The Camino Way: Lessons in Leadership from a Walk Across Spain

by Victor Prince

Stretching across 500 miles of northern Spain, the Camino de Santiago has been a pilgrimage route for centuries. Setting off as a competitive, shrewd negotiator with little patience for small talk, Victor Prince emerged as a very different person-more balanced, more caring, more present in the moment, but looking to the future. Prince translates this growth experience into seven leadership skills, each linked to values that have guided Camino travelers for centuries. With reflections from the road and for the workplace back home, he recounts how he learned to: Live in the moment Welcome each day, its pleasures and its challenges Make others feel welcome Share Feel the spirit of those who have come before you Appreciate those who walk with you today Imagine those who will follow you By aligning the path to leadership with a literal journey, The Camino Way offers fresh perspectives on bringing people together and achieving goals-with a pilgrim's heart, a way-farer's grit, and a leader's vision.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Business, Audiobook

Audio CD

Published July 13, 2017

About the author

Victor Prince is a leadership author, trainer, and speaker. His books include The Camino Way: Lessons in Leadership from a Walk Across Spain (AMACOM, 2017), Executive Farm: A Leadership Fable (DiscoveredLOGIC, 2016), and Lead Inside the Box: How Smart Leaders Guide their Teams to Exceptional Results (Career Press, 2015). He trains and speaks to clients around the world on leadership and strategy. He previously served as COO of the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and strategy consultant with Bain & Company. He holds an MBA in Finance from Wharton. Learn more at victorprince.com.

Reviews

[Jay French · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must admit that I haven’t kept up with the multiple mentions in popular culture of the Camino de Santiago. That is, until a few weeks ago, when I attended a movie called “I’ll Push You”. The movie was a documentary about a man with a form of muscular dystrophy, confined to a wheelchair, who travels with a friend to “do” the Camino – following paths and roads crossing Spain. They didn’t do this for spiritual reasons. You get to see the troubles involved in travelling this way, and you get a glimpse of the self-discovery that occurs through the travails. This book, “The Camino Way”, is quite similar. The author, though, is a hard charging businessman. He’s looking to reflect on his life, and doesn’t seem to be going for spiritual reasons. What he finds and reports in this book are learnings that lean to his business and leadership background, but reflect on the trip. For example, based on how he was treated by various people on the Camino, he realized that he had been neglecting people in his life, and describes how he changed by focusing on the people he was talking with. I found what he learned was pretty basic, but also needed, inside business and for life in general. This isn’t just a business book. But having said that, I do tend to like business books, and the author describes his career and education as the basis for many of his learnings, and I appreciated the history. I found this enjoyable, especially after seeing “I’ll Push You”, which provided visual references to the Camino and the pilgrims.

[Dal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Would compelled be the right word? Inspired? Even obliged?

After having read chapter 3 in your book I really could not explain the immense emotions I felt; ESPECIALLY, after the story about how your Camino was saved by a kind stranger who made it possible to receive help even after the pharmacy was closed.

See many people may see my mentality and think I am intense and hardcore but I had an experience while motorbiking through Vietnam alone where I may have not returned home if some teenagers had not helped me! Reading this section of you being helped due to the kindness of others sent me back and reproduced those feelings. Those feelings of being so lost, alone and helpless before I had found help and then the most amazing feelings after being helped and in how impactful kindness can be to others even when for the people helping it may be something so simple. Typing this message sends all kinds of memories and emotions through me.

Although I did not experience your specific experience, I understand walking till your boots are soaked in blood and also the feelings of starting a journey with the onset of obstacles early on that truly begin to make you question many things. Is this possible? Can I do this? What if…??

So I just wanted to thank you and write to you to explain how deeply the end of the chapter affected me. The feeling of being helped when you reach a point where mental toughness no longer can help yourself is indescribable. It definitely taught me to be grateful, help others and be kind without expectation of anything in return. (Anyways, the kindness I continue to give has already been returned by the people who have helped me before.)

Thank you for taking the time, energy and effort to put this book together. Thank you for making the decision to go on this adventure as I am sure there will be many who will connect with what you describe, learn from what you learned and be inspired by what you experienced.

[Chantal Bechervaise · Rating 5 out of 5]

An inspiring read that will have you looking at leadership in a whole new light! As an avid hiker myself, I can relate to the lessons and information in Victor's new book, The Camino Way. The lessons take real life examples and translates them into valuable lessons that are easy to understand and implement. You don't have to have the title of leader to benefit from this book either! It also provides lesson on how to live your life and work with us. I highly recommend this book!

