The Purpose Upgrade

Unlock greater profits. Empower happier and more engaged staff. Foster loyalty and connection with customers. Save your business... and the world. How? It all starts with a Purpose Upgrade.

History shows that hard times can lead to the greatest opportunities for renewal. The Purpose Upgrade will support readers in leading enterprises that thrive by solving our most important problems.

It shows how businesses can create more compelling benefits for customers, build meaningful livelihoods for colleagues, and unlock superior returns for investors by 'repurposing' and revitalising the activities they engage in.

Meet the social entrepreneur who repurposed the previously 'boring' trade in office supplies to fund micro-finance initiatives that reach millions of the people most exposed to poverty, so that 'even a bad day at the office saves lives'.

Learn how the leaders of a coal-mining business repurposed their enterprise first as an industrial chemicals company and then more spectacularly as a sustainable living business, generating unprecedented shareholder returns by aligning their objectives with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. They are now changing the lives of smallholder farmers, re-directing the food system to a more sustainable model, and harnessing the power of the world's biggest brands to provide more nutritious food on a healthier planet.

And, most importantly, discover a unique methodology that you can use to make a Purpose Upgrade an always-available event at any level of your own enterprise.

There has never been a more urgent need to change our businesses to save the world or a more opportune time to change the world to save our businesses.

“The Purpose Upgrade is thoughtful, practical and inspiring. The private sector can and must play a key role in overcoming the significant challenges the world is facing. After all, as a business you cannot be successful - nor call yourself successful - in a society that fails. Impact and leadership come with responsibility, and this book offers must-have insights for leaders from across all industries.”

The Purpose Upgrade is thoughtful, practical and inspiring. The private sector can and must play a key role in overcoming the significant challenges the world is facing. After all, as a business you cannot be successful - nor call yourself successful - in a society that fails. Impact and leadership come with responsibility, and this book offers must-have insights for leaders from across all industries. -- Feike Sijbesma, CEO of Royal DSM (2007–2020), Co-Chair Global Climate Adaptation Centers, Fortune World’s 50 Greatest Leaders (2018) and UN Humanitarian of the Year 2010
In today's world every business needs to put purpose above profit. Paul's book is a necessary and enlightening call to action for businesses to re-think why they exist and the implications for everything they say, think and do. -- Mike Berners-Lee, author of There Is No Planet B
The Purpose Upgrade is an important book that feeds the imagination. Most importantly it is a book about emotional intelligence and the energy unlocked by doing the right thing. Never underestimate the power of feeling good about yourself and the people around you. Read this book and become something greater than you previously thought possible. -- Sir Tim Smit KBE, Co-Founder of the Eden project
This brilliantly original work weaves a fascinating range of cutting-edge ideas into a cogent argument for fundamentally rethinking how organisations understand and pursue their core purpose. As the world faces up to its radically uncertain future, Paul Skinner's highly engaging text challenges us all to create a "Wealth of Change". It is a book full of humanity and hope. -- Gareth Owen OBE, Humanitarian Director of Save the Children
Paul Skinner is one of the best and here he tackles the purpose agenda with erudition and originality. His book will be standard reading for everyone who seeks a Purpose Upgrade personally or professionally. -- Sue Unerman, Chief Transformation Officer of MediaCom and co-author of Belonging
Paul Skinner has written a most engaging and readable book, both visionary and practical. It builds on his earlier thesis of Collaborative Advantage by challenging organisational leaders to coalesce stakeholders' energies towards higher societal or even global goals. I have personally seen how his ideas have been remarkably effective in the efforts of International Civil Society organisations. The scale of our crises now means we need businesses capable of addressing our greatest challenges and I urge leaders everywhere to answer this timely call to action and follow this greater path to success. -- Sir Brendan Gormley KCMG, former Chief Executive of the Disasters and Emergencies Committee
In some ways the tragedy of recent capitalism is that, while it has ostensibly created a breadth of wealth and opportunity, it has narrowed the minds of everyone who participates in it. The shareholder value movement was a great example of this. This book is a necessary and timely contribution to a more organic, more nuanced and more complete appreciation of what a business can achieve. -- Rory Sutherland, Vice-Chair of Ogilvy and The Spectator’s ‘Wikiman’
Paul Skinner's latest book, The Purpose Upgrade, has to be an essential read for everyone in business, whether an entrepreneur, CEO or marketing chief - or in fact anyone who cares about the future of humankind. Paul has not only led the way in conscious marketing in the UK as well as globally, but is one of the most intelligent people I know and his perspective on how to combine purpose, business, the future of society and indeed the world is absolutely crucial understanding for us all. -- Lynne Franks OBE, social entrepreneur, author and Founder of the SEED Women’s Leadership Platform
As we face into what some might argue is the greatest reset of the modern era, The Purpose Upgrade challenges us to think deeply about what purpose really means, while providing us with a framework for bringing true meaning and purpose to organisational culture, aligning corporate aspiration with stakeholder ambition. A must-read for anyone who cares about the role they, and their organisation, play in creating a whole that is much more meaningful than its constituent parts. -- Célia Pronto, Managing Director of Love Home Swap and Non-Executive Director of South East Water, Moto Hospitality and Samworth Brothers

Paul Skinner is the founder of the Agency of the Future, which helps clients drive purpose-led change and better mobilise stakeholders for lasting success. He advises global businesses and pioneering social change organisations as well as institutions of international and global governance.

He is also the founder of MarketingKind, a membership community which brings together business leaders, marketers and change-makers to tackle social and environmental problems through their businesses, volunteering and advocacy.

Unlock greater profits. Empower happier and more engaged staff. Foster loyalty and connection with customers. Save your business... and the world. How? It all starts with a Purpose Upgrade. History shows that hard times can lead to the greatest opportunities for renewal. The Purpose Upgrade will support readers in leading enterprises that thrive by solving our most important problems.It shows how businesses can create more compelling benefits for customers, build meaningful livelihoods for colleagues, and unlock superior returns for investors by 'repurposing' and revitalising the activities they engage in.Meet the social entrepreneur who repurposed the previously 'boring' trade in office supplies to fund micro-finance initiatives that reach millions of the people most exposed to poverty, so that 'even a bad day at the office saves lives'.Learn how the leaders of a coal-mining business repurposed their enterprise first as an industrial chemicals company and then more spectacularly as a sustainable living business, generating unprecedented shareholder returns by aligning their objectives with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. They are now changing the lives of smallholder farmers, re-directing the food system to a more sustainable model, and harnessing the power of the world's biggest brands to provide more nutritious food on a healthier planet. And, most importantly, discover a unique methodology that you can use to make a Purpose Upgrade an always-available event at any level of your own enterprise.There has never been a more urgent need to change our businesses to save the world or a more opportune time to change the world to save our businesses.

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