This fresh and insightful examination of modern leadership and management issues uses the surprisingly relevant stories of King Arthur and Camelot to illustrate the do's and don'ts of achieving success.
The many examples of popular movies, television shows, books, comics, and theatrical plays based upon the character of King Arthur or stories of Camelot provide proof of how firmly rooted they are in mainstream culture. Accordingly, King Arthur and Camelot provide a perfect vehicle to communicate important leadership and management concepts that are completely applicable to today’s institutions—lessons that the author appropriately terms “Camelot wisdom,” as opposed to “conventional wisdom.”
Camelot, Inc.: Leadership and Management Insights from King Arthur and the Round Table traces Arthur’s evolution from awkward youth to compassionate King to tired ruler, explaining how he learned, developed his leadership philosophy, established a vision and mission, created success, communicated, and failed to confront issues, leading to his decline. This unprecedented examination of Arthur’s life illuminates many of today’s most pressing leadership challenges, including retaining knowledge; developing coherent plans and proposals; building internal and external advocacy; performing effective negotiation, team building, and success planning; maintaining ethical standards, innovation, and flexibility; and moving from vision to execution.
Features
- Contains 130 quotes from The Once and Future King, Le Morte D'Arthur, and other Arthur stories
- Provides instruction on many valuable business skills such as setting goals and objectives, planning strategy, assessing results, preparing for the unexpected, and working in teams
Paul Oestreicher, PhD, is adjunct professor in the Division of Programs in Business at New York University's School of Continuing and Professional Studies, New York, NY. Oestreicher is a former scientist with an undergraduate degree in biology and a doctorate in nutritional biochemistry, and the founder and president of TagsMania, LLC, a company that manufactures products for babies and toddlers.
Reviews
"As a child, my introduction to human drama in literature was through the tales of King Arthur and the Knights of the Roundtable. Truly everything you need to know about human values is found in these tales. Paul Oestreicher recognizes that these tales hold timeless lessons for leaders as he brings the reader inside the Roundtable."—Greg Simon, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Policy, Pfizer and Former Chief Domestic Policy Advisor to Vice President Al Gore
"The dos and don'ts in Camelot, Inc. highlight the enduring characteristics of protecting and building personal and corporate reputation. Oestreicher has found a compelling way to teach us as much what to do as what not to do."—John Doorley, Academic Director, graduate program in Public Relations and Corporate Communication, New York University; Coauthor of Reputation Management
"Oestreicher’s book goes well beyond the depiction of King Arthur and his court. The complicated relationships between leader and managers, the balance between personal and work lives, and the conflict between idealism and pragmatism are as much a part of today’s business world as they were in medieval England." —Richard Edelman, President and CEO, Edelman
"Camelot, Inc. provides a most thoughtful framework for thinking through some of today's biggest business leadership challenges. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable read."—Brian T. Gladden, Senior Vice President and CFO, Dell Computer and former President, GE Plastics
"Camelot, Inc. is a remarkable ‘mining’ of lessons from the Arthurian legends. Oestreicher has found timeless prescriptions for achieving excellence in leadership."—L. Patrick Gage, PhD, enGage Biotech Consulting, former president, Genetics Institute and Wyeth Research
"Camelot, Inc. gets to the heart of the mentoring role in growing and sustaining enterprises—both large and small. In our increasingly 'virtual' business and social environment, Paul Oestreicher shows how critical mentoring is to passing along core values to the next generation of leaders."—Victor R. Budnick, Managing Director, Ironwood Capital; Lead Venture Mentor, Yale Enterprise Institute
