Purposeful

Have you ever felt a pull to fix something broken—in your workplace, community, or world—but hesitated because you thought, “I’m just one person”? In Purposeful: Are You a Manager or a Movement Starter?, Jennifer Dulski argues that you don’t have to be a CEO, politician, or activist icon to change the world. You just have to start with purpose. Drawing on her experiences leading at Yahoo!, Facebook, Google, and Change.org, Dulski shows that the same skills that make great business leaders also fuel world-changing social movements.

At its core, Purposeful is a roadmap for transforming passion into action. Dulski contends that the most effective leaders don’t just manage—they start movements. These leaders, whether teenage entrepreneurs or corporate executives, rally communities around shared purpose, build trust through vision and empathy, and sustain progress by fostering growth, resilience, and connection. The book weaves together inspiring real-world stories and practical strategies, showing how small actions create ripple effects that can transform organizations and societies.

From Managing to Movement Building

Most people treat leadership as a job title. Dulski reframes it as an act of collective empowerment. She distinguishes between managers—those who maintain systems—and movement starters—those who ignite purpose in others. Managers keep order; movement starters inspire action. Whether you’re launching a product, leading a nonprofit, or starting a community initiative, your job is to create momentum behind a shared vision.

To illustrate, Dulski recounts the story of Manal Rostom, an Egyptian woman who founded the Facebook group “Surviving Hijab,” eventually helping Nike design its Pro Hijab for Muslim women athletes. Rostom didn’t begin with power or resources; she began with conviction. Similarly, teenage entrepreneur Megan Grassell launched Yellowberry to help girls find age-appropriate bras, and Neil Grimmer founded Plum Organics from his kitchen to give babies healthier food. These leaders weren’t managing—they were mobilizing around purpose.

The Ripple Effect of Small Actions

Dulski insists that you don’t need extraordinary circumstances to make an impact. Across the book, she repeats a core truth: meaningful change often starts with one small, courageous act. Drawing from social science research (like Jonathan Freedman and Scott Fraser’s “Foot-in-the-Door” technique), she shows that people are more likely to commit to big actions after starting with small ones. One woman’s post, one petition signature, or one prototype can cascade into collective momentum. Consider Sarah Kavanagh, a 15-year-old from Mississippi, who petitioned PepsiCo to remove brominated vegetable oil from Gatorade, successfully prompting global change across the beverage industry. Dulski uses such examples to prove that micro-actions, once amplified, build macro impact.

Purpose, Dulski explains, makes persistence possible. Movements are marathons, not sprints. They require inner clarity and external alignment—an understanding of why the work matters and for whom it matters. Purpose fuels patience and resilience when challenges inevitably arise.

Bridging the Worlds of Business and Social Change

What makes Purposeful stand out among leadership books is how it bridges corporate strategy with grassroots activism. Dulski draws parallels between social organizing and enterprise management. Both demand vision, storytelling, persuasion, and the ability to motivate diverse stakeholders. From the Theory of Change framework used by nonprofits to the Motivational Pie Chart she employed at Yahoo! and Change.org, the tools she outlines are versatile—they apply equally to CEOs managing teams and teenagers launching petitions.

(Note: This mirrors Simon Sinek’s Start With Why, but with a stronger emphasis on actionable leadership practices that link empathy, accountability, and hope.)

The book balances inspiration with realism. Movements face haters, criticism, and failure. Dulski doesn’t romanticize this; she arms you to anticipate it. From handling online attacks with compassion to viewing adversity as “Rocky Moments” that strengthen character, she provides practical tools for staying motivated through turbulence. Her refrain—“If I can do this, I can do anything” (IICDTICDA)—runs through every chapter, modeling a mindset of courage in action.

