Leading with Significance: How to Create a Magnetic, People-First Culture

by Joey Havens

Amazon Best Seller in Strategy & Competition, Work Life Balance, Business Health & Stress, and Christian Business & Personal Growth Can a magnetic culture elevate you to unparalleled performance? Absolutely! And your journey to a magnetic culture starts by recognizing that good culture simply isn't enough to drive top performance. With uncertainty swirling around every corner in the world today, team members are reevaluating their workplaces and walking out as they look past hollow promises and perks that are a mere temporary bandage. People are searching for teams with purpose, a compelling vision, and a sense of belonging where they can pursue their full potential and live their lives to the fullest. In Leading with Significance , Joey Havens breaks through the limiting barriers of common culture theory and shows, with great transparency, the real human emotions that elevate a culture to one that is genuine, enduring, and magnetic. Joey shares insights, failures, low points, lessons learned, and growth from his experience of helping lead the successful transformation of HORNE LLP's good culture to a magnetic, people-first culture based on the Christian principles of caring and service. Whether you are inspired by exponential growth, the power of inclusion, or attracting and retaining outstanding people, this book will inspire you to choose a journey toward significance.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction

200 pages, Hardcover

Published June 6, 2023

Reviews

[Sherrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

***I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway***

Prior to winning this book, I did not know there was a genre called "Christian Business" and it took me a bit to wrap my brain around that concept. Christianity is innately non-capitalistic at it's core so I was unsure what on Earth this genre could possibly be. At least as far as this book is concerned, it's bringing Christian principles of kindness, fairness, and inclusivity to the workplace. I can get down with that.

So, I want to be clear. The Christian element is not the problem with this book. It's actually a strength as far as I'm concerned. The problem is the business side. The book covers the author's experience in leading HORNE to become a great work culture with their concept of "the wise firm" and as he points out, by focusing on their people they were able to achieve more as a business. That's a great premise for the book! But, like SO many business centered books out there...it tries so hard to be general and not give away specifics to their organization that it is almost entirely useless. It's not helpful to tell people, "focus on inclusivity" if you don't give specific, actionable examples of how to do so. It's just platitudes.

This isn't the worst offender of business book that I've read, but it is a particularly disappointing one since the author clearly has the insights and experiences to write a better book.

[Carlos Romero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joe Havens wrote an amazing guide for business leaders! Leading with significance is an amazing book for any organizational leader who wants to put people first and create a positive and engaging workplace culture.
What I like about this book is that it is a perfect and useful guide to prioritize the development and well-being of employees focusing on 3 aspects that are: The power of culture, where leaders need to create a strong and positive company culture to retain talent, foster innovation and achieve long-term success. Second, the importance of people, as it is said, people are the most important asset in any organization. And third, creating a sense of purpose, if a company has a shared understanding of purpose with their employees, they’ll feel connected and engaged in fulfilling objectives.
Overall, it is an amazing guide to know that employees are the most important thing to any organization.

[Steven Finkelstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are in charge of a company, then you may not spend a lot of time thinking about the culture that you create. However, the reality is that the attitude a business takes toward its workers and how they conduct themselves has everything to do with employee morale and overall success. As the individual in charge, the company’s culture flows through you, and it is your responsibility to lead in the right way.

That is what this book is about. The author, who has plenty of experience teaching leaders the techniques they need to succeed, is ready to pass on his best lessons. He does so in an approachable way that anyone should be able to easily follow. If you implement his teachings in your company, it might shock you how much easier everything should become.

[Píaras Cíonnaoíth · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Power of a People-First Workplace...

Joey Havens' "Leading with Significance" offers a fresh approach to creating a people-first workplace culture. Drawing from his experience at HORNE LLP, Havens blends Christian principles of caring and service with modern leadership strategies to present a unique framework for fostering a culture of significance. The book provides practical insights on prioritizing human emotions and potential in the workplace, attracting and retaining talent, and aligning organizational values with employee aspirations. "Leading with Significance" serves as a timely and inspiring guide for leaders aiming to create a workplace that goes beyond perks to foster genuine belonging and purpose in today's complex business landscape.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Teamwork is one of the most important tools when we talk about organizational efficiency. Although we all agree that teamwork is important, not everyone realizes the impact it has on a company. But is it possible to generate an optimal work environment after a pandemic, technological advances? The answer is Yes!
Author Havens shares ideas, failures, low points, and lessons learned to move from a traditional culture to one based on people and communication.
Chapter after chapter, the author's motivation is absorbed by the reader, since he conveys a lot in his pages. His desire, and his motive are present, encouraging the reader to become a leader of these times. Certainly, a different book on leadership, with great teachings.

