The Leaders Way: Business, Buddhism And Happiness In An Interconnected World by Dalai Lama XIV

The Leaders Way: Business, Buddhism And Happiness In An Interconnected World Reviews

• 
  Soojung Jo

  The message is fantastic, but the book itself was lacking something. Sadly, I found it a bit boring.
• 
  Rikke

  Acting in an ethical way is more important than ever and this book explains the buddhistic approach and foundation.
  
  Perhaps a bit repetitive if you’re already familiar with CSR, but a good message can never be repeated too often :-)
• 
  Iulia

  O abordare a leadershipului, din două perspective de o complementaritate inedită: spiritualitatea buddhistă și consultanța de management.
  
  Cartea prezintă, în stilul concentrat și clar al scrierilor buddhiste, aplicarea valorilor spirituale ale perspectivei corecte și conduitei corecte (concepte ce pot fi echivalate, în sistemul de valori de business, cu cele de viziune și misiune) în provocările liderilor din mediile de afaceri.
  
  Începută ca proiect de studiu comparativ între socialism și buddhism, cartea a evoluat către o dovadă a interoperabilității, la nivel strategic, între capitalism și buddhism, doctrine care, păstrându-și, fiecare, specificitatea, reușesc, în același timp, să se pună în valoare reciproc.
  
  Organizată pe 3 planuri (a te conduce pe tine, a-ți conduce organizația și a conduce, în lumea interconectată), cartea prezintă acțiuni, idei și principii ușor de înțeles și disponibile oricui își asumă un rol de lider, formal sau informal, într-o lume în care companiile, la fel ca și oamenii, au scopul de a obține fericirea, care, în termeni capitaliști, s-ar putea traduce, dincolo de profit, în misiunea de a genera satisfacție angajaților, clienților și tuturor participanților la circuitul valoric al companiei.
• 
  Oksana Naumchuk

  Перш за все, я дійсно була розчарована якістю самого тексту через наявність граматичних і лексичних помилок. Від Видавництва старого лева очікуєш більшого.
  Сама книга зацікавила мене більше почитати про буддизм, звернула мою увагу на те, що б мені хотілося змінити у компанії, де я нині працюю, нагадала про те, щоб на будь-яку проблему, переміни чи рішення треба дивитися з різних сторін. Мені сподобалися наведені приклади із ведення бізнесу і фейлів великих компанії. А для себе я винесла розуміння важливості мети будь-чого, що я роблю. І мета ця повинна бути вигідною і доброю не лише мені, а й іншим. Якщо так є, то позитивний результат у грошовому еквіваленті (або будь-якому іншому очікуваному еквіваленті) приходить автоматично.
• 
  Lane Anderson

  I really wanted to like this one. As a CEO of what I would call a mission-driven company (if you can pardon the cliché), this had my hopes up as an insightful look into applying the Buddha's teachings in business.
  
  But, over the six-hour listen (this was road trip material), all I got out of it was to be right-minded (have good intentions) and consider maximizing the greatest human benefit and minimizing harm. With these guidelines in place, leaders will make better choices.
  
  I didn't need a specific book about Buddhism and business to draw that connection. Would love to read something a little more exact about how to navigate the difficult decisions that make up the role of a leader.
• 
  L

  Quizás estoy mala, no sé. Me pareció vago, un poco obvio incluso - no necesito un libro entero para saber que un líder que tiene en mente el bien común toma mejores decisiones, y tampoco sé si es tan específicamente pertinente al budismo.
  Algunas de las conclusiones que saca el consultor con respecto a los conceptos del Dalai Lama son un poco tiradas de los pelos, defiende bastante los despidos de personal, es cuanto menos raro.
  
