Sign-In
Cart
The Management of Loss: Humanity's Existential Crises
Hardcover
Business GeneralManagementDeath & Dying
ISBN13: 9781041096801
Publisher: Routledge
Published: Nov 6 2025
Pages: 154
Weight: 0.90
Height: 0.44 Width: 6.14 Depth: 9.21
Language: English
Loss is experienced in many forms--from the death of a loved one, illness, and job loss, to the emotional turmoil surrounding retirement, divorce, separation, or even the quiet ache of boredom and loneliness. World-renowned leadership scholar, psychoanalyst, social psychologist, and executive coach Manfred Kets de Vries explores how we can navigate loss in both life and work.
A pioneer in the field of clinical and psychodynamic-systemic executive coaching, Manfred examines a wide spectrum of losses--some obvious, others more subtle--shedding light on how we respond to them. Some people fight against loss, denying its reality at all costs. Others may become consumed by grief. For some, work becomes a coping mechanism, a way to manage the existential anxiety that stems from life's impermanence. In such cases, manic work habits can become a distraction--an escape from confronting painful truths. Written in an accessible and conversational style--as if speaking with a group of friends--this book offers deeply human insights brought to life through personal anecdotes, case studies, and illustrative vignettes. Manfred encourages readers to face their inner struggles without falling back on primitive defense mechanisms like splitting, projection, or denial. He guides us in reflecting on the consequences of our choices--past and future--so we may recognize our limitations, embrace our potential, and find meaning amid loss.
An essential read for anyone grappling with loss, this book is especially valuable for executives, executive coaches, consultants, self-help enthusiasts, and well-being practitioners.
Also from
Kets de Vries, Manfred F. R.
The Path to Individual and Organizational Transformation: Confronting the Elephant in the Room
Kets de Vries, Manfred F. R.
Hardcover
The CEO Whisperer: Meditations on Leadership, Life, and Change
Kets de Vries, Manfred F. R.
Hardcover
Leadership Unhinged: Essays on the Ugly, the Bad, and the Weird
Kets de Vries, Manfred F. R.
Hardcover
The New Global Leaders: Richard Branson, Percy Barnevik, David Simon and the Remaking of International Business
Florent-Treacy, Elizabeth
Kets de Vries, Manfred F. R.
Hardcover
Are Leaders Born or Are They Made?: The Case of Alexander the Great
Kets de Vries, Manfred F. R.
Engellau, Elisabet
Paperback
Down the Rabbit Hole of Leadership: Leadership Pathology in Everyday Life
Kets de Vries, Manfred F. R.
Paperback
Are Leaders Born or Are They Made?: The Case of Alexander the Great
Kets de Vries, Manfred F. R.
Engellau, Elisabet
Hardcover
Leadership Unhinged: Essays on the Ugly, the Bad, and the Weird
Kets de Vries, Manfred F. R.
Paperback
The CEO Whisperer: Meditations on Leadership, Life, and Change
Kets de Vries, Manfred F. R.
Paperback
The Daily Perils of Executive Life: How to Survive When Dancing on Quicksand
Kets de Vries, Manfred F. R.
Paperback
The Daily Perils of Executive Life: How to Survive When Dancing on Quicksand
Kets de Vries, Manfred F. R.
Hardcover
The Neurotic Organization: Diagnosing and Changing Counterproductive Styles of Management
Kets de Vries, Manfred F. R.
Miller, Danny
Hardcover
Down the Rabbit Hole of Leadership: Leadership Pathology in Everyday Life
Kets de Vries, Manfred F. R.
Hardcover
Le Sexe, L'Argent, Le Bonheur et La Mort: à la poursuite de l'authenticité perdu
Kets de Vries, Manfred F. R.
Paperback
Life and Death in the Executive Fast Lane: Essays on Irrational Organizations and Their Leaders
Kets de Vries, Manfred F. R.
Hardcover
The Reflective Leader Within: Leading Between Shadows and Light
Kets de Vries, Manfred F. R.
Hardcover
The Reflective Leader Within: Leading Between Shadows and Light
Kets de Vries, Manfred F. R.
Paperback
Also in
Management
Strong Ground: The Lessons of Daring Leadership, the Tenacity of Paradox, and the Wisdom of the Human Spirit
Brown, Brené
Hardcover
Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect
Guidara, Will
Hardcover
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on Mental Toughness (with Bonus Interview Post-Traumatic Growth and Building Resilience with Martin Seligman) (Hbr's 10 Must Reads
Review, Harvard Business
Schwartz, Tony
Seligman, Martin E. P.
