Absolute Impact: The Drive for Personal Leadership

by Matthew May

Absolute Impact is a leadership fable that penetrates the deeper issues involved in achieving significant postive impact in work and life. Written completely as dramatic dialogue, the book is a study into the fundamental meaning and purpose of life and work. Absolute Impact stresses the qualities and characteristics of good leadership, and takes the reader on a journey of self-examination and discovery intended to result in a clearer perception of one’s abilities, aims, and ambitions. The author utilizes a literary device called the Socratic method, a way of examining a problem and working toward a solution through dialogue and questioning, popularized by the Greek philosopher Plato. The book pays homage to Plato and his philosophy; quotes from his major writings introduce each section. The setting is a mythical kingdom where an aging prince faces the task of preparing his young son to take his place on the throne. The prince gathers three of his most trusted advisors to help him clarify what his son must learn and what qualities he should develop to enable him to lead justly and ably. In essence, the prince wants his courtiers to help him discover how one learns to know oneself, what is the meaning of goodness and justice and how to live life with the most impact on those around you. The prince and his advisors each represent one of Plato’s four faculties of the soul, or classes of primary human perception, conviction, understanding and reason, embodying the four great virtues of courage, temperance, justice and wisdom, and epitomizing the major societal roles of agency, propriety, philosophy, and diplomacy. Each contributes to the dialogue from the perspective of his own unique intellect, and through a process of synthesis they arrive at guidelines to find the answers to these sublime questions. The book makes the point, however, that the answers will ultimately be unique for each individual.

288 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2003

Reviews

[Andy Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book is hard to read but the overall ideas are sound and great. The exercises in the back are very timely and thought provoking...

[Alicia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not as insightful or profound as it tries to be. Painful at times.