Leading with Purpose

Richard R. Ellsworth is Professor of Management at the Peter F. Drucker Graduate School of Management at Claremont Graduate University. He is the co-author (with Joseph L. Badarocco, Jr.) of Leadership and the Quest for Integrity.

"Ellsworth links the literature of current management practice to the findings of economists and political scientists who study the global environment, making the argument that purpose is at the core of a company's global competitiveness and managers have a moral as well as a fiduciary responsibility in the corporation. The strong, clear voice that comes through in this work is one that should be heard more often in business schools. Leading with Purpose is a major contribution on an issue of immense importance and provides an effective counterweight to the rational and analytic frameworks that often drive our MBA programs and executive classrooms." - Christopher A. Bartlett (Harvard Business School) "Vivid and encyclopaedic in his description of organizational purpose, Ellsworth helps leaders truly understand the tremendous impact that knowing who you are has on where you go and how you get there. In these globally turbulent times, any thoughtful leader will benefit greatly from this book." - Jerry I. Porras (Lane Professor of Organizational Behavior and Change, Stanford Business School, and co-author of Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies) "Reexamining the view that the overriding purpose of a corporation is to increase shareholder wealth, this book challenges corporations to integrate product development, customer satisfaction, employee productivity, and shareholder satisfaction to both remain competitive in the world economy and contribute to the betterment of the community. Leading with Purpose exemplifies Ellsworth's ability to identify and analyze abstract philosophical conceptions in a way that is useful to practicing managers." - George C. Lodge (Harvard Business School) "This thoughtful and incredibly ambitious work tackles head-on the enormously important issue of why the corporation exists. Ellsworth creates the kind of provocative framework and well-articulated set of concepts that would drive an intense and powerful classroom learning experience in courses of general management, strategic management, and business policy in business schools everywhere." - Christopher A. Bartlett (Harvard Business School) "In order to prosper, businesses need to switch their primary focus from shareholders to customers, says Claremont Graduate University['s] Ellsworth. He finds that shareholder-focused purpose disenfranchises other stakeholders and customers . . . .while a customer-focused purpose enhances strategy and management, supports global operations, and provides a worthy motivation for employees." - Richmond Times "No serious student of management or practicing manager can afford to miss the lessons contained in this book—lessons that help address perhaps the most fundamental of all business questions: What is the ultimate purpose of your corporation?" (Academy of Management Review) "The unique strength of Richard Ellsworth's book is that it presents the business enterprise in all its dimensions—as an economic institution; as a human organization; and as an embodiment of values—and carries all three dimensions in both clear theory and practical application." - Peter F. Drucker (The Peter F. Drucker Graduate School of Management) "A truly unique effort. I know of no other book that takes for its centerpiece the concept of purpose and then refracts it so meaningfully through the prism of the modern corporation. Ellsworth argues forcibly for a strong point of view and moral imperative in the corporation, brilliantly presenting a book of immense importance." - Warren Bennis (University of Southern California, Graduate School of Business Administration)

• PART I Influences on Meaning, Strategy, Managing, and Performance 1 Purpose and Performance: Leveraging the Essence of a Corporation 2 Corporations and Individuals: Creating Meaning and Competitiveness 3 Strategy: Defining Corporate Mission, Priorities, and Direction 4 Managing: Transforming Purpose into Action PART II Capital Markets, Property Rights, and the Individual 5 Capital-Market Relationships: The Myths of Shareholder Wealth Maximization 6 Property Rights: The Shareholders' Rights and Responsibilities 7 Individualism: America's Competitive Advantage PART III Competing Purposes in the Global Marketplace 8 Purpose and Global Competitiveness: The Realities 9 America's Rivals: Changing the Rules of Competition CONCLUSION The Lessons for Leadership 10 Infusing Purpose: A Moral and Strategic Responsibility of Leadership