Paperback
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on Managing Yourself (with Bonus Article How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton M. Christensen)
Review, Harvard Business
Drucker, Peter F.
Christensen, Clayton M.
Paperback
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on Mental Toughness, Updated and Expanded (Featuring How to Stop Worrying about What Other People Think of You by Michael Gervais)
Review, Harvard Business
Gervais, Michael
Duckworth, Angela L.
Paperback
Hbr's 10 Must Reads 2026: The Definitive Management Ideas of the Year from Harvard Business Review (Featuring the Strategic Genius of Taylor Swift by
Review, Harvard Business
Meyer, Erin
Flyvbjerg, Bent
Paperback
The Year in Tech, 2026: The Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review
Review, Harvard Business
Anthony, Scott D.
Webb, Amy
Paperback
What the Heck Is Eos?: A Complete Guide for Employees in Companies Running on EOS
Wickman, Gino
Bouwer, Tom
Hardcover
Dirtbag Billionaire: How Yvon Chouinard Built Patagonia, Made a Fortune, and Gave It All Away
Gelles, David
Hardcover
Influence and Persuasion (HBR Emotional Intelligence Series)
Review, Harvard Business
Morgan, Nick
Cialdini, Robert B.
Paperback
Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as If Your Life Depended on It
Voss, Chris
Raz, Tahl
Hardcover
A CEO for All Seasons: Mastering the Cycles of Leadership
Keller, Scott
Malhotra, Vikram
Dewar, Carolyn
Hardcover
Inner Excellence: Train Your Mind for Extraordinary Performance and the Best Possible Life
Murphy, Jim
Paperback
How to Work with Complicated People: Strategies for Effective Collaboration with (Nearly) Anyone
Leak, Ryan
Hardcover
G.O.A.T. Wisdom: How to Build a Truly Great Business--From the Founders of Beekman 1802
Ridge, Brent
Kilmer-Purcell, Josh
Hardcover
The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More, and Change the Way You Lead Forever
Stanier, Michael Bungay
Paperback
Biblia del Vendedor: Tecnicas Efectivas Para El Vendedor Competitivo
Dey, Alejandro
Dey, Alex
Paperback
Fearless Pricing: Ignite Your Team, Own Your Value, and Command What You Deserve
Brown, Casey
Paperback
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on Managing Yourself, Updated and Expanded (Featuring How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton M. Christensen)
Review, Harvard Business
Drucker, Peter F.
Gallo, Amy
Paperback
Positive Intelligence: Why Only 20% of Teams and Individuals Achieve Their True Potential and How You Can Achieve Yours
Chamine, Shirzad
Hardcover
The First 90 Days, Updated and Expanded: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter
Watkins, Michael D.
Hardcover
Hbr's 10 Must Reads 2025: The Definitive Management Ideas of the Year from Harvard Business Review (with Bonus Article Use Strategic Thinking to Creat
Review, Harvard Business
Rometty, Ginni
Sutton, Robert I.
Paperback
The Mom Test: How to talk to customers & learn if your business is a good idea when everyone is lying to you
Fitzpatrick, Rob
Paperback
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on Emotional Intelligence, Updated and Expanded (Featuring What Makes a Leader by Daniel Goleman)
Review, Harvard Business
Goleman, Daniel
Ibarra, Hermina
Paperback
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on High Performance, Updated and Expanded (Featuring Nine Things Successful People Do Differently by Heidi Grant)
Review, Harvard Business
Grant, Heidi
Goleman, Daniel
Paperback
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on Leadership, Updated and Expanded (Featuring Begin with Trust by Frances X. Frei and Anne Morriss)
Review, Harvard Business
Edmondson, Amy C.
Ibarra, Herminia
Paperback
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on Managing People, Updated and Expanded (Featuring Are You a Good Boss--Or a Great One? by Linda A. Hill and Kent Lineback)
Review, Harvard Business
Goleman, Daniel
Hill, Linda A.
Paperback
Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving in
Ury, William
Patton, Bruce
Fisher, Roger
Paperback
The Ideal Team Player: How to Recognize and Cultivate the Three Essential Virtues
Lencioni, Patrick M.