  Me hubiese gustado una explicación menos centrada en el rol del lider como ejecutor de decisiones y más en el rol del lider como guía de otros, sobre cómo ocupar ese cargo en un ambiente tan despersonalizado como es el laboral.
• 
  Ted Eliason

  Capitalism works well under Buddhist ethics. Much like the Adam Smith argument enlightened self interest requires moral reasoning. I just have the suspicion any competitive advantages of Buddhist businesses are long term and outcompeted and undermined by the unscrupulous in the short term. The dissatisfying answer I hear from Buddhism when dealing with the unscrupulous is to wait them out even though they cause immense suffering. And recognize the unscrupulous will ultimately not be satisfied/happy in pursuit of insatiable desires. This is a very very long game.
• 
  Mahipal Lunia

  The Monk and the Management Consultant - looking for a synthesis between capitalism and Buddhism
  Today's reading was this little book that comes from a decade of collaboration between two unlikely worlds. The jist of the book is Right Decision Making by taking a truly "long view" in a deeply "interdependent world." Right decisions come from right view, which lead to right action. Therefore at core of all leadership is right action that benefits all. Systems thinking/holistic viewpoint is to be adopted, along with mindfullness. This means seeing things as they really are, and looking at things from other peoples perspective as well.
  Three central concepts have to become instinctual to decision making— cause and effect, interdependence, and impermence
  Learn to train the mind to be calm, collected and concentrated. Training the mind must become instinctual like eating food. Calm and collected decisions involves asking ourselves four questions: What is the reality and is it a problem? What is the cause of the problem? What do I want to achieve? How can I arrive at the goal?
  If you remember only two concepts after reading this book—Right View and Right Conduct—and keep these two principles vivid in your mind, your decision making will improve, as will your satisfaction with life.
  Three sections in the book -
  1) Leading Self - best way for a ruler to reign over his country is to first rule himself well. The Six Perfections to leading oneself —often expressed as generosity, ethical discipline, patience, enthusiastic effort, concentration, and wisdom—are of obvious value to all individuals, Meditation is key, and the book discuss' 5 methods of meditation for indiviuals, as a key method of training the mind.
  2) Leading Organization - Several of the CEOs reported that fewer meetings were required because they had learned to concentrate and give their undivided attention to the item at hand.The first step of a leader is to restore faith and purspoe in those one leads.Creating Faith, establish values and make right decisions. The purpose of a business/org cannot be profit, profit is the end result of what you. Pursue happiness of all involved.
  3) Leading in an interconnected world - goal of achieving freedom and prosperity for all.
  Quotes from the book, that stuck a chord with me
  
  I believe that leaders of religious traditions—with their ability to take a long view of the human condition—should participate in discussions of global business and economics.
  The root of happiness is not in what we desire or what we get but somewhere altogether different. It stems from a place of inner contentment that exists no matter what we gain or achieve.
  People cannot be truly happy unless they have friendships and good relationships with other people. Furthermore, good relationships are reciprocal.
  True leaders have the ability to look at an issue from many perspectives and, based on that expanded view, make the right decisions. They have a calm, collected, and concentrated mind, undisturbed by negative thoughts and emotions, trained and focused. And true leadership recognizes the inevitability of change, the need for a sense of universal responsibility, and the importance of combining an economic system with moral values. That is the leader’s way.
  Thinking the right way means making sure that every action is based on the right intention and the right motivation. The right intention is that the action will be beneficial to you and everyone affected by it;The second part recognizes three aspects of reality: impermanence, interdependence, and dependent origination. Buddhism teaches that nothing exists that is permanent; nothing exists that is independent; and nothing exists without a cause.
  the root cause of suffering was self-centeredness. Also People would rather deal with a person who is interested in their well-being than with someone who is interested only in him- or herself.
  Right View consists of two parts: the decision-making process and the three values or concepts—dependent origination, interdependence, and impermanence—that have to be respected in every decision
  The concept of impermanence teaches us that every goal is a moving target.
  Right livelihood is important - do not deal in weapons; deal in living beings (including raising animals for slaughter, as well as the slave trade and prostitution); work in meat production and butchery; and selling intoxicants and poisons, such as alcohol and drugs.
  The researchers compared the brain maps of 175 people who had never meditated to the brain map of the monk. They found that the monk’s activity in the frontal lobe, which is associated with greater happiness, was higher than that of any of the 175 other people tested. the meditators had 5 percent thicker brain tissue in the prefrontal cortex.4 In other words, meditation had seemingly enlarged the part of the brain that regulates emotion, attention, and working memory.
  Buddha considered respect for all to be very important. Buddhists believe that even if a person acts badly, he or she has the potential to become a good person and deserves respect as a human being.
  Worth reading slowly, and returning to it from time to time. It is a very easy read, but one that can change how you view both capitalism and Buddhism .
  
