Author: Lisa Earle McLeod Edition: 1 Publisher: Wiley Binding: Hardcover ISBN: 1118408098 Price: You Save: 45%
Selling with Noble Purpose: How to Drive Revenue and Do Work That Makes You Proud
Turn an effective sales force into one that is truly outstanding.Selling with Noble Purpose review. /b>
Drawing on two decades of consulting with leading sales organizations, sales leadership expert Lisa Earle McLeod reveals how a Noble Sales Purpose (NSP) can drive a team to outstanding sales numbers. Using hard data and compelling field stories, Selling with Purpose explains why salespeople who understand earnestly how they make a difference to customers outperform their more quota-driven counterparts. This book shows executives, managers, and aspiring sales leaders how to find your NSP and create a sales force of True Believers who drive revenue and do work that makes them proud. * Explains why sales organizations with a clearly stated Noble Sales Purpose (NSP) dramatically outperform sales organizations driven by numbers alone * Details how to find your NSP using a simple three-part formula * Shares how to use NSP to make your salespeople more assertive, focused, and profitable
In an era where most organizations believe that money is the only way to motivate salespeople, Selling With Purpose offers a sustainable and exciting alternativeRead full reviews of selling with noble purpose: how to drive revenue and do work that makes you prou.
Read Selling with Noble Purpose: How to Drive Revenue and Do Work That Makes You Proud reviews by
Turn an effective sales force into one that is truly outstandingDrawing on two decades of consulting with leading sales organizations, sales leadership expert Lisa Earle McLeod reveals how a Noble Sales Purpose (NSP) can drive a team to outstanding sales numbers. Using hard data and compelling field stories, 'Selling with Purpose' explains why salespeople who understand earnestly how they make a difference to customers outperform their more quota-driven counterparts. This book shows executives, managers, and aspiring sales leaders how to find your NSP and create a sales force of True Believers
author lisa earle mcleod format hardback language english publication year 28 11 2012 subject management business economics industry subject 2 sales marketing themonsterbookshop co uk in titles description add my store to your favorites and receive my email newsletters about new items and special promotions general interest selling with noble purpose how to drive revenue and do work that makes you proud item details title selling with noble purpose how to drive revenue and do work that makes you
Store Search search Title, ISBN and Author Selling with Noble Purpose by Lisa Earle McLeod Estimated delivery 3-12 business days Format Hardcover Condition Brand New Turn an effective sales force into one that is truly outstanding Drawing on two decades of consulting with leading sales organizations, sales leadership expert Lisa Earle McLeod reveals how a Noble Sales Purpose (NSP) can drive a team to outstanding sales numbers. Publisher Description Turn an effective sales force into one that is
Buy Selling with Noble Purpose by Lisa Earle McLeod and Read this Book on Kobo's Free Apps. Discover Kobo's Vast Collection of Ebooks Today - Over 3 Million Titles, Including 2 Million Free Ones!
Drawing on two decades of consulting with leading sales organizations, sales leadership expert Lisa Earle McLeod reveals how a Noble Sales Purpose (NSP) can drive a team to outstanding sales numbers. Using hard data and compelling field stories, Selling with Purpose explains why salespeople who understand earnestly how they make a difference to customers outperform their more quota-driven counterparts. This book shows executives, managers, and aspiring sales leaders how to find your NSP and create a sales force of True Believers who drive revenue and do work that makes them proud. * Explains why sales organizations with a clearly stated Noble Sales Purpose (NSP) dramatically outperform sales organizations driven by numbers alone * Details how to find your NSP using a simple three-part formula * Shares how to use NSP to make your salespeople more assertive, focused, and profitable
In an era where most organizations believe that money is the only way to motivate salespeople, Selling With Purpose offers a sustainable and exciting alternative.
Author: Joel Kurtzman Edition: 1 Publisher: Jossey-Bass Binding: Hardcover ISBN: 0470490098 Price: You Save: 54%
Common Purpose: How Great Leaders Get Organizations to Achieve the Extraordinary
From one of the most respected names in business and leadership, a rare look at the specifics of how great leaders achieve "common purpose" and success within their organizations.Common Purpose review.