[Bill Yeadon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Planning on walking part of the Camino is fall of 2018, so I have been reading books in preparation. The Camino Way is the first book that has combined leadership lessons with the actual pilgrimage. I also had the pleasure of hearing the author speak.

The 500 mile Camino de Santiago has been in existence in Spain for over a thousand years. Pilgrims walk it for varied reasons but many report their lives have been changed from the experience. The author was not expecting his life to be changed but it improved his interactions with people both in his personal and professional life.

Good book even if you never plan on walking the Camino. You can get a taste of the Camino by watching the movie The Way with Martin Sheen.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I really want to walk The Way, and this book reinforced my desire. I also like how the author applied his lessons learned to business and life.

[Julia Doherty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having walked the Camino in sections in 2016 and 2017 I was surprised that I had not discovered this book before now. I’m a business owner and lead a small team. I’m also a mum and the messages through this book spoke to me in loud voices. They say that your real true Camino experience starts after your Camino, and this is so true.

Thank you for this read. I’ve made many notes which I will return to time and time again.

A true inspiration

[Brian Weston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having done the Camino, myself (albeit a difference path), I can appreciate and relate to Victor's experiences and how he draws a line to leadership. It's a straightforward read and I really enjoyed it!

[Greg · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a hiker who wants to walk the Camino, and a leadership scholar by profession, I was really looking forward to this book. I had hopes it would be deeply reflective, with insightful explorations and conclusions inspired by the Camino. While that is, in fact, what the author attempted to do, it didn't hit the mark for me. Any such effort must necessarily begin with data - descriptive references to the experience and references to what we know about leadership. Unfortunately, the book fell short on both dimensions. The few descriptions of life on the Camino left me wanting more (much more), and the conclusions about leadership were often trite, sometimes contradictory, and generally unoriginal. I feel bad writing this, as I know how the courage it takes to put your thoughts into a book that anyone can read, but I also feel compelled to be honest for those who may read it after me.

In addition to what I wrote above, the author wants to portray himself as one who was changed by the Camino experience, but that didn't come across for me. In fact, there were enough hints, contradictions, and observations that led to just the opposite conclusion - that he didn't change much from the experience - that I wonder how introspective he actually was, how much self-insight he really gained. He still seems to be a person driven to achieve the outward manifestations of success (title, position, money, etc.), and using others to obtain those rewards. To a far less degree he seems to have become aware of a deeper purpose, or to have become a more self-reflective, innately caring person. It is entirely possible that those things in fact happened, but it doesn't seem apparent to me from what he wrote in his book.

Lastly, I can't say I really enjoyed the narrator. I don't know what Prince's voice is like, but for a personal narrative like this, I think I might have preferred it to have been author-narrated. I have never listed to a book simply because I like the narrator, but it does make a difference to me. I will be wary of this one in future.

[Terry Mccagh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this very much especially how the author put his experiences into practice in his every day life. Nice lessons!

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

Middle aged, moderately successful business dude who has moved back and forth between government and corporate jobs- never married, no kids, takes break between gigs to have an adventure vacation hiking the Camino pilgrimage route in Spain. He makes it very clear, several times, that he is not on a religious pilgrimage, just a long walk. He stays in private rooms every night, not once staying in any of the communal lodging rooms that most folks use.

He's more than a bit of a doodle.

He took the "rules of the road" from the back of his passport (if you aren't familiar with The Camino, you get a booklet that gets stamped along the route, that you show at the end to get your certificate) and turned them into chapters of a business book.

The book started out as blog posts, that he turned into a short little book - and it feels like it.

I want to walk the Camino one day- I wish that there were significant pilgrimage trails here in North America. This book was a snooze.

[Victor Prince · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks for checking out my new book. I hike and bike long trails on vacations as a hobby, so the Camino de Santiago had been on my list for a while. When I finally got on the Camino, however, I realized it was unlike any other trail. My month-long experience walking the Camino taught me values and lessons that have made me a better person and leader. They helped me fix some sharp edges I had developed in my climb up my career ladder. I wrote blogs about those lessons when I got home. Those blogs went viral and snowballed into this book. I wrote this book so I could share those lessons with other people, especially those who may not be able to take a month off and walk across Spain. To augment my own Camino stories and lessons, I interviewed over 100 other pilgrims from 16 countries. Dozens of their wonderful stories and lessons made it into this book.

