Chris Widener

Chris Widener: Books & Videos

The Angel Inside: Michelangelo's Secrets for Following Your Passion and Finding the Work You Love
There will come a time when you must decide to lead the life someone else has chosen for you…or the life you want.

According to legend, when a young boy asked the great Renaissance artist Michelangelo why he was working so hard hitting the block of marble that would eventually become his greatest sculpture, David, the artist replied, “Young man, there is an angel inside this rock, and I am setting him free.” In The Angel Inside, the renowned consultant and career coach Chris Widener uses Michelangelo’s words to explore the hidden potential that exists within us all.

In this unforgettable tale, Tom Cook, a disillusioned American businessman, has traveled to Italy looking for direction in his life. In Florence, the last city on his tour, Tom meets a mysterious old man who opens his eyes to the art and life of Michelangelo and reveals what the artist’s work can teach him—and all of us—about the power of following your passion.

Among the lessons that Tom learns over the course of the next day:

• The beauty is in the details
• Your hand creates what your mind conceives
• All great accomplishments start with a single swift action
• No one begins by creating the Sistine Chapel

Whether you’re looking for a way to reinvigorate your career or searching for the courage to begin a new one, THE ANGEL INSIDE is a must-read if you want to find true meaning in your life and work.

The break-out business parable that’s already sold more than 70,000 copies, The Angel Inside tells the story of a young man searching for meaning in his work and finding it in an unlikely place: the life and art of Michelangelo.
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Leadership Rules: How to Become the Leader You Want to Be
An inspiring business fable that champions leadership for the Everyman

From bestselling author Chris Widener comes a compelling new story showing what you give and get when you lead. The story follows down-cast protagonist Mike Keller who, recently separated from his wife and demoted at work, must relocate to a rural factory-town in Texas. There, Mike encounters the deep-rooted traditions of Texas high school football, and in the process learns everything business school didn't teach him about leadership from the most influential man in town-the local high school football coach.

• Highlights the Four Rules of Leadership: You Get What You Expect, You Get What You Model, You Get What You Reward, and You Get What You Work For
• Advises readers, in an accessible teaching style, on how to tailor the Rules to their own circumstances
• Includes reflection questions as a tool to guide readers in enriching their work life, family relationships, and social interactions

Leadership Rules is an engaging, refreshing tale that imparts leadership lessons easily applied to both work life and your interpersonal relationships.
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The Art of Influence: Persuading Others Begins With You
From Chris Widener, the author of the breakout bestseller The Angel Inside, comes an inspiring new parable on the power of influence.

The Art of Influence will make you think twice about everything you've ever learned about influence. As Chris Widener’s inspiring story reveals, it’s not something you "do" to other people but rather something that starts with how you shape and transform your own life. Forget about manipulation and slick fast-talking; The Art of Influence teaches that your ability to influence others begins from within.
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