Good Business: Leadership, Flow, and the Making of Meaning

by Mihály Csíkszentmihályi

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Since Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi published the groundbreaking Flow more than a decade ago, world leaders such as Tony Blair and former President Clinton, and influential sports figures like Super Bowl champion coach Jimmy Johnson have all been inspired by the book. In today's corporate upheaval, a new business paradigm is evolving. While many CEOs are being exposed for their greed, truly visionary leaders believe in a goal that benefits themselves as well as others. They realize that it is show more their vision and "soul" that attract loyal employees willing to go above and beyond the call of corporate duty. And their employees are realizing the same thing: while 80 percent of adults claim they'd work even if they didn't have to, the majority of them can hardly wait to leave their jobs and get home.

Good Business starts with the premise that this is an age in which business and work have replaced religion and politics as central forces in contemporary life. The book reveals how business leaders, managers, and even employees can find their "flow" and contribute not only to their own happiness, but also to a just and evolving society. It identifies the factors crucial to the operation of a good business: trust, the commitment to fostering the personal growth of employees, and the dedication to creating a product that helps mankind. Good Business is sure to become a must-read text for anyone who values the positive contributions of individuals in the changing world of business.

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5 reviews
This is a good intro book on the subject, but for a more thorough, intermediate cover on living a fullfilling and satisfying life check out Flourish by Martin Seligman. I just started reading it myself and it doesn't specifically cover the business topic like this book, but it's more engaging. That said, Good Leadership picks up a bit in chapters 3 & 4. An interesting tidbit I derived from chapter 3:
Five traits that are everpresent in the lives of leaders that live lives filled with meaning, deep relationships & accomplishment are:
- Optimism
- Integrity
- Ambition & Perserverance
- Curiosity
- Empathy
Csikszentmihalyi takes his concept of "flow" a step further by talking about how it should be integrated into business to achieve better results, more satisfying careers, and a more balanced, ethical set of outcomes. "Flow" has significantly influenced my personal outlook, and this book is a worthy accompaniment.
[2005] I read this book at a time in my career when I was desperately looking for - and then found - a necessary and important change. I'm hoping what I found was a job where I can experience the "flow" I need. The author talks about flow theory in the context of business, and he it the nail on the head. I also think that some of his ideas about what contributes to flow resonate with ideas about "servant leadership", a concept I intend to read about in another one of the books on my shelf.
Hogyan élnek a kamaszok?
Mit gondolnak az iskoláról, a családjukról, a barátaikról?
Mitől félnek és mit szeretnének?

CSÍKSZENTMIHÁLYI MIHÁLY és REED LARSON könyve különleges kutatásra alapozva válaszolja meg ezeket a kérdéseket. 75
véletlenszerűen kiválasztott tizenévest kértek fel, hogy amikor a maguknál hordott csipogóval jeleznek nekik - legyen az bármely
napszak - jegyezzék fel, mire gondolnak, mit csinálnak éppen, hogyan érzik magukat. Az eredmény ez a könyv, amelyben feltárul a kamaszok mindennapi élete, akár az iskolában, akár a barátaikkal vagy éppen családjukkal töltik idejüket.

Ha szeretnénk

* hogy a felnövő generáció ne kallódjon el,

* segíteni, hogy kamaszaink elégedett, boldog show more felnőttek legyenek,

*hogy társadalmunk stabil maradjon,

érdemes megfontolni, a "Kamasznak lenni" eredményeit és a szerzők ajánlásait.

Lenyűgöző olvasmány, nemcsak tanulságos, de „kötelező irodalom" minden szülő, pedagógus és pszichológus számára.
(Bookline)
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Oct 18, 2023Hungarian
Un libro básico en la redefinición de la subjetividad humana. Como dice Richard Flaste del New York Times Magazine «una gran contribución a la educación del público acerca del carácter positivo de los más profundos anhelos humanos». La psicología, la filosofía y el humanismo se unen para responder a la pregunta fundamental: ¿qué es la felicidad? Best-seller mundial.

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49+ Works 10,092 Members
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (pronounced "ME-high CHICK-sent-me-high-ee) is a professor and former chairman of the Department of English at the University of Chicago. His writings have focused on models of enjoyment and how various people access their creative potential. The idea of creative potential, which Csikszentmihalyi terms "flow" has become show more increasingly popular in the public sector. His 1993 book, Flow, inspired Jimmy Johnson then coach of the World Champion Dallas Cowboys, and was the subject of a feature story during that year's Super Bowl television broadcast. His ideas have also been touted by President Clinton, who called Csikszentmihalyi one of his favorite authors, Newt Gingrich, who put his work on the reading list for a political planning committee, and corporations and cultural institutions, such as Volvo in Sweden and the Chicago Park District. He has published articles in a variety of magazines, including Psychology Today, The New York Times, Omni, and Wired and has made appearances on television in the U.S. and Europe. Csikszentmihalyi currently serves on boards and commissions for the U.S. Departments of Labor and Education, and the Social Science Research Council. He has held visiting professorships at universities in the United States, Canada, Brazil, Italy, and Finland. He received the1990 NRPA National Research (Roosevelt) Award, in addition to two Senior Fulbright Fellowships. Besides Flow, he has also written Beyond Boredom and Anxiety and Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention, in which he applies his "flow" theory to various inventors, scientists, and artists to determine how and why they achieve "flow." (Bowker Author Biography) show less

Common Knowledge

People/Characters
Anita Roddick; Howard Gardner; Irwin Miller; Jack Greenberg; Jane Fonda; Max DePree (show all 12); Mike Markkula; Orit Gadiesh; Richard DeVos; Robert Shapiro; Sir John Templeton; Yvon Chouinard
First words
Our jobs determine to a large extent what our lives are like.
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)If more and more leaders of business would follow their lead - from small entrepreneurs to middle managers, to the captains of large industries - business would truly fulfill its potential to help make life happier for all.

Classifications

Genres
Business, Nonfiction, General Nonfiction
DDC/MDS
650.1Applied science & technologyManagement & public relationsBusiness Skills & ManagementPersonal success in business
LCC
HF5386 .C898Social sciencesCommerceCommerceBusinessVocational guidance. Career devlopment
BISAC

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Members
360
Popularity
87,782
Reviews
5
Rating
½ (3.56)
Languages
10 — Danish, English, Finnish, German, Hungarian, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish
Media
Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
ISBNs
25
ASINs
3