Strategy is Standards – new podcast & videocast episode
post # 345 — April 2, 2007 — a General post
Here is the second in the series of excerpts from my live presentations. You can watch the video version or just listen to the audio version.
The topic, this time, is the proposition that, for a professional firm, its strategy IS the standards that it lives. It follows from this that management’s key role is the monitoring and enforcement of the values and principles that form the very core of a firm or company.
I talk here about values and principles not as “aspirations†(We aim to be…) but as non-negotiable minimum standards. The success of a company comes from deciding on a core ideology and having everyone voluntarily agree to be a part of it.
00:00 — Introduction
00:30 — The philosophy of managing with values
00:55 — The only deal breaker: not playing the game
01:38 — The importance of having organizational values
02:40 — Conclusion
Tom Hood said:
Kudos David! I have been a fan of your books and teachings for quite awhile and this excerpt on VALUES is excellent. It rerminds me of Jim Collins research on Core Values & Core Purpose in his bestseller, Built to Last. The power of Values and Purpose in mobilizing people to the strategy and vision of the firm are often grossly underestimated by CPAs. many view these exercises as a big waste of time, yet we can see time & time again where the “investment” into strategy, values & purpose makes for a much higher performing organization.
and did you know that the latest research on Top Talent by the AICPA shows that top talent will seek those firms that have and abide by a real purpose, vision & values.
Performance & Retention are the rewards for this investment!
posted on April 3, 2007