How to Lead a Values-Based Professional Services Firm
3 Keys to Unlock Purpose and Profit
1. Edition February 2020
240 Pages, Hardcover
Wiley & Sons Ltd
Further versions
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.
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
FRAN BIDERMAN-GROSS is the CEO and Founder of Advantages, an Inc. 500 global digital branding and marketing agency. A graduate of MIT's Entrepreneurial Master's Program and Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program, Fran is a master at helping others translate their vision and values into a consistent and authentic brand experience. Fran is the developer of the Three Keys Workshop and an in-demand speaker and consultant who has empowered countless leaders to form the emotional connections that drive revenue growth.