I hope you enjoy the book. Here are reviews from some other readers:

"The camino has spawned a multitude of books and blogs. Victor Prince has taken a novel approach. He has gathered reflections from a cross section of pilgrims and distilled this wisdom to provide lessons in leadership. Whether that leadership is in business or life in general, we could all benefit from the advice it contains.”
— John Brierley, author of A Pilgrim's Guide to the Camino de Santiago and other bestselling travel books

"On the back of the passport, which is used to get stamps as each stage of the walk is completed, (Prince) noticed seven simple reminders of things pilgrims should do while on the Camino, which he used as the framework for his book The Camino Way, since they applied to work as well.... You don't need to walk the Camino to take those lessons into your own life."
— Harvey Schachter, The Globe and Mail, Canada's largest newspaper

"Prince’s is both a highly engaging story and a remarkably effective way to communicate business lessons... In this first-person narrative, Prince recounts his adventure, but unlike the typical travel diary, The Camino Way brilliantly draws continuous connections between the Camino, which started as a religious pilgrimage hundreds of years ago, and contemporary business leadership."
— Foreword Reviews, an independent media company founded in 1998 to serve an audience of librarians, booksellers, book-loving consumers, publishers, agents, and other publishing professionals.

"Victor Prince’s follow up to Lead Inside the Box is a much different, but equally original, book on leadership. In The Camino Way, Victor shares lessons from an extraordinary experience that can help other leaders in their everyday work. I strongly recommend it."
— Robert J. Herbold, Chief Operating Officer (retired), Microsoft Corporation

"A thousand year old hiking trail across Spain is a uniquely interesting setting for a book on leadership. It's a great read with valuable lessons for anyone looking to become a better leader, professionally and personally.”
— Ethan Bernstein, Asst. Professor of Leadership & Organizational Behavior, Harvard Business School

"I'll probably never walk the Camino, but I feel like I did after reading this book. What a fresh take on leadership!"
— David K. Lenhardt, former President and CEO, PetSmart, Inc.

"Victor draws you in with the opportunity to walk the Camino vicariously with him - all the experiences and none of the blisters. This entertaining book is a combination of a travel guide and an invaluable set of lessons for success in life at home and at work."
— Dan Tangherlini, former Administrator of the US General Services Administration

“Rooted in history, yet highly relevant to today, Victor Prince takes readers on a journey of insight that can add value to all of our daily experiences."
— Suzanne Tager, Senior Director, Retail and Consumer Goods Practice, Bain & Company

"When reading this inspirational book, I couldn't help but think about a term I learned in Latin - Manus manum lavat - one hand washes another. As leaders we need to ensure we never forget about the people we rely on, our teams, our employees, our family, friends...our village. The Camino Way reminds us we are all on different journeys and every relationship matters."
— Lisa M. Buckingham, Chief Human Resources Officer of Lincoln Financial Group

"The Camino Way offers universal life and leadership lessons. After finishing, I couldn't decide which I wanted to do first: share the book with my senior team or buy a plane ticket and start my own journey."
— Scott Kubly, Director of the Seattle Department of Transportation

"Most people have two stacks of books by their bed: books they read for work, and books they read for pleasure. The Camino Way is the only book you’ll read this year that could make it to both stacks."
— Paul Smith, bestselling author of Lead with a Story and Sell with a Story

"The Camino Way takes you on a journey you will never forget. Awesome story telling that captures and sweeps you in while delivering great life and leadership lessons."
— Brigette Hyacinth, Founder and Director of the MBA Caribbean Organisation

"Through his journey, he guides us to apply his newfound perspective to the most meaningful aspects of our lives. In doing so, we become better leaders, better parents, and better people."
— Sally Tassani, President, The Strategy Forums

"If a 'Buen Camino' is not on your itinerary, this book will bring you as close to the life-changing power of the vaunted walk as possible. It’s like a MBA for the soul."
— Scott Mautz – author of Find the Fire: Ignite Your Inspiration & Make Work Exciting Again

[Morgan Paar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. The last two trek books I read spent way to much time on God and religion. This book spends equal time on leadership and business so it's not 100% about walking The Way but I enjoyed it all the same. Recommended.

