The Secret Life of the Corporate Jester

by David T. Riveness

Today, more than ever, individuals are searching for ways to positively contribute to organizational leadership, culture and behavior. To do that successfully, they need insight into organizational truth as well as strategies to reveal that truth to others in a way that does not cause defensiveness or resistance. Jesters are needed as much today just as they were in the courts of old. David Riveness, in his insightful and entertaining book The Secret Life of the Corporate Jester, reveals how to adopt and apply a "jester's perspective." The perspective and behaviors of a jester can be understood and adopted by anyone regardless of his or her organization, role or position. Those who apply what they learn from this book can wield significant influence and bring about remarkable positive change. David Riveness is the founder and CEO of Corporate Jester, an organization created to assist individuals and organizations learn, develop and apply strategies for success. As part of this role, he delivers personalized keynote addresses, learning sessions and coaching for companies, organizations, and individuals. Prior to founding Corporate Jester, David served as the Director of Global Facilitations for Eagle's Flight, a worldwide innovator in the development and delivery of practical training programs for organizations. While at Eagle's Flight, he facilitated and implemented hundreds of training programs with such industry leaders as Warner Bros., NIKE, ESPN, Pfizer, The American Heart Association and Citibank on a variety of topics relating to organizational and individual effectiveness. David has hosted dynamic training workshops and speaking engagements ranging from small groups to largeworkshops with 3,500 attendees. He has worked as a facilitator and speaker around the world, including such diverse locations as India, China and Brazil.

112 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Viktoriya Chuchumisheva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy to read. Contains different short narratives, which give you food for thought about different aspects of your organization.

[Tami · Rating 5 out of 5]

How do you live your life? Do you go with the flow? Do you find yourself biting your tongue so that you never have to be the one to tell the truth about any given situation? The reality is that most of us are afraid to disagree with the status quo and really get to the truth of what needs to be changed in our workplace and in our lives. Few are willing to say what needs to be said (be the outspoken, the fool, and the outcast) to actually make change occur.

The Secret Life of the Corporate Jester explores this very interesting concept. The jester may seem like a fool to most. However, in actuality, this individual had the power to tell the truth of any given situation. Moreover, the jester did this in such a way that everyone listened, no one condemned the truth, and no one felt attacked. Think what we could all do with such skills, both in our workplace and in our lives in general.