'Dragons at Work' Offers insight to Improving Leadership

A new book from veteran corporate consultant Stephen Josephs, "Dragons at Work," (www.DragonsAtWork.com), is an insightful parable on improving the modern work-life condition.

"You've met guys like Dan Schaeffer," says Josephs, referring to his protagonist. "He's smart, driven, abrasive and his knowledge is considered indispensable to his company. That's why, in spite of the turmoil he creates, he hasn't been fired. He's an example of how your brightest people can hold your company back."

As an IT executive, Schaeffer is staggering under the weight of a project his command-and-control style cannot manage. His weight and high blood pressure put him at risk for a heart attack, and an enemy is diligently working behind the scenes to get him fired.

Human Resources suggests that Dan get an executive coach. Skeptical, he chooses Michele Wu, whose business savvy and unorthodox Eastern methods guide him through realms he never imagined he would travel. As a result, he becomes a better leader, father and husband, and he deals with his enemy in a surprisingly effective way.

"A bite-by-bite feast of food for the soul, filled with beautiful illustrations and practical wisdom, elegant in its simplicity. No leader or coach should be without it," writes Bill Joiner, president of Changewise, Inc.

Amazon reviewer Christine Cavanaugh-Simmons, who gave the book five stars, writes: "Stephen Josephs is obviously a master coach who has used a variety of methods to write such a profoundly insightful book... This is a great contribution to the field of coaching and an engaging read to boot!"

About Stephen Josephs

With more than 30 years experience as an executive coach and consultant, Stephen Josephs, Ed. D, helps leaders build vitality and focus to make their companies profitable and great places to work. His doctorate at the University of Massachusetts focused on Aesthetics in Education: how to teach anything through art, music, drama and movement. Josephs is particularly interested in the intersection of business performance, psychology and mind/body disciplines. His new novel, "Dragons at Work," is a fictionalized case study of coaching that illustrates concepts and principles in an entertaining narrative. Josephs has also co-authored "Leadership Agility: Five Levels of Mastery in Anticipating and Initiating Change," (Jossey-Bass, 2006), with Bill Joiner, which shows how certain stages of psychological development affect leadership.

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