Awakening the leader within : a story of transformation

335 Pages·2003·2.457 MB·English

by  Kevin Cashman, Jack Forem

Awakening

Leader Within
What People Are Saying About
Awakening the Leader Within . . .
Awakening the Leader Withinis definitely a major breakthrough. Each chapter creates an
engaging opportunity for personal introspection and professional breakthrough. The potential
power to authentically link your personal values and beliefs to your leadership style is at your
fingertips in this book.
—Chuck Feltz, President, Deluxe Financial Services, Inc.
Awakening the Leader Within’s lessons on authenticity and leadership are outstanding. Cashman’s
pragmatic approach to helping leaders align with the principles of openness, honesty and
integrity are worth the price of the book alone.
—Rob Hawthorne, former President and CEO, OceanSpray; former President, The Pillsbury Company
Awakening the Leader Withingoes way beyond the typical business book focused on theory and
concepts. It draws you into real-life situations and real-life business challenges and reveals the
pathways to more authentic leadership.
—Janet Fiola, Senior Vice President–Human Resources, Medtronic
Awakening the Leader Withinmakes the critical connection between business conduct and
personal authenticity. It also gives you great daily strategies you can use to immediately impact
performance.
—Gregg Vandesteeg, Executive Director–Research and Development, 3M Company
Awakening the Leader Withinis an exceptional and quite remarkable leadership book. It reads
like a novel but has a practical power to change deeply those who have the courage to reassess
their lives.
—Norman Walker, Global Human Resources Head, Novartis
Some of the world’s great myths—the Grail King, Sleeping Beauty—teach that when the king
or queen sleeps, those around them also sleep and the kingdom sleeps, but when they awaken,
those around them also awaken and the kingdom flowers. Kevin Cashman’s compelling and
powerfully perceptive new book tells the story of how we as kings and queens can come to
awaken, in the deepest sense, and by doing so can help the kingdom to flower. I recommend
this book wholeheartedly.
—Gregg Levoy, author ofCallings:Finding and Following an Authentic Life
Awakening the Leader Withinwill help you break free from being a captive of your own success.
If you want to grow as a person and awaken deeper levels of authenticity and purpose, then this
is the book!
—James Behnke, former Chief Technology Officer, The Pillsbury Company,
and President, International Life Sciences Institute
Awakening the Leader Withinis engaging and thought-provoking. It’s the type of book I read
with a highlighter in hand, marking sections and dog-earing pages as I go along.
—Marti Morfitt, President and CEO, CNS, Inc., The Breathe Right®Company
Awakening the Leader Withinis an exceptional and rare business book! I was surprised how
much I was drawn into the characters and equally shocked at how deeply it moved me. Once
you take the transformative journey with Bensen and Kenji, you may awaken more than you
expect.
—Jack Covert, President/Founder, 1-800-CEO-READ
Far from the typical business book that is boring while it is informing, Awakening the Leader
Withinis engaging while it is inspiring. How Cashman leverages the power of a story to create
a learning experience around enduring business and life principles is outstanding.
—William Scheurer, Director, Carlson School of Management, Executive Development Center
Today’s leaders are searching for a new sense of ethical consciousness. Awakening the Leader
Withininstills hope by showing us a way to live and lead that integrates authenticity with great
business results. It does a great job sorting through the confusion about what is required for
real leadership in these times of turmoil.
—Jim Secord, former CEO of Lakewood Publications, Publishers ofTraining Magazine
Experiencing this book is equivalent to stepping into a clearing and seeing your shadows—
your dark shadows and golden shadows—in a more enlightened perspective and then
continuing your journey to authentic leadership.
—Cliff Eslinger, Senior Vice President, Spherion—Human Capital Consulting Group
Awakening the Leader Withinis an imaginative, soul-enriching book. It invites busy, successful
people to connect with their own deepest purpose, enriching their work and every aspect of
their life with the authentic, creative power at the core of their being. This book helps cultivate
the habits and skills we all need in order to live good and decent lives in this time of great
global change.
—Br. Dietrich Reinhart, OSB, President, Saint John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota
After Enron and WorldCom, business leaders are challenged as never before to measure up. If
you don’t want to fall short, read Awakening the Leader Within,an essential, innovative guide to
leading with responsibility and gaining authenticity, integrity and reassuring purpose in life.
—Stephen B. Young, Global Executive Director, The Caux Round Table
Awakening the Leader Withinis a real wake-up call to leaders at all levels. Whether you are a
young, emerging leader or a more mature leader, use this book to find your purpose—it will
transform how you lead and how you live.
—Kurt Mueller, President, Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
Leading from the soul—read the story of Bensen and Kenji and you will never forget their
lessons.
—Judith S. Corson, Co-Founder and former President, Custom Research, Inc.,
Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Winner
