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Force for Good How to Thrive

A practical guide for purpose-driven leaders on how to thrive—not just survive—by mastering the UP, IN and OUT dimensions of leadership in a post-modern, post-pandemic, future-fragile world.

This is a step-by-step procedural book — we're building it into Stepcode, with a profile to follow.

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What it’s about

As the profit-driven age gives way to a purpose-driven era—symbolized by the rise of the B Corp movement and Maslow's rediscovered sixth level of intrinsic values—leaders who commit to being 'a force for good' face unique demands that traditional leadership models never anticipated. Drawing on over 20 years coaching 130+ CEOs across 22 countries, executive coach John Blakey offers a memorable three-dimensional framework: the UP (discovering, connecting with, serving and feeling the joy of your higher calling), the IN (managing your motivation, resilience and spiritual well-being), and the OUT (forgiving individuals, protecting the team and purpose, and becoming a beacon of hope). Packed with a practical 'thrival kit' of daily, weekly and monthly exercises, a self-assessment to identify whether you are a zealot, martyr or Pied Piper, and a vision for becoming a 'force multiplier', the book equips leaders to navigate a changed leadership landscape marked by lost respect, lost security and lost hope. Interwoven with a coaching fable and candid personal reflection, it is essential reading for anyone who has already decided to stand for purpose and now needs a map and compass for the journey.

The through-line

Who it’s for: A committed leader—CEO, entrepreneur, public or third-sector executive, or their advisor—who has already decided to stand for purpose and wants to lead a business that is a force for good achieving the triple bottom line of profit, people and planet.
The problem: The leadership landscape has changed (post-modern, post-pandemic, future-fragile), and the old profit-driven playbook no longer works, leaving leaders subject to scepticism, disconnection and hopelessness among their people. They feel exhausted, lonely, angry, futile and at risk of burnout, questioning 'Why am I doing this?' and whether they can be one of this new breed of leader.
The plan: Understand the changed leadership landscape (post-modern, post-pandemic, future-fragile) so you can adapt rather than become a 'bridge to nowhere'.
Work the UP: define your purpose via values elicitation, stay connected to it, serve it and feel its joy.
Work the IN: build Olympic-level motivation, resilience (12 tips for bouncing back) and spiritual well-being through community.
Work the OUT: forgive individuals, protect the team and purpose by saying no, and become a beacon of hope.
Build a 'thrival kit' of daily, weekly and monthly habits.
The payoff: You thrive rather than merely survive, sustaining energy and joy in your role for far longer. · You lead a purpose-driven organization that balances profit, people and planet and inspires committed followers. · You feel resilient, authentic, motivated and connected to a nourishing community.

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Additional reading

Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln · Doris Kearns Goodwin
This book provides the detailed historical narrative for the book's case study of Abraham Lincoln as a successful giver in the world of politics.
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking · Susan Cain
Supports the idea that less dominant, 'powerless' communication styles can be highly effective, which is a key strategy for many successful givers.
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion · Robert Cialdini
The principles of reciprocity and social proof from this book are foundational to understanding why giving can be influential and how giving norms spread within groups.
Never Eat Alone · Keith Ferrazzi
Presents a strategic, matcher-oriented view of networking ('give before you receive') which Grant contrasts with the more unconditional approach of successful givers.
Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter · Liz Wiseman
The book's distinction between 'geniuses' (who can be takers) and 'genius makers' (who are givers) is used to frame how givers succeed in collaboration by elevating others.
The Magic Mountain · Thomas Mann
Frankl cites this novel for its profound psychological study of people living in a 'provisional existence' in a sanatorium, which he found analogous to the inmates' experience of time and futurelessness in the concentration camp.
The Individual and His Religion · Gordon W. Allport
Quoted to support the therapeutic power of self-detachment and humor ('The neurotic who learns to laugh at himself...'), which Frankl sees as the foundation of his 'paradoxical intention' technique.
The works of Dostoevski · Fyodor Dostoevski
Frankl repeatedly quotes Dostoevski, particularly two key ideas: 'man is a being who can get used to anything' (which Frankl qualifies) and 'There is only one thing that I dread: not to be worthy of my sufferings,' which encapsulates the concept of finding meaning in one's attitude toward fate.
Ethics · Spinoza
Frankl quotes Spinoza's statement, 'Emotion, which is suffering, ceases to be suffering as soon as we form a clear and precise picture of it,' to explain his own coping mechanism of observing his suffering with scientific detachment.
The Everyday World as Problematic: A Feminist Sociology · Dorothy E. Smith
The author explicitly identifies Smith's work as the primary methodological and theoretical foundation for his study, particularly its focus on the disjuncture between lived experience and administrative texts.