In this book, the author, Peter Koestenbaum links the deep insights of philosophy with immediate, bottomline business issues to do better business. This book is a development book for the consulting market: he shows HR practitioners how to foster philosophical leadership at their organisations.

List of Figures, Tables, and Exhibits. Foreword by Warren Bennis. Acknowledgments. Part 1: Context. Chapter 1: Introduction. Heroic Leadership. Audience. How This Book Is Organized. Chapter 2: Your Heroic Journey. Starting Off. Becoming Unstuck. Transformation. Raising the Questions. Addressing the Questions. The Two Worlds of Leadership. Eight Steps to Apply Philosophic Insight to the Real World. Part 2: The Diamond at a Glance. Chapter 3 The Change Agent's Diamond. The Diamond in Full. Putting It All Together. Activity. Chapter 4: The Diamond at Work. Managing Today's Alienation in the Workplace. Using the Diamond in the Real World. Business Applications Example I. Images of the Leadership Mind. In Sum. Business Applications Example II. Activities. Chapter 5: Secrets of Implementation. The Language of Leadership. The Turning Point. An Ongoing Diamond Audit. Intelligent Leadership Conversations and Strategic Intervention Moments. The IdeaBank?. Diamond Reverse Engineering?. Advantages of Language Training. Motivating. Activity. Part 3: The Main Body of the Leadership Mind: Four Intelligence Tools. ETHICS. Chapter 6: Ethics. What Is Ethics? Evil. Empathy. Principle. Tough Love. Chapter 7: Empathy. The Essence of Empathy. The Business of Relationships. Community. Service. Why Should Anyone Be Ethical? The Decision to Be Moral. Chapter 8: Principle and Duty in Business. Risk Deontology. You Have a Choice. What Is the Face of an Ethical Workplace? Activity. COURAGE. Chapter 9: What Is Courage? The Structure of Courage. Radical Freedom. Extreme Accountability. Activity 1. The Fourth "R". Activity 2. Activity 3. Chapter 10: Freedom: The Structure of the Experience. How Does It Feel to Be Free? We Not Only Choose, We Also Choose to Choose. Unconscious Freedom. Anxiety and the Sense of Self. Your Business Needs Your Freedom. What Is the Upside of Freedom? In Sum. Activity. Chapter 11: The Resistance to Courage. Two Meanings of Responsibility. Activity. Chapter 12: A Bad Decision? A Case Study in Leadership Coaching. The Situation. The Analysis and Response. Activity. Chapter 13: Courage as My-Body. You Are Your Courage. The Edge. Activity. Chapter 14: Pain and the Tragic Sense of Life: The Phoenix Factor. Depression. Counteracting Evil. An Inner Struggle: Job Change. The Rule of Reason . . . or Passion. In Sum. Activity. REALITY. Chapter 15: Reality: The Zone that Gives No Quarter. Humanity in Danger. The Nature of Hardness: Do You Really "Get It"? The Structure of Reality. Where Is Your Reality? TLC. The Leader's Task. What's the Cash Value? Activity. Chapter 16: Image: Multiple Perspectives. Narcissism. Image. Integrity. Subjective Perspective. Keeping Distance. Activity. VISION. Chapter 17: Vision. The Importance of Visionary Intelligence. Modeling. Activity. Tips for Developing Genius. Activity. Chapter 18: Genius: Ways to Expand Visioning. Creativity. Activity. Resisting: A Final Word on the Obstacles. Part 4: The Main Body of the Leadership Mind: Two Mastery Tools. POLARITY. Chapter 19: Polarity. Polarity and Adaptation. Activity. Co-Creation and Subjective Perspectives. Prediction and Transformation. Polarity As a Deep Structure. Polarity and the Bottom Line. Polarity Mapping. The Conscientious Objector. GREATNESS. Chapter 20: Greatness. Part 5: Appendices: Using the Total Diamond. Appendix A: The Magic Matrix. Quick Test, Diagnosis, and Healing. Compensating for the Shadow. Activity. Appendix B: Mastery Resources. The Rings/Arenas of Life. The Master Worksheet. Client Marketing Profile. The OD Practitioner's Checklist. The "Nay" Sayers. Your Twelve-Step Organizational Attitude and Implementation Audit. Questions and Answers. Bibliography. About the Author. Index.