What is common purpose? It is that rare, almost-palpable experience that happens when a leader coalesces a group, team or community into a creative, dynamic, brave and nearly invincible we. It happens the moment the organization's values, tools, objectives and hopes are internalized in a way that enables people to work tirelessly toward a goal. Common purpose is rarely achieved. But Kurtzman has observed that when a leader is able to bring it about, the results are outsized, measurable and inspiringRead full reviews of Common Purpose UK, 9786136559063.
Read The Power of Invisible Leadership: How a Compelling Common Purpose Inspires Exceptional Leadership (Paperback) reviews by
A powerful force draws people to leadership in countless businesses, nonprofits, government agencies, and social movementswe call it invisible leadership . Invisible leadership embodies situations in which dedication to a compelling and deeply held common purpose is the motivating force for leadership. The Power of Invisible Leadership: How a Compelling Common Purpose Inspires Exceptional Leadership , by Gill Robinson Hickman and Georgia L. Sorenson, is a readable, research-based book that shows readers how invisible leadership exists in the space between leaders and followers, artists and sub
Buy Common Purpose: How Great Leaders Get Organizations to Achieve the Extraordinary by Joel Kurtzman and Read this Book on Kobo's Free Apps. Discover Kobo's Vast Collection of Ebooks Today - Over 3 Million Titles, Including 2 Million Free Ones!
Store Search search Title, ISBN and Author Common Purpose: Strengthening Families and Neighborhoods to Rebuild America by Lisbeth B. Schorr Estimated delivery 3-12 business days Format Paperback Condition Brand New In her previous book, quot;Within Our Reach, renowned Harvard social analyst Lisbeth Schorr examined pilot social programs that were successful in helping disadvantaged youth and families. But as those cutting-edge programs were expanded, the very qualities that had made them initial
What is common purpose? It is that rare, almost-palpable experience that happens when a leader coalesces a group, team or community into a creative, dynamic, brave and nearly invincible we. It happens the moment the organization's values, tools, objectives and hopes are internalized in a way that enables people to work tirelessly toward a goal. Common purpose is rarely achieved. But Kurtzman has observed that when a leader is able to bring it about, the results are outsized, measurable and inspiring.
Based on Kurtzman's all-new interviews with more than 50 leaders, including Ron Sargent, Ilene Lang, Micky Arison, Simon Cooper, Joel Klein, Janet Field, Steve Wynn, Shivan Subramaniam, Michael Dell, Richard Boyatzis, Tom Kelley, Michael Milken, and Warren Bennis
Contains research on leadership Kurtzman has conducted during his years at The New York Times, the Harvard Business Review, Booz & Company, as well as with PricewaterhouseCoopers, Mercer, and Korn/Ferry
Based on all new interviews with some of the most dynamic, successful, and enduring leaders, Common Purpose sheds new light on the meaning of leadership, the crucial qualities of leaders, and most importantly, how to lead.
From one of the most respected names in business and leadership, a rare look at the specifics of how great leaders achieve "common purpose" and success within their organizations.
What is common purpose? It is that rare, almost-palpable experience that happens when a leader coalesces a group, team or community into a creative, dynamic, brave and nearly invincible we. It happens the moment the organization's values, tools, objectives and hopes are internalized in a way that enables people to work tirelessly toward a goal. Common purpose is rarely achieved. But Kurtzman has observed that when a leader is able to bring it about, the results are outsized, measurable and inspiring.
Based on Kurtzman's all-new interviews with more than 50 leaders, including Ron Sargent, Ilene Lang, Micky Arison, Simon Cooper, Joel Klein, Janet Field, Steve Wynn, Shivan Subramaniam, Michael Dell, Richard Boyatzis, Tom Kelley, Michael Milken, and Warren Bennis
Contains research on leadership Kurtzman has conducted during his years at The New York Times, the Harvard Business Review, Booz & Company, as well as with PricewaterhouseCoopers, Mercer, and Korn/Ferry
Based on all new interviews with some of the most dynamic, successful, and enduring leaders, Common Purpose sheds new light on the meaning of leadership, the crucial qualities of leaders, and most importantly, how to lead.