In this gripping story of an executive in crisis, Kevin Cashman uncovers and illustrates essential
principles for long-lived effectiveness of leaders. Our world is in great need of leaders who lead
from depth of character. Awakening the Leader Withinwill inform and encourage many.
—David Wessner, President and CEO, Park Nicollet Health Services
Whether you’re a seasoned or an emerging leader, this book will speak to your soul. I
guarantee you will be inspired!
—Richard J. Leider, Founding Principal, The Inventure Group, and
bestselling author ofRepacking Your Bags andWhistle While You Work
Our professional work with executive coaching and employee engagement has taught us that
coaching is indeed one of the most powerful ways to develop leaders. Awakening the Leader
Within’s captivating story creates a living example of the transformational power of coaching
and makes this book an essential tool for any business leader.
—Cindy Rodahl, Vice President of Human Resources, Carlson Marketing Group
Awakening the Leader Withinis an engaging, riveting, impactful experience. It will take you on
a personal journey to reconnect with what is really important in your work and in your life.
—Scott Peterson, Senior Vice President, Life Time Fitness, Inc.
Awakening the Leader Withinput me in the most reflective place I’ve been in years! As Cashman
weaves the story of Bensen Quinn, you will experience deeper levels of yourself and broader
ways to contribute value. Whether you are an experienced executive or an up-and-coming
manager, listen to the many “wake-up calls”in this book!
—Richard Hynes, Senior Vice President, Alberto Personal Care Worldwide, Alberto-Culver
Awakening the Leader Withinis unlike typical business books, which engage the head, but miss
the heart. It seeks deeper change, engaging you on an emotional level and making it
impossible to ignore the personal implications of leadership.
—Linda Sorrell, Senior Vice President, Talent Strategy, Diageo
In today’s pressure-charged, ever-changing world, the need to locate something deeper and
more enduring has never been greater. Awakening the Leader Withinwill help you to navigate
through this whitewater of change by applying principles that will guide your personal and
professional journey.
—Stephen Shank, CEO and Founder, Capella Education Company,
and former Chairman and CEO, Tonka Corporation
Kevin Cashman is recognized as a leading authority on leadership. This book confirms why.
Awakening the Leader Withinis engaging and intriguing, but most importantly, it helps us to
understand the significant contribution that each of us can make to the world.
—David McNally, bestselling author of Even Eagles Need A Pushand coauthor of Be Your Own Brand
In Awakening the Leader Within,Kevin Cashman doesn’t just point us down a path to authentic
leadership;he expertly navigates new and verdant terrain, while enticing us to do the same.
—Linda J. Page, President, Adler School of Professional Coaching, Inc.
Awakening the Leader Withinis a powerful and compelling story that forces readers to reevaluate
their own personal and professional goals and priorities. Through the main character’s search
for authenticity and purpose and his eventual awakening, Kevin Cashman shares a simple yet
complete blueprint for creating value in every facet of our lives.
—David Shadovitz, Editor in Chief,Human Resource Executive magazine
In Awakening the Leader Within,Cashman challenges us to take an honest look into our hand
mirror by reflecting on life’s deepest questions. His book inspires authenticity as it integrates
our hearts and heads as leaders.
—James Ehlen, M.D., Chief, Clinical Leadership, Humana
Cultivating authentic leadership may be the most important component to create thriving,
growing, sustainable organizations. Awakening the Leader Withingives you the practical tools to
foster more genuine, purposeful leadership in your organization.
—Michael Howe, Executive Vice President and Chief Talent Officer, Allina Hospitals & Clinics
Awakening the Leader Withinis a powerful, spellbinding story that will inspire you to change
your life as you read it. The few hours you spend reading it will be some of the best time
you’ve ever spent. It offers you a path to a rich exploration of your own values in action and a
way to make needed adjustments that will enable you to make a bigger difference to your
family, your company and your world.
—Kate Ludeman, Ph.D., CEO, Worth Ethic Corporation, and coauthor of Corporate Mystic
Awakening the Leader Withinis an exceptional guide for exploring the essence of who you are
and where you’re going in life. It’s especially valuable when you are navigating the truly
challenging times.
—Dean Buresh, Executive Vice President, Bozell New York, an Interpublic Company
Awakening the Leader Withinis the highly anticipated follow-up to Leadership from the Inside
Out.Cashman’s masterful storytelling takes you on another journey to further deepen your
authenticity and contributions in the world.
—Craig Neal, Co-Founder, Heartland Institute

Awakening
  
Leader Within
A Story of Transformation
KEVIN CASHMAN
with Jack Forem
   , .
Copyright © 2003 by Kevin Cashman. All rights reserved.
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
Published simultaneously in Canada.
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ISBN 0-471-27319-8
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Dedicated to the Awakened Leader
Who views leadership as a sacred calling
To make a life-enriching difference in the world.
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