The Invisible Leader Quotes

“People will copy what you do and how you do it, but they can never copy WHY you are.”
― Zach Mercurio, The Invisible Leader: Transform Your Life, Work, and Organization with the Power of Authentic Purpose

“Purpose is the reason for your rare, precious existence that is useful to others.”
― Zach Mercurio, The Invisible Leader: Transform Your Life, Work, and Organization with the Power of Authentic Purpose

“The search for purpose and meaning is fundamentally human; the uniting trait of our species.”
― Zach Mercurio, The Invisible Leader: Transform Your Life, Work, and Organization with the Power of Authentic Purpose

“PURPOSE CLARITY Is there a clear, common reason for existence in our life and organization, one that is truly believed? Is that reason for existence clearly stated, compelling, and other-focused? Does our purpose statement include the components of an effective purpose statement? Is that purpose statement detached from results? Is the purpose clear to the organization and understood in common language? Is the purpose visible on a daily basis? Do we know our purpose statement and believe it? Does the environment we have designed reinforce the clearly stated purpose?”
― Zach Mercurio, The Invisible Leader: Transform Your Life, Work, and Organization with the Power of Authentic Purpose

“SMART goals. The acronym can vary, but the letters generally stand for goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. I”
― Zach Mercurio, The Invisible Leader: Transform Your Life, Work, and Organization with the Power of Authentic Purpose

“Who do I/we have to be to feel that way? What qualities would you have to exhibit to feel each of the emotions you wrote down? Instead of focusing on feelings here, complete this statement: I need to be . . . I recommend brainstorming a “being” quality for each feeling you wrote down. For example, if you said, I want people to feel enthusiastic, they might need to be committed. To feel content, you might need to be mindful. This process is also helpful in identifying the values explored in the chapter on the integrity of purpose. The being qualities that produce the feelings outlined in your vision generally correspond to your values. Focus people’s minds on personal development and away from to-do lists and results. I always say that “to be” lists are far more powerful than “to do” lists.”
― Zach Mercurio, The Invisible Leader: Transform Your Life, Work, and Organization with the Power of Authentic Purpose

“The list becomes what author Paul Ratoff calls your stakeholder world, or your “customers.” Taking this reflective exercise further, when you can rank your stakeholders by who experiences or benefits most from your purpose (not products or results), it can dramatically affect how you think about those you impact.”
― Zach Mercurio, The Invisible Leader: Transform Your Life, Work, and Organization with the Power of Authentic Purpose

“If you think you’re too small to make a difference, try falling asleep with a mosquito in your room. —The Dalai Lama”
― Zach Mercurio, The Invisible Leader: Transform Your Life, Work, and Organization with the Power of Authentic Purpose

“Feedback That Works, Sloan Weitzel.”
― Zach Mercurio, The Invisible Leader: Transform Your Life, Work, and Organization with the Power of Authentic Purpose

“You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do. —Carl Jung”
― Zach Mercurio, The Invisible Leader: Transform Your Life, Work, and Organization with the Power of Authentic Purpose

“As people, we have stakeholders in our lives: our friends, family, colleagues, advisors. All these people know why we do what we do. How do we enroll them in our stories to support us as we move along this journey? Author Paul Ratoff, in his book, Thriving in a Stakeholder World: Purpose as the New Competitive Advantage, calls this your “stakeholder world.” Identifying your key stakeholders and enrolling them in your purpose is critical.”
― Zach Mercurio, The Invisible Leader: Transform Your Life, Work, and Organization with the Power of Authentic Purpose

“Practicing Purpose Tip While the people you surround yourself with surely don’t have to agree with you, they should believe in your purpose.”
― Zach Mercurio, The Invisible Leader: Transform Your Life, Work, and Organization with the Power of Authentic Purpose

“Design people’s first experiences on purpose. First experiences with an organization are a vital, though often overlooked, component of instilling purpose. The first experiences we have with an idea, organization, or movement stay with us, so make sure that your employee on-boarding and any and all stakeholder experiences begin with the story of why.”
― Zach Mercurio, The Invisible Leader: Transform Your Life, Work, and Organization with the Power of Authentic Purpose

“Every organization has such stories. Tell them often.”
― Zach Mercurio, The Invisible Leader: Transform Your Life, Work, and Organization with the Power of Authentic Purpose