Amazon Exclusive: Q&A with Author Joel Kurtzman
Can you define common purpose? When people inside organizations don’t have to be told how to do their work, when they make decisions flawlessly in the interests of their constituencies, when morale and energy are high and people are happy, when everyone does their best, and when an organization’s strategy is known throughout the firm, then you can say the organization has common purpose. What inspired you to write this book? Years ago, I went to Apple’s Cupertino headquarters to have a discussion with its senior leadership. Not only were people everywhere in the company upbeat and happy, but you could feel the energy snapping through the air. It was very informal — there were even bicycles in some individuals’ offices — and people worked day and night. One woman told me she felt she was part of something great and thought of herself as a revolutionary. The next day, I flew to Detroit for meetings and walked into a parts manufacturing company much larger than Apple. As soon as you walked through the doors, you could see, feel, and sense the difference. The receptionist did not look up from her newspaper when I walked up to her, people’s faces were downcast, the atmosphere felt lackluster, the CEO was embattled. I began wondering what was responsible for the differences between these two companies. Why was one company so depressing and another so exciting? This led me to the realization that common purpose was present at Apple and lacking at the automobile parts company. I spent years testing this hypothesis before writing the book. What are some examples of companies who have found their common purpose and achieved greatness? Apple Computer is a common-purpose company. You can feel it and see it in their products. FM Global, a mid-sized insurance company in Rhode Island, is another common-purpose company. Everyone at FM Global speaks the same language — in their case, the language of engineering — and people make decisions with very little supervision. The CEO sits at a random table in the cafeteria and eats lunch with whoever is at the table. People share ideas and information. Everyone understands what the company stands for. When I was in graduate school, I spent a lot of time at NASA’s Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston. It was next to our campus. People were working on designing and building the space shuttle at the time. You could feel the energy in the air and sense that the people at NASA had a mission. When people have the spirit of common purpose, they’ll perform under highly adverse circumstances. Back then, at NASA, even when budgets were cut, people performed well. They knew they were doing something important. What about companies or organizations that have had failures or have missed opportunities because they weren’t united? Common purpose does not happen on its own and it can be lost. When I began working with companies, my first client was Toyota. Back then, it was a common-purpose company and everyone understood the importance of quality and responsibility. Workers on the assembly line could stop the entire line if they encountered a quality problem. People put in suggestions about how to change or improve the design of a part or a manufacturing process. They worked overtime, not for extra money, but because they were interested. But over time, Toyota lost its way and its sense of common purpose. Common purpose was replaced by an overreliance on numbers and quantitative targets — which all companies must have. But in Toyota’s case, they became obsessed with numbers, especially financial numbers. The spirit of common purpose became smothered, and people who at one time acted spontaneously on behalf of the company, its interests, and customers, became fearful of taking action. The result is now obvious. Problems with certain designs went for years without being addressed and Toyota’s quality and reputation were damaged, perhaps irreparably. Once common purpose leaves an organization, the organization’s performance deteriorates. It takes a lot of work — and sometimes years — to get back the spirit of common purpose. What advice would you give leaders who are trying to unify their people? Leaders can’t think of themselves as better than their workers, or more favored because they have a higher rank. Becoming CEO is not a coronation, it’s a promotion. And CEOs can’t do everything. The purpose of an organization is to combine the efforts of many people to produce results no one on his or her own could achieve alone. Leaders must understand that. They must live the goals they espouse. They must understand that everyone inside the organization is looking at them — scrutinizing them, really — and also that every action of theirs is being watched and talked about. At FM Global, Shivan Subramaniam, the chairman and CEO, decided against buying a corporate jet despite the prodding of his board. Instead, he decided to abide by the same corporate travel rules that every other executive in the company abides by. He even flies on the redeye if he must. By doing this, he sends a powerful signal throughout the company that while he may be the CEO, he’s also an employee, just like everyone else. People value that. People will do almost anything for a leader like that. What can people who aren’t in charge do to create common purpose? Organizations function best when people feel they aren’t being second-guessed. They work at their utmost when they have internalized what the company stands for, and they use those values to make their decisions. If they sense that they are being second-guessed or being given conflicting messages, they need to communicate this to the people they work for. They need to make their supervisors understand that they take their jobs seriously, even though they rank lower than their bosses. They need to make people understand that they need to own their jobs, so to speak. And, if they are not given ownership of their jobs and allowed to make decisions that are appropriate for what they are doing, they should quit. If a person is frustrated and feels unwanted by his or her organization, the result will be a toxic workplace where people are unhappy and unproductive. If we have only one life to live, we should not spend it in a place where we are not valued or allowed to contribute fully.
