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

by Roy M. Spence Jr., Haley Rushing (Contribution by)

Overview

"Roy Spence is a brilliant, sparkling gem. True greatness comes in direct proportion to passionate pursuit of a purpose beyond money." -Jim Collins, author of Good to Great

Over the last thirty-five years, Roy Spence has helped organizations such as Southwest Airlines, BMW, the University of Texas, Wal-Mart, the Clinton Global Initiative, and many others achieve greatness by obsessing 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.

As Spence writes, "Purpose is a reason for being that goes beyond making money-and it almost always results in making more money than you ever thought possible." Especially during times of great economic uncertainty, purpose is the key to creating and maintaining a high- performing organization, deserving just as much attention as strategy, execution, and innovation.

These insider insights and case studies will help you discover your organization's purpose, proclaim it to the world, and apply it to everything you do.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781591844471
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	10/25/2011
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	415,649
Product dimensions:	5.54(w) x 8.46(h) x 0.86(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

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. In 1971, Roy and a group of friends founded the agency just after graduating from the University of Texas at Austin. Roy led an effort to build an environment where ideas are destined to flourish and making a difference was a priority from day one. Under Roy’s leadership, the agency flew with Herb Kelleher and Southwest Airlines and helped grow the most successful airline in aviation history and rode with Sam Walton and Walmart and helped build the largest company in the world. They cooked with Norm Brinker and Chili’s and helped serve up the most successful casual-dining restaurant in America and delivered for Ed Whitacre and AT&T and helped produce the largest telecommunications company in the world. And they declared “Don’t Mess with Texas,” creating one of America’s favorite advertising slogans.They went on to work with Presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton to encourage Americans to make a difference with disaster relief efforts. They work with the Clinton Foundation and the Clinton Global Initiative in making a difference around the world. And they brought perspective and unity to a damaged country after 9/11 with the moving “I Am an American” pro-bono ad campaign. Through their philosophy called Purpose-based Branding,™ GSD&M Idea City and their Purpose Institute division help organizations identify, simplify and articulate their purpose—the fundamental difference they’re trying to make in the world and their reason for being beyond making money. Through purpose and visionary ideas that make a difference, GSD&M Idea City is in the business of growing clients’ businesses.

Haley Rushing cofounded the Purpose Institute along with Roy Spence. The Purpose Institute is an organization dedicated exclusively to helping clients discover and articulate their purpose and values in the world. Over the years, Haley has helped a number of the country’s most visionary organizations develop business strategies that are founded on a strong core purpose and authentic core values, including Southwest Airlines, Wal-Mart, Charles Schwab, Norwegian Cruise Line, Whole Foods, World Market, Univision, The American Council on Education, Texas A&M and, most recently, the American Red Cross. Haley and her husband, R. W., live in Austin, Texas with their twin daughters.

What People are Saying About This

Herb Kelleher

"Roy Spence's instructive book reflects his charismatic genius, his evangelical zeal, and his synergistic understanding of what makes businesses lodge in the hearts, not just the minds, of employees and customers."--(Herb Kelleher, founder, Southwest Airlines)

Bill Clinton

"If you're looking for a way to inspire people, mobilize the talent and energy of your organization, and make a real difference, the road map and case studies in this book will help you do it."

Tim Finchem

"Roy Spence's creative brilliance has been an enormous influence on helping people better understand what the PGA TO UR stands for. The wisdom contained in this book is a great resource for those who want to lead their business with a purpose."--(Tim Finchem, commissioner, PGA Tour)

Jim Stengel

"Roy Spence has nailed the power of purpose in this visionary book and it will motivate and inspire you to find and fulfill a purpose at the heart of your organization."--(Jim Stengel, former P&G global marketing officer and President/CEO, The Jim Stengel Company

Jim Collins

"Roy Spence is a brilliant, sparkling gem. Dedicated to the idea that true greatness comes in direct proportion to passionate pursuit of a purpose beyond money, he has inspired and changed leaders in every sector."--(Jim Collins, author of Good to Great; coauthor of Built to Last)

Editorial Reviews

Every business should strive for more than just profit; it should aim to become an organization of great purpose-pledged to make money, make a difference and make history, cheerleads Spence, chairman and CEO of ad agency GSD&M. The author supplements uplifting homilies with case studies (starring his clients) to argue that a high-concept purpose can bring vitality to any company. Southwest Airlines, for example, worked hard not just to lure customers away from older airlines but to offer affordable air travel, "democratizing the skies." Likewise, Wal-Mart brings goods that were once distant luxuries to rural families. Highway littering was rising by 17% per year in Texas until an enterprising politician appealed to state pride with the "Don't Mess with Texas" campaign. Spence argues that people work harder and more joyfully when they believe they are part of something larger than themselves; he speaks enthusiastically about employees turned into company evangelists and the power of purpose-based leadership. This is a positive reminder of the private sector's potential in making a difference in the world. (Feb.)

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Publishers Weekly

Roy Spence runs a consulting firm that helps companies understand the importance of having a purpose other than simply making money. It's a compelling concept for business as well as for the general good, but it's also a very simple one, and this audio repeats the same uncomplicated ideas over and over, using Spence's own clients as glowing examples. Bill Weideman's narration has the feel of a newsreader's, inoffensive but detached. Ironically, the production might have been improved if the entire text had been presented by Spence, who reads only the introduction. Spence has a charming Texas drawl and an infectious enthusiasm that might have made the next nine hours easier to listen to. D.B. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

AUGUST 2009 - AudioFile