People with Purpose —— How Great Leaders Use Purpose to Build Thriving Organizations

Having a clearly defined purpose for a company's operations may seem obvious, yet it is something that many companies seem to be missing out on. A book like this, that promises to show how inspired and focussed leadership can transform a company's purpose into a powerful performance-boosting tool, may be required reading for many. Linking many disciplines such as marketing, psychology, management and leadership together, this book can help refocus and direct future strategy. Backed up by research and real-world validation from case studies and interviews, the author helps create a framework to integrate a defined purpose, values and goal into a clearly understandable, actionable strategy. Of course, after this, a lot of the hard work remains to be done, albeit with greater focus. For some readers, this book may be a bit too hard-going due to its "academic styling" and perceived focus, although one has seen a lot worse and the content is engaging. A little more accessibility may have been desirable, but it is far from being a show-stopper. The content is good and the price is unbeatable.

Kevin Murray wrote this book in response to these two questions, sharing his thoughts and feelings about how leaders can inspire self-motivation in others with a shared vision, values, and objectives. All organizations need effective leaders at all levels and in all areas so Murray does not limit his attention to residents of the C-suite. However, he did interview several dozen CEOs “of a wide ranging range of organizations, asking them about how purpose and values have helped them in their leadership” so he also shares their thoughts and feelings in this book. “These are leaders who have used powerfully articulated purpose statements to bring companies back from the brink of collapse to rapidly grow businesses into global giants, or to enable their organizations to thrive over long periods of time.” Recent research by the Gallup Organization indicates that worldwide, about 17% of employees are actively and positively engaged. In the US, on average, that percentage is less than 30%; the others are either passively engaged (“mailing it in”) or actively involved in undermining the success of the given enterprise. Murray agrees with Simon Sinek (among others) that people need a sense of purpose, not only at work but in all other areas of their lives. According to Sinek, "Very few people or companies can clearly articulate WHY they do WHAT they do. By WHY I mean your purpose, cause or belief - WHY does your company exist? WHY do you get out of bed every morning? And WHY should anyone care?" He goes on to suggest, "We are drawn to leaders and organizations that are good at communicating what they believe. Their ability to make us feel like we belong, to make us feel special, safe and not alone is part of what gives them the ability to inspire us.” Obviously, there have been immensely effective leaders throughout history (e.g. Adolph Hitler and Josef Stalin) whose primary purposes were essentially evil. Many (if not most) of the people who supported them were unaware of those purposes – until it was too late – or paralyzed by fear of what would happen if they opposed them. Murray offers what he characterizes as “The Purpose Framework” within which – throughout human history – great leaders have developed relationships with and among people who embrace mutual respect and trust. It has ten components that serve as its foundation: 1. Purpose (“the beating heart of the organization”) 2. A breathtaking long-term vision (“True North”) 3. A short-term (three-year) vision 4. Strategic goals 5. Objectives and key results 6. Core values that guide and inform actions 7. Operating principles 8. Behaviours 9. Mission 10. Brand essence (“the public promise to stakeholders") Kevin Murray is a visionary, yes, but also a relentless empiricist and, more to the point, a world-class pragmatist. He wholly supports the importance of WHY. He thoroughly understands the WHAT. That said, the greatest value of the material he provides is that it focuses on HOW “great leaders use purpose to build thriving organizations.”

I read this as a fan of 'Language of Leaders' and wondered what it could add, but was not disappointed. Kevin maintains an engaging style, littering the book with stories and quotes that bring his points to life. I liked the way the assertions don't just rely on feeling intuitively 'right', but have a firm base in evidence and even neuroscience. Communications professionals in particular will like the way that sometimes vague concepts (like vision and mission) are explained with clarity, offer a thread from purpose through vision and mission, all the way to tangible things strategy, competitive advantage and financial reporting. The book is also filled with practical tools and resources that make it a whole lot easier to take the ideas presented and apply them in a business context. We all know that if a company doesn't provide a 'purpose' then people will fill the gap; this book helps organisation work out what their purpose is, and so fill the gap themselves.

