"Confronting Our Freedom is about reframing the common practices rising from traditional thinking about management and leadership. Most management theory and practice are about the need for clear constraints to succeed in the world where we work, but this now conventional thinking about managing calls for adaptation when working remotely has become common. This book is an invitation to freedom. Structuring our world for freedom is the path to collective accountability. It is ultimately a friendly look into how we might reimagine our participation in the working world, analyzing the strategy, execution, and management of philosophers, leaders, and educators"--
Explore the nature of modern leadership
In Confronting Our Freedom, a team of dedicated leadership coaches delivers an exciting and engaging new take on management and leadership. Drawing on recent events in the market and in the world, including the Great Resignation, the COVID-19 pandemic, and widespread digital transformation, the authors invite you to reimagine ideas of freedom and accountability in the context of work. Youll explore how freedom of actionfor managers and employeesis what gives rise to true accountability, both in the community and in the workplace.
In the book, youll also find:
- Discussions of the power and structure of freedom, including its implications for our own choices and lives
- Ways to shift the focus of your leadership and management to accountability and freedom
- Strategies for shifting the illusion of clear roles and expectations to one compatible with fully human organizations
A groundbreaking and incisive approach to managing and leading others in virtual, hybrid, and in-person settings, Confronting Our Freedom will be an eye opener for managers, executives, and other business leaders seeking to improve their ability to inspire others to their fullest potential.
| Preface |
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xv | |
| Prologue: Then Was the Moment |
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xix | |
| The past is not past |
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xx | |
| What lies ahead |
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xxii | |
| Introduction: The Philosophic Insight |
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1 | (30) |
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Conversations on freedom and accountability |
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4 | (3) |
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The view from where we are |
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7 | (7) |
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Parenting is the origin story of management and leadership |
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14 | (3) |
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Shifting the historical context |
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17 | (3) |
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Philosophic insight in the world of organized effort |
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20 | (8) |
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The existential understanding |
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28 | (3) |
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Chapter 1 The Power and Structure of Freedom |
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31 | (28) |
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35 | (1) |
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Freedom, reality, choice, and will |
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35 | (2) |
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37 | (2) |
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39 | (3) |
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Implications: The forms of freedom |
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42 | (13) |
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Choice, reality, and will |
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55 | (4) |
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Chapter 2 The Potential of Anxiety |
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59 | (26) |
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The fruits of your patience |
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62 | (2) |
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64 | (2) |
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66 | (2) |
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The language of freedom: It was an inside job |
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68 | (3) |
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Shifting the context to freedom and accountability |
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71 | (1) |
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Implications: Anxiety as an ally of accountability both central to performance in a time of permanent uncertainty |
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72 | (8) |
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80 | (2) |
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82 | (3) |
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Chapter 3 Speaking of Death and Evil |
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85 | (32) |
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89 | (2) |
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91 | (2) |
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Facing reality. Taking charge of our life |
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93 | (2) |
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A summary of usefulness of the reality of death |
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95 | (2) |
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97 | (2) |
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Denying the reality of evil |
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99 | (2) |
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101 | (2) |
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Implications: failure, fear, death, and evil |
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103 | (14) |
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Chapter 4 Fully Human Organizations |
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117 | (28) |
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Guilty as chosen and guilty as charged |
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119 | (5) |
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124 | (1) |
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Reversing the illusion of clear roles and expectations |
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125 | (1) |
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126 | (2) |
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128 | (3) |
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131 | (5) |
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Real and chosen accountability? Fully human organizations |
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136 | (9) |
| Epilogue: Final Words from the Philosopher |
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145 | (4) |
| References and Background Reading |
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149 | (2) |
| Acknowledgments |
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151 | (4) |
| About the Authors |
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155 | (4) |
| Index |
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159 | (6) |
| About Designed Learning |
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165 | |
PETER BLOCK is a writer and consultant working in the areas of chosen accountability, the reconciliation of community, and restoring the common good. He is the author of nine books, including the bestselling Flawless Consulting, Stewardship, and Community: The Structure of Belonging.
PETER KOESTENBAUM is a renowned existential philosopher and the founder and chairman of Philosophy in Business and the Koestenbaum Institute. After a career in academia, he worked as a business consultant and leadership coach for major companies around the world, including Ford, IBM, Novartis, Citibank, Volvo, Amoco, and more. His most recent book-length work includes The Heart of Business: Ethics, Power, and Philosophy and Leadership: The Inner Side of Greatness.