Author: Richard J. Leider Edition: Second Edition Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers Binding: Paperback ISBN: 1605095230 Price: You Save: 54%
The Power of Purpose: Find Meaning, Live Longer, Better
What really matters? How should we grapple with the many political, economic, medical, and spiritual crises we seem to encounter on a daily basis? What can we count on when everything around us seems so ephemeral? Coach, leadership legend and vitality expert Richard Leider argues that purpose is the answer to all of these questions.The Power of Purpose review. When all else seems unknowable or fleeting, purpose give us the will to live. In the end, it's all we can control.
Leider examines the critical importance of a sense of purpose in achieving a full, productive, and contributory working life, and explains how finding purpose is the key to living both longer and better. He offers a detailed, practical process for finding your callingRead full reviews of The Power of Purpose: Creating Meaning in Your Life and Work.
Read The Power of Purpose: Creating Meaning in Your Life and Work reviews by
The Power of Purpose: Creating Meaning in Your Life and Work: Richard J. Leider
The Power of Purpose (1910) William George Jordan Product code : 9781104322717 Format :Paperback 68 pages Category :Literary/Anthologies* Published :01 April 2009 Condition :Brand new, unused SYNOPSIS Please contact us if you require any further information on this item. Thank you. payment shipping We prefer Paypal and immediate payment is required for this listing. If you lnot have a Paypal account, please contact us. For some of our books, we also accept Bank Deposit from Australian buyers as
Store Search search Title, ISBN and Author The Power of Purpose: Find Meaning, Live Longer, Better by Richard J. Leider Estimated delivery 3-12 business days Format Paperback Condition Brand New Leider examines the critical importance of a sense of purpose in achieving a full, productive, and contributory working life, and explains how finding purpose is the key to living both longer and better. Publisher Description Second edition. Author Biography Richard J. Leider is consistently rated as on
Buy The Power of Purpose by Richard Leider and Read this Book on Kobo's Free Apps. Discover Kobo's Vast Collection of Ebooks Today - Over 3 Million Titles, Including 2 Million Free Ones!
When all else seems unknowable or fleeting, purpose give us the will to live. In the end, it's all we can control.
Leider examines the critical importance of a sense of purpose in achieving a full, productive, and contributory working life, and explains how finding purpose is the key to living both longer and better. He offers a detailed, practical process for finding your calling. Concise and easy to read, based on many interviews with people of all ages, and including numerous stories of people living on purpose, The Power of Purpose guides readers toward discovering the purposes they already have within them.
The second edition of this bestselling book has reworked multiple chapters to include powerful new stories and lessons learned by the author. It also emphasizes new techniques and methods for detecting and determining purpose, research demonstrating the documented medical connections between purpose and longevity, and survey results of fulfilled individuals who discovered that, in retrospect, meaning trumped money (and everything else) in their lives.
The Power of Purpose: Creating Meaning in Your Life and Work, by respected life/work planning specialist Richard Leider, is a lofty yet down-to-earth guide for people struggling to find their true professional callings. Developed through the author's considerable personal experience and extensive interviews conducted over the past 20 years, it's designed to serve as a jumping-off point for those who'd truly like to combine their "own unique gifts" with "the needs of the world" to carve out a vocational niche that's both individualized and highly rewarding. A helpful guide to using the material in a reading group is included.
