I had to read this for a grad class. I was thoroughly disappointed.
Here is my written critique:
It is difficult for me to critique a book like this because it is so far outside my chosen genre. Like The Shack or The Energy Bus, there is goodness in them and definitely nuggets of truth worth capturing and applying, but the sing-song, feel-good ending of these types of fictional stories leave me with a giant sense of shallowness. I just don’t buy it.
From where I sit each morning in my office, whenever I read this type of book, it seems that they steal the best part of religion – the connecting with one’s soul, finding purpose, and turning our lives around – but then bypass all the hard stuff. Which is what makes them so popular! They promise a new life where everything comes together in the end and flowers bloom, but skip or gloss over the hard work! My question to them and to this book specifically is that: What if it doesn’t have a happy ending? What if the lives we impact change for the better, but ours remain the same? Is it still worth it? Would we still “connect with our soul” and walk through this process?
From what I can read, I think they would prefer not to answer.
For this book specifically, the question can be modified to, What is the purpose of leading with the soul? Is it for those we lead, or ourselves? More directly, if it ONLY impacts those we lead, is it still worth it?
Bolman and Deal do not answer this question.
They do, however, provide some insight and wisdom which are worth remembering, namely, that “The search for meaning, purpose, wholeness, and integrations is a constant, never-ending task” and “to confine this search to one day a week or after hours violates people’s basic sense of integrity, of being whole persons. In short, souls is not something one leaves at home” (Bolman, 2011).
Leading with the soul, connecting with others, and making the impact we so desperately desire is not something that can be done half-heartedly and between the hours of 8-4:30. It is a lifestyle, a constant struggle, and one that takes deliberate and intentional time and effort.
It is also extremely hard. And Bolman and Deal acknowledge this. They also contradict it.
“You want everything planned in advance” Maria observes, “That’s fine for a trip to Chicago. It won’t work for a journey of the spirit. First, you have to get started. Move into uncharted territory. Explore. Reflect. You’ll know when you’re on course” (Bolman, 2011). Which is true. When a leader of any sort begins their journey they cannot possibly know where it will go or how long it will take them to get there. Yet Stevens journey, although uncharted, was relatively simple with only a few minor setbacks that ended in a grand arrival of everything he had hoped and dreamed – in just a few hundred short pages. And that is exactly what the reader will expect as well. For as Friedrich Nietzsche famously said, “He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how,” and although Stevens’ journey is not clearly mapped, the destination is made clear: holistic success. This, I believe, deceives the reader into believing that if he or she were to merely connect with and lead with their soul, although it might be bumpy at times, in the end everything will turn out great. Which, I think, is a dangerous promise to make.
Another nugget worth capturing from this book is this, that “The spiritual journey that we as leaders must take to inspire other begins with ourselves but not necessarily by ourselves” (pg 66). Yet, I think this too is a bit incomplete, all because of one minor word that carries large ramifications, “by ourselves.” If we change “by” with “for” it reads, “The spiritual journey that we as leaders must take to inspire others begins with ourselves but not necessarily for ourselves.” This statement points, I think, more acutely to where we as leaders should be heading, and why: Towards others and for others. Much like we are instructed on a plane, to put ours masks on first before serving others, the purpose of this command is not that we take care of ourselves and survive the moment, but more importantly, TO HELP OTHERS! The spiritual journey will help us – even save us – but that is NOT why we embark on it. We do it for our teachers, our students, and those we serve. We do it so THEY may survive and thrive, not merely ourselves.
John Dickson,author of Humilitas: The Lost Key to Life, Love, and Leadership provides what I think a more complete idea of why we must connect with and lead with the soul. Dickson argues that “The most influential and inspiring people are often marked by humility” (p. 19). However, humility – according to Dickson, is not what we believe it to be.
Rather than an attribute that thinks lowly of oneself or “Down to earth” as is often said about someone with humble attributes, Dickson argues that for one to be humble they must have a complete and healthy perspective of themselves, their gifts, and their talents. They must know when and how they are great! Then, to live humbly, they must, “forgo their status, deploy their resources or use their influence for the good of others before themselves” (pg. 24). They are men and women who are characterized more by how they teat others than how they think of themselves.
This is where I believe Bolman and Deal fall short, because although they talk about others and the success Steve helped bring to his business, the focus is on him and his life and how it turned around.
Bolman and Deal capture Dickson’s mindset slightly when they write, “You lead with soul by giving it to others” (pg 78), but it is too little when compared with the breadth of the whole story and all that is happening. When the focus is on Steve’s personal success and happily-ever-after ending, truths such as these are lost and forgotten.
So too is this powerful image. “You see the branches sinking under the weight of snow?” Steve asks in a rare moment of transparent and accurate depth, “That’s how I feel at work. Drooping under the burden. Like I’ve given all I can. There’s not enough to go around” (pg 93). Now that is something every leader can resonate with, the weight of responsibility and the fear of crumbling beneath it. In this instance, Bolman and Deal do a great job of providing what I believe to be the unpopular yet accurate answer: “Without giving, there can be no real leadership (pg 122).” And later, “{Leaders} need to help others find and make productive use of many sources of power – information, resources, allies, access, and autonomy” (pg 132). This is true leadership. This is where we connect with and lead with the soul, when we turn our focus outward and help others achieve their greatness and power. For when that happens, they in turn will recognize the need to share that power with those they serve and come into contact with, thus making them more great and more powerful. To the point that, even if the leader’s life is still deemed “unsuccessful,” they will have a cloud of witnesses who are living testimonies to their great leadership and guidance. They will have fulfilled a greater purpose than merely serving and loving themselves.
In closing, and to answer the question of whether or not I would recommend this book, the answer is, “sparingly.” There are some whom I know who would find this book encouraging and uplifting, which is great! My fear would always be that they believe if they read this book and live out some of its truths that their lives would also end so blissfully. And if it doesn’t, they would be crushed. And rightfully so.