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The Soul of a Leader: Finding Your Path to Fulfillment | Dr. Margaret Benefiel | Talks at Google

1,831 views · Published 25 July 2009 · 40:11 · Indexed 2 October 2026

Channel: Talks at Google · 2009 · Education

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Dr. Margaret Benefiel visits Google's Cambridge, MA office to discuss her book "The Soul of a Leader: Finding Your Path to Success and Fulfillment." This event took place on April 6, 2009, as part of the Authors@Google series.

According to Benefiel, theology teacher and CEO of ExecutiveSoul.com, the Western ideal of leadership demands that modern leaders adopt a Lone Ranger mentality; emphasizes the bottom line; and rewards drive, decisiveness, productivity and long work hours—while paying scant attention to inner and spiritual development. Benefiel outlines her principles of soul formation for leaders through true-life stories, such as those of Tom and Kate Chappell of Tom's of Maine, and the U2 guitarist The Edge, who worked with musicians in post-Katrina New Orleans. Benefiel also writes about lesser-known leaders who have concentrated in the development of their moral grounding as well as their account books. Speaking both to individual and organizational spiritual transformation, she highlights the importance of following one's heart and daring to dream through a program of practicing gratitude, perseverance and seeking out spiritual guidance. The author's inspiring message and endorsement from Desmond Tutu will likely earn her book a receptive audience, but the repetitive, sometimes saccharine execution may deter all but the choir to whom she is already preaching.

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