ABSTRACT
This chapter starts by addressing the question of why we should seek to introduce philosophy and psychology into leadership. The chapter shows how these disciplines are already being used in business for important areas of leadership including how to recruit and retain staff, in the support and development of staff, in developing strategy, to increase effective communication, in the prevention, management and resolution of conflict, in the reduction and management of stress and in creating a meaningful vision built on shared values and goals.
Many of these leadership tasks require a deeper, more philosophical consideration. With work often taking more of our time than it once did, this chapter explores the importance of finding meaning and relatedness through work. It also explores how people may seek to address the ultimate challenge of finitude through Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s concept of ‘flow’ or ‘optimal experience’.
