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Absolute Impact: The Drive for Personal Leadership Matthew May Format: Paperback, 288pp. ISBN: 9780972979405 Publisher: Peloton Publishing Pub. Date: October 2003 Average Customer Review: For Bulk Orders Call: 626-441-2024 Description and Reviews From The Publisher: In the most powerful Court in the Province, a fading Prince summons his three most trusted Courtiers to the Pantheon for a final summit on a most urgent matter: a debate over the challenges facing the Prince’s young heir in leading himself toward a bright future of truly significant accomplishment. At some point in life, everyone reflects on a most important question: Have I made the most of what I have to offer the world? Whether one’s work is presiding or parenting, the ability to lead oneself toward a positive answer this deceptively simple question is of paramount importance, for it stands at the very heart of making a difference. An unqualified ‘yes’ is the ultimate personal triumph, but a victory only the fortunate few ever win. Counting all those who genuinely attempt the quest as true leaders, Absolute Impact offers a view of leadership that moves beyond conventional notions to become more about making the most of one’s gifts to positively impact the lives of others – ultimately resulting in deeply meaningful achievement. In a world where most people would rather be doing something else with their life, where personal excellence is often withheld from one’s work, Absolute Impact offers a universal pathway to individual renaissance. Blending ancient philosophy with modern science, Absolute Impact reveals the three self-driven strategies that enable everyone to realize... Absolute Impact * * * 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 strengths: 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. Reviews According to executive consultant May, too many people today are withholding "personal excellence" from their work. "Leadership must move beyond simple effectiveness and directing the performance of others to become more about making the most of our unique abilities to positively impact the lives of those to whom we are connected in work and life," he writes. After studying "high impact individuals" for two decades, May has penned a book on charting one's own course through life in a quest to "discover, deepen, and direct that which truly drives us." The book uses an allegory about a prince and his court who meet to discuss the challenges facing the prince's heir. The four main characters represent various personality types-"a man of vision and reason," "a man of service and duty," "a man of spirit and truth," and "a man of action and artistry"-and readers may indeed recognize themselves in the portrayals. For those who take a shine to theatrical stories, May has much to offer, but readers looking for a quick solution won't find one here. —From Publishers Weekly / Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. "... made me think about the legacy of leaadership I want to leave ... no one escapes the central question of this book, and everyone can use its guidance in pursuing the answer." —Steve Goodall, President, J.D. Power and Associates "... goes straight to the heart of what it means to be a leader, regardless of walk in life ... by understanding our unique gifts and sharing them with the world, we can all be leaders." —An De Vooght, EVP, Red Bull N.A. About the Author Matthew May has studied and worked with high impact individuals for nearly two decades. He is the founder and president of Aevitas Learning, a Los Angeles-based executive development consultancy focused on helping others improve their personal performance and leadership. His clients have included leaders such well-known organizations as Dial, Hyundai, Infiniti, J.D. Power and Associates, Lexus, Nissan, Sierra Pacific Constructors, and Toyota. He holds an MBA from The Wharton School, (University of Pennsylvania) and a B.A. from The Johns Hopkins University. Absolute Impact is his second book. He lives with his wife and daughter in Westlake Village, California. Table of Contents
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