The Business Romantic

Against the backdrop of eroding trust in capitalism, pervasive technology, big data, and the desire to quantify all of our behaviours, The Business Romantic makes a compelling case that we must meld the pursuit of success and achievement with romance if we want to create an economy that serves our entire selves.

A rising star in data analytics who is in love with the intrinsic beauty of spreadsheets; the mastermind behind a brand built on absence; an Argentinian couple who revolutionize shoelaces; the founder of a foodie-oriented start-up that creates intimate conversation spaces; a performance artist who offers fake corporate seminars for real professionals - these are some of the innovators readers will meet in this witty, deeply personal, and rousing journey through the world of Business Romanticism.

The Business Romantic not only provides surprising insights into the emotional and social aspects of business but also presents 'Rules of Enchantment' that will help both individuals and organisations construct more meaningful experiences for themselves and others.

The Business Romantic offers a radically different view of the good life and outlines how to better meet one's own desires as well as those of customers, employees, and society. It encourages readers to expect more from companies, to give more of themselves, and to fall back in love with their work and their lives.

“In The Business Romantic , Tim has achieved the impossible: a business book that reads like an exhibition catalogue of some of the world's finest works in love, beauty, and business. Every hard, calculating member of the executive team can benefit from this book's unabashedly soft, humanistic approach to unlocking the potential in organisations - because at the end of the day, enabling the humans in one's organisation is the only way to unlock the romantic quest for better businesses - John Maeda Partner, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and author of THE LAWS OF SIMPLICITY and REDESIGNING LEADERSHIP The Business Romantic makes an uplifting case for injecting greater meaning into work. Tim Leberecht shows how our lives would be different if we didn't check our hopes and dreams at the office door. If more people and workplaces followed his rules, our jobs would be more fulfilling - Adam Grant Wharton professor and New York Times bestselling author of GIVE AND TAKEEngaging, even lyrical stories in the spirit of the best of classic Fast Company. Work is personal - Seth Godin, author, THE ICARUS DECEPTION The Business Romantic is a wonderfully unusual business book that reminds us of the critical importance of reconnecting our economies with our emotional and spiritual needs. It encourages us in a playful yet reflective way to find beauty and meaning in our work lives and shows us how small, everyday actions can help us build a more humane economy - Klaus Schwab Founder and Executive Chairman, World Economic ForumI'm in love with Tim Leberecht's celebration of Business Romantics. Success today isn't about price, features, quality - pure economic value. It's about passion, emotion, identity - sharing your values. This big-hearted book will inspire you to think bigger, aim higher, and do something meaningful - William C. Taylor Cofounder and Founding Editor, Fast Company; author of PRACTICALLY RADICAL: NOT-SO-CRAZY WAYS TO TRANSFORM YOUR COMPANY, SHAKE UP YOUR INDUSTRY, AND CHALLENGE YOURSELFTurns the entire idea of "work is toil" on its head and reveals that work can be (and frequently is) is a source of great pleasure in our lives. - Inc.com”

In The Business Romantic, Tim has achieved the impossible: a business book that reads like an exhibition catalogue of some of the world's finest works in love, beauty, and business. Every hard, calculating member of the executive team can benefit from this book's unabashedly soft, humanistic approach to unlocking the potential in organisations - because at the end of the day, enabling the humans in one's organisation is the only way to unlock the romantic quest for better businesses - John Maeda Partner, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and author of THE LAWS OF SIMPLICITY and REDESIGNING LEADERSHIP

The Business Romantic makes an uplifting case for injecting greater meaning into work. Tim Leberecht shows how our lives would be different if we didn't check our hopes and dreams at the office door. If more people and workplaces followed his rules, our jobs would be more fulfilling - Adam Grant Wharton professor and New York Times bestselling author of GIVE AND TAKE

Engaging, even lyrical stories in the spirit of the best of classic Fast Company. Work is personal - Seth Godin, author, THE ICARUS DECEPTION

