Jeff Vanderwielen - The Purpose Revolution: How Leaders Create Engagement and Competitive Advantage in an Age of Social Good

Praise for The Purpose Revolution

A valuable addition to a growing body of academic research showing that purpose-led companies really do perform better, last longer, and are in tune with the hopes and aspirations of the people they serve. This book shows why purpose needs to start at the top and then shows how to embed it everywhere in the organization.

Paul Polman, CEO, Unilever

Dr. John Izzo is one of the worlds leading business authors, and his latest work, The Purpose Revolution, shares invaluable lessons on how to build your organizations culture around a common purpose.

Darren Entwistle, President and CEO, TELUS

This book makes a compelling case for how people are seeking self-actualization through both the work they choose to do as employees and the companies they choose to buy from. It is filled with many useful tools to help define, refresh, and bring purpose to life in your business.

Joey Bergstein, CEO, Seventh Generation

The Purpose Revolution is at once an eloquent manifesto and a practical guidebook. The authors first grab you with compelling evidence that purpose matters (a lot). Then they tell engaging stories about people and organizations whove thrived because they understood at their core how important purpose is. And every step of the way John and Jeff provide immediate actions you and your organization can take to audit, craft, communicate, and commit to an authentic, inspiring, and scalable purpose that connects. The Purpose Revolution is here.

Jim Kouzes, coauthor ofThe Leadership Challengeand Deans Executive Fellow of Leadership, Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University

Purpose-driven business is a powerful approach for overcoming our greatest societal challenges and driving business growth. This book provides a realistic, practical approach to embedding purpose in an organization, and its engaging along the way.

Jean Bennington Sweeney, Chief Sustainability Officer, 3M

The Purpose Revolution provides a powerful blueprint to higher levels of employee engagement and competitive advantage! An amazingly insightful book.

Marshall Goldsmith, New York Times #1 bestselling author of Triggers and What Got You Here Wont Get You There

In The Purpose Revolution, Dr. Izzo offers a framework for success that is grounded in research and decades of wisdom accumulated from advising leaders.

Dr. Geoff Smart, founder and Chairman, ghSMART, and author of Who and Power Score

This powerful, practical book not only shows you what your employees and customers expect but shows you how to powerfully activate purpose in your business. A must-read for anyone wanting to win in the age of social good.

KoAnn Vikoren Skrzyniarz, founder and CEO, Sustainable Life Media, producers of Sustainable Brands

Purpose and meaning are at the heart of leading. If you have time to read only one book this year on what brings the power of purpose to leadership, this is it!

Richard Leider, international bestselling author of The Power of Purpose, RepackingYour Bags, and Life Reimagined

At a time when Air Canada is expanding globally, our business is growing at an unprecedented rate, and we have the additional challenge of a multigenerational workforce, Johns insightful findings around the value of purpose resonated with us at every level and will inform our culture change initiatives now and in the future.

Arielle Meloul-Wechsler, Senior Vice President, People and Culture, Air Canada

John Izzo was an early advocate for the idea that companies have a soula meaning and purpose beyond just profit-making. In The Purpose Revolution, Izzo and Vanderwielen provide a strong business and moral case for business leaders to focus intently on why their companies exist and what they do for society. This book shows you how identifying and acting on your companys purpose will make your business more successful, your employees more engaged, and your own work more meaningful.

Andrew Winston, author of The Big Pivot and coauthor of Green to Gold

THE PURPOSE REVOLUTION

Other Books by John Izzo

Awakening Corporate Soul (with Eric Klein)

The Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die

The Five Thieves of Happiness

Second Innocence

Stepping Up

Values Shift (with Pam Withers)

The Purpose Revolution

Copyright 2018 John Izzo and Jeff Vanderwielen.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed Attention: Permissions Coordinator, at the address below.

Ordering information for print editions

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First Edition
Paperback print edition ISBN 978-1-62656-966-9
PDF e-book ISBN 978-1-62656-967-6
IDPF e-book ISBN 978-1-62656-968-3

2018-1

Cover design by Nancy Austin Design.

Interior design and composition by Gary Palmatier, Ideas to Images.

Elizabeth von Radics, copyeditor; Mike Mollett, proofreader; Rachel Rice, indexer.

Dedicated to my mother, Irene Parisi-Izzo, who taught me that making a living was not as important as leaving a mark, and to the Reverend Dr. Robert Kelley, who first embodied purpose for me.

JOHN IZZO, PHD

In memory of my fatherwho encouraged me to always explore, to turn from the well-traveled and familiar road onto the trails, side roads, and backways. Dad, I continue down the path you charted.

JEFF VANDERWIELEN, PHD

T HIS IS A BOOK FOR ANY LEADER, CEO, BUSINESS OWNER, ENTREPRENEUR, human resources (HR) executive, consultant, or marketing professional who wants higher levels of engagement and loyalty from both employees and customers. If you work for a for-profit company, this book will show you how to get the lions share of loyalty from employees and customers; if you are in the nonprofit or government sector, it will show you how to harness purpose to fulfill your mission.