Awakening the Leader Within

Cashman believes that many of the business, political, ethical, and spiritual dilemmas individuals face today in their personal and professional lives are symptomatic of a larger crisis of authenticity and purpose. In his 20-plus years experience in coaching senior executives, he has seen that being genuine, purposeful, and principled is the requisite foundation upon which to build character development and effective living-the essential ingredients of great leadership. Becoming a more effective leader, no matter in what area of life, requires becoming a more real, more integrated, person.Awakening the Leader Within provides a "comprehensive personal coaching experience," to help everyone, from CEOs to stock clerks, begin their own journey to authenticity and purpose and make a much greater contribution to society-one that goes beyond merely meeting performance goals. It utilizes an interactive process that begins with the inspirational story of natural leader, Bensen Quinn., who after his daughter's life-threatening accident is forced to take a transformative journey to a new way of leading and living as he attempts to bring together all the separate parts of his life into a more meaningful whole. In this hero's journey, Bensen explores what is missing in his life and is triumphant in his return to roles that are authentic, purposeful, and allow him to make a genuine difference as a person, a family man, and a corporate leader.Cashman uses this story as a device to take readers far beyond the typical business book focus of theory, concepts, and guidelines so they can get past their heads and experience their hearts. However, Awakening the Leader Within is also a coaching guide that uses questions-the "language of coaching"- reflections, and brief exercises to make readers stop and think, reflect, gain new insights, and make new commitments. In addition, an interactive "Growth Guide" is provided as a means of allowing readers to consolidate all they have learned into a process of commitment and action. Thus, page after page provides myriad opportunities for both professional and personal breakthroughs that, in addition to leveraging the power of the heart, also leverage the power of the mind and of action toward the kind of authentic leadership that can have an immediate and daily impact on performance.