Why These Ideas Matter

We live in what Dulski calls a “world in need of hope.” Political polarization, inequality, burnout, and fear can paralyze people from acting. Yet, she argues, the antidote is movement creation: using purpose to connect and empower. By seeing every goal—organizational, civic, or personal—as a movement, you can transform stagnant systems into living communities. The future, she concludes, belongs to those who choose hope, empathy, and persistence over cynicism.

In the pages that follow, Dulski walks readers step-by-step through seven stages of movement building: uncovering purpose, sparking action, articulating vision, persuading power, leading teams, handling critics, and overcoming obstacles. Through intimate stories and field-tested strategies, she shows that leadership isn’t about authority—it’s about awakening agency in yourself and others. As she reminds us, “We all have the power to make a difference… you just have to be the first one to clap.”

Purpose is the foundation of all great movements. According to Dulski, people don’t follow leaders—they follow purpose. Before you persuade others, you must know what truly drives you and why it matters. Purpose aligns your passion with impact and turns personal conviction into collective energy.

Overcoming Fear and Privilege

Many potential changemakers hesitate because of fear or guilt. Dulski identifies four mental barriers that stop people from taking action: fear of failure, lack of support, limited resources, and self-doubt. She shares how embracing vulnerability and privilege can flip these barriers into strengths. In her own story as a young female athlete at Cornell, Dulski challenged gender discrimination when she was told women couldn’t cox men’s rowing teams. Her persistence—despite being rejected by multiple coaches—led to a policy reversal that forever changed the school’s rules. Her small act of courage rippled into systemic change, proving that action, not perfection, drives progress.

“Why Not Me?” and the Power of Agency

Dulski encourages adopting a “Why not me?” mindset—a lesson learned from her mother’s resilience after surviving facial paralysis due to cancer. Her mother’s story taught her that privilege is not a guilt to bear but a resource to invest in others. The question “Why not me?” shifts your focus from doubt to action. It’s a call to courage, especially when facing systemic inequities or personal uncertainty. Instead of viewing obstacles as signs of inadequacy, Dulski reframes them as invitations to lead.

Lessons from the Unlikely

The most inspiring example of purpose’s power comes from 15-year-old Sarah Kavanagh, who noticed brominated vegetable oil listed on her Gatorade label. Her simple petition to Pepsi grew into a global health reform movement that reached Coca-Cola and other beverage giants. Kavanagh’s success, Dulski notes, came precisely because she was an “unexpected messenger.” She didn’t have corporate credentials—she had authenticity. Genuine voices with lived purpose, Dulski argues, often outperform professional activism because they make issues personal. Her motto: “Purpose is the ultimate equalizer.”

Whether it’s standing up to a discriminatory policy, fighting for product reform, or starting a neighborhood project, Dulski challenges readers to begin with small, purposeful acts. As she puts it, “You start a movement when you’re the first one to stand up and clap.”

After clarifying your purpose, the next step is building a vision—the picture of the world you want to create. As Dulski writes, “A vision is your desired future; the purpose is the reason why you want it.” Without a compelling vision, even the most passionate work drifts aimlessly.

The Power of Storytelling

Movements thrive when people can see what success looks like. Drawing on Marshall Ganz’s “Public Narrative” framework (story of self, us, and now), Dulski shows how personal stories translate abstract missions into tangible experiences. Hank Hunt’s campaign for “Kari’s Law” is a poignant example: after his granddaughter couldn’t reach 911 in a hotel during her mother’s murder, his grief became a national movement to change emergency phone systems. By sharing this deeply human story, Hank attracted empathy from strangers, businesses, and lawmakers—culminating in a bipartisan federal law.

Building a Theory of Change

Vision must be actionable. Dulski borrows the Theory of Change model from the social sector: start with your end goal, map every step backward, and define the preconditions for each milestone. The Ugandan founder Chris Ategeka, for example, began with a dream of universal health access after watching family members die from preventable conditions. He iterated from village ambulances to mobile hospitals to fellowships for local doctors—each a step closer to his ultimate vision. Clear vision, flexible strategy: that’s Dulski’s formula.

