There's a long tradition in self-help books for the subject of the tale, usually in the guise of a narrator, to engage in a kind of Socratic discussion with a wiser elder. The subject is led on a difficult quest through uncertainty to a contented and self-satisfied enlightenment. In the process the reader is taken on the same journey to reach their enlightenment. Hurrah.
Here, the quest involves emails and meetings in coffee shops and hotel lobbies, which is all very modern. For those who miss the intention, there's a less than subtle reference to that ultimate self-help text, Paulo Coelho's multi-million selling book The Alchemist.
To Plant a Walnut Tree is nominally a retelling of the story of Waldock's own journey to enlightenment and the realisation that there is more to life than work. A leader's true legacy, he says, should stretch outside of the organisation he or she leads. But for all the resonance there is in Waldock's concept of "eldership", and in his call for a style of leadership that's focused on the broader context, there's something unmoving and unenlightening about this book.
