August Turak is a successful entrepreneur, corporate executive, award winning writer, and author.
His book, which we discuss at length, is Business Secrets of the Trappist Monks: One CEO’s Quest for Meaning and Authenticity (Columbia Business School Publishing).
He has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Selling Magazine, the New York Times, and Business Week, and is a popular leadership contributor at Forbes. And, he rocks!
Join in on our chat below
Augie, as his friends call him, shares how he defines career, leadership, and business success. Simply put, at the center of a great business and a great life is service and selflessness.
In this episode, August shares:
- What the monastic tradition brings to the table that 21st century businesses need to examine
- What applying the monastic model looks like for organizations and the importance of satisfying your customers’ and employees’ desire for transformation
- How even when you think someone is un-coachable, you’re probably wrong
- Why and how selflessness should be at the heart of your organization and life
- The three kinds of Transformation and the distinction between each
Some of my takeaways from our conversation include:
- The task of leadership is not to make me successful but to make other people successful
- It is in my self-interest to forget my self interest
- The less I worry about money, the more money I make
- Great leaders share values and attitudes, as opposed to skills and knowledge
Resources from August
Pick up a copy of Business Secrets of the Trappist Monks: One CEO’s Quest for Meaning and Authenticity (Columbia Business School Publishing)
Books August Recommends
The Art of War
Crime and Punishment (Illustrated)
And plenty of Russian literature
Connecting with August
If you enjoyed this episode, let August know by sending him a tweet to @AugustTurak.
You can find August on the web at AugustTurak.com.
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