In Delivering Happiness, Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh explains how he created corporate culture with commitment to service that aims to improve lives of its employees, customers, vendors, and backers. Book also provide life lessons outside of work.
A woman's guide to the second half of life. Do you ever wonder if the best of life is in the past? Are you longing for more passion and purpose in the second half of your life? Take a deep breath and prepare for a great adventure as Dale Hanson Bourke resoundingly affirms that midlife is a time for reflection but also a time for action. In Embracing Your Second Calling , she challenges women to respond to God's call specifically for this season of life and offers practical ideas for finding new meaning. Bourke's vulnerability and story-driven approach offers essential principles and specific s
Sustainability. Technology. Diversity. Learning. Convergence of the public and private sectors. These are the big issues on the minds of young leaders today—the challenges they most want to, and must, pursue.
In Passion and Purpose, dozens of recent Harvard Business School MBAs share personal stories on assuming the mantle of leadership in ways unlike any previous generation. In candid accounts of their successes and setbacks—from launching start-ups to taking on the family business to helping kids in the Arabian Gulf to harnessing new technology and developing clean energy—they reveal how the next generation of ideas, aspirations, and practices are shaping business and redefining leadership around the world.
Drawing on insights from a survey of 500 students from top U.S. business schools, Passion and Purpose provides an overview of big, hot-button issues, followed by firsthand accounts from young leaders who are tackling these issues head-on. Their personal stories are rounded out with broader perspectives from established luminaries in business, academia, and the public sector, including Dominic Barton (Managing Director of McKinsey & Company), Nitin Nohria (dean of Harvard Business School), David Gergen (CNN analyst, presidential advisor and director of Harvard’s Center for Public Leadership), Carter Roberts (CEO of World Wildlife Fund), and many others.
Passion and Purpose offers profound insight into the values and vision of tomorrow’s leaders, and inspiration and ideas for all aspiring leaders who hope to lead change in the world.
Author: Alaina Love Edition: 1 Publisher: McGraw-Hill Binding: Hardcover ISBN: 0071624708 Price: You Save: 54%
The Purpose Linked Organization: How Passionate Leaders Inspire Winning Teams and Great Results
Meet the indispensable people who can bring your organization to that crucial next level.The Purpose Linked Organization review. br> How many can you recognize? And where do you fit in?
The Builder: Creating a strong sense of urgency to deliver results, they’re the driving force of a growing business
The Connector: Born communicators, adept at negotiation and relationship-building
The Conceiver: These “intellectual acrobats” think outside the box, imagine new possibilities, and contribute to innovation
The Altruist: On the lookout to raise your organization’s profile while benefiting the world at large
Leadership development experts Alaina Love and Marc Cugnon have identified ten such “Passion Profile Archetypes,” and in The Purpose Linked Organization, you’ll learn the strengths, vulnerabilities, and proper care and feeding of them all.
Authors Love and Cugnon offer easily implementable ways to channel the power of each individual’s passions in a positive, purposeful direction. You’ll understand how to link skills, values, and passions to performance—and how doing so will bring the results your organization can’t afford to be without.
Just as important, you’ll be able to confidently assess your own purpose and passions so thatyour own organizational role will be as engaging, fulfilling, and productive as possibleRead full reviews of The Purpose Linked Organization: How Passionate Leaders Inspire Winning Teams and Great Results.
Read The Purpose Linked Organization: How Passionate Leaders Inspire Winning Teams and Great Results reviews by
The Purpose Linked Organization: How Passionate Leaders Inspire Winning Teams and Great Results - Alaina Love, Marc Cugnon
From the Back Cover FREE WITH YOUR PURCHASE:Exclusive access to òÀÜThe Passion Profiler,òÀÝ an online toolfor identifying your Passion ArchetypesòÀÔyour individualstrengths, vulnerabilities, and capacity for achievement, aswell as those of every member of your organization. Work without passion and purpose?DonòÀÙt you and your organization deserve better? òÀÜGrow your business and inspire your team with the secrets ofpurpose and passion in this highly practical book.òÀÝòÀÔMarshall Goldsmith, bestselling author ofWhat Got You Here WonòÀÙt Get You There òÀÜSmart leader
Buy The Purpose Linked Organization: How Passionate Leaders Inspire Winning Teams and Great Results by Marc Cugnon,Alaina Love and Read this Book on Kobo's Free Apps. Discover Kobo's Vast Collection of Ebooks Today - Over 3 Million Titles, Including 2 Million Free Ones!
