Reveal the Hidden Power of Identity to Create a Purposeful Life

Start With Who is the second book written by Marcus Marsden. His first book, Fit To Lead, was co-authored with his wife, Sari, and focused on challenging received wisdom regarding the role of the body in leadership.

His new book continues the theme of challenging received wisdom in the world of development, coaching and training. It is the product of 35 years of experience, gleaned from a Philosophy degree at Oxford University, a business education with Unilever, and coaching experience with The Coach Partnership.

In Start With Who, Marcus focuses on the role of identity and context in performance. Whereas conventional thinking would have you focus on establishing ‘SMART goals’ and ‘starting with why’, Marcus argues that there is a deeper level that first must be addressed. Only when you identify and work with your underlying beliefs about who you are today, and who you can become in the future, will you unleash your full potential.

The book cuts through the complexity that often attends this kind of work and makes a clear and incisive case for the importance of ‘starting with who’ if you want to transform your capacity to produce results.

Marcus includes plenty of case studies as well as examples from his personal and professional life that bring the book to life. He is not afraid to be challenging and confrontational in places, arguing that many of the accepted norms in personal development, such as ‘unlearning’ are red herrings, and based on faulty understandings of the way human beings operate.

MEdia

Praise for the book

THE AUTHOR

Marcus Marsden is the Managing Partner of The Coach Partnership (TCP) and The Works Partnership (TWP), companies that offer world-class leadership development, coaching, coach training and certification.

He left England and a marketing career in Unilever to join TWP in 2002 and, after stints in Jakarta and Hong Kong, is now based in Singapore, where he lives with his wife Sari, who is herself a certified professional coach and leadership trainer.

Together, in 2017 they co-authored Fit to Lead, a groundbreaking book on the role of the body in leadership and performance.

When not working, he is listening to the music of Bob Dylan, watching Liverpool FC and the Las Vegas Raiders. He is also passionate about giraffe conservation.