It's Not What You Sell, It's What You Stand For : Why Every Extraordinary Business Is Driven by Purpose

by Spence, Roy M.; Rushing, Haley

• ISBN13: 9781591842415
• ISBN10: 1591842417
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-02-05
• Publisher: Portfolio Hardcover

Summary

Who is Roy Spence and what makes him the Pied Piper of Purpose”? Over the last thirty-five years, Roy Spence has helped organizations such as Southwest Airlines, BMW, the University of Texas, Walmart, the Clinton Global Initiative, and many others achieve greatness by getting them to obsess about one big idea: purpose. With purpose as the North Star, employee engagement is higher, competition is less threatening, customers are more loyal, and innovation flows. It’s the secret to developing a more fulfilling work life as well as a healthier bottom line. Simply put, purposeis a definitive statement about the difference you are trying to make in the world. As Spence writes, It’s your reason for being that goes beyond making money—and it almost always results in making more money than you ever thought possible.” It’s not soft stuff,” as some might scoff. Especially during times of great economic uncertainty, purpose is the key to creating and maintaining a high-performing organization. It deserves just as much attention as strategy, execution, and innovation. A real purpose can’t just be words on a piece of paper. It has to get under the skin of every member of your organization—like Southwest’s purpose of democratizing the skies” or Walmart’s of saving people money so they can live better.” If you get it right, your people will feel great about what they’re doing, clear about their goals, and excited to get to work every morning. No organization is too big or too small, too niche or too mundane, to benefit from a clearly defined purpose. Spence and coauthor Haley Rushing share their insider insights and case studies to help you discover your organization’s purpose, proclaim it to the world, and apply it to everything you do. This book will force you to address some tough and profound questions: * What difference do we want to make in the world? * What do we really stand for? * Do we have purpose-based leaders in key roles? * Do our employees feel like what they do matters? * Would our customers miss us if we ceased to exist? * Do we bring our purpose to life everywhere we can—both internally and externally? Spence’s hard-won lessons will change the way you view your job, your business model, your leadership style, and your marketing. They will help you make money, make a difference, and—with a little luck—make history.

Author Biography

Roy M. Spence, Jr., is chairman and CEO of GSD&M Idea City, a leading national marketing communications and advertising company that has helped grow some of the world-'s most successful brands. He has also worked closely with presidents George H. W. Bush (41) and Bill Clinton (42) to encourage Americans to make a difference with disaster relief efforts. He has been awarded Ad Man of the Year, Idea Man of the Century, University of Texas Distinguished Alumnus, and a whole string of other bests. A popular keynote speaker, he regularly addresses audiences from the business, government, and nonprofit communities. His purpose is to try to make a difference in all that he does.

Haley Rushing is chief purposologist and cofounder of the Purpose Institute along with Roy Spence. She has helped some of the country-'s most extraordinary organizations discover and bring to life their core purpose and authentic core values, including Southwest Airlines, Walmart, Charles Schwab, Norwegian Cruise Line, Whole Foods Market, World Market, Univision, the American Council on Education, Texas A&M, Louisiana and the American Red Cross.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 1
Purpose Principles
What Is a Purpose and Why Should You Want One?	p. 9
Discovering Your Purpose	p. 34
Articulating Your Purpose	p. 48
Building an Organization That Makes a Difference
Find the Thrill!	p. 65
Have the Will!	p. 77
Ignite the Passion!	p. 92
Becoming a Leader of Great Purpose
Stewards of Purpose	p. 111
Purpose-Based Leadership Principles	p. 132
Bringing Your Purpose to Life in the Marketplace
Fulfilling the Promise of the Purpose	p. 155
Corporations
How Purpose Can Take You Higher	p. 167
How Purpose Can Make You Better	p. 189
How Purpose Can Accelerate Your Momentum	p. 201
How Purpose Can Set You Free from the Sea of Sameness	p. 216
Membership Organizations
How Purpose Can Move You from Discounts to What Counts	p. 233
Nonprofit Organizations
How Purpose Can Create Common Ground on Higher Ground	p. 243
How Purpose Is Activated Through Insight	p. 255
Higher Education
How Purpose Can Create a Grassroots Movement	p. 267
How Purpose Can Explain the Unexplainable	p. 275
Sports Organizations
How Purpose Can Tee You Up to Be Exceptional	p. 283
Summary
Key Principles from the Book	p. 293
Acknowledgments	p. 299
Notes	p. 303
Bibliography	p. 307
Index	p. 309
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