How to Lead a Values-Based Professional Services Firm

We live in a values-driven world. As times change, businesses must evolve. The way that leaders have run companies for generations is no longer relevant.Today -- Purpose wins over products. Values win over features. Stories win over pitches.Everyone everywhere craves fulfillment. You must share the reason why you exist and infuse it into everything you do, in order to thrive. Many leaders see the shift in the market and make an effort to adapt. Companies quickly learn that one-off workshops and off-sites are not enough. Purpose is more than a press release. Your vision and mission statements should live in practice as well as print, and permeate through every aspect of your organization. You must close the gap between the messages you declare and the experiences you deliver. How to Lead a Values-Based Professional Services Firm shares the vital experience and valuable insights that leaders require to evolve their organizations and navigate the values-driven world we live in. • Live your purpose to stay alive and build a faithful following of clients and team members. • Employ your authentic values as your guide through the modern market and drive profitability. • Share meaningful stories that emotionally connect with today�s clientele to transform them into tomorrow�s brand ambassadors. 3 keys to unlock purpose and profit will enable you to turn the obstacles of the shifting market into your greatest opportunities, soar above your competitors, and grow your revenue beyond your highest projections.

About the Authors xvii Introduction 1 Half a Century of Combined Experience 2 We’re Not in the Business We Think We are 3 Not Just a Logo 5 The Slog 7 Finding the Three Keys 12 Chapter 1 Create Your Three Keys 15 Understand Your Brand Foundation 16 Understand the Three Keys 18 Purpose: The First Key 18 Values: The Second Key 21 Story: The Third Key 25 Apply the Three Keys to Your Business 27 Are You a Values-Based, Purpose-Driven Firm? 28 What Can You Do Now? 29 Chapter 2 Values-Based Culture 31 Three Building Blocks of Culture 33 Innovate and Evolve Culture 42 Create a Culture of YES! 43 Culture and the Three Keys 45 What Can You Do? 46 Chapter 3 Leadership 49 What is Leadership? 50 Leading in the 21st Century 51 What Type of Leader are You? 53 Leadership, Purpose, and the Service-Profit Chain 55 Look to the Three Keys 56 What Can You Do? 60 Chapter 4 Hire Leaders 63 The Hiring Process Has Changed 65 Align Values and People 67 Invest in Your Hiring Process 69 Involve the CEO 71 Interviewing with the Three Keys 72 Link Hiring to Your Bottom Line 76 Plan for Leadership Succession 80 Compensation 83 Leadership, Purpose, and Performance 87 What Can You Do? 88 Chapter 5 The Purposefully Structured Business 91 Design Your Organization 92 Fewer Hands, Lower Risk 101 Is It Time to Change? 103 Infuse Values throughout Your Firm 104 Organizational Design and the Three Keys 106 What Can You Do? 107 Chapter 6 Messages Matter: Marketing and Communications 109 Marketing Today 110 How the Three Keys Affect Marketing 113 How to Market: A Tactical Discussion 118 Data: Opportunity or Overload? 122 The Chief Marketing Officer is Dead, Long Live the CMO 124 What Can You Do? 127 Chapter 7 Clients Matter 129 Purpose before Services 130 Align with Purpose 132 Align at a Higher Level 133 Flip the Funnel 137 How Clients Buy versus Why 139 Learn What Your Clients Need and Solve Their Problem 141 What Can You Do? 147 Chapter 8 Mergers and Acquisitions 149 Spend Time to Align 150 Connect on Beliefs 152 Embrace the Future Together 152 Be Ready to Compromise 158 A Quick Thought on Earn-outs 160 What Can You Do? 162 Chapter 9 Measure Your Purpose 165 Who Owns the Key Purpose Indicators? 167 What to Measure? 168 How Do We Measure These Things? 169 Measurement and Performance 183 What Can You Do? 184 Conclusion: Use the Three Keys 185 Appendix: The Three Keys to a Purposeful Brand Foundation 189 Find Powerful Purpose 190 Identify Values 194 Tell Your Story 196 Acknowledgments 199 Fran’s Acknowledgments 201 Don’s Acknowledgments 203 Index 205