Item: Running with Purpose
Rating: 5.00
Author: bookanonjeff

by James Weber

Discover how Brooks Running Company CEO Jim Weber transformed a failing business into a billion-dollar brand in the ultracompetitive global running market.

Running with Purpose is a leadership memoir with insights, inspirational stories, and tangible takeaways for current and aspiring leaders, entrepreneurs, and the 150+ million runners worldwide and those in the broader running community who continually invest in themselves.

This leadership memoir starts with Jim Weber's seventh-grade dream to run a successful company that delivered something people passionately valued. Fast forward to 2001, Jim became the CEO of Brooks and, as the struggling brand's fourth CEO in two years, he faced strong headwinds. A lifelong competitor, Jim devised a one-page strategy that he believed would not only save the company but would also lay the foundation for Brooks to become a leading brand in the athletic, fitness, and outdoor categories. To succeed, he had to get his team to first believe it was possible and then employ the conviction, fortitude, and constancy of purpose to outperform larger brands. Brooks' success was validated when Warren Buffett made it a standalone Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary in 2012. In the pages of Running with Purpose, you will find:

Brooks’ bold strategy and unique brand positioning that fueled its move from the back of the pack to lead.
The key to building a purpose-driven brand that is oriented around customer obsession, building trust, competing with heart, and having fun along the way.
The six clear leadership lessons Jim has learned along his path and applies at Brooks to develop staff into authentic leaders.
How Berkshire Hathaway's support and influence provided a tailwind for Brooks' business and brand to surge.
An inside look at the ups and downs of Jim's personal journey, which led to his conviction that life is too short not to enjoy what you do and the people by your side.

Cilantro Rub On A Perfectly Cooked Filet Mignon. Yes, the title of this review is an allusion to a particular meeting covered in this book, wherein Warren Buffett once invited James Weber to enjoy a steak with him in Omaha - and yet also describes this book to a T. Part memoir and part business leadership book, this is the story of James Weber pre-Brooks, and Brooks with James Weber at its head. And when the book is in either of these modes, it is truly tremendous. And I don't just say this as a Millenial former runner (who needs to get back into that) who *loves* his Brooks Ravenna line shoes. I also note this as someone who has read and reviewed over 800 books in just the last 3 years alone across a wider range than most any other reader out there. Weber's tale is remarkable, and his business insights and leadership principles are sound - and seem like they would be great guiding principles for those starting out or even those (like myself) in mid-career. The cilantro rub comes when Weber starts diving into political issues near the end of the text - though he *is* careful to come back to his own story and Brooks' story after, in a classic sh*t sandwich layering approach. Why is there a cilantro rub on this great filet mignon? Well, like cilantro, the political discussion is going to be one you either love or you hate - there likely isn't going to be any middle ground there, and there likely won't be any convincing of those on the other side that they should change sides. So if you agree with the somewhere-left-of-center politics he describes... yay! You're one of the ones that likes this cilantro! If not... read the book anyway. There really is a lot to be learned here. Very much recommended.

Running with Purpose

by James Weber

Reviewed by Jeff Sexton on Apr 18, 2022

Reading updates