Once again Murray has delivered a very readable, enjoyable and thought provoking book. I hesitate to call it a management book, it is a book that helps to define a positive purposefully approach to life for everyone For most of my life, I had the privilidge and pleasure of working with Johnson & Johnson, a global leader in health and wellness. Everyone working at Johnson & Johnson knows that The Credo defines everything, it is a business and moral compass which guides every decision. Whilst Murray does not specifically mention The J&J Credo, his book, People with Purpose is an excellent reference and guide for leaders at every level.

Kevin Murray's book provides all the insights a leader needs to understand to create a sense of passion and purpose in their businesses. The case study format and the chapter summaries make it an ideal tool to use with teams who need to engage with this subject. A must read for those who understand that organisations don't change, it's people who change organisations!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading People with Purpose. It gave me a stronger insight in to how good leadership of your team can provide real results, combined with tangible case studies which help bring this to life. It contains interesting interviews with a variety of top CEOs who gave their opinion on the importance of purpose, values and engagement for success. Would recommend for anyone interested in leadership or strategy.

Murray's quest to help you find the "beating heart of your organisation" is inspirational. His approach is as practical as we have come to expect; his evidence powerful enough to appeal to the cynics. "People with Purpose" explains the truly transformational power of purpose; it's potential to be the emotional bond that links organisations to their people and their customers. His belief shines through this guide to doing the right thing.

Kevin Murray wrote this book in response to these two questions, sharing his thoughts and feelings about how leaders can inspire self-motivation in others with a shared vision, values, and objectives. All organizations need effective leaders at all levels and in all areas so Murray does not limit his attention to residents of the C-suite. However, he did interview several dozen CEOs “of a wide ranging range of organizations, asking them about how purpose and values have helped them in their leadership” so he also shares their thoughts and feelings in this book. “These are leaders who have used powerfully articulated purpose statements to bring companies back from the brink of collapse to rapidly grow businesses into global giants, or to enable their organizations to thrive over long periods of time.” Recent research by the Gallup Organization indicates that worldwide, about 17% of employees are actively and positively engaged. In the US, on average, that percentage is less than 30%; the others are either passively engaged (“mailing it in”) or actively involved in undermining the success of the given enterprise. Murray agrees with Simon Sinek (among others) that people need a sense of purpose, not only at work but in all other areas of their lives. According to Sinek, "Very few people or companies can clearly articulate WHY they do WHAT they do. By WHY I mean your purpose, cause or belief - WHY does your company exist? WHY do you get out of bed every morning? And WHY should anyone care?" He goes on to suggest, "We are drawn to leaders and organizations that are good at communicating what they believe. Their ability to make us feel like we belong, to make us feel special, safe and not alone is part of what gives them the ability to inspire us.” Obviously, there have been immensely effective leaders throughout history (e.g. Adolph Hitler and Josef Stalin) whose primary purposes were essentially evil. Many (if not most) of the people who supported them were unaware of those purposes – until it was too late – or paralyzed by fear of what would happen if they opposed them. Murray offers what he characterizes as “The Purpose Framework” within which – throughout human history – great leaders have developed relationships with and among people who embrace mutual respect and trust. It has ten components that serve as its foundation: 1. Purpose (“the beating heart of the organization”) 2. A breathtaking long-term vision (“True North”) 3. A short-term (three-year) vision 4. Strategic goals 5. Objectives and key results 6. Core values that guide and inform actions 7. Operating principles 8. Behaviours 9. Mission 10. Brand essence (“the public promise to stakeholders") Kevin Murray is a visionary, yes, but also a relentless empiricist and, more to the point, a world-class pragmatist. He wholly supports the importance of WHY. He thoroughly understands the WHAT. That said, the greatest value of the material he provides is that it focuses on HOW “great leaders use purpose to build thriving organizations.”