Douglas Murray knows his company is underperforming, but not what to do about it. Until, that is, he meets Lise: a fascinating, mysterious figure, part ingenue and part guru, who challenges Douglas to question his most basic assumptions about himself and his business. As a result, Douglas embarks on a journey which will transform his company into a place where people want to be, where energy and talent are released, and where there is a real connection between people. Guardian Angel is an approachable, entertaining and thought-provoking exploration of personal and corporate change. Douglas Murray, Chief Executive of Guardian Angel, a financial services company selling pensions and life assurance, prides himself on keeping up with the latest management ideas. His company is efficiently run, with a flat management structure and clear lines of reporting and communication. But while turnover is growing, Guardian Angel still lags behind its two main industry rivals. Its senior managers all agree that the company could do much better, but no-one can suggest how to do it. Innovation and improvement have hit a brick wall.
Musing on these issues at his desk one day, Douglas is startled by the sudden appearance in his office of an attractive woman. She introduces herself as Lise, a junior communications specialist from the marketing department, and declares that if Douglas agrees to work with her, she can guarantee him insights which will change not only the way he thinks, but the way his company works - and take Guardian Angel to the number one spot he covets. Unsure whether he is daydreaming or not, Douglas nevertheless agrees to work with Lise. Over the ensuing chapters, these two characters, widely different in age and experience, engage in a process which challenges many of Douglas's assumptions about himself, his managers and the nature of work itself. The story unfolds as a third person narrative. We meet a range of minor characters (principally Douglas's wife and colleagues) but Douglas and Lise are at the heart of the action. It is through their relationship, and the intellectual and emotional challenges which Lise sets for Douglas, that we gain access to the insights offered by the book. Fantasy plays a large part in the story.
Lise, for example, can read Douglas's every thought and take him into meetings where they remain invisible but hear and see all that goes on. Some of these meetings are themselves fantasies - like the football dressing room team talk which Lise and Douglas observe early on. Here the coach tells the players that they will never know the score, either during the game or after; that the goalposts will be regularly moved without notice or explanation; but that in spite of all this, their job is to go out and produce an outstanding performance week after week. Fantasy it may be, but the parallel with office life is all too real, and Douglas is quick to appreciate it. We follow him on his journey of self-discovery, seeing him at home with his wife, in the office with various groups of colleagues, but above all in dialogue with Lise, a fascinating and mysterious figure, part ingenue and part guru, who continually challenges Douglas to question his assumptions and reach new levels of awareness and understanding - first of himself and, through that, of his colleagues and his business goals and practice.
As we follow Douglas on his journey of discovery we examine the concepts of empowerment, taking personal responsibility, releasing and channelling motivation, mental models, dialoguing and many others, all of which Douglas uses to change his perceptions and his ways of thinking. As a result, he redefines his goal for Guardian Angel as being "to create a place where people want to be, a place which buzzes with productive energy and intent; a place where there is a connection between people in everything they do, not only internally, but with customers, suppliers and communities at large." This is a goal which any business manager will recognise and identify with. And the engaging style of this account makes The Journey an approachable and entertaining exploration of ideas about change, as well as an intelligent one.