David B. Zenoff - The soul of the organization: How to ignite employee engagement and productivity at every level

While metrics can tell us much about an organizations performance, David Zenoffs book captures something that is as elusive as it is criticalthe organizations soul, which transcends the individual interests of its workers and lets them believe they, together, are part of something meaningful and important. Few assets have a more enduring value, and Zenoff has skillfully analyzed it.

The Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C.

President

University of Notre Dame

In my 45 years in business, I have learned, as David Zenoff illustrates so well in this book, that positive employee engagement, motivation, and recognition for a job well done at all levels in any organization, profit or not-for-profit, is the key to long-term success. Its whats in employees hearts, not just their heads, that produces results. In hiring people, I dont care how much they know until I know how much they care. The Soul of the Organization provides real-world examples and a clear blueprint for how organizations can create or fortify their souls to inspire employee engagement and produce superior results.

Dick Kovacevich

Former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Wells Fargo & Company

David Zenoff knows what makes successful organizations work. He provides a very promising new way for leaders to seek high levels of employee engagement and satisfaction and reap the benefits of employees discretionary effort on behalf of their organization. His insights about successful organizations souls ought to help many firms and non-profit organizations up their performance significantly.

Ram Charan

Co-author of

Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done

David Zenoff challenges leaders to examine carefully their organizations soul, an often overlooked yet critical dimension of organizational success. By drawing on engaging case studies from his rich professional experience, Zenoff offers a compelling and accessible framework that leaders can adapt to their institutions. For anyone who cares about building an organizational culture that combines excellence and impact with engagement and care, Zenoff provides a valuable contribution to the literature.

James E. Canales

President and Chief Executive Officer

The James Irvine Foundation

David does an outstanding job of identifying and exploring an organizations soul. This approach clearly creates a more holistic lens into an organizations mission and values. He is able to provoke thought around core beliefs and how they determine an organizations culture and key strategies. A thoughtful and inspiring read for leaders.

Michael J. Angelakis

Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer

Comcast Corporation

Dr. Zenoffs book both inspires and instructs on how great business is done. The Soul of the Organization is an important book for the business community to read.

Laura J. Alber

President and Chief Executive Officer

Williams-Sonoma, Inc.

David Zenoff offers a wise and well-reasoned argument for tapping into soul and higher meaning as the powerful and enduring motivating elements of organizational culture.

Chris Brahm

Partner and Director

Bain & Company

David Zenoff first worked with me as a management consultant at Glaxo and later at Roche. His ability to understand complex organizations and advise leaders on how to resolve barriers to higher performance and build high-performing organizations, where employees find great satisfaction from their work and are proud to be associated with the company, is impressive. His contributions to Roche were responsible for significant sales and profit improvements. I can therefore highly recommend The Soul of the Organization.

Dr. Franz B. Humer

Chairman and former Chief Executive Officer

Roche

The Soul of the Organization helps to explain those organizations that have cracked the code on how to ignite and sustain employee engagement beyond the conventional vision, mission, and values that almost all organizations now have. Davids concept of the organizations soul is a very good way of understanding the special factors in an organization that unleash employees passion, shared positive spirit, and hope for the collective future, all of which can help organizations attract and retain committed workforces, build strong reputations, and ultimately continue for long periods of time. In addition, his case studies are very powerful in helping to illustrate the existence and particular qualities of an organizations soul. This book is an important contribution to management thinking about successful organizations, and I commend it to you as an essential read.

Richard Gillingwater

Dean

Cass Business School, University of London

At a time when corporate and government misdeeds have badly dented the world economy, and the growing demonstrations against Wall Street greed reflect deep cynicism about corporate life, David Zenoff has convincingly made the case to be hopeful. He shows that even financial firms can have a soul, genuine care for solving human problems, and matching practices to manifest their passions. Anyone who wants their hope restored for organizations should read this inspiring book, learning from his corporate and non-profit examples about what is possible and how to attain it.

Allan R. Cohen

Edward A. Madden Distinguished Professor of Global Leadership

Babson College

Co-author of Influencing Up

Rich in experience, Dr. Zenoff has cultivated unique and powerful insights from his 40-plus years involvement as an advisor to both leading and evolving companies. Boards, senior leaders, and managers at all levels will gain valuable professional lessons and know-how from reading this book as they seek to build lasting, successful, and culturally rich organizations.

Julie Howard

President and Chief Executive Officer

Navigant Consulting, Inc.

David Zenoff combines the experience, wisdom, and insight of his career to illuminate the soul of successful organizations. A powerful gift. He inspires through affirmation and clarity in equal doses, balancing humanity and metrics adeptly. His invitation for us to see our work through a new lens gives us a generative tool for assessing and improving our schools. Thank you, David!

Coreen R. Hester

Head of School

The American School in London

The Soul of the Organization: How to Ignite Employee Engagement and Productivity

Copyright 2013 by David B. Zenoff

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