Being Essential: Seven Questions for Living and Leading with Radical Self-Awareness

by Dain Dunston

Being Essential presents the seven questions that will help any leader discover an authentic path to the true self and master a virtuous cycle of self-awareness that fosters purpose, value, and joy at work and in life.

Leaders often know what they need to do, but don’t have a clue who they need to be. Without a true essence of self, their leadership can feel void of purpose and confidence, affecting both teams and stakeholders. But when leaders discover their essential selves—who they are at their cores and why they show up—it enables them to reach a state of “radical self-awareness,” a game-changing skill that unlocks a more effective, commanding, agile approach to leadership.

For more than thirty years Dain Dunston has been coaching top executives to find the essence of their personal and professional journeys. Now readers can learn the holistic method he uses to calibrate leaders’ minds for radical self-awareness and help them achieve more satisfying professional experiences.

196 pages, Paperback

Published March 8, 2022

Reviews

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

I would have given this book 5 stars had there been more if a summary at the end tying everything together. It seemed to just stop. The authir dies a good job of summarizing at the end if each chapter but I had to read this book over a period if time and forgot some of the key points made abd had to go back and look at my notes. It would be nice to have a final book summary at the end.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Items of Note:
* We must stop trying to be the person we think we should be and start being the person we are.
* It is important that we have the ability to know our minds and the ability to change them when we need to.
* The significance of leaders lies in their influence on individuals and the broader society they serve.

[Wan Shoo · Rating 3 out of 5]

An extraordinary book bridging your self awareness with the actions and decisions you are making, leading to better leadership and being. The book reminded us that constant practice and revision will help us grasp being essential, being in present. Good to keep the book by your side as a reminder.

[Craig Stephens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt good reading this book. I think it had some helpful concepts. I just finished it, but I can't really remember anything specific that it said but I have a feeling that there was something really good about what it did say.