Finding Your First Followers

Every visionary needs believers. Early supporters—your “kindling”—turn sparks into flames. Citing Derek Sivers’ famous TED Talk on movement dynamics, Dulski stresses that the second follower is often what transforms an idea into a movement. Entrepreneur Alli Webb’s home-based blow-dry service evolved into Drybar, a national brand, because her early clients championed her with enthusiasm and social proof. Building trust through human stories, shared identity, and tangible results allows others to visualize your vision as their own.

Without vision, Dulski warns, purpose has no direction. With vision, even chaos can become coordinated progress. The key is to tell stories that honor truth, connect hearts, and inspire collective imagination.

Change rarely succeeds by shouting louder—it endures through collaboration. In “Get to Know Goliath,” Dulski teaches readers how to persuade decision-makers by understanding, not attacking, them. Instead of treating institutional leaders as enemies, she reframes them as potential allies who can be inspired to join your cause.

Rethinking David vs. Goliath

Borrowing from Malcolm Gladwell’s reinterpretation of the biblical story, Dulski suggests that Goliaths often have hidden weaknesses—and that empathy can reveal them. She recounts how Gemma Mortensen of Crisis Action worked with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown to address Myanmar’s humanitarian crisis by aligning moral urgency with political opportunity. By understanding Brown’s motivations, activists turned potential confrontation into a coalition that compelled the EU and UN to act.

The Five Stages of Engagement

From her Change.org experience, Dulski mapped how institutions evolve when facing public demands: denial, listening, acceptance, embracing, and empowering. The Boy Scouts’ reversal on banning gay members progressed exactly through these phases—eventually transforming critics into advocates. The final “empowering” stage occurs when an organization mobilizes supporters for its own purpose, as Virgin America did with its “Free Love Field” petition to expand flight access in Dallas.

Each stage requires patience and perspective. The goal is not to defeat power but to collaborate with it toward shared benefit—a “win for Goliath” to ensure sustainable change.

To do this effectively, Dulski offers practical tools: influence mapping (to identify key decision-makers and allies), data storytelling (to speak their language), and the humble “Ask.” As she notes, “If you don’t ask, you don’t get.”

Movements only endure when teams stay motivated. In business or activism alike, leadership is about elevating others. Dulski distills three timeless principles from her leadership at Yahoo! and Change.org: champion purpose, cultivate growth, and foster connection. Together, they form the emotional infrastructure of any movement.

Champion Purpose

Leaders must connect everyday work to meaningful outcomes. Neil Grimmer of Plum Organics began weekly “Love Bombs,” sharing real customer stories about how their baby food improved families’ lives. That ritual reminded employees that their work mattered—replenishing motivation even during hard weeks. Dulski herself hosted Change.org team meetings featuring live talks from petition starters, bridging data with the human heart.

Cultivate Growth

Growth keeps motivation alive. Dulski’s “Motivational Pie Chart” exercise reveals each team member’s key drivers—whether recognition, learning, or flexibility—and color-codes satisfaction so leaders can tailor support. She also applies the “Pygmalion Effect” (the proven link between expectations and performance), urging leaders to believe audaciously in their teams. Organizations like Breakthrough, her youth education nonprofit, showed that trust and high standards unleash potential in both students and teachers. Empower people, she insists, to make 90% of decisions themselves (“the 90/10 rule”), and they’ll rise beyond expectations.

Foster Connections

Connection creates psychological safety—the bedrock of trustful teams. From lifeline exercises to “Appreciations” rituals, Dulski helps teams share personal stories and gratitude, strengthening bonds that weather conflict. Her rowing metaphor—where coxswains earn respect by sweating alongside rowers—illustrates that trust is earned through shared struggle, not authority. Vulnerability, she adds (echoing Brené Brown), is a superpower: John Feal’s openness about his 9/11 injuries inspired nationwide advocacy for first responder health care. Honest leaders who acknowledge “everybody’s got something,” as journalist Robin Roberts says, create compassion in workplaces and movements alike.

