Image: On Purpose Leadership by Len Lantz (CC BY-NC-ND)
Synopsis: Len's Star Rating: 6 out of 10. A book that focuses on the role of personal development in enhancing leadership primarily in business settings.
BY LEN LANTZ, MD, author of unJoy / 4.3.2022; No. 84
Disclaimer: Yes, I am a physician, but I’m not your doctor and this article does not create a doctor-patient relationship. This article is for educational purposes and should not be seen as medical advice. You should consult with your physician before you rely on this information. This post also contains affiliate links. Please click this LINK for the full disclaimer.
Star Rating – 6 out of 10
Rating guide: 1 = horrible, 5 = average and 10 = wow
Author
Dominick Quartuccio
About the author
Dominick Quartuccio is a speaker, executive coach, and author of several books. He leads workshops and mastermind groups and co-hosts The Great Man Within podcast.
General description
On Purpose Leadership is a book on leadership that stresses the importance of leading yourself by connecting with your values, developing effective habits, and growing as a person as the means to effectively leading others. Dominick Quartuccio distills his leadership approach down to four areas of focus: purpose, principles, planning, and practices. The author includes many personal stories to highlight his main points, and his writing is conversational and informal throughout the text.
Unique and most important aspects
Whenever I read a new book on leadership, I consider whether or not I learned anything new. Did the author share any ideas or strategies that I didn’t already know? If their approach is countercultural, did they make a convincing case on why their ideas have merit? I’d have to say that the thing that struck me the most about this book is what wasn’t there (and its absence wasn’t even pointed out in the text). On Purpose Leadership is a leadership book that wastes no space on finding, managing, or correcting the faults of others. I found this to be refreshing and unique. I cannot think of another leadership or management book that I’ve read that didn’t at least acknowledge the numerous, real problems that leaders have to deal with because of other people’s problematic behavior. In contrast, Dominick Quartuccio focuses solely on the concept of leading yourself as the key to leading others.
After finishing this book, I had the sense that the author clearly communicated strategies for leading yourself. In particular, I found his “On Purpose Leader Manifesto” to be a nice mission statement for committing to being a healthy and effective leader. Of the four elements of the author’s approach, I found the chapter on leadership principles to be the least developed, possibly because the biggest idea (lead yourself first) was developed in earlier chapters. Important features of this book include:
The two greatest problems for today’s leaders:
People struggle to lead others if they are not first leading themselves
People struggle to lead themselves if they are not connecting to their purpose and values
Developing trust in the people you lead
Finding and remaining in activities that provide you the greatest energy
Surrounding yourself with others who can see the best version of you in the present or future via:
Joining a mastermind group
Having a mentor
Paying a life coach
Using the five tools for successful planning
Having a daily habit at the start and end of each day that sets you up for staying on track in your goals, values, and highest energy
Best quotes
“Drifting is what causes those ‘little things’ to turn into tipping points of distrust over extended periods of time.”
“I’d encourage you to establish a one-on-one meeting with each person to specifically focus on the number one most important thing they are working towards, even if it has nothing to do with business at hand, and how you can help support them in their pursuit.”
“On Purpose Leaders, however, subscribe to a defined set of principles where intentionality and integrity guide every behavior.”
“When you develop a sound plan, you will stop talking about your dreams and start living them.”
Who would enjoy this book?
Readers who are interested in a leadership book that focuses on them (and not other people as problems) would likely enjoy On Purpose Leadership.
Who would not enjoy this book?
Readers who are interested in a leadership book that helps them identify and correct the problems of others are unlikely to enjoy On Purpose Leadership.
Conclusion
On Purpose Leadership is a book that focuses on the role of personal development in enhancing leadership primarily in business settings.