TheNile.com.au About FAQ Payment Delivery Contact Us 1800-987-323 The Purpose Linked Organization: How Passionate Leaders Inspire Winning Teams and Great Results (English) by Marc Cugnon , Alaina Love Format Hardcover Condition Brand New Language English Leadership development experts Love and Cignon present a unique way to transform organizations by ensuring leaders bring who they are to what they do--linking skills with values and passions. Publisher Description Meet the indispensablepeople w
br> How many can you recognize? And where do you fit in?
The Builder: Creating a strong sense of urgency to deliver results, they’re the driving force of a growing business
The Connector: Born communicators, adept at negotiation and relationship-building
The Conceiver: These “intellectual acrobats” think outside the box, imagine new possibilities, and contribute to innovation
The Altruist: On the lookout to raise your organization’s profile while benefiting the world at large
Leadership development experts Alaina Love and Marc Cugnon have identified ten such “Passion Profile Archetypes,” and in The Purpose Linked Organization, you’ll learn the strengths, vulnerabilities, and proper care and feeding of them all.
Authors Love and Cugnon offer easily implementable ways to channel the power of each individual’s passions in a positive, purposeful direction. You’ll understand how to link skills, values, and passions to performance—and how doing so will bring the results your organization can’t afford to be without.
Just as important, you’ll be able to confidently assess your own purpose and passions so thatyour own organizational role will be as engaging, fulfilling, and productive as possible. Most employees spend more than 84,000 hours of their lives at work. When that time is personally meaningful, great things can happen, which will enrich your organization, the customers it serves, and even society as a whole.
Author: Joel Kurtzman Edition: 1 Publisher: Jossey-Bass Binding: Kindle Edition ISBN: B0032ZD0O8 Price: You Save: 0%
Common Purpose: How Great Leaders Get Organizations to Achieve the Extraordinary
From one of the most respected names in business and leadership, a rare look at the specifics of how great leaders achieve "common purpose" and success within their organizations.Common Purpose review.
What is common purpose? It is that rare, almost-palpable experience that happens when a leader coalesces a group, team or community into a creative, dynamic, brave and nearly invincible we. It happens the moment the organization's values, tools, objectives and hopes are internalized in a way that enables people to work tirelessly toward a goal. Common purpose is rarely achieved. But Kurtzman has observed that when a leader is able to bring it about, the results are outsized, measurable and inspiringRead full reviews of Common Purpose The Story of the Upington 25, 9780826413307.
Read The Power of Invisible Leadership: How a Compelling Common Purpose Inspires Exceptional Leadership (Paperback) reviews by
A powerful force draws people to leadership in countless businesses, nonprofits, government agencies, and social movementswe call it invisible leadership . Invisible leadership embodies situations in which dedication to a compelling and deeply held common purpose is the motivating force for leadership. The Power of Invisible Leadership: How a Compelling Common Purpose Inspires Exceptional Leadership , by Gill Robinson Hickman and Georgia L. Sorenson, is a readable, research-based book that shows readers how invisible leadership exists in the space between leaders and followers, artists and sub
Common Purpose How Great Leaders Get Organizations to Achieve the Extraordinary
http://www.cokesbury.com/?pid=1034131&vsl=0001
Buy Common Purpose: How Great Leaders Get Organizations to Achieve the Extraordinary by Joel Kurtzman and Read this Book on Kobo's Free Apps. Discover Kobo's Vast Collection of Ebooks Today - Over 3 Million Titles, Including 2 Million Free Ones!