Whether managing engineers or activists, Dulski’s lesson is universal: “Inspire people not through titles, but through trust.” The most resilient movements aren’t built on pressure—they’re built on belonging.

Change invites scrutiny. Dulski teaches leaders to discern between trolls and teachers—to use credible criticism to improve and ignore cruelty that distracts. The way you handle dissent defines the sustainability of your movement.

The Psychology of Negativity

Because of our brain’s “negativity bias,” one hateful comment hurts more than ten compliments. But Dulski suggests countering this wiring through gratitude and perspective. Journalist Tony Schwartz’s gratitude reflection technique, she notes, helps leaders redirect focus and rebuild emotional resilience. Online petitioners like Merna Forster, whose campaign to feature women on Canadian banknotes drew sexist backlash, countered hate by rereading thousands of supportive signatures. The army behind you, Dulski reminds, is always bigger than the trolls ahead.

Constructive Conflict and the “Bear Hug”

The Change.org team developed a “Bear Hug” technique for handling adversaries—meet criticism with empathy, not defensiveness. When hackers attacked their platform, Dulski’s team leader flew to Spain to meet the attacker face-to-face. Listening disarmed hostility, resulting in resolution and mutual respect. Similarly, white supremacist Derek Black renounced his ideology after Jewish classmate Matthew Stevenson invited him to weekly Shabbat dinners—proving that compassion can outlast hate.

Feedback as a Gift

Drawing from coaching wisdom (“even the best athletes have coaches”), Dulski urges embracing criticism as fuel for growth. During a company-wide restructuring at Change.org, she invited staff feedback—even painful feedback—to rebuild trust and culture. By responding with transparency, she turned dissent into innovation. “Leaders who listen,” she concludes, “don’t lose control—they gain credibility.”

Criticism, like resistance training, builds strength only if you keep lifting. Transforming negative energy into progress is the hallmark of what Dulski calls movement maturity.

In the final chapters, Dulski redefines failure not as falling down but as refusing to get back up. Obstacles, she writes, are part of leadership’s terrain. The best leaders don’t avoid the storm—they learn to climb through it. Each failure, if reflected on, becomes an accelerant for growth.

The Rocky Moment

Using the metaphor of “Rocky Moments,” Dulski celebrates resilience—the moment when you get hit, stumble, and still move forward. At her startup The Dealmap, she endured three product failures before one succeeded. What others saw as crisis, she saw as iteration. That persistence paid off when Google acquired the company. Similarly, she institutionalized the “Festival of Failure” at Change.org, where teams openly shared mistakes to accelerate learning—echoing Thomas Edison’s “I’ve found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

Finding Allies and Perspective

No climber ascends alone. Partnerships—like Amy Norman and Stella Ma at Little Passports—sustain leaders through the hardest stretches. They founded their business amid personal crises and grew it into a multimillion-dollar company through shared accountability. Dulski cites research from Dominican University showing goal-sharers are 70% more likely to succeed than solo strivers. Support yields stamina.

Personal crises, too, recalibrate perspective. After undergoing brain surgery for a pituitary tumor, Dulski emerged with renewed urgency to live meaningfully. These near-death experiences, she says, teach that “life may be shorter than we think… so do work that matters.”

The Growth Mindset and the Joy of the Struggle

Echoing Carol Dweck’s research, Dulski distinguishes between fixed and growth mindsets: successful leaders see obstacles as opportunities to get stronger. Elite athletes, she notes, often turn setbacks into “catalysts for development.” Dulski’s classroom mantra—“math is about the struggle”—applies to leadership too. The journey matters more than ease.

Her conclusion is simple yet profound: every change-maker faces storms. Those who rise above see struggle as training, not tragedy. They prepare for the weather, rely on their rope team, and keep climbing—and that’s how ordinary people, against all odds, move mountains.