[Diana Maslowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read, quick and inspiring

[Haki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book.

Look Up from the Plan and Experience the Journey

Every person has their own path, their own way through life; and if we respect that, we will all get on so much better.”

“When we were out there, everyone was truly equal. We looked pretty much the same. We were doing the same thing and we could be homeless or very wealthy and it didn’t really matter, and no one could tell by looking at us. I just wish life could be like that. I’ve never seen true equality like that.”

The Camino is an example of the saying “the journey is its own reward,”

Under the title “Spirit of the Camino” were seven simple reminders of things pilgrims should do while on the Camino. I was struck by the combination of simplicity and depth in the words: 1. Welcome Each Day, Its Pleasures and Its Challenges 2. Make Others Feel Welcome 3. Share 4. Live in the Moment 5. Feel the Spirit of Those Who Have Come Before You 6. Appreciate Those Who Walk with You Today 7. Imagine Those Who Will Follow You

By choosing one thing to focus on each day, I have been able to focus better. With one simple goal, I get the feeling of accomplishment when I achieve that goal. Instead of moving an inch forward on each of several different fronts, I get the satisfaction of crossing a goal line every day, which is a great self-motivation tool.

Your worst day on the job is probably better than a good day without the job. Remind yourself before you complain. Remind the people you lead as well.

Simply by enabling others to grant the gift of help, I would also be giving a gift.

CAMINO LEADERSHIP LESSON— REMOVE WEAPONS OF MASS DISTRACTION. ​Be Self-Aware—When you check your phone during a meeting or conversation, you are sending out a rude message: “I don’t even know who is trying to get my attention, but I know paying attention to them is more important than paying attention to you.” ​Set a “No Distractions” Policy—Be the champion of a strict “no electronics usage” policy in meetings. If an attendee needs to use his mobile device, he should excuse himself from the meeting. Clearly set this expectation in all meetings you run. ​Enforce the Policy—Setting a policy and not enforcing it is worse than having no policy at all. Figure out ways you can enforce the policy consistently. Consider preventative measures, such as making attendees give up their phones before starting the meeting. Consider enforcement measures, such as calling out rule-breakers in an acceptable way. You could do it bluntly—e.g., “Please do that business outside and come back to this meeting when you are available.” Maybe you can do it in a more lighthearted way that still makes the point. You can do it less obviously, too, by targeting your questions in the meeting to people distracted by their phone. ​Model the Policy—Lead by example. Hold yourself to the “no mobile distractions” rule in all meetings you attend, not just the ones you run. People will notice. ​Champion the Policy—Once your policy is working consistently, help your larger organization adopt the same policy. Advocate its effectiveness. Gather “before versus after” facts or comments to help make the case. Invite outsiders to sit in on your meetings to observe the positive impact of the policy. Write about the experience.

[Alex Furst · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Camino Way" by Victor Prince.
4/5 rating.
Book #147 of 2019. Read December 26, 2019.

This book was a quick, but fun read about Victor's trip along the Camino, and the things it taught him.

Continuing in my hiking genre, The Camino is an 800 km trail across the entirety of Spain (and a tiny part of France). This trail is full of "pilgrims" walking for any number of reasons: from religious, to athletic, to self-discovery.

Victor recounts a large number of the lessons that hiking 15 miles per day for weeks imparted to him, as well as some knowledge gained by other pilgrims.

I thought this was a light-hearted, wanderlust-provoking read that just adds to my wish to conquer The Camino some day. Maybe that will be next after Kilimanjaro…

Quotes:
"Under the title 'Spirit of the Camino' were seven simple reminders of things pilgrims should do while on the Camino. I was struck by the combination of simplicity and depth in the words: 1. Welcome Each Day, Its Pleasures and Its Challenges 2. Make Others Feel Welcome 3. Share 4. Live in the Moment 5. Feel the Spirit of Those Who Have Come Before You 6. Appreciate Those Who Walk with You Today 7. Imagine Those Who Will Follow You"
"The Camino taught me that talk is never small if it makes people feel welcome."
"A small lesson that taught me that, really, I don’t need material things to make me happy; it’s just extra stuff to carry with you and only makes moving on to the next thing heavier.”

[Erica]

DNF 44% - not because it's bad, just that it was not that I was expecting.

