Good Business : Leadership, Flow and the Making of Meaning

In today's society it is scientists and businesspeople who wield the most influence and power. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi believes this also gives them the responsibility to provide for the needs, not just of their workforce, but of the community in its largest sense. This book helps those in power towards a new understanding and vision of what it means to be a leader. The people interviewed here - including Peter Bijur (CEO of Texaco), Michael Markkula (co-founder of Apple Computer), Anita Roddick (founder of The Body Shop) and Ted Turner (vice chairman of AOL Time Warner) are recognised both for their success and because they care for more than success. Their case studies provide a blueprint for doing business that is good, not just in the material sense, but also on spiritual and ethical levels. Good Business shows leaders and managers - and employees - how to contribute to the development of an enjoyable life that provides meaning, to a society that is just and evolving, and ultimately to the sum of human happiness.

In psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's definition of leadership, the personal is political. The best-selling author of Flow interviewed several dozen exemplary CEOs whose wisdom provides the radical job description of the book’s premise: "Leaders must make it possible for employees to work with joy, to their heart’s content, while responding to the needs of society." Csikszentmihalyi leverages his definition of "flow"—-the capacity for full engagement in an activity—-to create a blueprint for a workplace in which bringing out the best in workers comes before products and profit. When leaders select and reward employees who find satisfaction at work, they can create an upwardly moral organization.

In this view, leadership is a privilege that requires checking ego in the coatroom and peering into the mirror to ask tough questions. For example, "How do I determine if something is right or wrong?" Or, "What is my business doing to benefit human well being?" He offers some inspiring stories from leaders who engage employees to go with the flow, including Body Shop CEO Anita Roddick, Patagonia crown prince Yvon Chouinard, and media mogul Ted Turner. Some of Csikszentmihalyi’s advice will sound familiar. Yet he creates a compellingly fresh vision of good business in both a material and spiritual sense. Ultimately, the success of this book lies in its powerful, non-flaky ability to define corporate soul in terms of a company becoming a stakeholder in an entity larger than itself.--Barbara Mackoff