Hardcover
Generative Ai: The Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review
Mollick, Ethan
Cremer, David De
Review, Harvard Business
Paperback
Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most
Heen, Sheila
Patton, Bruce
Stone, Douglas
Paperback
The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership: A New Paradigm for Sustainable Success
Dethmer, Jim
Chapman, Diana
Klemp, Kaley
Paperback
Feedback That Works: How to Build and Deliver Your Message, Second Edition
Center for Creative Leadership
Paperback
Begin With WE: 10 Principles for Building and Sustaining a Culture of Excellence
McDowell, Kyle
Paperback
The Founder's Mentality: How to Overcome the Predictable Crises of Growth
Zook, Chris
Allen, James
Hardcover
Scaling Up: How a Few Companies Make It...and Why the Rest Don't (Rockefeller Habits 2.0)
Harnish, Verne
Paperback
From Drift to Drive: A High Achievers Guide to Breaking the Chains of Complacency
Robinson, Chris
Hardcover
The Practice of Adaptive Leadership: Tools and Tactics for Changing Your Organization and the World
Grashow, Alexander
Linsky, Marty
Heifetz, Ronald A.
Hardcover
The 6 Types of Working Genius: A Better Way to Understand Your Gifts, Your Frustrations, and Your Team
Lencioni, Patrick M.
Hardcover
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on Leadership (with Featured Article What Makes an Effective Executive, by Peter F. Drucker)
Drucker, Peter F.
Goleman, Daniel
Review, Harvard Business
Paperback
The Experimentation Machine: Finding Product-Market Fit in the Age of AI
Bussgang, Jeffrey J.
Hardcover
Software as a Science: Unlock Limitless Recurring Revenue Without Losing Control
Martell, Dan
Page, Johnny
Verlaque, Matt
Hardcover
The Asshole Survival Guide: How to Deal with People Who Treat You Like Dirt
Sutton, Robert I.
Paperback
The Emotionally Intelligent Team: Building Collaborative Groups That Outperform the Rest
Druskat, Vanessa Urch
Hardcover
Get Scalable: The Operating System Your Business Needs To Run and Scale Without You
Deiss, Ryan
Paperback
The Oz Principle: Getting Results Through Individual and Organizational Accountability
Hickman, Craig
Connors, Roger
Smith, Tom
Paperback
Demand-Side Sales 101: Stop Selling and Help Your Customers Make Progress
Moesta, Bob
Engle, Greg
Hardcover
Our Iceberg Is Melting: Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions
Rathgeber, Holger
Kotter, John
Hardcover
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on Managing People (with Featured Article Leadership That Gets Results, by Daniel Goleman)
Goleman, Daniel
Katzenbach, Jon R.
Review, Harvard Business
Paperback
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You
Maxwell, John C.
Hardcover
Rocket Fuel: The One Essential Combination That Will Get You More of What You Want from Your Business
Winters, Mark C.
Wickman, Gino
Paperback
The Black Swan: Second Edition: The Impact of the Highly Improbable: With a New Section: On Robustness and Fragility
Taleb, Nassim Nicholas
Paperback
The Way of the Shepherd: Seven Secrets to Managing Productive People
Pentak, William
Leman, Kevin
Hardcover
Unicorn Team: The Nine Leadership Types You Need to Launch Your Big Ideas with Speed and Success
Kem, Jen
Hardcover
The Need to Lead: A Topgun Instructor's Lessons on How Leadership Solves Every Challenge
Berke, Dave
Hardcover
Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts. (Large Print Edition)
Brown, Brené
Paperback
How to Win Friends and Influence People: Updated for the Next Generation of Leaders
Carnegie, Dale
Hardcover
The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth about Extraordinary Results
Keller, Gary
Papasan, Jay
Hardcover
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on Strategy, Updated and Expanded (Featuring the Five Competitive Forces That Shape Strategy by Michael E. Porter)
Review, Harvard Business
Porter, Michael E.
Kim, W. Chan
Paperback
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on High Performance (with Bonus Article the Right Way to Form New Habits" an Interview with James Clear)
Review, Harvard Business
Clear, James
Goleman, Daniel
Paperback
The 360 Degree Leader: Developing Your Influence from Anywhere in the Organization
Maxwell, John C.
