Product Description

More Magic of Metaphor explores the notion of leadership in its widest sense. Whether you lead in business, education, coaching, sports, health, parenting, or any other context this book offers insights into the many aspects of this complex, fascinating, and demanding role that we are all, from time to time, called upon to fulfil. Containing over sixty stories from a wide range of traditions and eras, the book explores them in the context of two great contemporary models for understanding ourselves and others with deeper awareness and compassion. Ken Wilber s Integral 4-Quadrant Theory of Everything model maps out the four great territories in which human beings operate and demonstrates the importance of bringing them together in holistic and integral ways. The Spiral Dynamics model offers a profound and elegant way to make sense of how people think, how they are motivated, what kind of leaders they prefer, how they learn, how they change and how development occurs in individuals, groups, organisations, nation states and the world generally. Yet the book not only offers profound insights into the human condition, it also manages to be fun, light, and amusing. It is a book for bed time reading as much as for serious study. For anyone fascinated by the complex demands of leadership, and its attendant skills of relationship building, influencing, motivating, and contextual analysis, this book makes a very valuable addition to the library.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #31942 in Books
• Published on: 2004-12-10
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

London Integral Circle, Newsletter
It looks great, interweaving a range of inspiring and wise stories - both ancient and modern.

Geoffrey Peake, Bolton Institute
.. a very useful resource for any teacher.

TES January 2005
..he stories are good and the links to the leadership principles well made, and that makes it a good read.

Customer Reviews

A Wonderful Source Book of Stories for All Who Lead
As a consultant and counsellor / therapist I cannot underestimate the value of the use metaphor in influencing, training and learning and this book is a fantastic source for that. It goes with me everywhere. Nick has collected some wonderful, thought provoking and emotional stories that will make you think, laugh, cry and I guarantee it will affect who you might work with similarly. Not only that, but the stories are cleverly woven into an overarching story supported by opportunities to develop different perspectives through the application of two wonderful world theories. Anyone that works with others in developing learning or understanding will gain from this book. It's in my top 5!

more magic of metaphor
In this second volume in the Magic of Metaphor series we are treated to more of Nick Owen's collected teaching tales. Further to the first volume, the stories are connected by a meta-story that runs through the whole book. Not only being a collection of very interesting and inspiring stories, the book begins with a short explanation of Ken Wiber's model of "a theory of everything", Grave's "spiral dynamics" (which appears loosely based on Leary's 8 circuit model and Maslow's hierarchy) and the influencer vs. manipulator dichotomy.
These models help us deconstruct the stories and help point to their potential usefulness as well as offering likely interpretations of the messages contained within each parable. Very usefully, a small alternative-contents page lists the stories by theme allowing you to pick certain stories out that explicate various attributes, so if I want a story that shows a single minded trailblazer it tells which stories have elements of this in them.
The book finishes with a few very interesting small sections detailing our useful models, spiral dynamics and 'everything' more closely, examining perspective-shifts within these frameworks, a distillation of the qualities of great motivators and influencers.
I found this book to be a bit of a rarity, very useful yet very user-friendly, quite acceptable bedside table material. It will appeal to everyone.How to Live in the Here and Now: A Guide to Accelerated Enlightenment, Unlocking the Power of Mindful Awareness

A workout that stretches our minds to reach higher
Nick Owen brilliantly introduces Ken Wilber's insightful All Quadrants, All Levels model, which he calls the 4 Box model. He then introduces the Spiral Dynamics model, and combines the two to give us a helicopter perspective of the whole terrain for each of the stories. With each story my mind is stretched and I feel like I'm catapulted up to higher and deeper levels. The stretch makes one feel impatient for becoming a true integral leader.

More Magic of Metaphor offers insight to leaders who want to influence, motivate and bring about change. What talents and resources do I have to make a difference here? What and how can I push here? What contribution can I make?

As an educational consultant I found this concept of challenging and stretching to higher levels very exciting and thrilling. For me it means verticality, going from Horizontal to Vertical Leadership.

If you have your heart set on dynamic and vertical leadership in the classroom and school, then More Magic of Metaphor is an invaluable resource in any integral toolkit. It's a mind-stopper and a mind-blower, packed with stories that tell the importance of being the change you wish to see and be a part of.