In The Philosophic Consultant, acclaimed business consultant, philosopher, and author Peter Koestenbaum links deep insights of philosophy with practical business issues. Throughout this one-of-a-kind resource, Koestenbaum shows consultants and human resource practitioners how they can foster philosophical leadership within their organizations to positively affect the business environment. The book promises tangible results— credibility, trust, and thoughtful attention— and demonstrates how to apply philosophy, share knowledge with others, and use this newfound thoughtfulness to achieve bottom-line results. People are Talking About The Philosophic Consultant "Every once in a while, a book comes along that illuminates the darkness of our time. This is the book for our time." —from the foreword by Warren Bennis "The complexity and fragility of our life at the beginning of the 21st Century can only be mastered by a new world ethos. Peter Koestenbaum¹s new book provides the basic philosophical concept for meeting this challenge!" —Professor Klaus Schwab, founder and president, World Economic Forum, Geneva, Switzerland "Peter Koestenbaum¹s latest book provides important insights into the fundamental drivers of leadership. For all of us in this complicated, challenging, and volatile business world, it provides a deep understanding of the key success factors in our personal and business lives." —John Devine, vice chairman and CFO, General Motors Corporation "Peter Koestenbaum has written an important book that looks beneath the cosmetic surface of leadership to probe some of the deeper issues of leading and living. The subjects he addresses are not new. They are some of the timeless issues of human existence. Yet, Peter manages to make them fresh and relevant especially for the traditional business reader who may have substituted accounting for philosophy in college. More than any contemporary writer, Peter Koestenbaum makes classical philosophy accessible and actionable for anxious executives. The subtitle is not overstated, this is a blueprint for revolutionizing organizations and the people who lead them." —Robert M. Fulmer, distinguished visiting professor, Graziadio School of Business, Pepperdine University and academic director, Duke Corporate Education

"Global business is an arena where human beings are facing tremendous challenges, and yet, the importance of authentic leadership in business had long been deserving the deeper approach it now finally gets with Peter Koestenbaum's work, an approach which should free the creative leadership in those willing to take advantage of it. Nothing is more liberating for me as a business leader than to be able to leave behind the useless simplistic how-to recipes I have been used to get from consultants, and learn to consciously deal with the hard truths of business from an adult perspective, recognize my subjectivity, dare to look for the right questions to ask when things get 'stuck,' accept to walk the tightrope in polar situations where a problem does not have any definitive solution, face the consequences of tough decisions, and throughout all of these maintain integrity and hope." —Michael Cimet, Electronic Data Systems, President for Latin America "We live at a time that requires of leaders both competence and authenticity. We face both business issues and character issues. In becoming a leader, all of us must display both wisdom and business skills. What Peter Koestenbaum does in The Philosophic Consultant is not only to integrate wisdom into leadership, which is what you would expect of a philosopher, but he is also very pragmatic and applies this new thinking directly to the crucial strategic marketing needs. Something that is essential for a company¹s very survival." —Dan Werbin, president and CEO, Volvo Cars of North America, LLC "The Philosophic Consultant redefines the way managers must think about their organizations, people and markets to be successful both in business and in life. It calls each of us to understand that ethics in life and in business may be your most important concerns. By helping the reader focus on implementation decisions, choices, and commitment, Peter Koestenbaum points the way for responsible and effective managements in a world where trust seems to be challenged on every front." —Otis W. Baskin, Ph.D., special advisor to the president and CEO of the Association for the Advancement of Collegiate School of Business, International, professor