John B. Izzo , Ph.D.

“The perfect book for the times in which we live . . . page after page of engaging stories, profound insights, and practical tips on how you can stand up and take responsibility for making something meaningful happen.” —Jim Kouzes, coauthor of the bestselling The Leadership Challenge All too often, the challenges we face seem overwhelming. Where do we start? What if we fail? But bestselling author John Izzo argues that almost every problem, from personal difficulties and business challenges to social issues, can be solved if all of us look to ourselves to create change rather than looking to others. And with the research to prove it, Izzo shows that by seeing ourselves as the locus of control rather than the victims of change, we are happier, less stressed, and more powerful. Izzo shows how taking responsibility changes our careers, our companies, our lives, and our communities. This book is filled with stories that illustrate the incredible power of stepping up: a homeless man who started a recycling revolution, a middle-aged Italian shopkeeper who fought back against the Mafia, two teenagers who ignited an antibullying movement, an executive who turned a dying division into a profit center, and a few employees who created a multibillion dollar product for Starbucks, and many more. This second edition includes a new chapter on the Stepping Up Continuum, a model that looks at six ways to know if you are stepping up or stepping back, as well as fresh stories and a self-assessment tool for helping leaders create a culture for stepping up in their organizations. We have the power within ourselves to move mountains—we just have to decide that we are the ones to do it.

How Taking Responsibility Changes Everything

Stepping Up, Second Edition

Jeff Vanderwielen

The Purpose Revolution How Good Leaders Create Engagement and Competitive Advantage in an Age of Social Good We're in the midst of a purpose revolution. Customers, employees, and investors are making it clear that they want companies to do more than provide good products, good prospects, and good profits—they want companies to do some social good too. Ironically, as this extremely timely book demonstrates, purpose-driven companies do better on nearly every traditional metric: greater customer loyalty, higher retention, more innovation, and a healthier bottom line. But how do you become a purpose-driven company? Just crafting an inspiring new mission statement and starting a CSR program won't cut it, says John Izzo, who predicted the purpose revolution in his 1994 book Awakening Corporate Soul. Purpose must pervade every part of your organization. In this thoroughly researched hands-on guide, Izzo and Jeff Vanderwielen provide a tool kit for deeply embedding purpose into your leadership and organizational culture. Using scores of real-world examples and practical exercises, Izzo and Vanderwielen help leaders find a truly authentic purpose, one that is a natural fit for them and their organization. They describe concrete actions leaders can take to ensure that employees own it, customers and recruits connect with it, and every corporate action and activity reflects it. They show leaders how to avoid common pitfalls on the path to purpose and how to use purpose to guide all their decision making. In an increasingly crowded economic landscape, purpose gives you a powerful competitive advantage. But it does more than that. Finding and communicating an inspiring purpose will revitalize the entire organization, top to bottom. Purpose makes business more rewarding in every sense.

How Leaders Create Engagement and Competitive Advantage in an Age of Social Good

The Purpose Revolution

The Five Thieves of Happiness “A thought-provoking guide to sustained happiness.” —Shawn Achor, author of The Happiness Advantage and Before Happiness From bestselling author John Izzo comes this practical and inspirational guide. He shows that happiness is our natural state and explores five “thieves” that rob us of that innate sense of contentment. A few years ago, Izzo was puzzled that he didn't feel happier. He was a successful consultant, a much-in-demand speaker, and a bestselling author. Sure, he'd had some setbacks and disappointments, but he knew enough to know he had it pretty good. And, as he shows in this book, both ancient wisdom and modern neuroscience say that we're naturally happy—it's our default setting. So why didn't it seem to be his? Izzo went on a journey—a kind of pilgrimage—to try to understand what was going on. Reflecting as he walked the Camino de Santiago in Spain and spent time in the deserts of Morocco and in the Peruvian Andes, he began to identify five mental thought patterns that take our happiness from us. He calls them the five thieves of happiness: the thief of control, the thief of conceit, the thief of coveting, the thief of consumption, and the thief of comfort. Drawing on recent psychological research, the world's spiritual traditions, and personal stories from his journey, Izzo describes the disguises these thieves wear, the tools they use to break into our hearts, and what we can do to lock them out once and for all. He shows how the same five thieves that rob us of our personal happiness are destroying society as well. This book will help us all discover, develop, and defend the happiness that is naturally ours as human beings while finding ways to create a world we all want to live in.

John B. Izzo , Ph.D.

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