The Strategic Heart (PDF)

The title, The Strategic Heart, evokes the idea that when people focus on a mission they believe is important, they put their hearts into making their work and company a success. Shenkman uses insights from the new sciences of Complexity and Flow to help business leaders create the adaptable, flexible and high performance organizations that succeed in today's competitive world.

Part One introduces some of the central themes of the science of complex systems and shows their relevance to growing businesses. He demonstrates how to marshal people's talents around strong values and focused actions that can be evaluated, measured, and improved. Part Two presents the work of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi whose renowned studies have shown that when people are fully engaged in their experience, they enjoy learning and growing. He calls this kind of optimal experience, Flow. Managers can create opportunities for Flow by identifying what people need and want to learn on the job, using teams and acting as coach and mentor. The Strategic Heart offers insights and tools that have been proven to help managers reshape the way they envision and lead their organizations. Case studies show that when using these ideas, older companies have been revitalized, and new businesses have been able to mobilize around their dreams to become profitable. Shenkman provides innovative tools for managers on all levels of business, and teaching tools for courses on growing businesses and entrepreneurial management.