Purposeful People: Business Leaders Making A Difference

“An encyclopaedia of life, a book of knowledge, a compendium of wisdom, I am lost in my ability to describe Purposeful People, it is an amazing amalgam of experience, success, opportunity, setback, bounce back and fortitude. Each page is laden with richness, learning and insight, it must command pride of place on the bookshelf of every leadership coach, every mentor, every business strategist, and all those people with an interest in life and how we operate. It has no sell by date, Purposeful People takes you on a voyage of lifelong learning, like a kaleidoscope, you discover something new with the re-reading of each page.

If feedback is the breakfast of a champion, then this book is a banquet for those with an appetite for learning. Thank you, thank you, thank you, to all those who have contributed to this invaluable book, you have refreshed, revitalised and re-energised my love for leadership development, coaching and mentoring. Purposeful People is my new bible!

As a leadership coach and mentor, I see my role akin to that of a ship’s pilot, I am there to advise the ship’s master as to where the safe waters are, such they can unload the cargo of limited value and load cargo that is of much greater value. This book is the complete ship master’s guide to the world, every pilot should have one.”

“Finding your purpose and overcoming the obstacles along the way to living it everyday with passion is not easy. This book provides thought-provoking, inspirational and practical insights to help you move forward faster and enjoy more fulfilment in life. ”

“Finding purpose’ is the current fashionable question that every ambitious person or anyone at a career ‘junction’ seems to be asking themselves – and yet it seems so elusive and hard to nail down.

‘Purposeful People’ is a trove of valuable life lessons from a selection of those who truly breathe purpose and as a result, have enjoyed huge success and professional fulfilment. The book is a positive, refreshing concentrate, with no watering down. I felt like each chapter could have been a whole book, but given my time-poor life

I’m so grateful the insights were condensed in this way: colourful, engaging, personal stories interwoven with highly actionable take-aways. This is definitely a book to first devour and then keep close at hand for dipping back into at appropriate moments when seeking both inspiration and tangible techniques to not only help us identify but to realise our very individual purpose in life.”

“This book details a personal narrative relating to the lives and careers of a group of 20 entrepreneurial individuals from varied backgrounds. Essentially, the end result is a good one for everyone – the starting point and the journey through life for many is bumpy to say the least, and numerous contributors described what precipitated the turning point in their lives. Some faced major financial hardship, marital breakdown, and material losses. The book describes a roadmap to recovery and a claw back from difficult situations: financial, emotional, and reputational, to name but a few. The impact of timeout, self-awareness, self-belief and unlocking of hidden talents are important components to recovery, as is the need for physical and mental health which generates emotional resilience to working in an all too frequently stressful environment. As a trauma surgeon, I knew only too well that a high performing team must be willing to take risks – risk or risk averse appear related to success or mediocre performance.

This book taught me a lot about people, about failure and success and, once a purpose in life is determined, the roads to success. Many contributors remind us of the importance of work/life balance – something that I myself did not get right. Chris Paton has gathered authors, all of whom have an important story and message to share and many of whom are now involved in senior management and life coaching. No matter what your background, you can relate and see yourself in the lives of many of these authors, these purposeful people from whom you may get guidance to define your direction and purpose in life.“

“I really like that there’s something in the book for everyone. The unique writing styles held my attention very nicely – it’s like listening to a panel of experts with entirely distinct perspectives.

This collection proves that purposeful people are plaid. I was struck by the variety of factors, backgrounds and experiences that drove the career and focus of each author.

Its strength doesn’t rest in any particular story, although I’m sure some will resonate more deeply than others. Its force rests with the collage of wisdom it provides and its invitation for you to assimilate and apply that within your own purposeful life.”

“This powerful collection of actionable insights and practical advice from twenty renowned leaders will be a ready companion to me for many years.”

“As someone who has been on a journey to live a meaningful and purposeful life over the past few years, Purposeful people couldn’t have come at a better time. It is basically a consolidation of all the advice I have needed.

I really enjoyed all the contributions, and I obtained a lot of takeaways. The book is well laid out, with the topics sequenced in such a way that the reader can choose to read from cover to cover, or can simply select the topics of interest.

Self-belief, Finding your purpose, Minding your mind, the importance of teamwork…really important lessons to be learnt here.
I particularly liked one of Andrew Powel’s lessons – ‘Change is constant. Don’t try and fight it. It is happening every day and all around us. The minute you stand still, you become obsolete.’ I appreciate the contributors’ honesty and authenticity. It just shows one thing I always say ‘We are all human.’ Even leaders are human too and experience all the emotions we all do. A must-read for everyone!”

“I find myself reflecting often on the bite size chapters compiled from a varied cross-section of different sectors within this excellent book. Although the title seems directed towards business leaders, the lessons from each chapter can be applied to any team, whether it be military, marketing or medical.

As a paediatric consultant starting a new role in an unfamiliar hospital with an unfamiliar team, the lessons from each chapter resonated strongly with me. It felt like Chris had hand-picked each author to illuminate my leadership journey: and each managed to readily and clearly impart the wisdom accrued over collective decades of experience.

Collectively, they interleaved to expand my perspective and explore related topics from intuition to wellbeing. As a professional who relies on the outputs of collective groups of specialists, I found the anecdotes about building and sustaining committed, resilient teams particularly valuable. The messages imparted by these authors, and the self-reflection they inspire, helped me to address unfamiliar and complex leadership challenges, and I am convinced that not only will this book help others in my profession, but that I will revisit different chapters at different points in my own career.”