What is common purpose? It is that rare, almost-palpable experience that happens when a leader coalesces a group, team or community into a creative, dynamic, brave and nearly invincible we. It happens the moment the organization's values, tools, objectives and hopes are internalized in a way that enables people to work tirelessly toward a goal. Common purpose is rarely achieved. But Kurtzman has observed that when a leader is able to bring it about, the results are outsized, measurable and inspiring.
Based on Kurtzman's all-new interviews with more than 50 leaders, including Ron Sargent, Ilene Lang, Micky Arison, Simon Cooper, Joel Klein, Janet Field, Steve Wynn, Shivan Subramaniam, Michael Dell, Richard Boyatzis, Tom Kelley, Michael Milken, and Warren Bennis
Contains research on leadership Kurtzman has conducted during his years at The New York Times, the Harvard Business Review, Booz & Company, as well as with PricewaterhouseCoopers, Mercer, and Korn/Ferry
Based on all new interviews with some of the most dynamic, successful, and enduring leaders, Common Purpose sheds new light on the meaning of leadership, the crucial qualities of leaders, and most importantly, how to lead.
From one of the most respected names in business and leadership, a rare look at the specifics of how great leaders achieve "common purpose" and success within their organizations.
What is common purpose? It is that rare, almost-palpable experience that happens when a leader coalesces a group, team or community into a creative, dynamic, brave and nearly invincible we. It happens the moment the organization's values, tools, objectives and hopes are internalized in a way that enables people to work tirelessly toward a goal. Common purpose is rarely achieved. But Kurtzman has observed that when a leader is able to bring it about, the results are outsized, measurable and inspiring.
Based on Kurtzman's all-new interviews with more than 50 leaders, including Ron Sargent, Ilene Lang, Micky Arison, Simon Cooper, Joel Klein, Janet Field, Steve Wynn, Shivan Subramaniam, Michael Dell, Richard Boyatzis, Tom Kelley, Michael Milken, and Warren Bennis
Contains research on leadership Kurtzman has conducted during his years at The New York Times, the Harvard Business Review, Booz & Company, as well as with PricewaterhouseCoopers, Mercer, and Korn/Ferry
Based on all new interviews with some of the most dynamic, successful, and enduring leaders, Common Purpose sheds new light on the meaning of leadership, the crucial qualities of leaders, and most importantly, how to lead.
Amazon Exclusive: Q&A with Author Joel Kurtzman
Can you define common purpose? When people inside organizations don’t have to be told how to do their work, when they make decisions flawlessly in the interests of their constituencies, when morale and energy are high and people are happy, when everyone does their best, and when an organization’s strategy is known throughout the firm, then you can say the organization has common purpose. What inspired you to write this book? Years ago, I went to Apple’s Cupertino headquarters to have a discussion with its senior leadership. Not only were people everywhere in the company upbeat and happy, but you could feel the energy snapping through the air. It was very informal — there were even bicycles in some individuals’ offices — and people worked day and night. One woman told me she felt she was part of something great and thought of herself as a revolutionary. The next day, I flew to Detroit for meetings and walked into a parts manufacturing company much larger than Apple. As soon as you walked through the doors, you could see, feel, and sense the difference. The receptionist did not look up from her newspaper when I walked up to her, people’s faces were downcast, the atmosphere felt lackluster, the CEO was embattled. I began wondering what was responsible for the differences between these two companies. Why was one company so depressing and another so exciting? This led me to the realization that common purpose was present at Apple and lacking at the automobile parts company. I spent years testing this hypothesis before writing the book. What are some examples of companies who have found their common purpose and achieved greatness? Apple Computer is a common-purpose company. You can feel it and see it in their products. FM Global, a mid-sized insurance company in Rhode Island, is another common-purpose company. Everyone at FM Global speaks the same language — in their case, the language of engineering — and people make decisions with very little supervision. The CEO sits at a random table in the cafeteria and eats lunch with whoever is at the table. People share ideas and information. Everyone understands what the company stands for. When I was in graduate school, I spent a lot of time at NASA’s Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston. It was next to our campus. People were working on designing and building the space shuttle at the time. You could feel the energy in the air and sense that the people at NASA had a mission. When people have the spirit of common purpose, they’ll perform under highly