Self-help books can be monotonous and tiring, but not On Purpose Leadership by Dominick Quartuccio. From the get-go, the book analogises different experiences by people to display powerful life lessons.
Take the first story for example, where a brilliant lady is hired to deliver a particular project leading a team of hundreds of people. Yet, from her first assignment, it becomes clear that she is too conservative, safe, and ‘status quo.’ Her first speech is safe and ordinary. All these are attributes which to the author don’t demonstrate qualities of purpose leadership.
The author speaks about the embodiment of leadership qualities and realising that as a leader you cannot preach water and drink wine. You must be the change that you wish to see in the world.
The book has a complete sense of leadership in today’s world, highlighting the fact that in many instances leaders want to lead others before they can lead themselves.
It’s not uncommon to hear people complain about their jobs and how Mondays are the worst day of the week. In some instances these concerns are valid. But in others, the problem may be a deeper systemic issue where we don’t find fulfilment in the work that we do. In On Purpose Leadership, Dominick takes a deep look at how we can align ourselves to the cause and find more meaning in our careers.
I specifically fell in love with the section on ‘off purpose.’ Dominick discusses the ways in which we often lose track of our goals by doing tiny subliminal things that make us digress. In short, micro-behaviours are more significant than we may care to admit. Things like keeping time, under-delivering, and being a poor listener count for a lot. In short, if people can’t trust you with the small things, then they will never see you as a leader.
Dominick Quartuccio delivers On Purpose Leadership with simple, legible, easy to understand language. Reading the book leaves you with a lot of thought-provoking questions. It makes you look deep within yourself and realise things that you may need to change about yourself if you are to become a worthy leader.
The book also has words that are highlighted or enlarged, which draws more attention to the main points of the story. In doing so, it’s easy for the reader to relate the story and the lesson being told. This, I think, is brilliant.
On Purpose Leadership is full of illustrations with tables, diagrams and other graphics, making it even more interesting.
I was particularly drawn to what Dominick said about resistance to leadership. He says that it’s not always about the leader. People could resist your leadership because of themselves or because of the systems. Realising this will help you to become better, knowing that it’s not always about you.
He also talks about being intentional about your actions and behaviour, knowing that every small thing means a lot. This stuck with me because many times we know that we need to change aspects about ourselves, but the true testimony is putting in the work. I loved everything that Dominick said about intentionality in On Purpose Leadership.
Everyone, and especially those in the career world should read the book On Purpose Leadership. If you want to climb the corporate ladder or even lead a group of people in a project, then the book is a great head-start. Slowly, you can change small habits and find that they mean a lot!
There’s a lot of internal work to be done if you are to excel in leadership. If anything, the book shows that it takes a lot of hard work and diligence to be a leader. It’s not just about directing people or showing authority. It’s much, much more than that.
I am a lover of quotes, and here is the one that stuck with me the most:
“On Purpose Leaders subscribe to a defined set of principles where intentionality and integrity guide every behaviour.”
You can get a copy of the book on Amazon.
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