  Mahipal Lunia
  
  www.TheRenaissancePath.com
  
  www.RadicalChangeGroup.com
  
  www.MahipalLuniaOutloud.com
• 
  Taras Filonenko

  Текст книги дійсно більше схожа на маніфест. Після «Книги радості» авторства Далай Лами і Десмонда Туту очікування до цієї книги були занадто високими, тому, мабуть, і не справдилися. У книзі багато думок, тем, але не встигнеш хоча б трішки зануритися у міркування щодо однієї як автори переносять тебе до іншої, і так протягом усієї книги. Отак, понадкушувавши усього, прочитавши книгу, залишився голодним
• 
  Autumn

  While I generally appreciate the message, this book is pretty basic and repetitive. While it claims to be applicable beyond C-level corporate readers, many many pages are geared toward that audience, with little relevance beyond. I found this book overly didactic and boring.
• 
  Constantinos Chronopoulos

  It was a pleasant book with simple but beneficial concepts. After reading this book one can have a different approach to modern day leadership.
• 
  Crystal

  will reread
• 
  MorganJac

  It was interesting to see this point of view. I found problems with some of his points but it was cool to see someone coming from a communist to democratic point of view.
• 
  Raymond Lewis

  While a valuable message on being mindful of the consequences of your leadership decisions, the discussions on organizational and national level guidance felt more abstract.
• 
  kirsty barrowman

  It helped reinforce good habits for those with a moral compass to do the right thing
• 
  Kristen

  In general, I am not much of a fan of business books. I have found the majority of the ones I've read to be over-priced, frequently condescending or preachy in tone, and sorely lacking a real-world understanding of what people at all levels of business organizations are faced with on a daily basis.
  
  So perhaps you can also understand my reactions of surprise, interest, curiosity, and, yes, skepticism, when I came across this book.
  
  The Leader's Way is a joint effort between His Holiness The Dalai Lama, and management consultant Laurens van den Muyzenberg. It developed as a result of a decade's worth of discussions between the two, about how the principles of Buddhism related to and could inform, the global business landscape.
  
  This book is an absolutely fascinating, and highly relevant look at the strong connections and surprising [unless you are already familiar with the aspects of Buddhism] parallels between the two structures. It also presents specific, clear and easily implemented ways that anyone can become a better leader by understanding and using the basic Buddhist tenets of "Right View" and "Right Conduct".
  
  I think it is important to note, as the book does, that the advice in its pages has value for not only current senior leaders in high roles in businesses, but offers opportunities to anyone who is willing to use them by telling us:
  
  "Remember, authentic leaders and change makers are not exclusively found among top management, and we encourage employees at all levels to find their leader within by employing the practices in this book."
  
  Lest you be concerned about any attempts at religious indoctrination, let me put your fears immediately to rest by quoting His Holiness directly from the book:
  
  "I am not interested in converting readers of this book to Buddhism . . . This book is not about Buddhism as a religion or as a way of life. I believe that people can find values to help them lead a good and responsible life in all religious traditions. I also believe that people who do not follow any religion can lead a good and responsible life. The ideas in this book are therefore possible for everyone to accept and practice."
  
  And, in case your next concern is how a Buddhist monk could possibly have anything to say that is applicable to the capitalist world of business, well both the authors of the book address that one early on too:
  
  "The business arena and the concepts of Buddhism seem, at first, to be an unlikely pairing. The former, primarily concerned with production, profit and growth, seems to stand in contrast with the latter, which concerns itself with compassion for others and the well-being of humankind and our planet. Take a closer look, however, and we find that business practices and Buddhist principles are both concerned with happiness and making the right decision."
  
  The book is extremely well-organized, beginning with the individual leader, moving on to the organization and expanding to discuss the entirety of society. At each stage we are offered ways to revise both our thought processes and our actions, in order to recognize that the world is no longer served by - in fact will no longer be able to survive using - a "me: first, last and only" philosophy and approach.
  
