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Summary: A model for Servant Leadership
Review: I am Servant Leadership Specialist in a Catholic Hospital setting in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. This health care campus is part of a 12 Hospital system. My short comments are premised upon a retreat in Vancouver with the authors for five days, their highly useful work with our staff of 600 on site a year ago, and my experience as an Ethicist and teacher of theology. A reviewer suugested that this book's premise is yet another medal given to those who sell themselves to the institution. But this is not true: the outcome of using these thoughts and the assumptions of Servant Leadership (Robert Greenleaf Center, Indianapolis, Indiana} helps the colleagues in a really growth enhanceing environment take ownership of the relationships and policies in their own setting. If the effort is made in good faith by all, the result is a workplace that is peaceful, friendly, cooperative, and above all productive. I strongly recommend the principles developed by Klein and Izzo. They flow from their deep exprience with several of America's best and largest corporations, from their own humanity and from the most thoughtful consideration they have given to creating truly humanizing and productive workplaces. I offer a word of caution however: if you still believe that just another set of words and ideas can give you a new result, this approach would be no more than just another 'canned program'. When you decide to recreate your workplace on honest relationships, not power, and want to create a new work system that has both power and peace, then you are ready to begin the long-term effort of rebuilding the world of work in which you live. This is a guidebook for those who have the idea of a better way to work and live. This small book is not a panacea; it is a map for a long journey. We have invested 9 years in this effort in our health care setting, and both patients and staff know and happily acknowledge that with persistence, we are growing into what is envisioned here. A practical note: We are now at the point of attracting people who think in this manner into our most responsible administrative and service areas and we have many very long term employees. People love to work where they known, respected and part of the decision making process. We have had great and competent help from Klein and Izzo in creating a caring corporation, and in incorporating our own Christian values and Catholic traditions.
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Summary: A great book
Review: This is a great book. Though I personally look at my Christian beliefs as workplace inspiration, I like hearing more holistic points of view. This book does a nice job of balancing eastern and western philosophy and religion in its view of work. It is a very positive book and realistic. This book is not pretentious like most spirituality in business books. I enjoyed reading the book and hope these two authors write followup books on this same subject.
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Summary: Inspiring Corporate Soul
Review: What a timely and inspiring book. It's a practical and profound guide on how to nurture and develop the spirit at work. I particularly benefitted from the exercises and tools for implementation. It's not easy to distill the wisdom of great spiritual teachers and make engaging and relevant examples of how to apply that wisdom at work. I highly recommend this book - whether you work for a company or not.
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