Paperback
Profit Generating Pipeline: A Proven Formula to Earn Trust and Drive Revenue
Venetz, Leslie
Hardcover
The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace: Empowering Organizations by Encouraging People
Chapman, Gary
White, Paul
Paperback
Masters of Uncertainty: The Navy Seal Way to Turn Stress Into Success for You and Your Team
Diviney, Rich
Hardcover
The Maxwell Daily Reader: 365 Days of Insight to Develop the Leader Within You and Influence Those Around You
Maxwell, John C.
Paperback
Main Street Millionaire: How to Make Extraordinary Wealth Buying Ordinary Businesses
Sanchez, Codie
Hardcover
The Hard Thing about Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers
Horowitz, Ben
Hardcover
Find Your Why: A Practical Guide for Discovering Purpose for You and Your Team
Mead, David
Docker, Peter
Sinek, Simon
Paperback
The New Gold Standard: 5 Leadership Principles for Creating a Legendary Customer Experience Courtesy of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company
Michelli, Joseph A.
Hardcover
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on Emotional Intelligence (with Featured Article What Makes a Leader? by Daniel Goleman)(Hbr's 10 Must Reads)
Boyatzis, Richard E.
Review, Harvard Business
Goleman, Daniel
Hardcover
Tax-Free Wealth: How to Build Massive Wealth by Permanently Lowering Your Taxes
Wheelwright, Tom
Paperback
The Leadership Challenge: How to Make Extraordinary Things Happen in Organizations
Posner, Barry Z.
Kouzes, James M.
Hardcover
The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business
Lencioni, Patrick M.
Hardcover
Blue Ocean Strategy, Expanded Edition: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant
Mauborgne, Renée a.
Kim, W. Chan
Hardcover
Who Believed in You: How Purposeful Mentorship Changes the World
McCormick, David
Powell McCormick, Dina
Hardcover
The Phoenix Project: A Novel about It, Devops, and Helping Your Business Win
Kim, Gene
Behr, Kevin
Spafford, George
Paperback
Hardball: Are You Playing to Play or Playing to Win?
Stalk, George
Lachenauer, Rob
Butman, John
Hardcover
The Broken Rung: When the Career Ladder Breaks for Women--And How They Can Succeed in Spite of It
Ellingrud, Kweilin
Yee, Lareina
del Mar Martinez, Maria
Hardcover
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on Strengthening Your Soft Skills (with Bonus Article You Don't Need Just One Leadership Voice--You Need Many by Amy Jen Su)
Goleman, Daniel
Gallo, Amy
Review, Harvard Business
Paperback
The Trusted Advisor: 20th Anniversary Edition
Galford, Robert
Green, Charles
Maister, David H.
Paperback
Rocket Fuel: The One Essential Combination That Will Get You More of What You Want from Your Business
Wickman, Gino
Winters, Mark C.
Hardcover
Leadership and Self-Deception, Fourth Edition: The Secret to Transforming Relationships and Unleashing Results
Arbinger Institute
Paperback
Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World
Collins, Tantum
Silverman, David
McChrystal, Stanley
Hardcover
There's Got to Be a Better Way: How to Deliver Results and Get Rid of the Stuff That Gets in the Way of Real Work
Kieffer, Donald C.
Repenning, Nelson P.
Hardcover
The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals
Huling, Jim
Covey, Sean
McChesney, Chris
Paperback
Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine
Michalowicz, Mike
Hardcover
Start with Why 15th Anniversary Edition: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action
Sinek, Simon
Hardcover
Obvious Adams -- The Story of a Successful Businessman: New Business Edition
Updegraff, Robert R.
Paperback
The Unaccountability Machine: Why Big Systems Make Terrible Decisions--And How the World Lost Its Mind
Davies, Dan
Paperback
Team Topologies, 2nd Edition: Organizing Business and Technology for Fast Flow of Value
Pais, Manuel
Skelton, Matthew
Paperback
The 360 Degree Leader Workbook: Developing Your Influence from Anywhere in the Organization
Maxwell, John C.
Paperback
Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive Through the Dangers of Change
Linsky, Marty
Heifetz, Ronald A.
Hardcover
More Human: How the Power of AI Can Transform the Way You Lead
Hougaard, Rasmus
Carter, Jacqueline
Hardcover
Trust and Inspire: How Truly Great Leaders Unleash Greatness in Others
Covey, McKinlee
Covey, Stephen M. R.
Kasperson, David
Paperback
The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses
Ries, Eric
Hardcover
Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRs
Doerr, John
Hardcover
The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success
Thorndike, William N.
Hardcover