Table of Contents
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. Spence has a peculiar genius for helping people articulate what they stand for, and any leader who cares to create a great enterprise would be fortunate to learn from this inspired guide.
Jim Collins, author of Good to Great; coauthor of Built to Last
Roy Spences 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. Absent Roys moving and idealistic articulation of the overriding and, indeed, noble, purpose of Southwest Airlines, I doubt that we would be as overtly meaningful to ourselves and others as we are. Roy has a great and visionary lesson of business success to teach; buying his book is a very inexpensive way to learn it.
Herb Kelleher, founder, Southwest Airlines
Great leaders are leaders of great purpose, in the world of public service and the business world. If youre 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. I know because Roy and the principles in this book have helped guide our work at the Clinton Global Initiative. Having a clear and compelling purpose has enabled us to unite leaders and citizens from all over the world in order to convert pioneering ideas into solutions with tangible results. Bill Clinton
This book will help you navigate the challenging task of discovering and articulating a purpose that will inspire and motivate your entire workforce. Purpose makes employees feel like their job is important, that what they do matters, and is one of a handful of critical factors that we at Gallup have proven correlates with highly engaged, highly productive employees. If you cant articulate the purpose of your organization and you want and need to, you need this book.
Jim Clifton, CEO, The Gallup Organization
Whenever Ive seen a company or a brand that motivated me, inspired me, or gave me goose bumps, Ive been able to link it to an incredible purpose at the heart of that company. 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. Its a must read for twenty-first-century business leaders.
Jim Stengel, former P&G global marketing officer and president/CEO, The Jim Stengel Company
Roy Spences creative brilliance has been an enormous influence on helping people better understand what the PGA Tour stands forexcellence on the golf course and a commitment to giving back to the communities where we compete. Spence introduced the These Guys Are Good campaign to us in 1997. Today, those words still ring true and continue to accurately position the PGA Tour in the world of professional sports. 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
Roy Spence has a great gift for getting to the heart of the matter. He understands that nothing inspires anyonein business or in lifeunless it talks to their deepest values and contributes, in some way, to making the world a better place. Fearless in questioning the status quo and relentless in rejecting cynical shortcuts, he has his finger on the pulse of America like no one else.
Margaret Heffernan, author of How She Does
If there is a secret to success in business, Roy Spence has gotten to the heart of it: that the most winning organizations exude a genuine and truly distinctive sense of purposea powerful set of ideas that neutralize the competition, click with customers, inspire employees, and reshape the sense of whats possible in the marketplace. This book is nothing short of an instruction manual for the right way to win from the team that unleashed the power of purpose to help build some of the worlds most legendary maverick brandsfrom Southwest Airlines to Wal-Mart. Like Spence himself, it will leave you inspired, energized, and well equipped on the path to purpose.
Polly LaBarre, coauthor of Mavericks at Work
Everyone knew Texas A&M was a great brand, but it suffered from a lack of real distinction, particularly for those with no A&M DNA. The Purpose Institute led us to better understand ourselves, and Rushings insight in defining our purpose and values has created a solid foundation for our future. Lets hear it for leaders of character dedicated to serving the greater good!
Steve Moore, CMO, Texas A&M University
At BMW, we live and breathe purpose. Roys book and the powerful way he outlines how to bring purpose to life within your entire organization is the clearest game plan ever written on how to win on purpose. Jack Pitney, vice president marketing,
BMW of North America
Roy Spences book demonstrates the power of purpose in building successful organizations. He shows how to discover your purpose, cultivate it, and use it to make a difference as well as to make profits. If this book doesnt inspire you to create a purpose-driven organization, nothing will. It sure inspires me.
Bill Novelli, CEO, AARP
To all my extraordinary
partners in purpose
I love you all.
INTRODUCTION
On a cool November morning in 2002, I was sitting in my office at 6:00 A.M. preparing for an all-client Idea Summit at the GSD&M headquarters in Austin, Texas. I hear a tap on my door. I look up and there is Jim Collins, a good friend and best-selling author of Built to Last and Good to Great, leaning in and smiling like someone about to give you a gift that he knows youre going to love.
Jim was the keynote speaker we brought in for the summit. Before I could say good morning, Jim looked at me in that pensive way that he does, hand on chin and head cocked slightly, and said, Ive got it!
I said, Got what?
He said, What you guys can be the best in the world at!
While this might seem an odd opener for a conversation, on many occasions GSD&M had been used as a test site for the principles Jim espoused in his first book. Recently, wed been struggling with the answer to a very difficult questionwhat can you be the best in the world at?
Its right in front of you. Look at the clients youve assembled here today. GSD&M has somehow managed to attract extraordinary companies with a purpose beyond making money. Theyre companies that want to make a difference. I think you can be the best in the world at delivering visionary ideas for companies that actually have a purpose.
After this declaration, Jim left just as abruptly as he had shown up. I was frozenlike when you catch a glimpse of your reflection and it takes a moment before you realize that what youre seeing is you. I realized he had put his finger on the unarticulated secret that has shaped the most successful client relationships we had developed in our thirty-five years of running the agency. While we often talk about the difference that our clients are making in the lives of their customers, we hadnt given ourselves enough credit for taking notice of that difference and using it as the cornerstone for building some of Americas most successful brands.
