Z.B.A.: Zen of Business Administration

One evening when my daughter Erin was young, and I was unusually grumpy, she looked up at me and asked, "Daddy, have you been meditating?" We both laughed and it has become a family joke ever since. Of course I hadn't been meditating. The demands of work and the rest of life had pushed my practice into the background and she noticed. My lack of patience with her, my lack of presence, was only too obvious and she called me on it. What I realized then is that practice was changing my life, my family life and my work life too. When I practiced interactions with employees were less strained. I didn't respond so quickly out of habit and was able to deal with the ups and downs of daily business life with less effort and emotional repercussion. I was a better businessperson. Zen is content agnostic. It isn't about family life, or work, or motorcycle maintenance, gardening, or grooming, which is why I sometimes chafe when I see the word Zen put next to some new preoccupation. This almost kept me from ordering Marc Lesser's book Z.B.A., which would have been a loss because he's the real deal, a devoted Zen student and priest who is also an accomplished businessperson. He draws from both disciplines and we see through his candid revelations how someone who has been transformed by Zen deals with business struggles, disappointments and change. This is the living essence of right livelihood. Now I see that some are disappointed that there isn't more business focus here. The title, with its play on MBA does suggest a master level business course, but this book is about much more than that. My daughters are grown now and are working and I regularly listen to their worklife dilemmas, their commitments and how and where they hold back. I hope someday they read this book because Lesser shows us that Zen allows us to fully enter our lives, work and otherwise; to be present to whatever arises and to meet it with our full selves. So I heartily recommend this book because it reminds us, as Lesser himself discovers, that there is no escape from what we bring or more tragically don't bring, to the moment. That's the real work.

"We are all Zen students. We are all businesspeople." This is how the first section of this book opens. As for me, I am a Manager. Also I am a person in search for answers in my spiritual life, and I am seeking into Buddhism for those answers. This combination led me to read by pure accident an ad on Shambhala Sun magazine (highly recommendable, if you are into Buddhism, by the way) that featured Marc Lesser's Z.B.A. I ordered it and it didn't take long for me to get hooked on it. Walking the reader through means of achieving the Buddhist Eightfold Path while at work, the book offers a refreshing perspective on how to bridge the gap between our "work lives" and our "personal lives", if such a dychotomy makes any sense whatsoever. A good example of how these two things are in essence one and the same is what Lesser makes of the purpose of Zen: "The purpose of Zen and the purpose of business practice is to develop and open, flexible mind, a mind that can deal with a world that is both solid and completely impermanent." In the end, there are so many fascinating elements proposed by the author, that I cannot avoid but to feel sorry for having finished the book. I almost feel like re-reading it, and I do recommend that you check it out.

In this book author Marc Lesser has - at last - bridged two worlds that need to meet! Lesser is an ordained zen priest and a CEO of the innovative greeting card company Brushdance. His book demonstrates how to go about weaving the equanimity of zen practice into the stressed out world of work. With great clarity Lesser cites real world examples connected to his dual practices to illustrate key principles in destressing work. It is a refreshing point of view. --L, San Francisco

ZBA was a pleasure to read! I felt moved to laughter, to tears, and to deep introspection. Marc Lesser has accomplished the tremendous feat of bringing heart and soul to the business world. I learned so much practical wisdom for my work life, as well as, precious lessons about life. He is a guiding light and inspiration for us all. We need more role models like him in our culture. I appreciate him sharing his wisdom with all of us, and allowing us to learn from him. I highly recommend this book for anyone searching to find more meaning in work and in life.

In the first chapter of his book, author Lesser asserts "We are all Zen students, We are all Businesspeople." He is in an interesting position to know. A long-term Zen adept and now Zen priest, Lesser is fully immersed in the rich tradition of Zen practice. But, the monk made an interesting turn some 20 years ago. After 10 years of full-time monk existence, in 1983 Lesser decided to go to the big Apple and obtain and MBA degree. Then he founded his own small business, Brush Dance, which he ran as its CEO for 15 years. Lesser is the CEO-Zen Monk, the MBA-Priest. His book is simply about the process of bringing Zen wisdom to the everyday stresses and strains of business life. Have you ever wondered how the spiritually enlightened businessman would deal with cash flow problems? Read this book. How about firing people? Negotiating with creditors? Raising capital? Dealing with vendors, computer systems, licenses and leases? How would the spiritually enlightened businessman deal with these issues? Read this book. Of course be careful and "mindful" of what you expect. The venerable Zen saying goes: "Before enlightenment, chopping wood and carrying water; after enlightenment, chopping wood and carrying water". Following author Lesser's lead, we might say "Before enlightenment, doing payroll and calling on customers; after enlightenment, doing payroll and calling on customers." For us ordinary folk, Lesser's book is a reminder of the traps of our own making and a "survival guide" for our own extrication. Of course, we will be back in the same traps soon enough, but the value of the momentary release is not to be underestimated. Z.B.A. is about listening, awareness, humor, the wonder of failure and the danger of success. Go for it.