Common Purpose How Great Leaders Get Organizations A New Book by Joel Kurtzman to Achieve the Extraordinary

Common Purpose How Great Leaders Get Organizations to Achieve the Extraordinary A New Book by Joel Kurtzman Why do some businesses flourish while others fail? The Milken Institute's Joel Kurtzman provides an answer in Common Purpose: How Great Leaders Get Organizations to Achieve the Extraordinary. Based on years of research, hundreds of interviews, personal observation and interactions with leaders, Kurtzman's new book argues that creating common purpose is the essence of leadership. The author uses example after example to make his point. For instance, CEO Gordon Bethune learned to emphasize one goal at Continental Airlines. He set on-time performance as the company's measure of success and sent every employee a check every time the company was first in on-time arrivals, creating the feeling of a team. And Enron illustrates the need for less hierarchical organizations. Chairman Ken Lay ignored Sherron Watkins' warnings about misstatements in Enron's financial reports, rationalizing that, as chairman, he would know if something were wrong. With new insights on how to approach - and implement - a leadership mind-set, Common Purpose sheds new light on the meaning of leadership, the crucial qualities of leaders and, most importantly, how to lead. Kurtzman is a senior fellow at the Milken Institute; executive director of its SAVE initiative, including the Center for a Sustainable Energy Future; and publisher of The Milken Institute Review. Visit Milkeninstitute.org to learn more. The reviews are in "Through well-told anecdotes and strong logic, Kurtzman convincingly demonstrates that the essence of leadership is the ability to forge, from a disparate group of individuals, 'a creative, dynamic, brave and nearly invincible we.' How does one do that? Not by stepping out in front of the group, describing a vision, and leading the charge forward. Rather, Kurtzman's ideal leader is deep in the mix of the organization, causing its values, objectives, and approaches to be internalized by decision makers at every level." - Julia Kirby, Senior Editor, Harvard Business Review "Kurtzman's insight that there is no 'them' but only 'us' applies to all organizations - a company, sports team, orchestra, research lab, or university. It's a worthwhile message for our political leaders." - Michael Milken, Chairman, Milken Institute "Common Purpose is an insightful and useful road map for piloting a company to its full potential. ... If you're trying to figure out how to lead your company to stay ahead by anticipating change and sustaining growth, read this book." - Rafael Pastor, Chairman and CEO, Vistage International

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