The Corporate Shaman: A Business Fable - Hardcover

Shaman -- a Siberian word for "one who sees in the dark" -- refers to healers who for over 40,000 years have entered an altered state of mind at will and journeyed to other worlds, using the power, wisdom, and energies of those worlds to create positive change in people and the environments in which they live. Since shamanic practices are aimed at healing individuals and since business organizations are nothing more than groups of individuals, it follows that these powerful methods are successful when used to heal and restore spirit to businesses. Out of this idea emerges the corporate shaman, a consultant who recognizes the business as organism, not machine, and reestablishes healthy internal environments in corporations.

PRIMETEC is a midsize company in crisis.Without realizing that he is a major part of the problem, CEO Leon King is pointing the finger at his executives, managers, and just about everyone else. As a result, the company's executives are caught in a stranglehold, preoccupied with thoughts of quitting or being fired, as the company quickly spins out of control. Only with the aid of Jason Hand, the corporate shaman -- a man well versed in ancient shamanic traditions and modern corporate culture -- can the organization hope to turn itself around.

Jason's knowledge and use of animal totems that empower people begin the healing process for PRIMETEC. Working with and understanding animal spirits enable Leon's beleaguered staff to envision and implement unconventional solutions to chronic problems and renew their enthusiasm. And finally, Leon King himself must confront his own role in the failing business. With the help of the corporate shaman, King begins to develop the awareness and compassion required to salvage his floundering company. After first stumbling as he embraces his new leadership behavior, King successfully begins the arduous healing process that promises to bring his company back to prominence.

In the tradition of The One Minute Manager and Who Moved My Cheese?, The Corporate Shaman is a business fable, one that depicts the high-stress organizational environments that many employees experience today and how an ancient system for healing and rejuvenation can transform such stress into productive activity. PRIMETEC is a composite of many real organizations and mirrors real-life results of integrating spirituality into the workplace. Engrossing, involving, and right on time to feed a spiritually hungry workforce, The Corporate Shaman offers recognizable characters and powerful insights into the difficulties of balancing the private and professional self and the nature of leadership, change, and growth. Through the inspirational lessons this book teaches, business leaders will learn how to restore the souls -- and profits -- of their corporations.