Loss and Discovery

“Russell Linden has done it again! Loss and Discovery is a masterpiece and should be required reading for anyone working in management or endeavoring to create any type of meaningful and lasting change during trying times where a paradigm shift is needed. We need more changemakers investing in strategic, cutting-edge thought combined with timeless wisdom.”

Shmuly Yanklowitz

“Using intriguing stories from the Torah, Russ Linden shows that we’re certainly not the first generation to face the need for change in disruptive times. His clear and compelling examples—both historical and contemporary—the lessons he insightfully draws out, and the action steps he offers will help leaders in organizations and all of us who want to improve our work and personal effectiveness in confronting the complex problems of today.”

Terry Newell

“In Loss and Discovery, Linden perceptively identifies core principles of leadership and change while adroitly drawing on the narratives found in the Torah to illustrate and illuminate these principles. The book will become a primary sourcebook for those leading, or in training to lead, organizations of all sorts even as it will provide deep learning for parents, spouses, or anyone seeking to navigate changes in any important relationship.”

Daniel S. Alexander

“I feel Russ’s book would be an invaluable resource, especially in the congregational setting. It offers refreshing insights and compelling practical examples for leadership and change. His insights into the Torah and his ability to connect it to leadership would serve as a great model of learning for a lay leader. In order to survive and flourish, congregations will need to change and adapt to the ‘new reality’ of 2020 and beyond. Russ Linden’s keen understanding of leadership and change combined with his firsthand knowledge of synagogue life (as a former congregational president) makes his book an important resource for congregations and congregational leaders as they formulate plans to best meet the evolving needs of their congregants.”

Lee Bycel

“Russell Linden has written a masterpiece to address the difficult challenges people face in times of disruptive change. His insights about the dynamics of change and how to work through it are practical, timely, and clearly described. The correlates with lessons from the Torah provide a unique and profound perspective. They combine ancient wisdom with modern thinking about change in ways that are relevant to everyone. The stories and examples from Russ’s professional experience, the Torah, and various other sources provide engaging and memorable insights that make the book a lively read. I strongly recommend Loss and Discovery as a message of possibility to make the journey through the wilderness created by disruptive change and to emerge from it with greater personal strength and organizational capacity.”

Warren Blank

“‘We need good leaders.’ We’re continually saying that. But what does it mean to be a ‘good leader’? Russ Linden shows that we can learn from our biblical heroes. They were great leaders who also made mistakes, and Russ describes the lessons we can draw from their stories as well as from contemporary leaders. He gives us a vivid demonstration of how to lead change, using both formal power and influence skills, with practical tips that can be implemented in today’s organizations. Combining old and new wisdom, Russ’s insights will help today’s leaders deal with crises, disruptive change, resistance, speaking truth to power, and more. It’s the right book for our times.”

Rachel Liel

“In this book, Russ Linden—consultant, author, and management educator for over forty years—takes a unique look at the concepts of leadership and change. By citing familiar stories from the Old Testament and relating them to contemporary management situations, he offers insights for both public and private sector managers leading change-management initiatives. He overlays these stories on prominent change-management models and frameworks based on his extensive knowledge and experience. The biblical examples are accessible to people with a wide range of backgrounds—from casual readers of the Bible to those who have studied the texts in greater detail. Most importantly, the management examples he cites provide useful advice to the practicing manager.”

Elliott Weiss

“Linden’s extraordinary career of leading and teaching organizations how to thrive is illumed here by his sincerely held Jewish faith, which brings ancient wisdom to bear. This book is about change, the kind that transforms and renews. Every leader knows change is constant, and Linden charts pathways to engage change holistically by weaving the best of leadership research with insightful contemporary examples.”

David Forney