adverse circumstances. Back then, at NASA, even when budgets were cut, people performed well. They knew they were doing something important. What about companies or organizations that have had failures or have missed opportunities because they weren’t united? Common purpose does not happen on its own and it can be lost. When I began working with companies, my first client was Toyota. Back then, it was a common-purpose company and everyone understood the importance of quality and responsibility. Workers on the assembly line could stop the entire line if they encountered a quality problem. People put in suggestions about how to change or improve the design of a part or a manufacturing process. They worked overtime, not for extra money, but because they were interested. But over time, Toyota lost its way and its sense of common purpose. Common purpose was replaced by an overreliance on numbers and quantitative targets — which all companies must have. But in Toyota’s case, they became obsessed with numbers, especially financial numbers. The spirit of common purpose became smothered, and people who at one time acted spontaneously on behalf of the company, its interests, and customers, became fearful of taking action. The result is now obvious. Problems with certain designs went for years without being addressed and Toyota’s quality and reputation were damaged, perhaps irreparably. Once common purpose leaves an organization, the organization’s performance deteriorates. It takes a lot of work — and sometimes years — to get back the spirit of common purpose. What advice would you give leaders who are trying to unify their people? Leaders can’t think of themselves as better than their workers, or more favored because they have a higher rank. Becoming CEO is not a coronation, it’s a promotion. And CEOs can’t do everything. The purpose of an organization is to combine the efforts of many people to produce results no one on his or her own could achieve alone. Leaders must understand that. They must live the goals they espouse. They must understand that everyone inside the organization is looking at them — scrutinizing them, really — and also that every action of theirs is being watched and talked about. At FM Global, Shivan Subramaniam, the chairman and CEO, decided against buying a corporate jet despite the prodding of his board. Instead, he decided to abide by the same corporate travel rules that every other executive in the company abides by. He even flies on the redeye if he must. By doing this, he sends a powerful signal throughout the company that while he may be the CEO, he’s also an employee, just like everyone else. People value that. People will do almost anything for a leader like that. What can people who aren’t in charge do to create common purpose? Organizations function best when people feel they aren’t being second-guessed. They work at their utmost when they have internalized what the company stands for, and they use those values to make their decisions. If they sense that they are being second-guessed or being given conflicting messages, they need to communicate this to the people they work for. They need to make their supervisors understand that they take their jobs seriously, even though they rank lower than their bosses. They need to make people understand that they need to own their jobs, so to speak. And, if they are not given ownership of their jobs and allowed to make decisions that are appropriate for what they are doing, they should quit. If a person is frustrated and feels unwanted by his or her organization, the result will be a toxic workplace where people are unhappy and unproductive. If we have only one life to live, we should not spend it in a place where we are not valued or allowed to contribute fully.
From one of the most respected names in business and leadership, a rare look at the specifics of how great leaders achieve "common purpose" and success within their organizations.
What is common purpose? It is that rare, almost-palpable experience that happens when a leader coalesces a group, team or community into a creative, dynamic, brave and nearly invincible we. It happens the moment the organization's values, tools, objectives and hopes are internalized in a way that enables people to work tirelessly toward a goal. Common purpose is rarely achieved. But Kurtzman has observed that when a leader is able to bring it about, the results are outsized, measurable and inspiring.
Based on Kurtzman's all-new interviews with more than 50 leaders, including Ron Sargent, Ilene Lang, Micky Arison, Simon Cooper, Joel Klein, Janet Field, Steve Wynn, Shivan Subramaniam, Michael Dell, Richard Boyatzis, Tom Kelley, Michael Milken, and Warren Bennis
Contains research on leadership Kurtzman has conducted during his years at The New York Times, the Harvard Business Review, Booz & Company, as well as with PricewaterhouseCoopers, Mercer, and Korn/Ferry
Based on all new interviews with some of the most dynamic, successful, and enduring leaders, Common Purpose sheds new light on the meaning of leadership, the crucial qualities of leaders, and most importantly, how to lead.
