Why Loyalty Matters
The Groundbreaking Approach to Rediscovering Happiness, Meaning and Lasting Fulfillment in Your Life and Work
By: Timothy Keiningham, Lerzan Aksoy
Published: July 2009
Format: Hardcover, 245 pages
ISBN-13:9781932100099
ISBN-10:1933771720
Publisher: BenBella Books
"Loyalty is now out of fashion - an anachronism worthy of derision in today's rapidly changing environment", write acclaimed loyalty experts Timothy Keiningham and Lerzan Aksoy in their thought provoking and insightful book Why Loyalty Matters: The Groundbreaking Approach to Rediscovering Happiness, Meaning and Lasting Fulfillment in Your Life and Work. In a world where loyalty is often considered a character flaw, the authors provide a compelling case that personal and societal loyalty lead to a happier and healthier society, and to more successful businesses staffed by more productive employees.
Lerzan Aksoy (photo left) and Timothy Keiningham dispel the idea that loyalty is an outmoded concept. Instead they present a well documented approach to the subject of loyalty and its critical importance to the modern world. At the same time, they describe the dark side of loyalty that includes blind faith, obedience, and subservient behavior. They point out that these toxic aspects of loyalty have almost entirely displaced, in the public consciousness, the positive aspects of loyalty. The authors demonstrate that the current disloyal society is a selfish one that leads to unhappiness and a lack of fulfillment. For companies and for employees, this attitude leads to lower productivity, unhappy employees, lost customers, and less successful businesses.
Timothy Keiningham (photo left) and Lerzan Aksoy understand the importance of loyalty in all aspects of a person's life. Whether at work, with friends, the choice of neighbourhood, or the workplace, loyalty builds deep and lasting relationships that benefit everyone. On the other hand, a selfish me first type of life, according to the authors, is less happy and fulfilling for everyone. For corporations, a narrow vision of loyalty only to shareholders while ignoring customers, employees, and the general public, leads to a less productive company. The narrow view leads to short term illusory profits and share value increases, at the expense of long term viability and success. A loyal company, where all stakeholders recognize and practice loyalty to one another is a more productive and profitable organization that will endure.
For me, the power of the book is how Lerzan Aksoy and Timothy Keiningham take a practical as well as a philosophical approach to the concept of loyalty. It would have been easy for the authors to have written vague platitudes and to recite well worn homilies. Instead, they make a powerful holistic case for the importance of enlightened loyalty for all of society. In support of their thesis, they describe how loyalty is not only measurable, but is also critical to business success and societal sustainability. They dispel the myth of subservience that has overtaken loyalty, and replace it with a positive view of loyalty, and its benefit for everyone. In our unsettled times, loyalty will take on a new importance, and the authors show us how loyalty is fundamental to healing and rebuilding society.
I highly recommend the fascinating and important book Why Loyalty Matters: The Groundbreaking Approach to Rediscovering Happiness, Meaning and Lasting Fulfillment in Your Life and Work by Lerzan Aksoy and Timothy Keiningham, to anyone seeking a fresh approach to improving corporate productivity, employee engagement, customer satisfaction, and enhancing personal happiness. The authors challenge readers to make a personal commitment to loyalty in all aspects of their lives. At the same time, that example can leave a powerful impression on others of the critical importance of loyalty in the modern world.
Read the definitive guide to an important virtue Why Loyalty Matters: The Groundbreaking Approach to Rediscovering Happiness, Meaning and Lasting Fulfillment in Your Life and Work by Lerzan Aksoy and Timothy Keiningham, and put this brilliant concept to work in creating a more productive, happier, and more fulfilled world. There is no better time to practice loyalty as a culture than the present.
