The way we manage organizations seems increasingly out of date. Survey after survey shows that a majority of employees feel disengaged from their companies. The epidemic of organizational disillusionment goes way beyond Corporate America-teachers, doctors, and nurses are leaving their professions in record numbers because the way we run schools and hospitals kills their vocation. Government agencies and nonprofits have a noble purpose, but working for these entities often feels soulless and lifeless just the same. All these organizations suffer from power games played at the top and powerlessness at lower levels, from infighting and bureaucracy, from endless meetings and a seemingly never-ending succession of change and cost-cutting programs.

Deep inside, we long for soulful workplaces, for authenticity, community, passion, and purpose. The solution, according to many progressive scholars, lies with more enlightened management. But reality shows that this is not enough. In most cases, the system beats the individual-when managers or leaders go through an inner transformation, they end up leaving their organizations because they no longer feel like putting up with a place that is inhospitable to the deeper longings of their soul.

我们管理组织的方式似乎越来越过时。一项又一项的调查显示，大多数员工都感到与公司脱节。组织幻灭的流行远远超出了美国公司的范畴教师、医生和护士正以创纪录的数量离开他们的职业，因为我们管理学校和医院的方式扼杀了他们的职业。政府机构和非营利组织有一个崇高的目标，但为这些实体工作往往感觉没有灵魂和生命一样。所有这些组织都遭受着高层的权力博弈和下级的无能为力、内讧和官僚主义、没完没了的会议以及似乎永无休止的变革和削减成本计划。
在内心深处，我们渴望充满感情的工作场所，渴望真实、社区、激情和目标。许多进步学者认为，解决办法在于更开明的管理。但现实表明，这是不够的。在大多数情况下，当管理者或领导者经历了一次内在的转变，他们最终离开了他们的组织，因为他们不再愿意忍受一个不适合他们灵魂深处渴望的地方。