The Manager and the Monk: A Discourse on Prayer, Profit, and Principles Hardback - 2013

When Jochen Zeitz and Anselm Grn first met onstage in 2008 as "the manager and the monk," Zeitz was CEO and chairman of PUMA and Father Grn was a monk serving as cellarer, the business manager of his Benedictine abbey. They came together to discuss their shared goal: what it means to lead and manage responsibly and sustainably in today's shifting world.

Available for the first time in English, The Manager and the Monk features topical essays and dialogues inspired by their ongoing series of conversations.

Touching on the most pressing challenges facing any business today, both Zeitz and Grn draw deeply on the stories and lessons of their managerial and spiritual backgrounds. Zeitz served as the youngest CEO of a publicly-listed company in German history, transforming PUMA from an ailing brand into a multibillion-dollar powerhouse and developing PUMA's trailblazing "Environmental Profit and Loss Account," an award-winning corporate sustainability initiative. As the business manager of the Mnsterschwarzach Abbey in Germany, Grn was responsible for the economic administration of the abbey, its 300 employees, and 20 businesses.

What truly unites them, however, is a keen interest in exploring the spiritual and ethical dimensions of their work. Both manager and monk call on sources as diverse as the Bible, contemporary religious thought, and psychological theory to explore provocative questions on a variety of topics, such as:

• WHEN WE SPEAK of corporate "culture" what does that have to do with "culture" in society at large?
• CAN A BUSINESS simultaneously embrace spiritual values while delivering shareholder value?
• ARE THERE LESSONS in the way we should manage natural resources for how we should manage people?

Rich with insights on spirituality, values, and sustainability in business, The Manager and the Monk is a thoughtful exploration and impassioned plea for how to manage responsibly in the modern world.