Higher Purpose

Depository Library Program.

Two distinguished scholars offer eight steps to help organizations discover and embrace an authentic higher purpose—something that will dramatically improve every aspect of any enterprise, including the bottom line. What does a lofty notion like purpose have to do with business basics like the bottom line? Robert E. Quinn and Anjan J. Thakor say pretty much everything. Leaders and managers are taught that employees are self-interested and work resistant, so they create systems of control to combat these expectations. Workers resent these systems, and performance suffers. To address the performance issues, managers double down on the coercion, creating a vicious cycle and a self-fulfilling prophecy. But there is a better way. Quinn and Thakor show that when an authentic higher purpose permeates business strategy and decision-making, the cycle is broken. Employers and employees see themselves as working together toward an inspiring goal, not just trying to hit quarterly targets. They fully engage, become proactive contributors, and, ironically, easily exceed those quarterly targets. Based on their widely acclaimed Harvard Business Review article, Quinn and Thakor offer eight sometimes surprising steps for shifting from a transaction-oriented mind-set focused on constraints to a purpose-oriented mind-set focused on possibility. This iconoclastic book will help any organization discover its authentic purpose and weave it into the fabric of everything it does, leading to unprecedented levels of personal satisfaction, service and product innovation, and economic growth.

As Tom Whittaker struggled to keep conscious the night of 27 November 1979, his thoughts focused on a singular plea: Please, don't let them take my legs. Earlier that evening, a drunk driver struck Tom's VW van on an isolated, snow-covered road in Idaho and shattered his legs -- and his dreams. When he awoke from emergency surgery, the 31-year-old mountaineer's right leg had been amputated at mid-shin and his right kneecap removed. Devastated, he pondered suicide. Finally it occurred to him: you don't need your lower leg to kayak. Seven months after the accident, Tom hobbled down to the south fork of the Payette River, and began paddling. In the years since then, Tom has not only taken his life back, he's taken his family, his fellow sportsmen, and hundreds of thousands of disabled and able-bodied people to the top of the world. In May 1998, Tom became the first amputee to summit Mount Everest. The climb and his inspirational story, as well as his work on behalf of disabled people around the world, have earned him the recognition as one of America's most courageous heroes.

Why are you here? What is life for? What are you meant to do? Robert Holden helps you go from looking for your purpose to living it. (Hint: It’s not just about you.) "The best book on purpose I've ever read! Accept this invitation to awaken to the very reason you're here on Earth." — Mike Dooley, New York Times best-selling author of Infinite Possibilities and Life on Earth "How do I find my life’s purpose?" In the 10-year run of Robert Holden's call-in radio show, Shift Happens!, his listeners asked that question more often than any other, by far. It seems everybody is looking for their purpose, and yet we all struggle to recognize it and live it. In the paperback edition of Higher Purpose, Holden takes readers on an epic journey of self-discovery that includes the hero’s journey with Joseph Campbell, Carl Jung's work on true vocation, Victor Frankl's search for meaning, a pilgrimage with St. Francis of Assisi, the poetry of Wordsworth and Rilke, and much more. The journey has four stages: "The Call" explores "the calling" inside you to live a more meaningful life. "The Path" helps you to realize what inspires you, what brings you alive, to follow your joy, and to do more of what you love. "The Ordeal" tackles the inner blocks, the road of trials, and challenges you must overcome to live your higher purpose. "The Victory" encourages you to not betray yourself, to "sing your whole song," and to keep on saying YES to your soul's high adventure. In Higher Purpose, Holden explores three distinct levels of purpose: your unique purpose, a shared purpose, and the greater purpose of life. He offers inquiries, meditations, and journaling exercises to help you live your purpose every day. And he shares stories from his own life and conversations with a host of remarkable people—Maya Angelou, Louise Hay, Jean Houston, Matthew Fox, Robert Thurman, Caroline Myss, Andrew Harvey, Wayne Dyer, Oprah Winfrey, and more. "I hope Robert Holden's beautiful books, like this one . . . keep reaching more and more people and aid their heart to unfurl." — Daniel Ladinsky, author of The Gift and The Subject Tonight Is Love

Two distinguished scholars offer eight steps to help organizations discover and embrace an authentic higher purpose—something that will dramatically improve every aspect of any enterprise, including the bottom line. What does a lofty notion like purpose have to do with business basics like the bottom line? Robert E. Quinn and Anjan J. Thakor say pretty much everything. Leaders and managers are taught that employees are self-interested and work resistant, so they create systems of control to combat these expectations. Workers resent these systems, and performance suffers. To address the performance issues, managers double down on the coercion, creating a vicious cycle and a self-fulfilling prophecy. But there is a better way. Quinn and Thakor show that when an authentic higher purpose permeates business strategy and decision-making, the cycle is broken. Employers and employees see themselves as working together toward an inspiring goal, not just trying to hit quarterly targets. They fully engage, become proactive contributors, and, ironically, easily exceed those quarterly targets. Based on their widely acclaimed Harvard Business Review article, Quinn and Thakor offer eight sometimes surprising steps for shifting from a transaction-oriented mind-set focused on constraints to a purpose-oriented mind-set focused on possibility. This iconoclastic book will help any organization discover its authentic purpose and weave it into the fabric of everything it does, leading to unprecedented levels of personal satisfaction, service and product innovation, and economic growth.

This is a book of thoughts. I've always been intrigued by thoughts. And now, in my mid-sixties, after a few successful careers, watching my kids grow into adults and having celebrated my 40th wedding anniversary, it has become clear to me that my life is definitely a direct reflection of the thoughts that I have held over all those years. I have read about this notion; and while intuitively it made sense to me, I now can say, with clarity, that my life is living proof that the emotional intensity and amount of time that I applied to a thought had a direct relationship to what results showed up in my life. My life has been a search for meaning and significance. The thoughts and quotes in this book have provided me with the greatest inspiration for reflection. I hope you take this book home - pick it up, put it down, reflect - and pick it up again and again.

In the American political system today, courage and the presidency are rarely spoken of in the same sentence. Forgotten is the wisdom of Andrew Jackson: "One man of courage makes a majority." Thomas J. Whalen's A Higher Purpose seeks to prove the truth behind Jackson's words by relating the stories of nine historic decisions made by commanders-in-chief over two centuries of American history. From Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation to Theodore Roosevelt's confrontation with the business trusts, these vignettes show how some of our presidents have demonstrated the capacity to place their political lives on the line for a higher purpose.

What if you could improve your physical health while deepening your spiritual life? In Running for a Higher Purpose, Most Rev. Thomas John Paprocki, Catholic bishop of Springfield—a marathon runner and hockey player—shares how the simple discipline of running can help you unlock profound spiritual benefits. Paprocki took up running as a teenager for his health; he ran his first marathon in his forties. Along the way he discovered that improving your physical health through running is a way to honor God and grow deeper in your spiritual life. Perfect for those who want to try running for the first time as well as for more experienced runners who want to set goals for a new challenge, Running for a Higher Purpose offers eight steps to reach spiritual and physical fitness. Review – Review where you are. Reform – Identify how to improve. Resolve – Resolve to put change into effect. Repeat – Don’t quit. Renew – Renew your physical and spiritual wellness. Relax – Balance physical and spiritual exercise with the need to rest. Reward – Feel personal satisfaction and reward by achieving your goals. Rejoice – Integrating a sound mind in a sound body leads to eternal happiness. Each chapter includes an inspirational quotation, a personal promise statement, and a prayer.