Give a Gift of Optimism, Inspiration, and Insight Supporting a Purposeful Course in the New Year
(3BLMedia/theCSRfeed) SAN FRANCISCO, December 3, 2009 – “Always you have been told that work is a curse and labor a misfortune. But I say to you that when you work you fulfill a part of earth’s furthest dream, assigned to you when that dream was born. And in keeping yourself with labor you are in truth loving life. And to love life through labor is to be intimate with life’s inmost secret.”
~ Kahlil Gibran, twentieth-century Syrian-born mystic poet and philosopher
“This book is about the life we choose to create for ourselves within our work, the businesses we bring to life, and how we relate to ourselves and each other in the process. It addresses the question: How do we become more human in the context of our work, so we can build life-affirming organizations that serve the greater good, while serving ourselves?” states author, Jeff Klein. “My intention with this book is to provide a meaningful context and the essential tools to support you in deeply and fully expressing your humanity through your work; to open to the vulnerability that makes you invulnerable; to establish a sense of aspirational purpose grounded in principles that sustain you in the face of adversity; and to find rich experience and deep fulfillment.”
In the opening of his classic book Working, Studs Terkel writes, ‘This book, being about work, is, by its very nature, about violence—to the spirit as well as to the body. It is about ulcers as well as accidents, about shouting matches as well as fistfights, about nervous breakdowns as well as kicking the dog around. It is, above all (or beneath all), about daily humiliations. To survive the day is triumph enough for the walking wounded among the great many
of us.”
Klein continues “This book, and the very idea of Working for Good, are meant to be an antidote to the violence people do to themselves and each other through business and work. People may may read Working for Good because they would like to do something to address some of the challenges facing humanity, because they believe that business provides an opportunity to do so, and because they want to understand more deeply how this vision can be manifested. This is what motivates many of us, especially young people; members of the Millennial Generation almost require that the companies they work for or build have a higher social purpose and act responsibly. Readers may also sense a calling to service and want to pursue it more fully. They may want to change their existing business or job, start a new business, or find a new place to work that is more deeply aligned with their purpose and principles. And they may want to learn new skills that will make them more effective in building a conscious business and make your business more responsive to the increasing market demand for good corporate citizenship. Working for Good acknowledges the power of these desires and provides tools for addressing them.”
“Working for Good is a way of conducting business and approaching work that orients us on a path of personal growth, development, and service. Based in the skills and practices of awareness, embodiment, connection, collaboration, and integration, Working for Good guides our thoughts and actions to create businesses that value more than financial return on investment, respect people and the planet, deliver broad-based service to society, and promote widespread well-being.”
About Jeff Klein: As CEO of Cause Alliance Marketing, Jeff Klein designs and facilitates collaborative cause-related marketing programs. His current clients include the Conscious Capitalism Alliance, of which he was a founding member, and O.N.E. Drinks, for whom he is producing a campaign to educate moms and others about the health benefits of coconut water. In the context of a Working for Good Collaborative, Jeff is in the process of launching the Working for Good Alliance, with a related web-based platform and integrated education and engagement campaign, and a Working for Good "Greenhouse" and Seed Fund to germinate and cultivate conscious companies.
Jeff was one of the visionaries and driving forces behind Private Music, the career of Yanni, Spinning, and Seeds of Change, and has consulted for the Esalen Institute, the National Geographic Society, GlobalGiving, the Institute of Noetic Sciences, among others. He wrote his new book, Working for Good: Making a Difference While Making a Living, to support conscious entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, leaders, and change agents at work.
