Part 20 (1/2)
They build, out of passion and an undying belief that they can create sonificance, what others are not willing or able to True entrepreneurs will never be satisfied with riches alone They have to affect change and will risk everything to reat sense of purpose, which is a prerequisite for anyone who is nutty enough to want to start a co sense of conviction is what you need to overcole Story: Inside the Hottest Business, Media and Technology Success of Our Tirowth rates, and measure our importance and value based on financial returns We compare ourselves to industry benchmarks, flaunt our client lists, and tout our awards because they create the perception of success andwrong with having financial goals and achieving milestones, but these are siency exists solely toshort of your potential and cheating your employees of opportunities to realize theirs
It is purpose, not profits, which defines an agency
What Is Our Agency's Purpose?
Have you ever stopped to ask yourself or your employees this question? You will not find the answer in the Blueprint, or any other book for thatwith the founder, and is perpetuated through the agency's actions and professionals
An agency's purposein the minds of its leaders However, over time it becoency and its ee
To recruit and retain top professionals, you y is contributing to the pursuit of a greater goal that transcends standard business measurements and personal achievements and enriches their lives
Theconventional notions of success They're working hard and persisting through difficulties because of their internal desire to control their lives, learn about their world, and acco that endures
-Daniel Pink, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, p 60
Finding Purpose: A Personal Journey I started PR 20/20 with aggressive growth goals and a grand vision I do not think that, at the tiency's purpose, but I had a business plan and the freedo seemed so perfect Then life happened, and it turned my world upside down
In a 20-ically passed away I quickly realized that our personal and business lives are inextricably bound For ht I knew changed My life began to take on new ency
These personal experiences have had a direct and lasting iency, the people that I choose to surround myself with, and the decisions that I y
My situation is not unique We all have our challenges Our priorities and perspectives change, and that affects hoe view the world, our careers, and our businesses
Planning for Purpose In Septe for direction PR 20/20 was on pace for a record year as we approached our five-year anniversary, and I was about to be honored with an Innovation in Business Rising Star Award from Smart Business It was an incredible time with tremendous promise for the future
We had assely driven professionals, and had achieved soto feel that sootten so caught up in pricing, services, staffing, infrastructure, growth, and profits that I had forgotten to focus on what really hts, I wrote, ”The Pursuit of Purpose” on my dry erase board, and sketched a pyramid with five levels-pursuit, people, process, performance, and purpose
At the time, I had no idea what I would use it for, other than as a daily reency existed, and to keep ht As I wrote the Blueprint, the pyra for ible piece to building an agency that truly ure 101 is a snapshot of how the pyramid works, and how the five levels support and build on each other
Figure 101 The Purpose Pyramid Pursuit The first level of the pyraency's vision, rowth goals that will enable your agency to recruit and retain talent You look internally to determine if you truly have the passion and drive to succeed, and you reat
This is also an opportunity for agency leaders to define their personal goals What are you willing to sacrifice? Hoill you find balance in your life to rey needed to reatness? If you're doing so that you care that h, then it is ireat
-Jim Collins, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leapand Others Don't, p 208
People This is possibly the ency, and it is the focus of Chapter 3 Once you knohere you are going, you can better identify the type of people it will take to get there This includes eic partners, clients, advisors, and any other professionals ill influence your agency and its ability to succeed
To create an enduring brand, you need to assemble a team of talented and intrinsically motivated eanizations, and surround your agency with clients who value your professionals and services
Together, we had built a business that combined profits, passion, and purpose And we knew that it wasn't just about building a business It was about building a lifestyle that was about delivering happiness to everyone, including ourselves
-Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zapposcoanizationsare filled with people who are absolutely deterainst it
-Alan Murray, The Wall Street Journal Essential Guide to Manage Lessons from the Best Leadershi+p Minds of Our Time, p 82
Process Much of the Blueprint has focused on process, which in large part deterency's efficiency, productivity, and profitability It is the systeency
I tend to segical business units-operations, hu-but it includes ele strategy, sales systems, and client services
Success itself is a process It requires persistence, perseverance, and an uncos There are no shortcuts, and no guarantees You have to be able to find satisfaction and ress over days, weeks,to outwork your peers and conition; it is about an internal burning desire to iy to succeed, soht to complain when they take as yours It is acceptable to be mediocre, but if that is the path you choose, then alter your expectations about what life will give you in return Success is not easy, but things worth achieving never are
Perforrowth and success Performance is the achievement of business objectives such as lead volume, customer conversions, client loyalty, employee advancement and retention, efficiency, productivity, revenue, and profits
People and process drive perforencies to focus on their purpose
Purpose The truly transforencies, the ones that will thrive and lead in the newservices ecosysteency's compass Purpose is not necessarilyEvery action and decision should align with this ulti hours and gives you the fortitude to fail It ful, and serves as the pivotal piece of your ey
Purpose is aspirational and, inthat is never fully realized In other words, the pursuit itself is the end game
Purpose is: Steve Jobs of Apple, in 1983, fa to John Sculley, then president of PepsiCo, ”Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life or do you want to coan and Dhar a software co industry to e and Sergey Brin of Google and their unending desire to create the perfect search engine that understands exactly what you ives back exactly what you want3 Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and his commitment to reater understanding and connection4 Mya cookie bouquet franchise because a bouquet she sent as a gift had brought a smile to the face of a terminally ill friend After 20-plus years as a preschool teacher, she ventured into the unknown because she believed that her purpose was to bring that sa, do so that matters
-Fried and Hansson, Rework, p 32