If you're looking for business tips on leadership, then go ahead and read this book. It's very business minded and it makes sense because that's what the author has spent his life doing. I will say that I was expecting a little more of a memoir feel which is NOT what this is. The author takes the "Rules of the Camino" and applies them to leadership in business. I didn't get to the end so I'm not sure if there the writing tone will change, but I doubt it. I didn't want to read this book to read quotes from other peoples experiences compiled together in a business/self-help leadership book, and that's my mistake.

The book is written well and Victor Prince knows a lot about business it seems, but maybe just not for me.

[Onceinabluemoon · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was so disappointing, my greatest take away is to really study subtitles... huge mistake on my part, this book is how to take business practices and apply lessons from walking the Camino. I truly almost hated it, I loved the Camino stories, but it's an assault to my senses to take what for most is a spiritual journey and yammer on about business. It was so egocentric and frankly I didn't care for him as a person, critiquing others that he posted on Facebook and expounding about all his scholarly and business accomplishments left me feeling violated as to the reason why I wanted to read about the Camino. Let's just say he did it his way... I have read many many book on the Camino, yes it's my fault I overlooked "leadership" but dang what an unpleasant combo...

[Kevin Eikenberry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Take a successful leader in both the corporate and Federal Government worlds, a leader with a taste for adventure and some athletic skills, and you get Victor Prince. This is a rare combination to be sure, and lucky for us it takes a rare leader and author to write this book.

Victor says he loves hiking but doesn’t like camping, so his quest for finding walking trails that didn’t require a tent, led him to the Camino de Santiago – the historic path across Spain. Victor did the walk (and has since done parts of it again), and from it he created this unique book on leadership.

Read more...

[Tessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I could include half stars, I would rate it a 3.5. Definitely excellent content however I felt as though more of the ideas could have been further developed. Each chapter followed a similar pattern: story from a pilgrim, relation to author's professional life, his experience of that section while on the Camino and then how to take the lessons back to your own professional life. The author mentions several times that everything he does is a race as he's extremely competitive and in fact, he was known early on as the guy who was racing through the Camino. I felt as though he raced through the development of this book.

[Glen Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a book I didn't expect to read in preparation for hiking the Camino. It sounded more like a business-related self-help book, but as it turns out it was from a type-A person that is very work-oriented and how the Camino experience changed his entire life. The lessons he learned were translated back to his work and the nuggets he shared were eye-opening for me about how to treat myself, others, my job, and my home life in a way that just feels better.

[Faye Glidden · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a decent read, but it doesn't dive too deeply into either realm of the experience of walking the Camino or leadership. The Camino experience seems rhetorically more powerful, but I imagine many of the leadership lessons to be applicable in the business world. This particular read is very much from a business-minded individual who accomplished an amazing feat.

[Janice King · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a curiosity of the Camino de Santiago. This book included some of the authors experiences, but it lists the lessons he learned along the way. He then shows us how to apply those pilgrimage lessons to business or our personal lives. A different approach from what I’m used to with Camino books, but it was helpful.

[Histórico Guadalajara · Rating 5 out of 5]

La narración compartida desde la experiencia del recorrido a llevarla a vivencias de lo cotidiano. Desde la vida personal y sus implicaciones pasando por lo laboral, el cómo dejarle a quien pasará en algún momento, la trayectoria lo mejor posible.

Un libro para quitarse las dudas y la guía del epílogo con sus recomendaciones las tendré en cuenta para comenzar el viaje.

[Larry Davies · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Lessons on Travel and Life

The Camino Way provided excellent lessons on travel and life. The seven rules alone could easily be adapted to almost any situation. Well worth reading.

[Barb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a big fan of leadership books in general. It is a great frame for a leadership book however. I will try to remember soMe of these lessons, especially not waiting for retirement and answering the things that are calling you in life.

[Joel Nunez · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book to learn about the Camino and leadership

I did the 100-km. Camino and plan to do the full Camino Francés in the year I turn 65. I learned so much from this book. Looking forward to applying its lessons

[Bianca Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can tell the author is not an experienced writer. In a way it's almost like a bullet point presentation, with conclusions about leadership which didn't necessarily flow naturally from the story. Sometimes they did.

Anyhow, it's inspirational material for considering the Camino.

[Sue Gregg · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not what I expected. Although title does say what is about, I did expect more about the actual travel.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three Word Review: inspiring, empowering, pleasurable

[Jade East · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some insight, but repetitive.