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Book Review: The Camino Way—Lessons in Leadership from a Walk Across Spain
October 16, 2017 | Dan BeaulieuEstimated reading time: 1 minute
The Camino Way: Lessons in Leadership from a Walk Across Spain
Author: Victor Prince
2017 Amacom
$21.95
What a story! I didn’t even know about the Camino Way until I read this book.
When someone sent me this book, I was puzzled. How was reading a book about a religious pilgrimage going to help me with my business? It didn’t take long for me to realize that reading The Camino Way was tremendously helpful to my leadership business education. Author Victor Prince uses the backdrop of his own pilgrimage along the Camino Way to give leadership lessons.
It seems that every pilgrim who begins this 30-day journey receives a “passport” that is stamped at every stop along to the way, to officially document every step of the pilgrimage. When Prince receives his passport, he notices that on the back is printed “Spirit of the Camino,” the seven guideposts for not only the journey but also for all aspects of a life well-lived. It is on these guideposts that he constructed his very useful and inspiring book.
Here they are:
- Welcome each day, its pleasures, and its challenges
- Make others feel welcome
- Live in the moment
- Share
- Feel the spirit of those who have come before you
- Appreciate those who walk with you today
- Imagine those who will follow you
Prince took these very valuable guideposts and turned them into chapters of the book. He relates first where he was on the pilgrimage in each chapter, discussing his own journey through life as well as the people he meets along the way. Then as a special treat, each chapter ends with what he calls a Camino Leadership Lesson. Here he applies the guideline to business and to life. He discusses lessons like, “Identify Hidden Pockets of Value” or “Maximize Recognition” where he demonstrates the value of recognizing people for their contributions.
Finally, he wraps up the book with a summary of lessons learned from Camino Way. The very fact that he ties in a religious experience with a personal experience with a business lesson was surprisingly appealing to me as I hope it will be for other readers.
This book is a true and unique pleasure to read and ponder.
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