Chapter 3: Shamans, Memes, and Ethical Leadership: The Transformational Role of Shamanic Leadership in Healing the World

In traditional cultures, shamans are leaders within their communities. As medicine women and men, shamans focus on healing individuals and cultural mythologies on which communities make sense of their world. Shamans are dedicated to making their world a better place, an important aspect of ethical leadership. This chapter explores how shamanism can enhance today’s ethical leaders—business shamans. A shamanic orientation can help leaders work towards profitability and a better world and argues that the world needs many more people in leadership and management to explicitly assume the healing mantle of the shaman.