The subtitle of On Purpose Leadership is Master the Art of Leading Yourself to Inspire and Impact Others. Dominick Quartuccio has written a very important addition to the many great leadership books on the market. The marketplace is flooded with similar books and many of them are very good. I study leadership and I teach it. What I appreciate about Dominick Quartuccio’s book is how practical it is.
What is it that makes On Purpose Leadership stand out in a crowded field? We’ve all heard the statement, “You can’t lead others until you lead yourself.” This is a powerful truth but most leadership books only hint at it. Quartuccio provides a practical blueprint that you can apply to help you begin to lead yourself and become more intentional in the way that you are living. The result will be a transformation of the way that you lead others!
Dominick provides the four main areas that each of us must address if we are to truly lead ourselves.
- On Purpose
- On Principles
- On Plan
- On Practices
While breaking each of these areas down, he also gives real world examples using the stories of people who he has been able to help. The first point, “On Purpose,” is a fascinating one. Who hasn’t pondered the ideas of Who am I? Why am I here? Is what I’m doing making a difference?
In helping the reader come to a place of finding their purpose, or at least getting them on the journey towards finding it, Quartuccio points out a couple of mistakes that we make when it comes to this important issue. The first is the idea that “purpose is some hidden thing that exists outside of yourself that you must venture far and wide to find.” The reality is that most of us find purpose and meaning in life right around us. One of the ways that this happens is by discovering what unleashes our greatest energy.
A second myth of discovering our purpose is that “must come in the form of a superhuman achievement that requires years, decades, or a lifetime to realize.” What is much more likely is that once we begin to tune into that inner sense of who we are and what our purpose is, we will find fulfillment around us, in our closest relationships and our careers.
I found the section for “On Practices” to be incredibly helpful. Dominick discusses the importance of both our morning and our evening routines. While I feel that morning routine is set up well to help me have a productive day, I was that my evening routines needed work. I’ve already taken a few of the author’s ideas and I’m trying to implement them. One result is that I’m getting to bed earlier and getting better sleep.
How happy are you with your morning and evening routines? Remember, if you can’t lead yourself, it will always be difficult to lead others. The “On Practices” section is, at least in my mind, worth the price of the book!
I would encourage you to grab a copy of On Purpose Leadership. Click on the link and read a section for free. Here is Dominick’s website if you would like to check out some of his other resources.
