Authentic Excellence for Organizations

R. Kelly Crace, PhD, is the Associate Vice President for Health & Wellness at William & Mary and Director of the Center for Mindfulness and Authentic Excellence (CMAX). He is a licensed psychologist and the co-author of Authentic Excellence: Flourishing & Resilience in a Relentless World and the Life Values Inventory.Charles J. Hardy, PhD, is a Professor in the School of Health and Applied Human Sciences at the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW). He served as the Founding Dean of the College of Health and Human Services (CHHS) at UNCW and the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health (JPHCOPH) at Georgia Southern University.Robert L. Crace, MFA, is the Executive Director of the nonprofit Life Values Inventory Online, Inc. He is the co-author of Authentic Excellence: Flourishing & Resilience in a Relentless World. He is a Visiting Professor in Creative Writing & Literature at Stony Brook University.

"In Authentic Excellence for Organizations, the authors provide a roadmap for organizations to shift from "Or" to "&" cultures, whereby the focus shifts from tension reduction to tension management, and both sides of singular organizational dynamics are honored, creating a more optimizing, values-centered culture. Flourishing organizations will adopt this transformative thinking!"Dr. Rob Burrus, Dean, Cameron School of Business, University of North Carolina Wilmington"This outstanding book by gifted leaders identifies 8 Essential &’s and their transformative optimizers for organizational flourishing. The fundamental premise behind the frameworks is that it takes practice and work. The authors describe a process that details how organizational members can harness their team’s natural wisdom to flourish through the relentless pace and pressure of today’s world. This will be required reading of my administrative team as it will assist leaders in developing teams through inclusive and values-centered culture rather than a fear-based culture." Dr. Frederick Whitt, President, Lenoir Rhyne University"Authentic Excellence for Organizations is a game changer. This book can help your organization achieve levels of excellence you never considered attainable. The authors present a clear and practical roadmap to achieve organizational flourishing." Aidan Heaney, Head Coach, Men’s Soccer, University of North Carolina Wilmington"Authentic Excellence for Organizations examines a topic that is simple AND complex. I really enjoyed the vignettes at the beginning of each chapter, and the roadmaps provided for the 8 Essential "&’s" present a framework for helping any organization pursue authentic excellence."Dr. Joseph Pino, Senior Vice President Medical Education Novant Health and Executive Director of Southeast Area Health Education Center, and Associate Dean and Director of University of North Carolina School of Medicine Wilmington Campus, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill"The disruptive impact of the pandemic has forever changed the workplace. Authentic Excellence for Organizations is one of the most powerful new leadership books that I have read. It is a must read. Opening chapter vignettes and the roadmaps provided for the 8 Essential "&’s" are powerful tools for any organization seeking to effectively move their organization "to where the hockey puck is going" to achieve success in today’s workplace." Larry Clark, Chancellor, Louisiana State University Shreveport"Too many times, leaders are limited by their ability to think only in dichotomies. This book demonstrates that leadership must be values-based and expansive; otherwise, fear-based need and power create a toxic culture that prevents giving voice to the complexities of organizational systems. Shifting from an "Or" culture to "&" culture is hard work. The authors have adapted the Giving Voice to Values model to analyze, apply, and practice embracing essential organizational "&" values."Dr. Lori Messinger, Dean, College of Social Work, University of Tennessee

• 1. Introduction 2. Personal Values "&" Common Values 3. Competitive "&" Collaborative 4. Stressed "&" Well 5. Hard "&" Right 6. Innovation "&" Tradition 7. Productive "&" Fulfilled 8. Emotional "&" Analytical 9. Mentoring "&" Following 10. In Closing