“Tell the story of why you exist, often. Talk about why before what in meetings. Reward why before what, and train people by first engaging them in your story. Create shared dramatic experiences. People need to feel your purpose. How do your people know when organizational purpose has been delivered? How do they hear about it? Do they see it? Do they feel it? More important, do they experience it together?”
― Zach Mercurio, The Invisible Leader: Transform Your Life, Work, and Organization with the Power of Authentic Purpose

“Roy Spence, the author of It’s Not What You Sell, It’s What You Stand For, recounted”
― Zach Mercurio, The Invisible Leader: Transform Your Life, Work, and Organization with the Power of Authentic Purpose

“Knowing a purpose, however, constitutes roughly 1 percent of the work in my view. The other 99 percent is believing it and instilling that belief in our lives, organizations, and movements. The power of believing in a purpose—mind, body, and soul—is what actually transforms people and organizations.”
― Zach Mercurio, The Invisible Leader: Transform Your Life, Work, and Organization with the Power of Authentic Purpose

“Dr. Alex Lickerman described this trait in a Psychology Today article. “Our brains are attachment machines, attaching not just to people and places but to ideas,”
― Zach Mercurio, The Invisible Leader: Transform Your Life, Work, and Organization with the Power of Authentic Purpose

“Practicing Purpose Tip Make sure your environment (symbols, people, places, things) helps to reinforce your belief in your purpose.”
― Zach Mercurio, The Invisible Leader: Transform Your Life, Work, and Organization with the Power of Authentic Purpose

“Belief creates the actual fact. —William James”
― Zach Mercurio, The Invisible Leader: Transform Your Life, Work, and Organization with the Power of Authentic Purpose

“Practicing Purpose Exercise Take a moment to fill out this statement template. You can do this as an individual or for your organization. After you have filled it out, share it with people and get feedback. Are they compelled? Do they believe it? Is it authentic? Ask them how it could be more powerful. Do they feel compelled to join you? Make this statement visible, and we will use it in the rest of the book to work on instilling it in all who interact with you or your organization. I/We exist to ______________(action verb) _____________________ (humans, who?) to _____________________________ (think/feel/do/believe). Example: I exist to help people and organizations awaken and deliver their authentic purpose to the world.”
― Zach Mercurio, The Invisible Leader: Transform Your Life, Work, and Organization with the Power of Authentic Purpose

“tradition. It becomes a culture. People believe it. This is what our next chapter is about—how to cultivate a life and an organization with a purpose you can state clearly and believe in deeply at all levels. It”
― Zach Mercurio, The Invisible Leader: Transform Your Life, Work, and Organization with the Power of Authentic Purpose

“We exist to inspire and nurture the human spirit one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time.”
― Zach Mercurio, The Invisible Leader: Transform Your Life, Work, and Organization with the Power of Authentic Purpose

“I exist to help people and organizations awaken and deliver their authentic purpose to the world”
― Zach Mercurio, The Invisible Leader: Transform Your Life, Work, and Organization with the Power of Authentic Purpose

“Is my purpose statement authentic?”
― Zach Mercurio, The Invisible Leader: Transform Your Life, Work, and Organization with the Power of Authentic Purpose

“Is my stated purpose detached from results?”
― Zach Mercurio, The Invisible Leader: Transform Your Life, Work, and Organization with the Power of Authentic Purpose

“Does my purpose statement inspire self-transcendence?”
― Zach Mercurio, The Invisible Leader: Transform Your Life, Work, and Organization with the Power of Authentic Purpose

“The start of Disney’s statement is, “We exist to create happiness . . .” Later in this chapter, we’ll explore why that is such a powerful purpose statement and what differentiates it from a mission statement in the organization’s operations.”
― Zach Mercurio, The Invisible Leader: Transform Your Life, Work, and Organization with the Power of Authentic Purpose

“Finally, a common purpose answers the question, “Why us?” Why this group of people? Why right now? Why are we coming together as individuals to organize, solve this problem, and deliver this purpose? This is perhaps the most overlooked yet most powerful purpose to state. A common purpose answers the questions, Can every person see his or her own personal purpose in the organizational purpose? Is the purpose shared?”
― Zach Mercurio, The Invisible Leader: Transform Your Life, Work, and Organization with the Power of Authentic Purpose

“The purpose must be clear throughout all levels of the organization.”
― Zach Mercurio, The Invisible Leader: Transform Your Life, Work, and Organization with the Power of Authentic Purpose