The Congruent Life

Following the Inward Path to Fulfilling Work

and Inspired Leadership
By C. Michael Thompson
Introduction: Life in the
Lost Provinces
The Congruent Life
The “Lost Provinces”
About This Book
Spirit and the New Organizational Leadership

(Thompson, 2000, pp. 1-10)

 Part One: Work and the Search
for Meaning in Our Age
Chapter 1: Chapter 2: The Meaning of
The Great Divorce Work and the Work of Meaning
 The Evolution of Our Concept  Concentric Circles of Meaning
of Work  Work as Self-Development
 Work and the Industrial Age  Work as Service
 What Do We Think Work Is?
 Work as Vocation
 What Sayeth the Church?  Wrong Turns and Potholes
 The Vocation of Business
Leadership

(Thompson, 2000, pp. 13-48)

 Part Two: Spirituality:
An Answer Ancient and Ever New
Chapter 3:
Spirituality-And Other
Misunderstood Words
 The Language Problem
 Spirituality as a Life-Orientation
 The Psychological Perspective
 The Confusion of Causes and
Effects
 A Spirituality of Work and
Organizational Life
Chapter 4: Beware of Cheap
Imitations (or, What
Spirituality Is Not)
 Spirituality Is Not Creedalism
 The Legal Issue
 Spirituality Is Not a “Feeling”
 Spirituality Is Not the Merely
Supernormal
 The Myth of Self-Actualization
(Thompson, 2000, pp. 49-89)
 Part Two: Spirituality:
An Answer Ancient and Ever New
Chapter 5: Why Go There?
 A Credible New Mythology
 The Rising Tide of Expectations
 Covenants Lost and Unfound
 The Rise and Fall of the Management Fads
 If Not Here, Where? If Not Now, When?
 If Not You, Who?
 In-Spired Leadership

(Thompson, 2000, pp. 90-113)

Part Three: Psychospiritual Growth
and Organizational Leadership
Chapter 6: The “Fruits of the Spirit”

 Growing Up After You’re a Grown-Up: Adult

Developmental Theory
 A Developmental Model of Work and
Leadership
 Business Managers as Developing Human
Beings: One Company’s Experience
 The Role of the Inner Life

(Thompson, 2000, pp. 115-141)

 Part Three: Psychospiritual Growth and
Organizational Leadership
Chapter 7:
The Personal Fruits
 The “Flexible Flyer”  Learning: The Acceptance of Failure
 Perspective: Big-Picture Thinking  Creativity: Openness to Intuition and Inspiration
 Polarity, Paradox, and Equanimity  Humor
 Introspection and Self-Awareness  Energy
 Faith: An Expectant Hope  Vision
 Sense of Self/No-Self  True Integrity and Its Necessary Companion,
Courage
(Thompson, 2000, pp. 142-178)
Part Three: Psychospiritual Growth and
Organizational Leadership
Chapter 8:
The Interpersonal Fruits

 Empathy: Seeking to Understand  Communicating Purpose Through

 Vulnerability Metaphor and Symbol
 Tolerance  Power and Powerlessness
 Empowerment  Love: By Whatever Name Called
 Suffering, Service, and Sacrifice

(Thompson, 2000, pp. 179-206)

Part Four: Inspired Living and Leading:
Answering the Call of a New Age
Chapter 9: Toward the Future:
Shifting Sands and Paradigms

 Meaning Over Manipulation, Purpose Over Technique

 Individualism and Relatedness: A Balance Returns
 Democratization Over Command and Control
 Excellence: Effectiveness Over Efficiency
 Spirituality Is About…(d) All of the Above
 The Next Great Movement in Business?

(Thompson, 2000, pp. 209-233)

Part Four: Inspired Living and Leading:
Answering the Call of a New Age

Chapter 10:
Personal Spiritual Growth

 Tiling the Soil: Solitude, Silence, Sabbath, and Meditation

 The Planting: Prayer, Listening, Service, and Will
 The Cultivation: Study, Guidance, Discipline, and Action
 The Harvest: Living and Working from the Center

(Thompson, 2000, pp. 234-266)

 Conclusion:
The Hundredth Seeker
“To believe what has not occurred in history will not occur at all,
is to argue disbelief in the dignity of man.”
-Mohandas K. Gandhi

(Thompson, 2000, pp. 267-269)

 Reference
Thompson, M. C. (2000). The congruent life:
Following the inward path to fulfilling work and
inspired leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.