of management, and former dean, Graziadio School of Business Management, Pepperdine University "After a decade of often excessive superficiality in management theory and practice, Peter Koestenbaum¹s refreshing book The Philosophic Consultant provides answers for leaders and organizations in search of deeper meanings. The author¹s philosophical roots are clearly visible in the new work on enlarging the dimensions of leadership. His most significant insights are: the importance of freedom; the choice to be ethical; and the acknowledgment of our boundaries." — Tomas Sattelberger, executive vice president product and service, member of the board of Lufthansa German Airlines, vice president of the European foundation for management development

List of Figures, Tables, and Exhibits. Foreword by Warren Bennis. Acknowledgments. Part 1: Context. Chapter 1: Introduction. Heroic Leadership. Audience. How This Book Is Organized. Chapter 2: Your Heroic Journey. Starting Off. Becoming Unstuck. Transformation. Raising the Questions. Addressing the Questions. The Two Worlds of Leadership. Eight Steps to Apply Philosophic Insight to the Real World. Part 2: The Diamond at a Glance. Chapter 3 The Change Agent's Diamond. The Diamond in Full. Putting It All Together. Activity. Chapter 4: The Diamond at Work. Managing Today's Alienation in the Workplace. Using the Diamond in the Real World. Business Applications Example I. Images of the Leadership Mind. In Sum. Business Applications Example II. Activities. Chapter 5: Secrets of Implementation. The Language of Leadership. The Turning Point. An Ongoing Diamond Audit. Intelligent Leadership Conversations and Strategic Intervention Moments. The IdeaBank?. Diamond Reverse Engineering?. Advantages of Language Training. Motivating. Activity. Part 3: The Main Body of the Leadership Mind: Four Intelligence Tools. ETHICS. Chapter 6: Ethics. What Is Ethics? Evil. Empathy. Principle. Tough Love. Chapter 7: Empathy. The Essence of Empathy. The Business of Relationships. Community. Service. Why Should Anyone Be Ethical? The Decision to Be Moral. Chapter 8: Principle and Duty in Business. Risk Deontology. You Have a Choice. What Is the Face of an Ethical Workplace? Activity. COURAGE. Chapter 9: What Is Courage? The Structure of Courage. Radical Freedom. Extreme Accountability. Activity 1. The Fourth "R". Activity 2. Activity 3. Chapter 10: Freedom: The Structure of the Experience. How Does It Feel to Be Free? We Not Only Choose, We Also Choose to Choose. Unconscious Freedom. Anxiety and the Sense of Self. Your Business Needs Your Freedom. What Is the Upside of Freedom? In Sum. Activity. Chapter 11: The Resistance to Courage. Two Meanings of Responsibility. Activity. Chapter 12: A Bad Decision? A Case Study in Leadership Coaching. The Situation. The Analysis and Response. Activity. Chapter 13: Courage as My-Body. You Are Your Courage. The Edge. Activity. Chapter 14: Pain and the Tragic Sense of Life: The Phoenix Factor. Depression. Counteracting Evil. An Inner Struggle: Job Change. The Rule of Reason . . . or Passion. In Sum. Activity. REALITY. Chapter 15: Reality: The Zone that Gives No Quarter. Humanity in Danger. The Nature of Hardness: Do You Really "Get It"? The Structure of Reality. Where Is Your Reality? TLC. The Leader's Task. What's the Cash Value? Activity. Chapter 16: Image: Multiple Perspectives. Narcissism. Image. Integrity. Subjective Perspective. Keeping Distance. Activity. VISION. Chapter 17: Vision. The Importance of Visionary Intelligence. Modeling. Activity. Tips for Developing Genius. Activity. Chapter 18: Genius: Ways to Expand Visioning. Creativity. Activity. Resisting: A Final Word on the Obstacles. Part 4: The Main Body of the Leadership Mind: Two Mastery Tools. POLARITY. Chapter 19: Polarity. Polarity and Adaptation. Activity. Co-Creation and Subjective Perspectives. Prediction and Transformation. Polarity As a Deep Structure. Polarity and the Bottom Line. Polarity Mapping. The Conscientious Objector. GREATNESS. Chapter 20: Greatness. Part 5: Appendices: Using the Total Diamond. Appendix A: The Magic Matrix. Quick Test, Diagnosis, and Healing. Compensating for the Shadow. Activity. Appendix B: Mastery Resources. The Rings/Arenas of Life. The Master Worksheet. Client Marketing Profile. The OD Practitioner's Checklist. The "Nay" Sayers. Your Twelve-Step Organizational Attitude and Implementation Audit. Questions and Answers. Bibliography. About the Author. Index.