The Wisdom of Solomon at Work Ancient Virtues for Living and Leading Today

by Manz, Charles C.; Manz, Karen P.; Marx, Robert D.; Neck, Chris P.

• ISBN13: 9781576750858
• ISBN10: 157675085X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-05-14
• Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers

Summary

The Wisdom of Solomon at Work helps readers examine their own lives and work as they journey on a path toward wisdom. It helps those with a Judeo-Christian background to reconnect with spiritual views, history, symbols and icons from the Old Testament. For those from other faith traditions, it provides an opportunity to learn from stories about work and relationships that have withstood the test of time. The book is not intended to preach nor convert but rather to open up a wisdom source that is relevant and important for contemporary work and life. The dramatic stories of Job, David, Ruth, Moses, and Solomon are drawn upon to raise timeless questions of the human condition that have existed since ancient biblical times. Many contemporary stories, such as the story of Aaron Feuerstein who risked his life savings to breath life back into his company, Malden Mills, after a devastating fire show how spiritual wisdom can intersect with work life.

Author Biography

Charles C. Manz is the Nirenberg Professor of Business Leadership at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He is author of twelve books, including The Leadership Wisdom of Jesus and The New SuperLeadership. Manz has served as a consultant for many Fortune 500 Companies.

Karen P. Manz writes and speaks in the areas of spirituality and worklife. She coordinated the national conference, “Going Public With Spirituality in Work and Higher Education,” www.umass.edu/spiritual_conf/
Robert D. Marx is Associate Professor of Management at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He is currently Chairman of the Board of the Organizational Behavior Teaching Society.
Christopher P. Neck, a prolific author and speaker, is Associate Professor of Management at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Table of Contents

Preface	xi
Introduction	1	(26)
A Call for Wisdom in Work and Life	5	(6)
The Case of Malden Mills	11	(8)
In Search of the Wisdom of Solomon	19	(8)
The Faith of Job	27	(14)
The Story of Job	28	(2)
When We Lose That Which Is Most Valuable	30	(7)
What Sustains Us?	37	(4)
The Courage of David	41	(30)
The Story of David	42	(3)
When We Are Face-to-Face with Fear or Threat	45	(7)
When We Have to Challenge Great Power	52	(6)
When We Ultimately Must Face Ourselves	58	(7)
How Do We Choose to Respond?	65	(6)
Wisdom Inc.: Incorporating Business Values with Spiritual Virtue	71	(83)
The Compassion of Ruth	79	(24)
The Story of Ruth	80	(3)
When We Choose to See Beyond Ourselves	83	(6)
When We Walk in a Foreign Land	89	(5)
When We See and Value Others as Ourselves	94	(5)
Are We Then Called to Better Serve?	99	(4)
The Integrity and Justice of Moses	103	(34)
The Story of Moses	104	(4)
When We Are Called to Lead and Feel Inadequate	108	(6)
When We See the Dark Pitfalls That Trap Our People	114	(7)
When We Must Stand Up for All the Others	121	(7)
How Can We Deliver?	128	(9)
The Wisdom of Solomon	137	(17)
The Story of Solomon	138	(3)
When We See and Hear in a Different Way	141	(6)
When We Understand That We Are Builders of Prosperity	147	(7)
Can We Live, Work, and Lead with the Wisdom of Solomon?	154	(5)
Notes	159	(3)
Index	162
About the Authors	00