The Tao of Enron: Spiritual Lessons from a Fortune 500 Fallout

Good book. It's not a tell-all book, it doesn't point any unwarranted fingers at the debacle that was Enron. What I think it does best is point fingers back at us, the readers, and force us to question what kinds of lives we're living when integrity can take a backseat to individualism and greed, where lip-service is good enough and our inner beliefs and outer actions are dualistically paradox. Whew. The biggest challenge I felt was towards "the church" and the culture it's being brought up in the west - we need to be about simplicity, generosity, and true community that embraces each other, not just giving to receive and making ourselves feel good. What good is it if we give lots of money to charity and yet never really love and serve someone? Living within our means, with the rest of the planet and even future generations in mind as we make decisions that matter - workable ideas like this will go far in helping us become a "we" generation, rather than the existing "me" generation. While it's often easy to pander, patronize and point fingers, I think Seay does a more than adequate job of sharing the reports, filling in the blanks, and still pulling relevant sermons from the circumstances of one of America's biggest financial collapses. That these men and women were "people of faith" is more condemning on the state of the American church than anything else.

The Tao of Enron is not just a book about how a huge corporation run by scheming thieves ran away with the life savings of its hard-working employees. It is also a cautionary tale about greed at all levels. The book does an excellent job of questioning simplistic answers, avoiding simplistic, reactionary accusations, and revealing the human condition for what it is. This book would, I believe, serve as an excellent case study for those in the corporate world who want to live with integrity. It would also serve well as a case study for those who sense that the world is not so easily divisible into "good guys"/"bad guys" categories.

I wanted a relatively simple introduction to the whole Enron debacle, so when I saw "The Tao of Enron" in a bargain bin I bought it. Despite the Eastern-tinged title, this is a Christian look at the Enron scandal. Mr. Seay illuminates the flawed corporate and individual values that led Enron to disillusion loyal employees and ruin trusting investors. He writes in an accessible and straightforward fashion, so the book is a quick read. However, the ethical lessons he imparts should not be soon forgotten. Mr. Seay profiles the main Enron players and uses them as positive and negative character sketches. For example, personal qualities that contributed to Enron's doom were Andrew Fastow's me-first mentality, Ken Lay's refusal to take responsibility, and Rebecca Mark's lust for power. Unfortunately, some of these folks claimed to be persons of faith, but they were double-minded in their business dealings right up until the end. That's the most disturbing aspect of the story for me, since it illustrates the fallacy and ultimate futility of compartmentalizing one's life. However, some Enron employees did stand for what was right, even when it cost them. One in particular was Sherron Watkins, whose detailed memo about Enron's problems was promptly ignored by Ken Lay. She and other courageous employees sounded the moral alarm, but they were overwhelmed by superiors that lusted after money and power. Mr. Seay portrays persons like Mrs. Watkins as virtuous examples for others facing similar moral and ethical dilemmas. "The Tao of Enron" is not meant to be an in-depth analysis of the Enron scandal. Ultimately, it's a call to embrace the Biblical qualities of integrity and simplicity inside and outside of the workplace. Mr. Seay implores Christians to avoid the materialistic trap of "affluenza" and instead live an "honorable and satisfying life" for God's glory. There's even an appendix with common-sense suggestions for simple living. After reading this book, I purchased "Smartest Guys in the Room" for a more detailed look at the rise and fall of Enron. But "The Tao of Enron" stands alone as a spiritual perspective on the company's meltdown.

This book offers an excellent look at the problems at the former Enron within an ethical and biblical perspective. It is well written and a pretty quick read. The book offers a lot of lessons in busines ethics without being too "preachy." The book has a wide appeal that I think will make it an enjoyable read for both Christians and non-Christians. Overall, a strong recommend.

The Enron fallout exposes major problems in our economy that go much deeper than business philosophy. These authors tell the story of Enron in a way that is insightful and spellbinding. If you want to know more about Enron and learn ways we all can become better people, this is the book for you! The chapter on pride was worth the price of admission.