The Business Romantic is a wonderfully unusual business book that reminds us of the critical importance of reconnecting our economies with our emotional and spiritual needs. It encourages us in a playful yet reflective way to find beauty and meaning in our work lives and shows us how small, everyday actions can help us build a more humane economy - Klaus Schwab Founder and Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum

I'm in love with Tim Leberecht's celebration of Business Romantics. Success today isn't about price, features, quality - pure economic value. It's about passion, emotion, identity - sharing your values. This big-hearted book will inspire you to think bigger, aim higher, and do something meaningful - William C. Taylor Cofounder and Founding Editor, Fast Company; author of PRACTICALLY RADICAL: NOT-SO-CRAZY WAYS TO TRANSFORM YOUR COMPANY, SHAKE UP YOUR INDUSTRY, AND CHALLENGE YOURSELF

Turns the entire idea of "work is toil" on its head and reveals that work can be (and frequently is) is a source of great pleasure in our lives. - Inc.com

Tim Leberecht is the chief marketing officer of global design and architecture firm NBBJ. Previously, he was the chief marketing officer of product design and strategy firm Frog Design. His writing has appeared in publications such as Fast Company, Forbes, Fortune and Wired. He has spoken at venues including TEDGlobal, The Economist Big Rethink, DLD, and the World Economic Forum. Leberecht is the co-founder of the 15 Toasts dinner series and an advisor to The Human Agency, a collective of social change-makers. He serves on the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on Values and on the board of Jump Associates, a strategy and innovation consultancy. He lives in San Francisco with his wife and daughter.

How can work be delightful - perhaps even magical? The Business Romantic offers a radically different view of the successful enterprise and inspires you to find more meaning in business. Business is an indispensable part of our lives, from the long hours we work to the products and services we buy - and yet, for many of us, something is missing, something both essential and immeasurable that lets us see the world with fresh eyes every day: romance. In this smart, playful, and provocative book, Tim Leberecht reveals the power of business to transcend mere rationality and self-interest and move toward deep, passionate exchanges that honour our most complete selves. From corporate strategy to the workplace, from product innovation to branding, customer relationships, and sales, Leberecht presents ten 'Rules of Enchantment' that illustrate the value of choosing intimacy over transparency, mystery over clarity, devotion over data, vulnerability over control, delight over satisfaction, and love over liking. Whether you are a consumer or producer, employee or entrepreneur, The Business Romantic urges you to start the most sublime of revolutions: Expect more. Give more of yourself. Fall back in love with business and with your life. 'If more people and workplaces followed [Lebrecht's] rules, our jobs would be more fulfilling' ADAM GRANT, Wharton professor and New York Times bestselling author of Give and Take 'Engaging, even lyrical stories in the spirit of the best of classic Fast Company . Work is personal' Seth Godin, author of The Icarus Deception

Against the backdrop of eroding trust in capitalism, pervasive technology, big data, and the desire to quantify all of our behaviours, The Business Romantic makes a compelling case that we must meld the pursuit of success and achievement with romance if we want to create an economy that serves our entire selves.A rising star in data analytics who is in love with the intrinsic beauty of spreadsheets; the mastermind behind a brand built on absence; an Argentinian couple who revolutionize shoelaces; the founder of a foodie-oriented start-up that creates intimate conversation spaces; a performance artist who offers fake corporate seminars for real professionals - these are some of the innovators readers will meet in this witty, deeply personal, and rousing journey through the world of Business Romanticism. The Business Romantic not only provides surprising insights into the emotional and social aspects of business but also presents 'Rules of Enchantment' that will help both individuals and organisations construct more meaningful experiences for themselves and others. The Business Romantic offers a radically different view of the good life and outlines how to better meet one's own desires as well as those of customers, employees, and society. It encourages readers to expect more from companies, to give more of themselves, and to fall back in love with their work and their lives.

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