Purpose Work Nation: Leading Organizations in Service of Our Nation's Powerful Purpose

Lead with purpose. Fulfill your legacy. Save the republic.

The United States has a powerful purpose - "all are created equal", "E Pluribus Unum", and "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. But this is not our reality as 97% of us are unhealthy, 84% of us are stressed out, 78% of us are paycheck to paycheck, and most of us no longer believe in the "American Dream". And these are just the averages - life is much worse for women and BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities, e.g., $.01 of wealth in Black families for every dollar of wealth in white families.

Given our political polarization and gridlock, the low (25%) trust in our government and the high trust in our employers (72%), 68% of us now expect business to fill the leadership void and fulfill our purpose.

This book empowers business leaders to do just that. Fans of Simon Sinek, Adam Grant, Clayton Christensen, Aaron Hurst, Daniel Pink, and Malcolm Gladwell will be inspired and challenged in new ways and find a deeper expression of their leadership.

“I think our last best hope is the leadership of the U.S. business community.”
Thomas Friedman, New York Times, January 4th, 2022

Summary:

Chapters 1-3 examine the purpose, history, challenges, and opportunities facing our nation and organizations. Chapters 4-6 look at how you can lead your organization and nation into a flourishing future. At the end of each chapter is a summary and 4 discussion questions for your book club.

We'll begin by looking at why organizations are the front line in the fight for our nation’s purpose (Chapter 1). We'll then look the themes that have imperiled our organizations and nation and call forth a new chapter in our nation's history (Chapter 2). Next, we’ll look at the urgent need to shift our culture (Chapter 3).

We’ll then explore how the old way of developing people and culture is a huge waste of time and money, and actually creates greater division and disengagement, and how the new way - building authentic, high-trust and diverse relationships across an organization - enables unprecedented productivity, innovation, well-being, information transfer, and organizational commitment (Chapter 4). Next, we’ll dive deeper into the two most powerful drivers of organizational flourishing: employee purpose and belonging (Chapter 5). We’ll conclude with an approach (Chapter 6) for activating purpose and belonging in your organization.

What leaders say:

"Brandon offers concrete, practical actions that are grounded in organizational research, put into historical context, and enlivened with stories from his own purposeful journey." Lara Lee, Independent Director WD-40

"Rich with research and examples, this book is a must-read for every executive who wants to lead effectively in these uncertain times." Chip Conley, Founder of Modern Elder Academy, Author - Wisdom @Work

"Research-backed, elegant and as American as apple pie." Bea Boccalandro, President, Veraworks

"Eye-opening, direct hits on the many ways we've purloined the right of human flourishing from so many, and the purpose-based solutions for change." Vic Strecher, PhD, CEO Kumanu

"Brandon is one of the great thinkers of our time." Gabrielle Blocher, GM CelerPurus

"A bold vision for the workplace, our economy, and our country. Filled with captivating personal stories, this book makes the irrefutable case for purpose and belonging." Tom Drugan, VP Operations, SlideUX

"It will break your heart and build you back stronger.” Arezou Ghane, PhD, Founder, Auteur Health and Wellness

"A strong case that bottom-up culture building is of greater importance than top-down strategy." Kursat Ozenc, PhD, VP of Design, New Business Ventures Lab, J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. , Lecturer, Stanford d.school