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Ubuntu!: An Inspiring Story About an African Tradition of Teamwork and Collaboration Audiobook
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(2.94) - 108 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
A powerful story about the African philosophy of teamwork and collaboration that has the power to reshape our workplaces, our relationships with our coworkers, and our personal lives, written by the bestselling coauthor of Fish! and the bestselling author of 1001 Ways to Reward Employees.
John Peterson, a new manager in the credit department at a major big-box retailer, is struggling in his job. The people under him are not working as well or effectively as they need to, and his department is falling behind in meeting its goals. His only solution is to take on more work himself, burning the midnight oil and coming in most weekends to pick up the slack and keep his department above water.
When one of the employees stays behind to help him—a young man who came to America from a small village in Africa—he learns of the ancient wisdom and hidden power of the African philosophy of Ubuntu. Before long, it begins to change the way he thinks about the people he works with, about himself, and about how he runs his department and his life.
In an engaging and completely fresh narrative that holds a unique message for today’s business world, Ubuntu! shows us a way to overcome our fears, insecurities, and the “me-ism” that so often permeates our workplaces, and replace it with a culture of genuine respect and collaboration. It promises to take its place alongside Fish! and other business parables as the next bestselling classic in the business category.
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"The fact that most of the time is spent for working make me think that maybe working life can bring us happiness. Ubuntu is the philosophy that can help us finding some energy and hidden happiness inside every people we meet at work."
— Lukman (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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The teachings in Ubuntu! can not only help us improve our relationships with others. These teachings can help us make peace with ourselves and be proud of the way we are living our lives.
— from the foreword by Marshall Goldsmith, author of the New York Times bestsellers MOJO and What Got You Here Won’t Get You There
Ubuntu! Listener Reviews
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" An interesting philosophy in a tedious book. "
— Mitzi, 1/20/2014 -
" Ubuntu itself is an interesting concept, but the book? Meh. The "plot" is so contrived with needless highlights for the truly clueless. It is a book like "Who Moved My Cheese?" -- totally geared to inspire mindless HR people to put in the Corporate's "library" in hopes of motivating the drones. "
— Emily, 12/30/2013 -
" It was a good story explaining Ubuntu, but the philosophy of Ubuntu is repeated over and over almost painfully so. "
— Andre, 12/30/2013 -
" Rather a simplified writing style, but still an interesting concept. Has to do with Organizational Behavior and how to incorporate the African community concept of ubuntu within a corporation, in particular as a management style. "
— Katherine, 12/10/2013 -
" Story bad. Ideas amazing. :) "
— Jackie, 11/28/2013 -
" A way to teach good manners and respect without using the bible? "
— Deborah, 10/6/2013 -
" I am because we are "
— Renny, 9/22/2013 -
" Ideas are extremely valuable. Story felt a bit forced. "
— Sarah, 7/15/2013 -
" A nice motivating story for employees that emphasizes the value of treating co-workers with respect. "
— Stacey, 2/19/2013 -
" enjoyed reading this fictional story about what can happen to super employees when they are made supervisors and provide absolutely no training. "
— Creatingalan, 2/8/2013 -
" Light reading - good ideas for business but nothing really new here. "
— Kim, 11/8/2012 -
" It was okay. It was a quick read but I've read business books and uplifting books that were 10 times better. The book BEANS now that's an amazing book in this genre! "
— Aubrey, 6/30/2012 -
" A good book for managers to give to employees about the importance of team work. About the African philosophy of Ubuntu. Written in story form. short, sweet and to the point. "
— Shujuan, 3/26/2012 -
" Hard to argue with the concepts, but probably could have been explained concisely in about 10 pages. "
— Fayette, 2/20/2012 -
" The Ubuntu philosophy gave me something about which to think. However the story used to convey the philosophy was fictional, yet based on real-life experiences of the authors (as stated by the authors in the preface), and as a result, the many of the situations did come across as contrived. "
— Alex, 12/1/2011 -
" Ubuntu! was a quick read about a fascinating African ethical philosophy. The book does a good job of explaining the concept at a high level, however the fictional story used to relate the concept to the American workplace seemed more suited for a children's book. "
— Jason, 8/30/2011 -
" It is a very relevant book for any teams. Most of the book speaks simply and effectively about Team work and collaboration but some parts do become a little didactic. "
— Ruby, 6/7/2011 -
" It was okay. It was a quick read but I've read business books and uplifting books that were 10 times better. The book BEANS now that's an amazing book in this genre! "
— Aubrey, 4/13/2011 -
" A nice motivating story for employees that emphasizes the value of treating co-workers with respect. "
— Stacey, 10/27/2010 -
" Ideas are extremely valuable. Story felt a bit forced. "
— Sarah, 8/31/2010 -
" A way to teach good manners and respect without using the bible? "
— Deborah, 7/22/2010 -
" Ubuntu! was a quick read about a fascinating African ethical philosophy. The book does a good job of explaining the concept at a high level, however the fictional story used to relate the concept to the American workplace seemed more suited for a children's book. "
— Jason, 5/17/2010
About the Authors
Stephen Lundin is a writer, entrepreneur, and filmmaker with a rich history as a graduate level business school professor and dean. Steve has written a number of books including the bestselling Fish!
Bob Nelson, PhD, is president of Nelson Motivation, Inc., a founding board member of the National Association for Employee Recognition (NAER), and bestselling author, including the 1001 Ways series and Managing for Dummies. He lives and works in San Diego.
About Dominic Hoffman
Dominic Hoffman, winner of numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards for narration, has been named an AudioFile Golden Voice. He is a Los Angeles–based actor of stage, screen, and television. He has appeared in such television shows as The Shield, NYPD Blue, and The Jamie Foxx Show. He attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art as well as the American Conservatory Theater.