|
Synchronicity: The
Inner Path of Leadership Jaworski,
J. (1996) Synchronicity : The Inner Path of Leadership.
Berrett-Koehler
Leading others requires one to
undergo a personal transformation first to becoming a leader to and
for oneself.
This book by Joseph Jaworski can be
read on three different levels. First, it is an autobiography
that entails a journey of a successful career from an attorney to a
consultant. Second, it can be read as a gentle urging to cast
away the things that hold you back and take on a journey that will
lead to "an inner path of leadership." Finally, one
can read this as a metaphysical and moral vision beneath the
personal story.
The personal events that the author
has gone through can be patterned by writer Joseph Campbell's four
stages of a hero's journey: preparation, crossing the threshold,
adventures in the face of adversity, and a triumphant return.
The author attempts to draw comparisons between our lives and
heroes' journeys by explaining the defining moment in the
"crossing the threshold" step. To commit without
fear is the goal for everyone in order to attain the transformation
into a leader.
The author covers the things that
hold us back from becoming leaders and crossing the threshold.
Being perceived as different, failure, and shame are three such
things that are experienced. In order to overcome these
things, the author uses transcendental experiences to explain
feelings to use in place of these fears. Such examples as
feelings of at-oneness in cathedral and wilderness settings are
discussed to aid in alleviating these fears.
Jaworski uses his own life
experiences to explain the philosophy of leadership. There are
a multitude of messages about organization learning in addition to
the few mentioned above. The book is highly recommended not to
follow by example, but to use this author's personal experiences as
a guide in shaping your own behaviors and transforming into a
personal leader first, then moving on to leading others.
Back to Aslan
News
|
