Recommended Books:
Leadership : The Inner Side of Greatness : A Philosophy for Leaders (Jossey-Bass Management Series)
by Peter Koestenbaum
List Price $36.45 
Philosophy in Business...and
life, May 18, 1998
Reviewer: Micael Cimet (mireya@uol.com.br) from
For the intelligent business person tired of easy recipes, and yearning for a deeper
approach to the paradoxes of modern business, here is a work by an original thinker,
Psychologist and Philosopher, applying the ages-old wisdom of Philosophy to the challenges
of leadership in today's business world. Koestenbaum presents his approach in a didactic
manner, yet never underestimating his audience, utlizing a model for Leadership values in
the form of a four vertex diamond: Vision, at the top, encompassing the ability to think
strategically, but also to understand others with different cultures and realities than
our own; Courage at the bottom, which surprisingly represents not heroic, one-time
achievements but rather sustained initiative, the ability to focus on an objective
throughout life; Reality on the left, comprehending the ability to deal with hard facts,
but also the understanding of the paradoxical nature of life; and, last but not least,
Ethics, which beyond anything represents empathy and stewardship, service to others as the
ultimate way of realizing greatness.
Two fundamental concepts guide the whole book: Greatness, the embodiment of one's
potential for life; and Free Will, the simple but powerful recognition of every human
being's ability to take charge of his own life and the consequences of his decisions.
Dealing with each of the four dimensions of the leadership diamond at increasing levels of
depth, Koestenbaum allows the reader to approach practical problems in everyday's business
life with new, enriching perspectives, staying away from oversimplifying, or establishing
any orthodox "right" answer, but rather recognizing the paradoxical nature of
many apparently easy questions in the business arena of today. The quest for Leadership is
defined then by the search to achieve balance between those four dimensions, as the
ability to recognize and deal effectively paradox in modern life, not only in business,
but in every sphere of life: business, family, personal, community. ! As a Psychologist,
Koestenbaum brings an original perspective to the bussiness leader's career: the
importance of his awareness to other's people's perceptions of his behavior. This ability
to understand the leader's own "market" and to attract and receive feedback
becomes an essential requisite in he learning and teaching of leadership. Koestenbaum's
teachings bring a humanist approach to business, the recognition that the tranformation of
enterprises starts and ends with the decisions of individuals to transform themselves.
(Yes, another paradox, for we are tryng to transform that of which we are a part of). Most
importantly, this book offers the modern businessperson a way to make our position in a
company,and the way we deal with leadership, become the very vehicle by which we can
trascend,the means by which we can give meaning to our lives.
