Synopses & Reviews
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 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.
Synopsis
The acclaimed author of Flow provides a much-needed blueprint for bringing meaning and values into the workplace. Since the publication of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's Flow in 1990, the notion of "flow"--the state of optimal experience in which one loses oneself in a task or activity--has become a household word. It has been endorsed by political leaders such as President Bill Clinton and Prime Minister Tony Blair, as well as sports coaches, business leaders, and the Wall Street Journal, which listed it as one of six books "every well-stocked business library should have." With Good Business, Csikszentmihalyi applies the proven principles of Flow to the business world, revealing the specific values that have served visionary leaders who have succeeded in running businesses that are both successful and humane. Good Business is a key text for managers and for anyone seeking to find meaning, enrichment, and satisfaction on the job.
About the Author
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (pronounced “chick-sent-me-high”), author of the New York Times bestseller Flow, is a professor of management at the Claremont Graduate Center. He is also the director of the Quality of Life Research Center, a nonprofit institute in Claremont, California.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Part I. Flow and Happiness
1. Leading the Future
2. The Business of Happiness
3. Happiness in Action
4. Flow and Growth
Part II. Flow and Organizations
5. Why Flow Doesn't Happen on the Job
6. Building Flow in Organizations
Part III. Flow and the Self
7. The Soul of Business
8. Creating Flow in Life
9. The Future of Business
Notes
References
Index