Dave Ursillo is young, idealistic, and he’s got an idea for a book. Unlike many, the 23-year-old 2008 Holy Cross graduate is acting on it.

Despite unemployment rates trailing only Michigan and a stigma in Rhode Island that says if you can get the security and benefits of a state job, you keep it: Ursillo voluntarily joined the unenviable ranks of the state’s unemployed this June.

Ursillo, who is average height, in good physical shape and soft spoken, hopes to finish his book, “The Quiet Leader” and see it published sooner than later.

Ever since he can remember, he’s always wanted to be a writer. Ursillo previously served as the editor in chief of the Holy Cross Crusader, a position that afforded him an outlet to write.

But the inspiration for the book came during a stint in Washington D.C., as a White House intern last summer. Like most young people, Ursillo was wondering what his calling in life would be.

“I was sitting in my room thinking about how I’ve always felt like a leader on the inside, but it was killing me because I didn’t know who or what I was supposed to be a leader of,” said Ursillo.

Then it hit him.

Americans, he thought, have a perverse and corrupted perception of leadership. For some reason, leaders are often thought of as greedy, power hungry and hedonistic. The Machiavellian sorts that rise to power by virtue of their scheming, manipulation and deception, are not leaders at all, Ursillo thought.

“What we need to do is redefine leadership and change how people think of leaders,” said Ursillo.

“The Quiet Leader’s” premise, he said, is that anybody can lead.

The man who wakes up early every morning to get to a job so that he can put food on the table in order to food, shelter and clothe his three children, is way more of a leader than Bernie Madoff or any of the boys at Enron, Ursillo said.

Ursillo said that in 100 years, Mother Theresa of Calcutta, India, a Catholic nun living in poverty but helping the country’s poorest, will have touched far more lives, and exhibited more leadership qualities than any living politician today. People followed her because of her actions, not the power she amassed, he said.

“The book will show that you don’t need to be in a position of power, or have a lot of money to be considered an effective leader. A quiet leader, doesn’t need a lot of money or power for influence or effectiveness and therefore he or she doesn’t become dependent on those things,” said Ursillo.

“Basically, leadership is about setting a good example.”

Ursillo hopes that people will soon be able to grab “The Quiet Leader” from the self-help section of their local bookstore.

But Ursillo is finding out rather quickly that it isn’t easy to get a book published.

Unlike fiction publishing, where you more or less write a book and then send it to every literary agent and publisher on the planet, non-fiction books require extensive book “proposals.”

As of now, he’s already got a 50-page proposal written up. He hopes to finish his proposal by the end of this month, and get the go ahead for his book soon after.

“With the publishing industry, you never know…I feel very confident. You need confidence when you’re setting out to accomplish something like this,” said Ursillo.

It’s not an unreasonable goal. The self-help publishing industry is a multi-million dollar business, and Ursillo comes off as an inspirational speaker in waiting. He talks incessantly about the power of positive thinking, the inherent goodness in people and the importance of following one’s heart.

“We can still save the American way of life. We can still elect good, selfless people,” said Ursillo, who was wearing an American Flag T-shirt under a track jacket coupled with blue jeans during an interview last Thursday, which was September 11.

Like millions of Americans, it’s a significant day for Ursillo. He views it as his awakening in politics and current events.

A student at Rocky Hill School, Ursillo expressed hawkish views on foreign policy after September 11, 2001. He defended then President George W. Bush’s invasion of Iraq, and overall handling of the war on terror.

For his opinions, Ursillo said he was “excoriated” by his teachers and peers in high school. He claims his car was egged and keyed on separate occasions.

No matter. He continued expressing his opinions, standing for what he believed.

By quitting his state job, Ursillo believes he is continuing his habit of doing what he believes in instead of what’s comfortable. His parents, and his brother and sister – both of which are college aged – support his decision.

“I feel justified in pursuing my dream for the larger good,” said Ursillo. “It’s fun because I’m my own boss, and I’m trailblazing here. I don’t know where I’m going, but I feel good about the journey.”