The Meaning Revolution: The Power of Transcendent Leadership

by Fred Kofman

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"The vice president of leadership at LinkedIn claims that the biggest driver of motivation is the chance to serve a larger purpose beyond our careers and ourselves, rather than salary, benefits, bonuses, or other material incentives; companies that are able to successfully focus their people, their teams, and their culture around meaning outperform their competition. Fred Kofman's approach to leadership has little to do with the standard practices taught in business school and traditional show more books. Bringing together economics and business theory, communications and conflict resolution, family counseling and mindfulness mediation, Kofman argues in The Meaning Revolution that our most deep-seated, unspoken, and universal anxiety stems from our fear that our life is being wasted--that the end of life will overtake us when our song is still unsung. Material incentives--salary and benefits--account for perhaps 15 percent of employees' motivation at work. The other 85 percent is driven by a need to belong, a feeling that what we do day in and day out makes a difference, that how we spend our time on earth serves a larger purpose beyond just ourselves. Kofman claims that transcendental leaders, wherever they are in the hierarchy, are able to put aside their self-interests and help others to feel connected with others on a team or in an organization on a great mission and part of an ennobling purpose. He argues that every organization involved in work that is nonviolent and non addictive has what he calls an "immortality project" at its core. And the challenge for leaders is to identify and expand on that core, to inspire all stakeholders to take part"-- show less

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This book is about how to become a transcendent leader, a leader who creates the opportunity for people to find meaning through their work. Kofman not only describes what it takes to be a transcendent leader but also explains how to develop the capacity to be such a leader. Kofman provides examples of transcendent leaders and the lessons to be learned from them. He also shares his own journey that brought him to the insights he includes in the book. This is an informative and insightful read. It can also be challenging, especially the final part of the book. Here Kofman gets into the spiritual (not religious) aspects of transcendent leadership. He effectively integrates spirituality and business. More controversial for some may be his show more passionate case for the superiority of capitalism over any other economic system. He is not blind to the abuses that occur within capitalist economies, but he argues that these negative consequences are due to the unethical and ego-centered actions of some of the players in business and government and not due to a systemic flaw in capitalism itself. There are many who would dispute this claim. Nonetheless, this book is worth reading for the positive vision Kofman holds up for business and work. If business did operate in alignment with his vision, the results would be the opportunity for individuals to live meaningful lives within communities of purpose that contribute to the wellbeing of the entire planet. show less

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9 Works 266 Members
Fred Kofman, PhD, is director of the Conscious Business Center at the Universidad Francisco Marroqun in Guatemala, as well as cofounder and president of Axialent, a consulting company. Fred's teachings combine philosophical depth with practical applicability. He has created and taught programs in leadership and coaching for more than 15,000 show more executives. His clients include companies such as LinkedIn, Microsoft, Google, Shell, Axa, and AMP Australia. show less

Classifications

Genres
Business, Nonfiction, General Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality
DDC/MDS
658.4092Applied Science & TechnologyManagement & public relationsGeneral managementExecutivePersonal AspectsLeadership
LCC
HF5549.5 .M63 .K595Social sciencesCommerceCommerceBusinessPersonnel management. Employment
BISAC

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Members
48
Popularity
623,687
Reviews
1
Rating
(4.75)
Languages
English, Portuguese (Portugal)
Media
Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
ISBNs
6
ASINs
2