The Business of Redemption

Book excerpt: In a world that often appears to be spinning out of control, there has possibly never been a time when the need for true leaders has been more urgent than today. Leadership is certainly an enigma. Some believe that a leader is someone who has followers. Does that mean that the person with the most Twitter followers or Facebook fans is a true leader? Hardly. While followers may be part of the equation, leadership cannot be about followers alone; and it can’t be just about winning the popular vote. In fact, some of the greatest leaders in history were the least popular. In The Business of Redemption, James Arthur Ray brings together his nearly 30 years of experience in leadership, entrepreneurship, performance, and business. He tracks his meteoric rises and epic falls, successes and failures, to suggest that leadership is about “paying the price.” Leadership is earned through battles and risk, failures and successes, resilience and grit and resourcefulness; and the courage and commitment to get back up and never give up. True leaders take Absolute Responsibility when things go badly; and they give all the credit and praise when things go famously well. True leaders are fighting for a cause that’s bigger than their own personal creature comforts, moods, and needs and that takes The Business of Redemption.