[Marina Lujan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joey Havens, with his clear and accessible style, shares a deep reflection on the need to create genuine and positive work environments. The author's ability to clearly express his ideas was what most impressed me about this book. Havens provides tangible strategies that any leader can implement.

Personally, I'm always looking for material to help me foster more positive environments at work, and "Leading with Significance" has exceeded my expectations. The information the author shares is not only inspiring but also offers practical tools to make a real impact. I would recommend this book to anyone looking to improve their leadership style and also transform their workplace into a space where employees feel valued and motivated.

[Ivan M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leading With Significance is a book that puts the worker as a priority, something rarely seen these days. At least in my own experience, most companies are client-orientated, with little regard for the employees and their needs. Joey Havens understands that for achieving excellence, a well-balanced productive team is necessary, and addresses this subject from different angles, giving meaning and universality to the read.

Overall, it was an interesting read. A different approach, I consider it to be meant for a beginner or intermediate level, with real insights and useful experience displayed over the pages. It is recommended for the beginner Leader, as well as for the small entrepreneurs.

[Evelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book looked very promising as soon as I saw what it was about and I was definitely not wrong; it met every one of my expectations.
Unfortunately, we are living in a hurried world where chaos is part of our everyday life. This is reflected in various aspects of people's lives, sadly we can see how it affects each of them. The workplace is not isolated and we tend to bring this frenetic pace to this area which creates many inconveniences.
The author has extensive knowledge on the subject of leadership in a company, so the information is not only invaluable, but also accurate. I recommend this book to any kind of reader since it’s an enjoyable read.

[Mariana · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seems to me a completely necessary book for today's leaders, it seeks not only to become a person capable of creating a competitive work environment and focused on business goals, but also to be a leader interested in strengthening all areas of your life in order to be a truly complete and happy person. It is a very interesting book that will empower you to get the best out of your team. I feel it is a much more person-centered approach, which makes it for me a necessary guide for all leaders in any industry. I highly recommend it, it changed my mentality and helped me to improve my results with a much more interested and happy team.

[Camilo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

I think most of the people have heard the famous phrase “what you attract, is what will come to you”; even though it sounds senseless or very obvious, this phrase itself has a lot of meaning because it is not as simple as it sounds. It is necessary to create an environment that makes you feel positive on what you are attracting. This same situation happens in business, and in the creation of culture. This book is very interesting and the narrative used by the author is great because it shows real cases, good insights and a very simple language. All this makes the reading an enjoyable exercise. For sure, I highly recommend this book.

[Chico's Mom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Those in management positions should read this book as it helps us create a healthy environment for the people we manage and also help us work on how we manage people and make them come to us in our problems. I feel like this applies to company settings, but as teachers, we manage people like classes and groups, or even as parents, we manage our families and kids. It is a great skill to manage people and gain their trust quickly and efficiently. If people trust us more, it is easier to help them grow and listen to our advice, which allows these people to succeed, and it’s as a person, too.

[Susan Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is No Perfect Culture

A down to earth and vulnerable review of one organization’s drive to shift corporate culture! Joey’s acknowledgement of successes and failures along the way highlights the ebbs and flows of culture growth. His willingness to be vulnerable to himself and those around him have contributed to his organization’s resilience in the face of adversity.

[Ashley Reel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent book informing on person first company practices with a bit of faith based practices behind them. The book would have been better if the practices were separated out more clearly from the personal experiences.

[Peggy Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joey Havens learn and teaches that way to success is to put people first and to work right along with them,

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a Goodreads giveaway winner. Very informative.

[Brianna Schultz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in a giveaway.
I enjoyed reading through the authors journey of building a culture at his company that he could be proud of. He is a very religious man which of course was a big part of the book. The biblical stuff will add great value to those who are also religious and for those like myself who are not religious, won't distract or detract.
Many of the ideas presented in the book are things I've heard before, but the format of the book was unique. It read like a story with reflections.

[Seref Gonuller · Rating 1 out of 5]

It is a waste of time.

[Darla Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most open, honest, vulnerable, thorough, and practical books I've ever read on shifting a culture and engaging a team. I recommend it highly!

[S Tyty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible book!

In this incredible book, Joey Havens exposes us to all experiences he had in the field and to his insights or his believes, and the lessons he has learned throughout the years so that we can copy, imitate or improve all this, and also thrive in business in the same way as he has done.
Whether we are an organization or a company who is looking to improve our culture or whether we are just starting and want to begin building this culture, this book is useful in the same way.
His main focus is on the role that leadership plays in business and that we should put our well-being first and foremost in order to achieve the desired goal.