"The Zen Leader is an important and very helpful book in the science and art of leadership.
Based on everything from Zen to Integral Philosophy, it outlines 10 fundamental “shifts” or “flips”
that can move you from small mind to Big Mind, bringing an expanding capacity of leadership
with each one. Give it a try, and see for yourself!"

Ken Wilber, The Integral Vision, Bestselling Author, A Brief History of Everything

"The Zen Leader will make you 'flip' from the inside out! Use it to shift your mind-set,
heart-set and self-set into a new, authentic way of leading and living.
The 10 ways to 'flip' into leading fearlessly are brilliant."

Kevin Cashman, Bestselling Author, Leadership from the Inside Out

The Zen Leader

Leaders today face impossibly big jobs, asked to do more with less, expand globally, innovate quickly, inspire broadly and - oh yes - balance work and family. How does one manage all this pressure?

That's not what this book is about. It's not about working a little harder, faster or pretending to be peaceful and ignoring the pressure. Quite the opposite, it's about USING the pressure to propel flips in consciousness that create transformational leaders: leaders who create the future with joy and enthusiasm, rather than drive themselves and their people to exhaustion.

The Zen Leader guides you through 10 flips that take you from barely managing to leading fearlessly – not by doing more, zoning out, or pretending you’re “all that,” but by flipping your sense of who you are and how you lead in the world. From inside out, you’ll -

Experience how to flip:

• From coping with situations to transforming them
• From stuck tension to extension of your energy
• From playing to your strengths to strengthening your play
• From frustrated controlling to productive connecting
• And, ultimately, from ego-based managing to leading as your boundless, whole self

Chapter by chapter, you’ll learn how to make the flips that reframe your life, your leadership, and your world. Discover how you can get out of your own way and realize The Zen Leader in you.
 

Praise for The Zen Leader:
 

"A terrific contribution filled with original insights and solutions."

–Jim Loehr, renowned performance psychologist and bestselling author,The Power of Full Engagement

"This is craftsmanship of a high order. The writing is original, creative, penetrating, insightful, humane, and grounded in the body...it goes far beyond ordinary advice."

–Gordon Greene Roshi, Spring Green Wisconsin, Chozen-ji Betsuin

"This book is an incredible journey through soul-searching ideas, a laser-focus on critical leadership issues, and practical exercises that embed the understanding and ability to make the flip at our very core. Fascinating!"

–Virginia McLaughlin, Oliver Wyman Leadership Development

"In a world where leaders are under constant pressure to be faster, better, leaner, Whitelaw compassionately presses the pause button. The Zen Leader goes beyond the “why” and “what” of leadership, to the “how”, showing us that moving from coping to transforming is as personal as it is professional. Today’s leaders must make the flip—and in doing so can open themselves, their teams and their organizations to previously unimagined futures. As pragmatic as it is inspirational, The Zen Leader is an essential read for today’s leaders."

–Suzanne Rotondo, Executive Director, Teleos Leadership Institute

"Ginny's insight and tools, which she shares in The Zen Leader, have empowered our leadership teams to flip their way to more authentic, focused and effective leadership. Today Big Thought can see farther, work smarter and accomplish more toward our mission then we could ever have imagined!"

–Gigi Antoni President/CEO, Big Thought

"This is a wonderful book - a great contribution to the field!"

–Stephen Rhinesmith, Ph.D., Managers’ Guide to Globalization, Leading in Times of Crisis, Head, Heart and Guts

"Before you can effectively lead others, you must be able to control yourself first. By experiencing the power of a unified mind and body, you will begin to taste your full potential. This is an important and most practical book...Dr. Whitelaw will help you to manage change in all circumstances."

–David Shaner, Herring Professor of Philosophy and Asian Studies, Furman University, author, The Seven Arts of Change

"In a noisy world of leadership blogs, books, ideas and prescriptions, Ginny Whitelaw's The Zen Leader provides a calm and reassuring voice—telling us what is important about leadership and about ourselves. She distills leadership to its essence, and offers simple, easily understandable tools for any current or aspiring leader to understand, use and build on their own natural gifts."

–David Dotlich, Chairman of Pivot and author of Why CEOs Fail; Head, Heart and Guts, and other books on leadership

"As most leaders know, the best answers are often found in how one frames the question. In this remarkable book, Dr. Ginny Whitelaw sharpens the reader’s abilities to reframe everything. Offering a genuinely innovative amalgamation of Eastern thought and the world of work, Dr. Whitelaw provides the reader grounding in practical leadership application, just as she introduces the next, stretching insight. This book is a gift that keeps on giving."

–Ed Bernard, Vice Chairman, T. Rowe Price Group

"The Zen Leader is that rare book which translates humanity's deepest wisdom into a potent guide for resolving your most pressing concerns — and for developing the ease of mastery in the process.

The book is rich with Ginny Whitelaw's generous presence and her expertise as an executive coach, NASA program manager, martial arts trainer, and meditation teacher. The book's greatest gift is that it's transformational, returning you to your body-centered source of deep wisdom. From this source, your excellence as a leader naturally emerges.

The Zen Leader is an empowering guide for anyone in business or public service who wants to express an effective, inspired, full-bodied style of leadership that both engages humanity and preserves sanity."

–Lisa Sarasohn author, The Woman's Belly Book

"Most consultants write about what they know; only a select few can write well about what they live. Ginny lives the material in this book, and anyone fortunate enough to participate in one of her leadership workshops will find this book to be a stimulating reminder of the key lessons learned there. For those who haven't participated in her workshops this book will give a taste of what it looks and feels like to be a focused, grounded leader in an age of great speed and distraction. Highly recommended!"

–Eric Olson, Ph. D., Global Practice Managing Partner, Heidrick & Struggles

"The Zen Leader is within each of us if we just exercise our courage. The chapter entitled "From Controlling to Connecting" will change how you interact with others and enrich your life. You will see the vision of what you want our world to be and help strengthen the business connections we all need."

–Blythe McGarvie, author of Shaking the Globe

"Timely and relevant, The Zen Leader suggests a profound shift in our thinking. Whitelaw’s paradigm shift transforms us from being proverbial 'hamsters in suits,' to actually thriving in the midst of chaos. This should be recommended reading for leaders in all categories!"

–Jane M. Stevenson, Vice Chairman, Korn/Ferry and author of Breaking Away – How Great Leaders Create Innovation that Drives Sustainable Growth and Why Others Fail

"Ginny Whitelaw's new book is fast, compelling reading for smart people on a mission! Solid business examples and a consistent emphasis on pragmatic application are underpinned by clearly articulated principles: the power of attention and paradox, body-mind awareness, awakening to our whole self. These profound ways of seeing are both accessible and urgently relevant to leading in dauntingly complex times. This is essential reading."

–Doug Silsbee, author of Presence-Based Coaching

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