting money from customers who are unable to pay. On the surface it sounds good, but it's just a ploy to increase company profits by increasing collections. Much of the book is about the inside scoop on various Brooklyn Union/Key Span mergers and aquisitions, a bit boring. The rest is a lot of back slapping of both CEO and the Monk. There's very little investigative journalism here in terms of exploring contrarian points of view. What Key Span has done is just "ok", not great. They stand out not because of what good they've done, but rather because of what very bad other corporations have done. The bottom line, foster honest communication between management and the workers. The rest of the book is meaningless. It's the same old same old, the workers toil in order to make executives rich. Nothing new. That the CEO and the Monk can't see this is more telling than anything told in the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Highly Recommended
Review: This book is great for anyone who is a CEO or owns their own business. Not only is it informative but it's entertaining as well.Thanks for the book Mom!!
Rating:
Summary: A Holy Alliance
Review: This book will inspire you and give you hope that organizations can both do the right thing and do well. Bob Catell is a wonderful model for how we would like all CEOs to be. He is honest, involved, willing to take risks, and cares deeply about the common good. For him, the common good includes Keyspan, his employees, his customers, and the communities served by Keyspan. He shares some very tough business situations and describes how, with the help of his ombudsman Kenny Moore, he was able to create healing, vision, and greater commitment to the company's future. Kenny is unique. He is a former monk who found his ministry in the corporate world. He sees his work as sacred work, and knows that this is what he was called to do. He brings joy, playfulness, and love to the company, with an ability to understand the business issues, but with his eye on a higher purpose than just profits. From wizard hats to corporate funerals, the things Kenny initiates at Keyspan will keep you delighted, sometimes surprised, and inspired. Bob and Kenny, have a very special relationship and are the real McCoy. I know. I interviewed them for my Spirit at Work newsletter, and I've known Kenny personally for a couple of years. So maybe I'm biased about this book. It is my hope that the readers of The CEO and the Monk will regain hope that there are wonderful positive possibilities in corporate American, and that its worth trying to make a difference. Judi Neal, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Association for Spirit at Work
www.spiritatwork.com
Rating:
Summary: A Different View of Business
Review: You might think by looking in any large bookstore that every business book imaginable has been written. Then comes one like The CEO and the Monk that is as distinctive and refreshing as its title. The CEO and the monk give alternating views on the subject of each chapter, which means the topics never get boring. As an avid follower of American business, I was particularly pleased to see the emphasis expressed from page 1, the introduction: "What Is Good for the Soul Is Also Good for Business." That's a concept more executives should take to heart.
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