The Art of Managing Professional Services: Insights from Leaders of the World’s Top Firms

2. Shared Vision, Values, and Culture

Building, communicating, and maintaining

“For a professional service firm, vision, values, and culture are really 99 percent of the equation.”

—Damien O’Brien, CEO, Egon Zehnder International

“We place a lot of weight on shaping, nurturing, and enforcing our values and culture.”

—Bob Dell, Chairman and Managing Partner, Latham & Watkins

“If you don’t get this stuff right, you might as well forget the rest of it. You are going to be just another organization.”

—Peter Stringham, CEO, Young & Rubicam Brands

In a profession that sells a promise of performance versus a tangible product or service, a firm’s vision, values, and culture lie at the heart of that promise. Collectively, they form the core around ...