  Just in case you are still skeptical, the book offers many actual examples of companies globally [and yes - in the U.S. too!] that are using the approaches. Organizations like GE and IBM, both of which are highlighted for their business's recognition of the impacts their policies have on other people, and their commitments to not just do good business, but to BE good businesses. And I dare you to suggest that these aren't successful organizations! They are approaching doing business with aspects of the structure recommended in this book. So, clearly it IS possible, as the book says, for: "Honesty and business to coexist."
  
  As the Dalai Lama himself states:
  
  "When I started this project, I was not sure that companies could act in such a way that they could deserve a thoroughly good reputation. Now I am convinced that they can. And I consider this goal very important for individual organizations and for society as a whole."
  
  I was inspired after reading this book about the opportunity for business to acknowledge, and act upon its tremendous potential to make a genuine difference in a positive way on the larger world it functions within. If everyone who is a current, or an aspiring business leader read this book and committed to implementing even a portion of the recommendations it offers, our world would improve in such massive ways that we would all be better, safer, happier and more kind as a result. But as importantly, particularly for business leaders operating in the current environment, business CAN also be successful using the approaches detailed in this book
  
  Absolutely the best business book I've ever read!
• 
  whichwaydidshego

  This is very much geared towards corporate business. It still has helpful information for the rest of us, but there is a lot that does not translate to entrepreneurship and other types of business leaders.
• 
  Erika

  Not exciting, not life-changing, not impressed.
  Average :/
• 
  Micah Fretz

  I had a hard time getting into this book at first and I was about to scratch it half way through but I'm really glad I kept with it. I have been reading a lot of self-development books lately and” The Leaders Way” had some beautiful theories of how we can be successful and ethical at the same it. He discusses topics of globalization, poverty, greed, and having political and religious harmony. We have all seen over the years how greed and selfishness has almost crippled the global economy. This book talks about being successful the right way, the ethical way..the Buddhist way.
  In the beginning of the book the Dali Lama tells his readers that this book was not written to convert people to the Buddhist religion but to show how the Buddhist philosophies can be used to produce a better happier society. I was cynical of this comment and could not see how he could write an entire book about Buddhist teaching without pushing the Buddhist religion. To my surprise and delight that's exactly what he did. Many of his ideas are so simple of what we know to be right and wrong actions but yet we do anyway. This is my first real exposure to the Buddhist philosophies and I can see why this man has such a strong following. Growing up in a circle of close minded religious individuals, it is refreshing to see a religious leader with such an accepting view of other religions and societies that are opposite to his. He states that every window and door of your home should be open to every culture and belief to flow though like a magical dance of diversity but not to let it blow you off your feet. In a world were religious fundamentalism and survival of the fittest capitalism is slowly consuming societies, we need leaders such as the Dali Lama to break through ethnocentric ideologies that we live by and adopt a holistic view of how our actions as a individual, as a business, as a nation, influence the rest of the world. I believe we are at a definite tipping point in deciphering the kind of future that that we will provide for generations to come. To have a world where every culture has a good quality of life is a fantasy for most but for the Dali Lama he explains the best way he knows how, how it may be attainable and I praise for that.
  I highly recommend this book to any individual that is looking for way to be a better leader in your career or in your society to read this book.
  
• 
  JeffandStacie Paggeot

  This book was great for leadership skills. Keeping a trained mind and understanding people with calm emotions really takes the mud out of the water. It allows leaders to see to the root of the communication and better understand why people say what they say and what the true motive is behind it. This book explains how leaders should focus on three fundamental Buddhist principles. Right mind, right conduct, and impermanence. Understanding the principles will help you better make decisions for the betterment of the entire organization and not just yourself which in proxy results in a great team.
  
  
  Good read right up to the point it started on world leadership and economics. For me I was looking for more of the leadership info. Also I didn't like that most of the books is in italics.
  
  Good read!
• 
  Birdie Brietling

  This book gives very basic advice disguised with big words and long winded vague sentences that keep you in suspense. For example it will be like “this chapter will show you how to government can the government can help the poor”, then the first sentence will be “the government can help the poor to become rich by allowing them to buy their own houses though right-to-buy schemes”. But in order to buy a house, you will need capital. How is it possible for a poor person to buy a house without capital?
  
  The author is not even Dalai Lama. It’s just a random person (who has poor writing skills) who got with a publisher to sickeningly use Dalai Lama’s name to help his book sell.