I picked up Purposeful Performance hoping for a fresh perspective on improving workplace effectiveness, and while it delivered some solid advice, it left me with mixed feelings. Jonathan Stanley offers a framework aimed at boosting performance with clear steps and actionable strategies. The focus on setting goals and aligning team efforts was practical and engaging, especially when Stanley shared real-world examples that made the advice feel relevant.

However, I found the book’s content somewhat repetitive at times. The core principles are good, but the discussions around them felt like they dragged on, especially in the middle sections. Some of the strategies seemed familiar and didn’t offer much new insight beyond what’s already out there in the realm of productivity and management.

Also, while Stanley’s ideas are sound, I wished for more depth in exploring how to adapt these strategies to different organizational contexts. The book could have used a bit more variety in examples or case studies to illustrate the concepts in diverse settings. Overall, it’s a useful read if you’re looking for straightforward performance improvement techniques, but it didn’t quite stand out as groundbreaking.

While I enjoyed reading some chapters of this book, others felt like they were too superficial or written by AI. The author provides lots of lists and some entertaining anecdotes but not enough substance. It was a very easy read and I agree with the authors main point that business leaders should align their strategy around embracing a clear purpose.